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So I'm pretty new and I don't know the first thing about sound, but I think my question (and the answer to it) is pretty basic so I'm shooting my shot:

I bought a baritone ukulele and want to record videos of myself singing and playing at home. Simple, right? My instrument is not (and will not be) hooked up to an amp. When I sing and play at the same time, I notice my instrument is louder than my voice. So....I could be wrong, but I'm assuming just getting a mic and hooking it up to my amp (a Fender Frontman 10g) will solve the problem.

Questions: What kind of microphone is good for this (or home recording in general) that is of high quality that won't break the bank? Should I try to hook up a microphone to my amp? I've done some research and it seems Amazon has their own line mics, and I know that Shure makes good mics.

I'm sure these mics have to connect to something, so if not my amp, what else do I need to buy to connect these mics to? Budget is $50 - $150. I'm so eager and excited to start practicing more and recording at home, so any help towards this would be greatly appreciated.

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    Why not just move your existing mic closer to your face? I think we're missing something here… are you recoding this all on some webcam or phone, so your mic recording position is tied to your camera position rather than being independently placeable? Alternatively, do what acoustic musicians have done for thousands of years - sing louder, play quieter.
    – Tetsujin
    Aug 9, 2020 at 18:12
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    Secondly… running a vocal mic through a guitar amp is, let's politely call it, "a bit specialist". It will not sound good unless you are doing it for an effect.
    – Tetsujin
    Aug 9, 2020 at 18:47
  • If you want to connect a mic to your PC, what you need is a sound interface with a built-in mic pre-amp. You can find those at music retailers starting at ~100€. Some mics use phantom power, and not all sound interfaces have that.
    – user70370
    Aug 9, 2020 at 18:48
  • As to which microphone is "good" - well, that is opinion-based and I'm not sure that kind of question goes over well on this platform. Try browsing the mic section at your preferred online music store and read the customer reviews.
    – user70370
    Aug 9, 2020 at 18:49
  • @Tetsujin I have a USB condenser mic that hooks up to my computer, but I'm not trying to record songs using my computer. I want to record myself (that is, make a video of myself playing) using a camera (like my phone's camera or tablet camera). The condenser mic I currently own is this one: amazon.com/gp/product/B082HQVZW2 It doesn't have an XLR attachment or anything to hook up to a speaker and I can't connect it to my amp either. I'd rather just get a new mic, as this can only connect to my PC. Like, I wouldn't be able to carry this mic with me on a stage to perform.
    – user71337
    Aug 9, 2020 at 19:53

1 Answer 1

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If you want the real simple solution; record into your phone, but put the phone further away from yourself so it isn't biased on where it's pointing.

More complex:

Use the condenser mic you have, and hook it to your computer. Record the sound there.

Also record the sound (and video) on your phone. Transfer that file to the computer.

Use music software to sync up the sound tracks together, which will bring the video into sync. Mute (or delete) the sound track from the phone. Export as an MP4.

For balance, be about 6 feet away from the mic; that should give you the room sound. Any issues with voice/uke balance will have to be corrected by yourself.

The Frontman 10g is a guitar amp. At the bottom end of the market, it's pretty decent for an electric guitar amp. But not ukulele or voice.

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