Everyday Gear Values

[ken]

Hey Folks,

I wanted to start a thread about cheap and useful gear that doesn't have to be on sale to be worth buying.

I saw a lot of good talk today about the Nady CM 90 Cardioid Condenser Mic today which can be bought regular price for $50 from MF.

The CM-90 is the same mic as the MXL 603, MXL 991, Apex 180, Cascade M39 or CAD GXL 1200 (different capsule housing caps, grilles and body vents create minor acoustical differences between them). Capsule diaphragm, backplate and electronics are the same across all these re-branded models.

Feel free to ad other gear you find a good value below.

Ken

[Billy's Little Trip]

Good idea, Ken. I've told a few friends about the Lexicon USB interface for an inexpensive way to start digital recording

The everyday price for the Lexicon Alpha is only $79.00 AND it comes with Cubase LE. So if you have a computer, for about 80 bux you can start recording your music.

[Eric Y.]

I'm a big fan of the ART Tube MP Preamp.
I picked one up a couple years ago for about $30 when it was a "stupid deal of the day" and since then, it seems the price has permantly dropped to that level.
I've never used it as a mic preamp so I can't comment on its effectiveness for that function (I'm sure you can do better elsewhere if that's what you need) but I had used one at a friend's house for direct-recording bass and then ended up buying one for myself for the same purpose.
It's got a nice warm clean sound -- not nearly as noisy as some (specifically) bass preamps I've used -- and comparable in quality to a direct box you might pay 3-4 times as much for.

[ken]

GLS Audio makes a good Shure SM57 knock off for $30.

GLS Audio ES-57

[ken]

The Universal Audio UAD cards are an amazing value no matter the cost.

The Universal Audio UAD-1e Express PAK was the stupid deal of the day today, but seems to also be on clearance for the same price.

I highly recommend you get in on this.

Ken

[nyjm]

Generic is right: I need a proper microphone.

Since I'm on a budget for the foreseeable future, which mic is better for my voice:

the Nady CM 90
or
the GLS ES-58 (BTW, what's the difference between the 57 and the 58?)

Follow up question, should I look for something different for the Ford's Theater Disaster Stuff that I tend to scream across the room when recording?

If it's important, I use a Line 6 POD Studi UX1 for recording everything BUT my vox these days (since all my mics are USB).

[ken]

The CM90 is more of an instrument mic than a vocal mic. Also it requires phantom power which your Line6 interface does not have, so yes getting one of the other mics would be a better choice. The difference between a 57 and 58 is that the 58 has a built in windscreen. It is intended for live vocal use. The 57 can be used for either vocals or instruments. Honestly, I would suggest getting one of each if you can afford it and the 57 if you can only buy one. If you have the money or have a decent used market where you live, buying a used Shure SM57 is totally worthwhile.

Ken

[signboy]

the ux1 has no phantom power? are you sure? that's what I used for a while, along with a behringer B1

[ken]

I don't know... none of the literature I can find mentions it, and there is no button to turn it on/off on the unit. I'm not really sure.

Ken

[Eric Y.]

No on/off button and also no indicator (the only LED appears to be for the USB port) -- I can't imagine that it (phantom power) would always be on.

Furthermore --

With an amazing software like pod farm and zero latency this thing rocks! My only complaint is the lack of phantom power.

[nyjm]

Honestly, I would suggest getting one of each if you can afford it and the 57 if you can only buy one. If you have the money or have a decent used market where you live, buying a used Shure SM57 is totally worthwhile.

Thanks! I'll poke around some local places, but I've never gone wrong with Musician's Friend.

... speaking of which, for the light use (never live) that I anticipate for a mic, would I regret this?

[ken]

yeah, probably.

[nyjm]

Figured. Well, I'm sold on the GLS: one 57 and one 58. It's too bad that site doesn't have singular mic stands. Guess I'll pick two of those up locally.

By the by, here are some really rave reviews (and one dissenter/contextualizer) for the GLS ES series.

[ken]

I'm just going to post this here that buy.com has the M-audio Fast Track on sale for $59.99. This is a great little box if you just need a simple one input interface for recording or whatever.

[ken]

I know we post a lot of MXL mics in the Stupid Deal of the Day thread, but I think if you are going to buy a $100 condenser mic, your best bet is the Studio Projects B1 available for $99 from Zzounds.com

[Spud]

What are they trying to say here?

[Ross]

I know we post a lot of MXL mics in the Stupid Deal of the Day thread, but I think if you are going to buy a $100 condenser mic, your best bet is the Studio Projects B1 available for $99 from Zzounds.com

I love my B1 - I had an MXL 990 and hated it. GOt the B1 for vocals and auxiliary percussion (it also does a decent job on lute type instruments) versatile and quite nice. I believe Steve also uses it for vocals and all his horns.

[Dan-O from Five-O]

An incalculable number of SongFight! entries have been ruined by the simple fact the submitting artist didn't have or bother to use one of these.

Butt simple to use, under $20, and the most essential piece of equipment in a guitar players arsenal.

It even has a built in microphone for you G&G folks that don't have a way to plug in your acoustic guitar. Or to find out how far out of tune your vocals are.

Just buy one. PLEASE!

[jast]

I use the Studio Projects B1, too. It's pretty forgiving about positioning, which is a plus, has a pretty nice sound, which is another plus, but overaccentuates some of the highs a bit too much for my taste, which is a minus. A bit of de-essing might be necessary sometimes.