Mic Advise wanted....

[Coraje]

I've been using my AKG C4000 for recording my vocals for the last 2 years and it all went nicely before someone stole it from me(it was inside my car, Stereo also disappeared )


The thing is i'm on a low budget right now, but I need to buy a good vocal mic under the US$300 level. Which one would you buy if this was your case???

 

[Exsanguis]

I've heard great things about the Studio Projects mics, as well as Rode mics. Depending on the type of music and vocals you're doing, a Shure SM7 might suit you very well. I just got one and absolutely love it.

 

[Plec]

Yeah.. it's so different from time to time. I usually don't like the Rode mics that much. I have a couple but I seldom use them. I'm currently producing an album where the drummer is also singing and it's all played live. The Rode NT-3 was just perfect for it in that situation and in every other regard although I have much more expensive mics to choose from, this was just perfect at this particular time.

I usually find the Rode mics a bit brittle and lack of body/fullness. A colleague just switched his Rode NT2 for an ADK A51 mic.. like 100$ and it sounded way better for the stuff he did... so basically, there's not really a wrong choice.. just what's more appropriate at the time.

Rode, ADK, Studio Projects, AKG.. these are usually good choices.

My top no-no mics are MXL and TSM.

 

[ThomasT]

Hi Plec!

I've never tried the MXL. My local dealer has them. You say they are crap?
I was locking for some additional small diaphragm. condensors for Hihat, Ride and so on.
(I normally borrowed some mics when I record drum)

 

[Plec]

Well.. they're not total crap of course, but waaaaaaaay too hyped for their own good. I have used the V69 and V67 mics on a couple of sessions, but they've always sounded very "unreal" in lack of a better word. Very 2 dimensional and thin sounding. I'm wondering how much "free" stuff the guys who write the quotes on the MXL site get for actually putting their name on there.

Haven't tried their small condensors but I guess they should work ok for spotting. The Rode usually gives very nice results on the drum brass since they're quite bright sounding. I've had a couple of mixes for mastering where the OH and spot mics on the drums where all Rode NT3, NT5 and NT1a I think... and it sounded very, very good. Not meaty, but very clear and etheral.

 

[2dark]

The thing is i'm on a low budget right now, but I need to buy a good vocal mic under the US$300 level. Which one would you buy if this was your case???

Depending on your vocal style and if it's a lot of scream or growling that
you can maybe check on a regular Shure SM57.
That would leave some room for a new car stereo too.

 

[Andy Sneap]

just got a few Audio Technica mics off ebay, dirt cheap and pretty impressive, just used the AT4040 for a vox and it worked out ok.

 

[_RiseInside_]

I´ve listened and used the studio projects C1 many times. I like it a lot. If fits your budget.

 

[Soundscaper]

Audio Technica's are heavy underrated IMO.
I have a couple of 4033 and these do the same job on female vocals as my Neumann 149.