Yo Samantha! Welcome to the board. In my mind, I classify mics into certain categories. They are not technical categories entirely, just what you use them for.
Cheap dynamics- Gotta have a couple for drums, especially snare, and they are often the vocal mic of last resort- Shure SM57, SM58, Sennheiser e835, e845, AKG D690, D770,Electrovoice EN/D257 are among my favorites. Sennheiser MD421 is a better one, but isn't as cheap as the others.
Higher end dynamics- These do what the mics above do- better- and more. For many singers, they are simply the right mic. They can also make great stage mics. Standards include Shure SM7, SM7B (basically the same mic), Sennheiser MD441, Electrovoice RE20,
Beyerdynamic M69 TG and
M88 TG, and several discontinued models. You can't go wrong with any of them.
Small diaphragm condensers- some times called "pencil mics". You really need a pair. Quality goes up with price, it's that simple. Cheap- Marshall MXL603 low mid priced- Studio Projects C-4, Rode NT5 High mid priced-Shure SM81, AKG C451 Low high priced-Josephson C42, Neumann KM184, Earthworks SR-71 To die for- Shoeps CM6, DPA. Don's suggestion of SM81 isn't a bad suggestion at all, but would suck up most of your budget. This type of mic is good on acoustic instruments such as guitar, mandolin, bango, violin, piano, as drum overheads, and as a pair for stereo recording. They usually aren't so hot for vocal mics.
Large diaphragm (non-tube) condensers- These may or may not have transformers, and are commonly used for vocals, especially clean stuff. There are bizzillions of models. I can only list a few of my favorites- Cheap-Marshall MXL V67, Oktava MK319 Mid Priced-Audo-Technica AT4040, B.L.U.E. Baby Bottle, ADK Hamburg Edition and Vienna Edition Low high priced-B.L.U.E. Dragonfly, Soundelux U195, Microtech Gefell M930 Pricey as Hell-Neumann U87 and
U47 FET, B.L.U.E. Kiwi, B.L.U.E. Bottle.
Large Diaphragm Tube mics- These are also commonly used as vocal mics, and tend to be flattering, more than accurate. They tend to airbrush sound a little, and may be good on some instruments- I don't like any of the cheap ones much. Good ones start at about $500 and go up- Mid priced- Rode NTK, Studio Projects T3 Low high priced- AT 4060, ADK TT Pricey- B.L.U.E. Cactus, Lawson L47 MKII, Soundelux U99, Microtech Gefell M990, Rode Classic II To die for- Brauner Valvet, Manley reference, Neumann U47 (sell the car)
Note that the really high end ones don't really airbrush much, they just rock.
Workhorses- These may be large diaphragm condensers, or small diaphragms, but tend to come in smaller housings than the vocal standards. These are mics that you can stick in front of almost anything. They are the swiss army mics you put up when you don't know what to put up, and they rock on acoustic instruments, and some singers. Cheap-Studio Projects B1, AKG C2000B, CAD M179, ADK A-51, AT4033 Mid priced-ADK A-51 TL, AKG C414 (there are 5 different models, 3 of them discontinued, and they all fit this category), Shure KSM44. Pricey- Soundelux ifet7, Microtech Gefell UMT800.
Ribbon mics- The smaller ones, like the Royers, are great on brass, strings, piano, and the larger ones, like RCA and AEA models, are classic vintage vocal mics. Delicate and expensive, they won't be your first mics, but they will become desireable down the road.
Specialty mics- There are a number of types for specific applications, shotgun mics, stereo mics. One type that may be relevent to you are dedicated low frequency mics, usually dynamics, good for bass and kick drum. I like AKG D112 and Audix D6. If one doesn't work, the other one usually will. They do the same job very differently.
OK Samantha, what does all this mean to you? I've listed a bunch of types here, and a little research on ebay, 8th street.com, and Mercenary.com will fill in the prices. It is clear that you are beginning a mic cabinet, and there are a lot of holes in it. The high end mics are curreently out of your price range, but I listed them as reference ponts. We all have to dream. You could fill all those holes with $1000, but you'd be filling them with cheap mics. Or you can get 2 or 3 mid priced mics that will last a while, and fill a couple of holes. Or you could get one low-high priced mic and fill one hole rather well. That's up to you. I advise against the many cheap mics routine. Get some that will last. So how to spend $1000 or so?
Your most obvious needs- Main vocal mic for the guys (maybe a tube mic), small diaphragms, better dynamic. Your AT4033 isn't really a bad workhorse. There are better, but that's not your biggest issue.
In your position, I would probably go for a pair of small diphragms, and a main vocal mic, which might be a good dynamic, or a mid-priced condenser. If you search ebay for used mics, you can do better than buying new. Say a pair of SM81's and an RE20 (which is also a great kick drum mic), or the SM81's and Studio Projects T3, a good midpriced tube mic. If you buy new, you either have to buy fewer mics, or go down a step in quality. Those SM81's are $350 apiece new. You can get a pair of Studio Projects C-4's for around $300 with all the accessories. You pay your money and make your choice. I know this is a huge post, but I hope it helps you to make an informed decision.-Richie
