Microphones

[dbg]

My nine year old loves singing along to music so I thought a good Chrimbo present would be a microphone, but what can I use to amplify her voice? Can I connect a mic to the tv or computer or would I need to buy a separate amplifier? Money is an object

 

[ChrisKH]

They do very reasonable children's karaoke machines these days, I'm told. My boys don't want to sing, they want to wield an axe and be a Guitar Hero. Which is worse.

 

[cisamcgu]

AN example of which is this

 

[dbg]

Thanks, that doesn't look like it would last 5 mins though!

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Does she need to amplify for a live performance it or is this about singing / recording her voice along to a simple backing track at home?

If it's cheap and cheerful you need then there are many cheap dynamic mics which will plug into the mic in on her pc sound card (assuming she has a pc with a reasonable sound card)...then all she needs to do is down load some backing tracks (free) like these:
http://www.guitarbackingtrack.com/

and a basic recording software package ( like audacity or acid express)
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
http://www.acidplanet.com/tools/?p=acid

..or even just use the on board windows mixer (free) start>programms>accessories>entertainment>sound recorder .

Plug the pc into a good Hi Fi amp with some good speakers (or headset) then she willbe able to have good backing tracks and sing along to them and record/mix her voice in with the backing track if she likes as well....she could then burn her mix to a CD (convert to mp3 etc) and bingo..she has a recording of herself singing along to her fav songs. This set up would also be ok for singing 'live' in th eliving room, classroom etc as long as she can carry the Hi fi and pc.

If she is looking to play live at bigger venues then she'll need a better mic...preferably a directional dynamic mic ...the industry standard is a shure sm57/ or 58...like this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SHURE-SM58-Mi...14&_trkparms=72:1298|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318


that plugs into a mixing desk which in turn runs to the PA speakers. The connectors on these are usually XLR (not phono)

Vocal effects are worth looking at as well...the most important of which are compression, eq and reverb, delay. But they are not crucial for the above and in any event should be part of the basic recording software if you go down that route.

The limitation on the backing tracks is the choice of available free tunes...i.e the latest girl/boy band hit may not be available...singing along to a retail Cd would still work but it would still have th eorigional vocal track in there as well.

if she is singiong at bigger venues then often the PA will have house mics to use...these are fine BUT ...she may want to bring her own mic (or at least a pop shield) so she isnt going to pick up bad throat infections left there by the last grungepunkmetal berk who swallowed the mic.

A mic stand is useful..and in a recording studio it is essential. Contrary to most singers beliefs they are not designed as a posing aid....the reason they exist is to stop singers handling the mic as they sing and therefore causing 'clonks' on the vocal tracks.

 

[JtB]

This is what we bought my son:
http://www.magicsingkaraoke.co.uk/shop/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=29
At first sight it looks a bit expensive, but when you consider how many songs it supports and the overall quality, the price is not that bad. We've since bought a secondary microphone and additional song chips.

 

[Willow]

singstar on playstation/wii is good

 

[Noodley]

Buy her a hair brush, it'll keep her tidy and double as a microphone.

No, don't thank me, it's all part of the service...

 

[Mr Pig]

Seconded on the SM58. I don't know what it is about them but you see them everywhere, if you wanted a 'real' microphone it's a totally safe bet. I've seen them as low as £50.

A Welsh singer/songwriter called Martyn Joseph even wrote a song about them:

Another night, another date
Another SM 58
Another chance and I cant wait
Somewhere your waiting
Don’t go gently into the night
Don’t give up without a fight
Lets keep faith with what we know
Searching for the rainbow
I will be loving you tonight
I will be loving you
I’ll rip up my heart in these songs tonight
Another time, another place
You gave me love and tender grace
Now I beat these lonely miles
But I will find you
I will be loving you tonight….

Another night, another date
Another SM 58
I’l reach out and touch your face
I know that your waiting there
I will be loving you tonight…x 2 (tonight – is another chance)

Actually Martyn Joseph is a wonderful song writer and great live. We've seen him many times.

View: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=T3GgmhOs0XU

 

[dbg]

Thanks for that BigonBianchi - very in depth! I should point out that I only have macs not pc's in the house and no hi-fi just computer speakers (JBL creature)

 

[BigonaBianchi]

..well most 'real' studios are mac based and would use a series of speaker/moniters to mix down on including PC and ear phone mixes...

...the principle is the same...a good singer, good mic technique, good mic, good front end pre amp, into a mixing desk or in most cases these days software.

Those karioke machoine gizmos are cool for a bit of fun and will be fine for a youngster for a while...but if she 'gets the bug' she will need and want a better set up as she progresses....that process starts with her voice training and a decent mic

 

[redjedi]

Seconded on the SM58. I don't know what it is about them but you see them everywhere, if you wanted a 'real' microphone it's a totally safe bet. I've seen them as low as £50.

Nooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's time I stepped in here. I used to work in a PA department of a music shop, and it was my personal mission to stop people from buying SM58s.

They may be very popular and seen around lot, but there are much better mics around which are usually cheaper.

The Sennheiser E845 is probably the best alternative the the Shure

http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/shop/flypage/product_id/1975

and has a much nicer, warmer sound to it. The SM58 has no life in it and a quick side by side comparison will show how bad it is.

Audio Technica and Electrovoice (my favourite) also make some very nice mics but are a bit more expensive (around £100+).

Also try to go into a shop or call to buy one and always ask for a discount. Music shops are always fighting each other for business, so drop a few names of local competitors or mention that you've seen them on-line cheaper and you will get a discount or at least some freebies, like cables or stands.

I hope that helps.

 

[dbg]

er well not really, I'm talking about my nine year old who wants to sing along to High Musical not Leona Lewis playing Wembley, so the relative merits of £100 mics are somewhat irreverent. I really want to know if its possible to amplify her voice using either my Mac, TV, or even an electronic keyboard and if it is what would I need to buy. Appreciate the comments though.

 

[redjedi]

In that case any dynamic mic will work, you just need the correct connector on the end.

The mac should have a mini jack socket on the the soundcard (I'm not that familiar with macs). Some keyboards also have mic inputs.
Microphones need to be plugged into a dedicated mic input, these are always marked as such with either a picture of a mic or the word mic. You just have to plug it in.

If neither your mac or keyboard have a mic input, you could have a look at small guitar amps, sometimes these have mic inputs.

I had a quick look and the cheapest I could find was this one

http://www.bonnersmusic.co.uk/buy/VOX/DA5_Battery_Powered_Amp

What keyboard have you got?

 

[dbg]

Just a fairly basic £80 Yamaha from Argos