Some help with mics...

[KdubESP]

Hey all,
I've got $200 to spend @ Musician's Friend, and have decided to invest in some mics for my future home studio. The field has been narrowed to the MXL 2003/603S pack, or the MXL 4000, which is hard to find user reviews on. Have you fine gents and gens any experience with either of these mics? Yes, I've heard that MXL leaves some to be desired in terms of quality, but for a cost/quality ratio they seem to stack up alright. Please, any comments/experiences/concerns welcome.

Oh, and I plan on using the mic to record vocals (voice over type), as well as guitar.

[TREVA]

shure sm 57.
Studios have at least 10 !

[KdubESP]

Oh yeah, I know about the ol' 57...but I'm trying to double-duty with one mic, with voice-over tracking on top of capturing a good guitar tone. I don't think the 57 is suited too well to vocal work...but then again I could be wrong. Anyone use the SM57 for vocals?

[ESPointer]

I know of several poeple who gig and record with 57s for vocals, and actually prefer it to the 58 - i think there's a few guys on this board who take that view too. Either way, i'm picking up a 57 in the january sales :)

[Dying To Live]

Oh fo sho. werd.

[Dying To Live]

Oh yeah, btw- AKG's are decent for the dough but I recommend Shure. Shit, I totally should have said fo shure in my reply preceding this one, but i'm pretty sure it wouldn't have been have as ebonically pleasing.

[riku]

lots of people use 57's for vocals in the studio and live. They work especially well live as they have a tighter cardiod pattern. Lots of drummers use them to minimise the drum spill into the vocal mic

[Takeoffyouhoser80]

Or if you're looking for an alternative to the sm-57 you can get an Audix i-5. I just got one from guitar center and at a pretty damn good discounted price. $70 brand new

(i've heard shure's quality has gone to shit over the years. I don't know how accurate that is)

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

I have an MXL990 Condenser Mic that I use for Vocals and Acoustic Guitar in my home studio, and as long as you are able to isolate outside noise sources, it's a very dependable mic. It pics up a lot, so if you're recording an acoustic guitar, you may consider using Elixr strings or just improving your technique to minimize sliding noise. I really like it for vocals, very little eq'ing needed, just a slight bit of compression.

Get a pop filter, makes all the difference in the world when it comes to siblance and 'plosives.