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Good Cheap USB Mic for Recording Trumpet?



 
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themeowing
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Joined: 08 Jun 2018
Posts: 11

PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2018 4:23 pm    Post subject: Good Cheap USB Mic for Recording Trumpet? Reply with quote

I am wondering if there are any cheap (under $30, preferably under $20) USB (I don't have a mic jack) microphones that record a trumpet accurately. My current mic is does not record trumpet well at all. Here's a video of how it sounds, compared to the same part played by me into a decent (borrowed) microphone. I am not looking for something exceptional, just something that accurately records my sound, at or above the level of the "decent" microphone in the video below.
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jadickson
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Joined: 23 Jun 2006
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Location: Raleigh, NC

PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2018 6:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No, probably not. Cheap microphones are cheap for a reason.

The Audio-Technica AT2020USB goes on sale for $100 sometimes.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AT2020USBP--audio-technica-at2020usb-cardioid-condenser-usb-microphone
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jcstites
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Joined: 26 Jul 2004
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2018 6:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Best option close to your budget is the blue snowball ice model, which is $39 on Amazon.
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GeorgeB
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Joined: 20 Apr 2016
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 11, 2018 3:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Forget those $20 mics, I had one and they are a waste of money. I use a Blue Yeti and it is fantastic.
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trickg
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Joined: 02 Jan 2002
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 11, 2018 5:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jcstites wrote:
Best option close to your budget is the blue snowball ice model, which is $39 on Amazon.

I tried using a Blue Snowball once and I took it back because I couldn't get it to stop clipping.

But aside from that, there is no such thing as good and cheap/inexpensive when it comes to microphones. You have to pick one or the other.

There are some alternatives though. I've recorded with the USB mic that comes with the Rock Band World Tour video game set, and it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either. I've also recorded with a Blue Icicle XLR to USB converter with a Shure SM57 and had decent results.

Look at the microphone as an investment. I bought that Shure SM57 in 2009, and it's just as good now as the day I bought it. I'll probably still be using that mic in some form or fashion 20+ years from now.

Here's a project I put together using the Blue Icicle and Shure SM57 on a 2 part flugel thing against a backing track. I no longer have the Blue Icicle - I now record using a Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 recording interface that has 8 decent mic preamps, and it's a better setup in almost every way to the Icicle, but the Icicle got me where I needed to go at the time.


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mm55
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 11, 2018 6:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

For twenty bucks, you can expect a Band Director Approved microphone with a shiny colored finish, and pair of Band Director Approved white gloves. Don't expect it to function well or sound good.
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trickg
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 9:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

$20 will get you a Behringer XM8500, which is essentially an inexpensive (and sometimes preferred) clone of the SM58. Is it as "good" as a real SM58? Debateable, but I bought a 3-pack of them for just under $60, and they both sound good, and they've held up pretty well. The reviews speak for themselves - review after review where they were bought as alternatives to, or replacements of genuine Shure SM58s, and the users - everyone from rank novice sound guys to pros - have been pretty pleased.

https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-Ultravoice-Dynamic-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B0002KZAKS

Combine that with this and they'd be in business:

https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UM2-BEHRINGER-U-PHORIA/dp/B00EK1OTZC/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1531415529&sr=1-3&keywords=XLR+USB
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