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themaddog « Probably one of the crappiest microphones ever... »
Published on 10/14/11 at 11:03The Nady SP-1 is a budget oriented dynamic microphone with an on and off switch. Like many handheld vocal microphones, it has a ball grill and uses a cardiod pattern.
OVERALL OPINION
OK, for starters, this is a Nady product. Nady makes low end music gear, but the "Star Power 1" (SP1) is low end even for Nady! I've gotten away using Nady products on non-essential stuff, such as their microphone stands. I can't remember why I even bought this mic, maybe I got it for free or as part of a package or something, but this cheap, even for my tastes. It doesn't sound good - at all. If someone is on that much of a budget, he or she would be far better off purchasing a solid used microphone for a few extra dollars, like a Shure SM 57 or SM 58. Those mics are far better sounding and the SM57 is much more versatile.
Still, there has been a few times where having this piece of crap mic around has been beneficial. I've been in a bind where I've been short on mics in the studio so have used it for guide vocals that I know will be re-recorded later. I've also used it as a talkback mic from the console to the talent, and for speaking through headphones in this manner it's not bad; at least my words were audible and quality was not a real concern.
But seriously, even for a middle or high school band… this is a pretty crappy mic. I guess the only reason I’d ever pick one up for a live band is if I truly were on that much of a budget, needed to buy a backup vocal mic (don’t even think about main vocals on this thing), and didn’t have any money to spend at all. At least in this case you’d be making the lead singer sound even better when singing backup through one of these.
OVERALL OPINION
OK, for starters, this is a Nady product. Nady makes low end music gear, but the "Star Power 1" (SP1) is low end even for Nady! I've gotten away using Nady products on non-essential stuff, such as their microphone stands. I can't remember why I even bought this mic, maybe I got it for free or as part of a package or something, but this cheap, even for my tastes. It doesn't sound good - at all. If someone is on that much of a budget, he or she would be far better off purchasing a solid used microphone for a few extra dollars, like a Shure SM 57 or SM 58. Those mics are far better sounding and the SM57 is much more versatile.
Still, there has been a few times where having this piece of crap mic around has been beneficial. I've been in a bind where I've been short on mics in the studio so have used it for guide vocals that I know will be re-recorded later. I've also used it as a talkback mic from the console to the talent, and for speaking through headphones in this manner it's not bad; at least my words were audible and quality was not a real concern.
But seriously, even for a middle or high school band… this is a pretty crappy mic. I guess the only reason I’d ever pick one up for a live band is if I truly were on that much of a budget, needed to buy a backup vocal mic (don’t even think about main vocals on this thing), and didn’t have any money to spend at all. At least in this case you’d be making the lead singer sound even better when singing backup through one of these.