Clueless about first mic

Submitted by Ok-Interaction-4197 t3_z5dbgh in Music

Evening all, hope you are allright,

Idk if this is the right place to post my question, sorry about that.

I want to give a micro (for only vocals) to my girlfriend but Im clueless about this topic.

Can you give me any options?

I would like something like this, in terms of design at least - Audio-Technica AT2020 (is this ok for the porpuse?

My budget is around 100€ - 110€ max.

Can i just USB it into the PC or do i need something else?

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Moon_Machine24 t1_ixve9ja wrote

I love my AT2020, it’s a wonderful choice for vocals. Though it is a condenser mic - it requires phantom power to operate, and is much more sensitive and fragile than a dynamic mic.

The Shure SM58 is often the gold standard, and I’d highly recommend it as well for a starting mic. It’s very sturdy and durable, does not require phantom power, and to my knowledge is also around your price point.

For either of these, you will need an audio interface, though. I highly recommend a Scarlett 2i2, which runs for about $150 USD…… I don’t believe there’s really a way to convert the XLR outputs on either mic to USB and transmit the same data, but ¯_(ツ)_/¯

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feelosofree- t1_ixvep6e wrote

What he said! Shure SM58 would have been my recommendation.

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Ok-Interaction-4197 OP t1_ixvfgwi wrote

Something like this? (That red box?)

https://m.egitana.pt/focusrite-scarlett-solo-studio-3rd-gen/p/13491?utm_campaign=PmShpt&gclid=Cj0KCQiAj4ecBhD3ARIsAM4Q_jFv3nQ17ySBiQVOvdjwaWuDwbavslGOMpo_8PZNCxA7nvJqDG21mUwaAhmcEALw_wcB

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Moon_Machine24 t1_ixvim62 wrote

Yes, exactly like that. I’ve had one for easily 5-6 years and I love it.

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DayVess t1_ixvdz1j wrote

The AT2020 is great for speech (I have one - AT2020USB+ - for recording narration). Very rich sound. I can't speak to its performance in recording someone belting those high notes though. Shure SM58 has been the go-to for bands and live events I've worked with for years. This mic doesn't plug into a PC, connection is XLR. You'd need a USB audio interface like a Scarlett to connect to computers.

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Ok-Interaction-4197 OP t1_ixvekva wrote

Thanks for the info.

The porpuse is just In house covers (just for fun).

About the last phrase, you are talking about all mics or just SM58?

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PricelessLogs t1_ixwda08 wrote

He was talking about the SM58, but many mics require an audio interface. Basically you need to use a USB connection to connect to a computer, and some mics do have a USB connection, but most professional quality musician microphones use XLR cables. An audio interface is basically a little hub that you plug your XLR cables from your microphone into (or 1/4" cables which are also common but are mostly for other instruments) and the audio interface itself connects to the computer with USB and sends the audio into the PC

Like someone else said, a really high quality, professional, and relatively cheap setup would be a Shure SM58 microphone and a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 audio interface. In fact I'm a home studio musician and this is very close to my own setup

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swehner t1_ixwhvzv wrote

There is AT2020 and there is AT2020USB

If you want to record on a PC or laptop, the one that doesn't say USB, and the Shure SM58, will require a USB Audio Interface to connect.

But what do you think your girlfriend will do with the mic? It can be tedious to work with audio files.

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bigwordsz t1_ixx9q7a wrote

At2020 is a wonderful starting point for vocals and is so versatile for other things if the need arises but needs to be phantom powered with an audio interface, although they might make a usb version that would probably be great. Sm58 or 57 by shure is unbeatable and no phantom power required (still need an interface to record). Also love Heil microphones, they make a great $110? mic similar to the sm58 which I think is slightly better. Really, whatever your budget can afford will get you off on the right foot these days

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