Best condenser mic for vocals in the 300-600$ price range

dwillis45 said:
One vote for the AT4050 and one for the Shure KSM 44 ifyou have a little extra to spend.
Click to expand...


If versatility is the goal, then I think those are both very safe bets. Either one will give you a fairly honest reproduction of the source; and will basically sound crystal clear and professional for the most part.
 
ive used the ntk and liked it for vox, overhead and guitar cab, ive used a baby bottle on vox and liked it ( cleaner but a little more edge than ntk. more presance), never used the at 40 series other than live but it seems very well liked around here. for 600-700 you can sometimes score a 414 which are nice mics that dont seems to be talked about much, a rode nt2 is a nice all around mic ive got good results with on many sources. i used an mxl v69 and liked that one also. if you said "heres 600 bucks for a mic rich" id buy either the ntk or a v69 and an re20. i might just opt to not buy a mic and get a hamptone mic pre kit instead. ive found that pres change the characters of mics alot and can sometimes make a weak mic sound amazing.
 
WERNER 1 said:
Not to high jack or anything, but I see a couple of red flags on the SP C1...???

I know that it may not be all it's cracked up to be, but from my limited understanding, it's one those "Best bang for your buck" type of items......right?

Rick
Click to expand...

Versatility is key in the recording arena, and the Studio Projects C1 is a well-proven and award winning tool. It is designed to deliver the finest quality vocal and instrumental recordings and will serve to enhance any professional or project studio at an unbelievably low price.
 
Used Mics

I got my AKG C414s used on ReBay. They generally go for @ $450+

I can't say enough about the C414.

The BLUE Baby Bottle kicks some kinda butt on guitars and (my) vocals too...
 
Sounds like that was taken straight from the product brochure. :)

With what I've got in terms of mics, I feel I should be able to produce some very good recordings.......I've heard some great recordings that were done with mostly SM57's :eek: ....Lot's of tweaking I'm sure.

My mics :o

SP C1, B3
Shure Beta 58 & 57, SM57
Senn. e609 "Original"

Thanks,
Rick
 
Thanks i just got one Z3300 that is,, cant wait to try it out my self i have mxl2001
& behringer b2 now for vocals,,, z3300 would be a step up
Thanks Karlo
 
I have no experience with the AT mics.

I have a Blue Baby Bottle that I am *very* pleased with, so I would love to try out a Bluebird. From what I hear the Bluebird is flatter with a similar high output/sensitivty of the B.Bottle. Never actually heard the Bluebird, though.

A friend of mine has an NTK and I'v played around with it. *Very* impressive mic. Its got a larger than life sound to it that really turns you on your ear at first. If it was the only mic I had I'd can imagine getting tired of it or wanting another option than "larger than life". It does sound *good*, though, and I didn't play with more than a few times.

-C
 
The NTK is a tube mic thus sounds, err, tubey. (Think C12 for no better comparison sort of like a Porsche is like a Mustang) The Bluebird is colored (as are all BLUE mics) so is really more suited for specfic applications where it really "wakes up". The AT4050 is all around decent and has multi pattern. You asked for versatile, so I would go AT4050.. but as has been said 100 times.. there is no best. But the AT4050 would certainly be in the running for a desert island pick.
 
I got my bluebird after reading reviews about it's flexibility. If your room is treated properly, you can put that mic anywhere and it will kill. Plus, it looks so cute!! When ever that mic comes out, all my clients smile, which brings out some really great vocal performances (guys and girls).
 
u gotta be sure what u wanna record as u said u want the mic for vocals and acoustics..i recommend u the AT4050 cause it have the polar patterns so u can record cardioid , directional or bi-directional..hope i help u with that info...
 
Expecting one mic to do well with male vocals, acoustic guitar, etc., etc., is a bit of a pipe dream. Different mics do certain things better than other mics. Still, some mics are considered "all rounders" of "Swiss Army mics" meaning they do many things well. The Studio Projects B1, AT 4050, AKG 414 and Microtech Gefell M70 are examples of mics which have earned this reputation. Obviously, consider these mics in your search.

I would add that you should strongly look at the 3 Zigma CHI mic system. Modular in design, there are two different mic amp bodies and 8 different capsules. The advantage of a modular system is that it costs less to expand it by adding additional capsules only. The 4 LD capsules from 3 Zigma CHI are quite nice, versatile, and quiet as a mouse.
 
Colwarter said:
I'm going to purchase a condenser mic mainly for vocals and a little bit for acoustic guitars. I'd like to know which do you think is the best mic in the 300-600$ price range. I've already considered the Blue bluebird, the Audio-Technica AT4050 and the Rode NTK. Please give me your opinion about these mics but if you have other suggestions feel free to mention them. Thanks a lot !!!
Click to expand...

If there were a best vocal mic, studios would not have a mic locker. For every singer out there a studio would probably try at least 5 - 6 different mics to find out which is best. There is no answer for you until you try out the mics on yourself. They may all work or none will work. If you still want people on a BBS to choose your mic, then just shortcut the decision and buy the most expensive. That way, you CAN prove that the most expensive IS the best mic by definition. It wins out in the cost comparison.
 
Plimsoul said:
I've owned a Neumann tlm103, Rode Classic, and a Studio Projects C1. The C1 was a big disappointment, but I listened to the irresponsible reviews written by a few well-known people claiming it was as good as a U87 and fell victim to MAJOR buyer's remorse! If you're looking for a good all around mic for around $500, I'd highly recommend a sE Electronics Z3300, which I've just purchased. I've used Marshall mics, and like I said, the C1, but as far as Chinese mics go, the Z3300A is in a completely different class. Unlike all the other Chinese mics I've heard, the sE has an expensive sound about it, and my god if I don't love it!! It isn't hyped sounding like a tlm103, nor is it as big sounding as a Rode Classic, but coupled with my Peavey VMP-2, it sounds organically natural, yet clear; magically fluid and dimensional on vocals and acoustic guitar. Guitar transients just pop out at you! It just sounds so damn good!!! On singers and acoustic guitar, it really gives an honest representation of the source. For vocals, it sounds wonderful with no eq (perhaps a couple db cut in the lower mids, depending on the vocalist) for a folk/jazz type singer. For pop music, a little high end boost at 10 or 11Khz gives it that sparkly pop vocal sound, that with gentle compression, sits in the mix like a bird in a tree. This mic is smooth; both tonally and how it translates volume fluctuations. (By comparison, the tlm was a bear to get an even volume level with through the course of a whole song, unless the singer was well trained or more compression was utilized, due to being a tad too sensitive for my taste.) Every mic has it's own signature eq curve, and the Z3300's sound is such that it responds very well to eq applied down the signal chain, making it extremely versatile, applications-wise. For general purpose recording, and if you are only able to afford one large diaphragm condensor, a neutrally honest, feature laden mic like the Z3300 is the only way to go. I hope this helps...
Click to expand...
The Z3300A is Very Nice Mic.
I've had one for a number of years
3-pattern, nice for pianos, guitars, vocals, and more.
I used it "live" at church on the Steinway Concert Grand and it was outstanding.
A fairly hefty mic too.
Ive seen them on eBay for as little as $200.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top