best vocal mic for under $500

S

steelpetals

New member
I'm about ready to make a purchase. This mic will be used for rock vocals. I'd prefer a condensor but I'm open to whatever would sound the best and that I could buy new or used for uncer $500.
Thnks,
Blake
 
There are literally hundreds maybe thousands of posts regarding this on the BBS already. Don't mean to sound mean but all the info is out. Just do the search. Many have stated that a decent mic will sound much better through a decent mic pre but it's got to be a step up from your onboard Mackies and Behringers. Research Grace 101 and JoeMeek. Keep in mind pros often use SM57s. Granted they are probably slapping an additional $5 to 10,000 on the end of that sound. I'm a newbie too so I don't have much to add here as I am doing research on this myself.

But to get you started try the following (I don't own any of the below but have heard consistant good things about them on this BBS):

Condensers:
- - -
Neumann TLM103
Audio Technica 40 Series (esp 4047)
Shure KSM Series
Studio Projects T3 (tube)
Rode NTK (tube)
Marshall MXL V69 (tube)

Dynamics:
- - -
Electro Voice RE20
Shure SM7
Sennheiser MD441
Beyerdynamic M88
 
I've heard LOTS of great things about the R0de NTK from the pros. I haven't had personal experience with the particular model, but the r0des i've used have sounded great
 
I'm going to presume you are looking for recording mics, not stage mics. Rode NTK is OK, requires considerable warmup time.
If it were my money, I would do something many on this board will recommend, and something almost no one will recommend.
Conventional wisdom- Marshall MXL V67B or V67G, less than $100, and it works very well. With the other $400, I would get on ebay and buy an AKG Solidtube, which you can now find for $350-$450. Rip the stupid internal foam pop filter out of it, and use a regular external pop filter.
In 5 years, the Solidtube has gone from being an overated $1000 mic to an underated $400 mic. When you want a brighter, in-your-face sound, use the V67, and when you want to do some blues-based growling, or just yell at the mic, the Solidtube will shine. It needs a kind of loud signal to get the tube to kick in, so I wouldn't recommend it for very soft vocals. For pure rock, it is far better than people give it credit for.-Richie
 
I've heard fairly good things regarding the sennheiser md441 and the rode ntk. I'll be operating this mic from a joe meek preamp. I have a at3525 that's not bad but I'd like something a bit warmer.
Any other ideas in the under $500 price range
Thanks,
Blake
 
I'm not too fond of the 3035 but that's just my experience. The 40 series is hard to go wrong with. I have some 4033's and a 4047, both good mics. Both warm mics, the 47 a little darker. An Octava MC-319 (auditioned from a large group or from http://www.oktava.com/) is a great mic. Again a dark sounding mic. The Sennheiser MD441 and the Shure SM-7's are good choices for studio dynamics. A SM-57 shouldn't be overlooked. Many times it's just the ticket.
 
What kind of voice do you have?
(tenor/baritone/bass)

Any sibilance issues?

Those type of questions will narrow things down.
The SM7 needs a stronger pre than a Meek to sound good BTW.
Consider getting at least three diffferent vocal microphones,
which can easily be done under $500, and if the 3525 doesn't
work well for you, sell it.

My shortlist would include the Studio Projects TB1, Beyer Soundstar MKII
(M400), Sennheiser 421 (not MKII model), Electro-Voice RE15 or RE16,
Beyer Soundstar X1N, as far as microphones not mentioned yet.
Don't be afraid to EQ the dynamics particulary, you'd be surprised how
good a SM57 can sound when you do that. They can kick a Neumann's
butt on many voices. Just ask Paul Rodgers or Steve Tyler! :)

Chris
 
I have a AKG C3000B.

I love that mic. I would recommend to anyone. Its a 400$ mic, but can be found on E-bay for around 300$.

Awesome mic.
 
NotSoBlah said:
I have a AKG C3000B.

I love that mic. I would recommend to anyone. Its a 400$ mic, but can be found on E-bay for around 300$.

Awesome mic.
Click to expand...

Actually, the 3000B has been available for $299 from all of the online distributors like 8th Street, MF, and Zzounds since it was introduced over a couple of years ago--or from your local retailer.
 
invisiblemute said:
Condensers:
- - -
Neumann TLM103
Audio Technica 40 Series (esp 4047)
Shure KSM Series
Studio Projects T3 (tube)
Rode NTK (tube)
Marshall MXL V69 (tube)

Dynamics:
- - -
Electro Voice RE20
Shure SM7
Sennheiser MD441
Beyerdynamic M88
Click to expand...

Im gonna echo this but add the Marshall MXLv77
 
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