Best Condenser Mic Under $600 Poll

[soundwave604]

Looking to purchase a condenser by this weekend, used to use a at 3035 and wanna upgrade. question is....which one of these should I get?

[soundwave604]

note....these are the best mics my local music shop has under $600 so im picking from one of these.....

[P. Glaser]

Typically the first response would be this question: What are you using it for?

Paul

[soundwave604]

Originally Posted by P. Glaser

Typically the first response would be this question: What are you using it for?

Paul

mostly male vocals...rock, hip hop and some acoustic as well.

[WhiteStrat]

A couple things:

1) (This is nitpicky, sorry) not everything in that list is a condensor; you've got a couple dynamics in there as well.

2) Very few folks will have experience with all those, decreasing the likelihood that you'll get good comparative information. Instead you're likely to get "I've only tried these 2, and I like this one!" (Kinda helpful, but doesn't tell you much about the mic in comparison to the other 4 or 5).

Oh by the way--that's exactly what I'm gonna do. The only mic on your list I've used for male vox is the SM7b and I love it.

[soundwave604]

Originally Posted by WhiteStrat

A couple things:

1) (This is nitpicky, sorry) not everything in that list is a condensor; you've got a couple dynamics in there as well.

2) Very few folks will have experience with all those, decreasing the likelihood that you'll get good comparative information. Instead you're likely to get "I've only tried these 2, and I like this one!" (Kinda helpful, but doesn't tell you much about the mic in comparison to the other 4 or 5).

Oh by the way--that's exactly what I'm gonna do. The only mic on your list I've used for male vox is the SM7b and I love it.

ya, i have a freind who owns the shure ksm and the guy that works in the store reccomended the nt2a, while ive read the at 4047 works wonders as well and the sm7b has been used by many artists.....

it's so hard to decide. im kinda leaning towards the nt2a cause it's on sale right now and the quality is supposed to be pretty damn good for the price....with many people calling it the best mic around it's price range, so ya, tough choice but I only have like 3 days to decide now.

[WhiteStrat]

Originally Posted by soundwave604

...I only have like 3 days to decide now.

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[guitar zero]

Anyone here used this mic? It has me really interested as a vocal mic, and I found this add for just under the $600 mark. It gets great reviews, but....
http://www.audiolines.com/M-Audio-Sputnik-p-16056.html

[soundwave604]

Originally Posted by WhiteStrat

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ok, that didn't help at all....lol

[jimmy2sticks]

the sm7b is not a condenser mic.

[WhiteStrat]

Originally Posted by jimmy2sticks

the sm7b is not a condenser mic.

Yep, covered that in the first post after the OP.

Originally Posted by WhiteStrat

..not everything in that list is a condensor; you've got a couple dynamics in there as well.

Turns out he knew it too.

[cnix]

If I were you, I would just buy used, a Studio Projects T-3. Look over at GS, you can pick one up for under $250, and if not totally satisfied, swap out the tube for a NOS tube and you will have a really nice mic that rivals mic's in the $1500 range.

[jimmy2sticks]

Originally Posted by WhiteStrat

Yep, covered that in the first post after the OP.



Turns out he knew it too.

oops! sorry!

[soundwave604]

3 votes for the sm7b eh.,.....isn't it mainly used for broadcasting and voice overs? Would it really work better for vocals then the shure ksm or rode?

[pohaku]

As noted above, like others, I only own two of the mics on your list, but from what I know of them and the others listed, and your proposed use, I'd take the SM7 assuming you have a preamp that will drive it. I have a couple SM7s and they seem to get picked for vocals over my much more expensive condensers with appalling frequency. They've beat out my AT-4050s, GT MD1a, GT MD3, Beyer MC834, Neumann Gefell M582h, AKG C535eb, AKG C414 and Audix VX-10 among others. They've also beat out some other dynamics like the Beyer M88, EV RE-20 and Sennheiser MD441. I've since picked up a vintage U87 and a couple more Gefells, so we will have to see how these fare against the SM7. My original SM7 was getting used so much I bought a second one.

How good is your room? A dynamic mic like the SM7 will be much more forgiving if you don't have a good room. Condensers tend to pick up all the extraneous noises and faults in your recording environment. If you don't have a good treated room, I'd be inclined to get a dynamic mic and of the ones you've listed the SM7 is the best and most broadly usable of the lot.

If you really have to have a condenser, it's a personal taste thing. I'd probably take the 4047 out of the listed mics. I have a couple 4050s and they are extremely useful mics. The 4047 is voiced a bit differently with a midrange centered sound and is cardioid only, but you will likely use the cardioid pattern 98 percent of the time anyway. I generally find Rode mics a bit on the bright side, but if I was going to get a Rode, I'd probably get the K2 rather than the NT2A. I'm generally not an AKG fan with a few exceptions -- C535eb for live vocals on some voices and the ubiquitous C414 (some models of the C414 for some things - usually instruments rather than vocals). The MD421 is best known as a go-to mic for toms. Interesting on some voices and horns, but definitely a more limited application mic. I understand that the MkII model is voiced somewhat differently than the original MD421 as well (I have an MD421).

YMMV.

[soundwave604]

Originally Posted by pohaku

As noted above, like others, I only own two of the mics on your list, but from what I know of them and the others listed, and your proposed use, I'd take the SM7 assuming you have a preamp that will drive it. I have a couple SM7s and they seem to get picked for vocals over my much more expensive condensers with appalling frequency. They've beat out my AT-4050s, GT MD1a, GT MD3, Beyer MC834, Neumann Gefell M582h, AKG C535eb, AKG C414 and Audix VX-10 among others. They've also beat out some other dynamics like the Beyer M88, EV RE-20 and Sennheiser MD441. I've since picked up a vintage U87 and a couple more Gefells, so we will have to see how these fare against the SM7. My original SM7 was getting used so much I bought a second one.

