what do i need for my mic in my band?

[DrexMan]

im in a band and we use two amps and the one im using we use for the bass and the mic,it works, but i want to use the amp for myself. so what do need to buy for the mic? do i need a speaker or something or something more complicated like a system? maybe some trusty brands and not trusty bands? thank you!

[dante]

For a mic get either a Audix i5 or Shure SM57, can't go wrong with any of them, they are both $100 though. You have to get and XLR to 3.5mm converter cable to connect the mic to your computer to record. You will have to get a recording software, a free one but not very good one is called Audacity. A good beginner one that is very easy to use is called Mixcraft 6 but it costs like $70.

Bottom line: recording is not cheap if you don't have a job or someone capable of buying you this stuff.

EDIT: You can't just use any mic, buy the ones I talked about above, they are made for this and are the 2 most popular guitar amp recording mics in the world.
EDIT2: Oh and if you wanna get even more technical, you might even need to buy a pre-amp which amplifies the sound of the mic, because the mic by itself usually emits a low volume signal when recording that is not loud enough.

[H2SO4]

You guys need to leave instrument amps just for the instruments, and get a PA system for the mic(s). There are small non-expensive systems that come with the powered mixer console and two speaker cabinets.

[Shiler]

Just let it be!

[Best Not Broken]

I agree with Dante's answer and would like to expand on it a little bit.

I'd suggest a Shure SM-58 as a good vocal mic (as opposed to the 57 Dante named) because it's an omni-directional microphone, meaning you don't have to have your mouth dead-center over the grill to get the best sound. It'll pick up your vocals even if you're off center or, to some extent, if you're singing from a short distance away and off to the side. This is an advantage mainly in live performance situations; in a studio, it probably won't make much difference.

This also raises the question: are you asking what you need for live scenarios, or for making recordings? Because the gear you'll need will be different for each application.

Pardon me if I'm wrong, but I thought your question pertained to what you'd need to sing with a band in a live situation. (If you're looking for studio info, ignore my answer and go back to Dante's, he covered it perfectly.) To that end, while you CAN plug a microphone into an amplifier, this approach doesn't result in the clearest sound as that's not the signal instrument amps were made to reproduce. Instead, you should look into buying a powered PA (or public address) system, with a minimum of 2 speakers.

Your best bet with a PA is to buy each component (microphone, cables, mixer, power amp, speakers and maybe a subwoofer) separately. While more expensive, you can pick and choose higher quality components this way. But if you're on a budget, many companies make "all-in-one" PA packages that aren't great but will get you started quickly and easily without going bankrupt. Poke around the following page and you should start to get an idea of what I mean:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/live-sound

I hope this information helps! Good luck with your music.

-Nik
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