Condenser or Ribbon for $150 or so

xb2003

xb2003

New member
Hey,
I'm just getting into recording, and i don't have much of a budget at this point, but id really like to get a Condenser or a Ribbon for cymbals, acoustic guitar, and vocals. I get that its not going to be a super high quality mic, and it may lack in some areas, but i think that even an inexpensive one will do better then a SM57 for recording. I'm using a PreSonus Audio Box, so I've got the Phantom Power for the Condenser. What should i be looking for? And if i can do a lot better for $30-$50 more, ill make that investment. Thanks for the help.
 
it's a tough one as it does kinda depend on several things, mainly what kind of music you're recording (although i'd guess from the guitar collection it isn't gonna be trad folk!) I'm a big fan of ribbons (i just wish i could afford more) but my condenser mics get used a hell of a lot more the majority of the time. The tough thing with ribbons is they can sound great on some things, some of the time. this is true of all mics but, ime, more so for ribbons. you also need a decent preamp to get the level up to a usable amount. I have a presonus firestudio mobile (same xmax pres as the audiobox) and the pre's are fine on it with a ribbon with a loud guitar amp or heavily strummed acoustic guitar but almost useless on softer sources (which is annoying as that's where ribbons really shine). Also, they tend to need a fairly healthy dose of EQ to get them to sound how you want, which is fine, but as they often need EQ boosts as well as cuts you need a half decent EQ or EQ plugin to make the most of it. Condensers are more versatile, have considerably more high end response, and are much more sensitive so usually require much less gain.

my suggestion; if you only get one mic, get an LDC. if you can get a second mic, get an SM57 (you'd be amazed! there's nothing it can't do well. it may not be perfect on everything, but it'll always get the job done). if you can get a third mic, then get a ribbon mic.

In your price range (i think, i'm a uk kid, $'s scare and confuse me :p) the usual suspects are;

Rode NT1a
sE 2200a
sE X1
MXL V67g
MXL 990
Blue Spark
Avantone CK6
Gauge ECM-87

We all have our own personal preferences and each mic has it's own flavour, but any of them will produce good results.

IF you want to go down the ribbon route, the reasonably priced ones worth looking at are;

Apex 205
Cascade Fathead
sE X1R
 
Unless you're in a treated drum room, I'd steer clear of ribbons. If you can afford a cardioid ribbon, that's probably your best option, save an LDC - which, imo, is probably your best option for a multi-use microphone.
 
Haha I try to be versatile on my playing! But its mainly on the Heavier side. Although replacing the EMGs with JB/59' was the smartest thing i've done in my young like....Anyways.

I actually have 2 57's and 4 Beta 58...A's? i Think?

Most of those mics you listed i cant even find on Guitar Center, after i write this im going to go look in other places. The MXL 990 caught my eye, along with the AT2035. Both sitting at $150. The CK-6 is in there at $170. I could do that. The Blue Spark Looks really awesome, and has a Pop filter, but its $200.

How Delicate are condenser mics? My school has 3 MXL R40s Ribbons we use live for Horns and Choir, and the manual is like "dont even think about touching these things if your anything but happy, because you'll break the ribbon"(slight exaggeration). Anyways, i tend to buy stuff used, because im not one that has to have it shiny, and you can get great deals. But is there any way to make sure the idiot before me didn't damage it?

Elbandito: Im looking for something multi-use, so id want a Condenser?

Stereo Condenser Mic? Thats what the $150 MXL is...i think id prefer i higher quality one?
 
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xb2003 said:
I actually have 2 57's and 4 Beta 58...A's? i Think?

Most of those mics you listed i cant even find on Guitar Center, after i write this im going to go look in other places. The MXL 990 caught my eye, along with the AT2035. Both sitting at $150.

My school has 3 MXL R40s Ribbons we use live for Horns and Choir, and the manual is like "dont even think about touching these things if your anything but happy, because you'll break the ribbon"(slight exaggeration).
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Ahh, cool, that kinda makes life easier. Trying to find one mic for everything is hard, but something to add to a collection is easier.

Tbf, in the uk there appears to be a distinct lack of mics available in normal music stores but they're all available online form stores where you can go and try so, unless you have a voucher or relationship with the guys at GC, there's no harm looking elsewhere. Heck, three of the mics i listed are from US manufactures who probably won't mind if you popped in to say "hi" :) The MXL 990 gets ok reviews, but the main flaw seems to be that's it's quite harsh in the high end and people tend to outgrow it quite quickly (or mod it with great results) I'm not a fan on the AT stuff so can't comment fairly (my mum said "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all") However, that's purely my preference and i know plenty of people who love the AT stuff. The AT2020 comes up a lot in the same conversations as the MXL 990 but i think that's purely a price point thing rather than anything else.

Condensers are fairly robust. Sure, they won't take the same amount of crap that you can throw at an SM58 (then again, based on various youtube clips, SM58's and ***** 3310's should be used to build tanks from now on!) but they normally survive a drop or two. Ribbons on the other hand.... well, you're "slight exaggeration" seems pretty much bang on to me. Yeah, they're more rugged than they once were thanks to newer building materials but the ribbons will still break from a thump of air without a popshield or foam windshield in the way, and i doubt they'd survive a drop.

I've never had any bad experience buying musical gear used (although i may just be lucky) but with condenser mic's it shouldn't be an issue. with a ribbon mic i'd be more inquisitive of the seller to check the condition of the mic, but if it's 2nd hand from a store or from an ebayer with a decent returns policy then it should be fine.