How good is your room? A dynamic mic like the SM7 will be much more forgiving if you don't have a good room. Condensers tend to pick up all the extraneous noises and faults in your recording environment. If you don't have a good treated room, I'd be inclined to get a dynamic mic and of the ones you've listed the SM7 is the best and most broadly usable of the lot.

If you really have to have a condenser, it's a personal taste thing. I'd probably take the 4047 out of the listed mics. I have a couple 4050s and they are extremely useful mics. The 4047 is voiced a bit differently with a midrange centered sound and is cardioid only, but you will likely use the cardioid pattern 98 percent of the time anyway. I generally find Rode mics a bit on the bright side, but if I was going to get a Rode, I'd probably get the K2 rather than the NT2A. I'm generally not an AKG fan with a few exceptions -- C535eb for live vocals on some voices and the ubiquitous C414 (some models of the C414 for some things - usually instruments rather than vocals). The MD421 is best known as a go-to mic for toms. Interesting on some voices and horns, but definitely a more limited application mic. I understand that the MkII model is voiced somewhat differently than the original MD421 as well (I have an MD421).

YMMV.

thanks, very helpfull. I have a well constructed sound booth which keeps everything but someone banging hard on the door out, so little sounds getting in is not an issue. Is the dynamic still preferred over the condenser in this case?

[MCI2424]

Originally Posted by soundwave604

Looking to purchase a condenser by this weekend, used to use a at 3035 and wanna upgrade. question is....which one of these should I get?

The Sure SM7 is the answer. Period. It is the best mic for under $600.

[pohaku]

Originally Posted by soundwave604

thanks, very helpfull. I have a well constructed sound booth which keeps everything but someone banging hard on the door out, so little sounds getting in is not an issue. Is the dynamic still preferred over the condenser in this case?

That realistically gives you the condenser option, but of the mics you've listed, I'd still take the SM7. What preamp are you using?

[Seafroggys]

Yes, I am one of those people that have only used one mic (NT2a) but I love it! It works on every male vocal I've tried. Not harsh sounding at all. Very clear and smooth.

[soundwave604]

Originally Posted by pohaku

That realistically gives you the condenser option, but of the mics you've listed, I'd still take the SM7. What preamp are you using?

well i have the same pre/card that ive been using the past 4 years which is the echo gina 3g......not many people have heard of it but it definitely does the job and worked well with my previous 3035.

is the sm7 really THAT good.....I havent heard one test run on it yet though ive heard the shure ksm32sl which sounded great and the at 4047 which sounded good as well but not as good as the shure ksm to me. I have also read that the rode nt2a won the mic of the year award back in 06 out of 80 or so different mics and people have been saying good things about it.

man o man is this a tough one.

[drossfile]

Originally Posted by guitar zero

Anyone here used this mic? It has me really interested as a vocal mic, and I found this add for just under the $600 mark. It gets great reviews, but....
http://www.audiolines.com/M-Audio-Sputnik-p-16056.html

used it once--a dude i knew briefly had one. it is absolutely creamy and marvelous. i plan on owning one eventually.

[guitar zero]

Originally Posted by drossfile

used it once--a dude i knew briefly had one. it is absolutely creamy and marvelous. i plan on owning one eventually.

How do you think it would compare to a Studio Projects T3, the other tube mic that interests me. I wish I could A/B those two. No, come to think of it, I'm getting an ACM 6802, and I'd love to do a three way comparison. Would someone please do that, I'll loan out my 6802 to anyone willing and able.

[pohaku]

My take on it is this: none of the mics you have listed is a bad mic. In fact, as you have already noted, all have received glowing praise from other posters and published reviews.

Some are better at some applications than others (the MD421 for example). Some will sound at least good on more applications than others (IMHO like the SM7 for example). If you are looking for a mic as a general purpose mic to cover a lot of bases and do it well, then something like the SM7 is a "safer" bet than the MD421. The SM7 doesn't necessarily solo the best, but it works exceptionally well in a mix. That said, each mic will sound different on a particular voice (some better and some worse), and the only way to truly know which mic fits which voice the best is to try them. If you can't do such a shoot out, then you play the odds and pick the mic that is most likely to sound good on the most applications. If you want to listen to an album made using mostly an SM7, pick up Tim O'Regan's recent album (Jayhawks drummer). All the vocals, guitars and most of the other instruments were recorded with one of my SM7s (if I remember right, drum overheads were AT-4050s, kick was Audix D6, snare was SM-57).

[dgatwood]

Of those, I'd probably pick the 4047, but if you're looking for a radically different sound, you probably won't find it there. You might look into some of the tube condensers. I'm particularly a fan of the CAD M9. It's a hybrid tube/FET design that sounds quite a bit nicer (without mods) than most of the low-end pure-tube condensers, at least on my voice (high tenor).

[blue4u]

I haven't used the SM7b myself (plan on getting one soon) but it's been recommended that you have a nice preamp to use with it otherwise, it won't sound as great as people are saying it is here. In other words, it's a quiet mic. I think you need 50 to 60db of gain from the preamp to get a strong enough signal. Many stock preamps that come with audio interfaces won't get that loud without introducing some noise. So, you might take that into consideration...

Rich