What microphone should I buy for all my vocals?

I'm planning on buying the samson g track usb microphone to record my original music. I just need to record vocals and guitar. Will I be able to do quality recordings with this product or do I need to buy additional equipment to supplement it?

• Answer:

  I think in your case it is not so much the microphone, but how well you learn to use it. You can probably do a good job with what you mention. Spend more money and you can do an even better job, but then it starts getting expensive. You've already solved the first puzzle toward getting a good recording - avoid plugging the microphone in to the sound card and use the USB or Firewire port instead. Much less noise and hiss! You will need home studio software. You will probably get some recording software bundled with the mic when you buy it. You can just go ahead and use that. There is also a free program called "Audacity" that is available on the Internet that works OK. A lot of people I know like Cakewalk Sonar software, but that will cost you more than the mic. Your software should include some "plug-ins" to allow you to shape and edit the sound. Some of the plugins might include noise reduction, echo or reverb, equalization, loudness adjustment, etc. The more you practice, the better results you will get from your microphone and your software. As far as additional equipment, you could use a set of headphones if you plan to do additional tracks. When you record additional tracks, you want to be able to listen to the previously recorded tracks to be able to sing or play along, and you want this sound to go into your ear, not back into the microphone.