I would say this though; if you're recording rock guitar stuff through an amp, i'd definitely recommend picking up a ribbon at some point even if it's just to mic up a guitar amp along with an SM57, but for now, and for more versatility, you'd be much better off with an LDC
 
Can you comment on the CK-6? Or the Shure PG-27? I have always had good experience with Shure. Best Headphones ever IMO, and Like you said, cant go wrong with a 57. Ill invest in a Ribbon sometime, i like the ones at school...i could just borrow one if i ever need to.
 
You see, this is where personal preference will undoubtably creep in as i'm a sucker for all things Avantone (well, the mics at least, not their horrible little monitors). The last time i had money to spend on gear i ended up with the CK7 over the CK6 purely because i needed something with multiple polar patterns. To me, the CK6 sounded very smooth and full, and slightly on the "darker" side of condensers. For what i do (mainly acoustic pop/rock stuff) the CK7 works really well at helping vocals and acoustic guitars sit in a mix. I refer to the CK7 as "a classy sE 2200a". However, it isn't as bright or as forward sounding as some of the other mic's above. If you had a couple of LDC's already i'd say definitely go for it to add some flavour to your mic cupboard, but unless you can get out and try it on your voice to see how it sounds i'd be more tempted to go down the MXL V67g/sE 2200a/NT1a route (damn me and my need to be diplomatic, i flippin' love avantone!)

Strangely enough, although i've used a lot of the Shure dynamic mic range i've never used the PG27. the only shure LDC's i've used were part of a drum set we had at work a long time ago and i wasn't impressed by the whole set (which no longer seems to exist anyway).
 
Well...Guitar Center has some NT1-A's used, i cant afford the thing new, nor the ck-7. I may go that route, or its down to the CK-6, AT2035, and the PG27 if i go new. Both that Shure and Audio Technica are good mics from what i've read, but i'm leaning more toward the CK-6. I know someone whose got a couple, i'm going to see what he's got and see what he thinks of them. Go From there. Anyways thank you, this has been a lot of help. I now have a good idea of what im looking for. Thanks again.
 
No worries man, that's why we're all here (and as the hours tick by i'm sure more people will jump in with stuff over the next day or so as i know there's a whole world of stuff i've missed and, as i said, we all have our own personal favourites). If you can find any on ebay, the older matt grey NT1 (not the NT1a) are awesome mics and go for about £100 used ($150 ish? maybe? stupid conversions!).

yeah, as i said, i'm a big avantone fan but do have a try of your mates and see how they suit your voice and acoustic.

Happy hunting man :)
 
A ribbon for under $150 just wouldn't be worth it. As for a condenser (large diaphragm) I like the sE Electronics 2200A II C for a good workhorse mic.
 
Philososaxter said:
A ribbon for under $150 just wouldn't be worth it. As for a condenser (large diaphragm) I like the sE Electronics 2200A II C for a good workhorse mic.
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Tbh, the Apex 205 is a pretty solid work horse ribbon and for £69 (about....what..... $100?) it's certainly a great intro to the ribbon mic sound, and even the basic mods for it are super simple and don't bring the price up much more and make quite a big difference. Otherwise, i've not found any others for under £100 that have been worth it.
 
Where should i be shopping for these guys at? I've always looked at Guitar Center, Sweetwater, and ZZ Sounds. And there, the only ones in my price range that are carried are the AT2035, the PG27, the AK-6...AKG 220? And that thing is about $10 then id like to spend. There really isn't anything used right now. It seems as the the V67g has been discontinued...at least i cant find it. and the 2200a is way out of my range.
 
xb2003 said:
Where should i be shopping for these guys at? I've always looked at Guitar Center, Sweetwater, and ZZ Sounds. And there, the only ones in my price range that are carried are the AT2035, the PG27, the AK-6...AKG 220? And that thing is about $10 then id like to spend. There really isn't anything used right now. It seems as the the V67g has been discontinued...at least i cant find it. and the 2200a is way out of my range.
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If you live by a GC or just order on line - They will match or beat any advertised price!
Just have the web site handy to give them (even though they know who the cheapest is, they play the game.)

So just look all over the web and then order through GC. :thumbs up:
 
I think i'm gonna go ahead and get the at2035. I've found a lot of people who speak highly of it. And i'm going to add some of those mics to the list of things i keep an eye on guitar center used and craigslist. Once i get it and play with it some, ill post on here what i think of it. And if i don't like it, you have every right to tell me i'm an idiot. :cursing:

Anyways, thanks again. This really was a lot of help.
 
Philososaxter said:
A ribbon for under $150 just wouldn't be worth it. As for a condenser (large diaphragm) I like the sE Electronics 2200A II C for a good workhorse mic.
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I strongly disagree. There are plenty of good ribbons for under $150, any one of which will take EQ better than any condenser you can buy for under $150. This tends to make them more flexible mics, IMO—as long as you aren't using them for drum kit or outdoor field recording, that is. :)

That said, if you go ribbon, you'll need more than just the mic. You'll need a preamp with a really low noise floor. Look for a low EIN (say -129dBu) and a low THD (say 0.0007%). Combine such a beast with even a cheap ribbon, and you'll get a whole new outlook on life. :D

Thank you, TI.
 
NT-1a

+1 on the Rode NT-1a

Got it recently, LOVE it. If you know how to use EQ you can get so many sounds out of it.
 
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