Mics for under $100 - that just may work for you.

Harvey, I'm new hear but it didn't take long to see that you're hovering 3' above the recording mountaintop, so if it's proper, I'd welcome a recommendation for a pair of title-of-this-thread mics for my Tascam DR40. I'm replacing a stolen H2 that I never used with externals, but now that I have XLR connectors I'm into spreading out a bit, so to speak. I'm a performer in a pretty decent concert band, and a stand-up brass ensemble (read: loud) both of which I want to document with the Tascam. Thanks for your time...

Charlie Groh
 
Not sure if it got a mention but for under 100 quid I don't think you can go wrong with a Rode M3 myself.
Cheaper and better (imo) than the AKG C1000 and very usable on a variety of sources.
 
Because they don't; small, omnidirectional mics have the flattest frequency response and most accurate sound.
Not sure why you keep pimping omnis-? Yeah sure they generally have less feedback and distortion, but they also pick up everything from all directions, which often is not desired.


Lesson learned, never hate a brand
An even better one IMO is to never hate OR love a brand, period. Take each product on its own merits. Every time I hear someone go "oh I hate" (or "oh I love") X brand" I ignore them and their judgment on the topic generally goes downward in my eyes.


The lowest price mic you should ever buy is a 57
:rolleyes:

you can hate the sound, but you know the sound
What a rousing endorsement.

Great thread topic though. After more than a little reading/research, it would seem the $100ish or less (allowing for those $99.95 types) mics worth considering are below (first 4 are dynamics, last are LDC). I quickly add I haven't used so take with a big grain of salt:

GLS 57,58
behringer 8500
sennheiser 835
shure 57,58
behringer C1
behringer B1
MXL 770
MXL 990
MXL 67
 
I have 2 mics for less than 100 that I have used for a while and they have been great mics, The Electro-Voice cobalt c09, and the mxl 990. The cobalt is a dynamic that has a similar frequency response and range to the sm58, and the mxl 990 large diaphragm condenser has been good for many a vocal track. I am quite impressed with the mics mxl puts out, they do a great job for the money.
 
I'd look for a used Shure SM 58 or SM 57 first. Then check this out.. this little unit was suggested to another poster here, mainly for it's shock mount.. not so much the mic itself. But from the YouTube review below, it appears to do a decent job. Especially for the very low price. Two things though, you may need to buy another cable (XLR to XLR) if you're plugging into an interface, and there's a mention of this not working with a Mac.

Amazon.com: Neewer NW-800 Professional Studio Broadcasting & Recording Microphone Set Including (1)NW-800 Professional Condenser Microphone + (1)Microphone Shock Mount + (1)Ball-type Anti-wind Foam Cap + (1)Microphone Power Cable (Black): Musical Instruments

 
Last edited:
The MXL HE series...V67G is around $125. It is a really nice looking mic but also comes with the accesories worth as much as the cost.
The Mic itself is worth the cash. But the metal pop filter, the case, the spider mount and cloth is an amazing deal.

Running this mic into a ISA One or 1073clone , maybe tube/transformer LA2A clone....very nice.
 
This thread keeps popping up over the years. :)

I just posted my old MXL V57M on eBay. I've always said it was a great sounding mic. Darker than most chinese knock-offs. It doesn't have that harsh high end.
MXL discontinued it and didn't really have a follow on product.
Used, but still a great mic for under $100.
 
My wife is an alto/soprano that sings metal. She also does some nice growls. I own an AKG C414, but it can come out a bit "Harsh" on the high end (I use an Avalon preamp). What works for us is a Behringer B1. Sounds amazing and at sub 100 dollars is an amazing deal.
 
A friend asked my advice about cheap mics (under $100) for recording guitar and/or vocals, so I did a little shootout for him, using four mics that anyone can find for under $100 each - often, way under. Some of the old timers here have heard me say that "a mic doesn't know, or care, what it's recording." Maybe this shootout will illustrate that point a little better. The four mics used were:

1. Behringer ECM-8000 (Very Small Diaphragm Omni Condenser Mic - $40 to $50).
2. Shure SM57 (Cardioid Dynamic Mic - $50 to $60).
3. MXL 603 (Small Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser Mic - $60 to $70).
4. MXL V67g (Large Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser Mic - $80 to $90).

and a Neumann TLM103 was used to record a "scratch" vocal/guitar track - (Large Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser Mic, around $700 used).

All the "guitar" tracks were recorded by aiming the mics at the lower bout of his Martin D41 - from about 6" away. The exception was the ECM-8000 which was positioned at the sound hole at about the same distance. That mic has no proximity effect.

All the "vocal" tracks were recorded about 6" away, using foam pop filters and a metal wind screen. The "scratch" track was recorded from about 3 feet away and the TLM-103's height was adjusted for a nice balance between the guitar and his voice.

There are nine tracks in the "rar" file; all are 44.1/16 bit "wav" files (that should load easily into any multi-track program you might have). Each file is about a minute and a half long. The "rar" file is about 32Meg in size.

Other than trying to make all the levels consistent, there is no other processing of any kind on any of the tracks (no eq, reverb, compression, etc.). I hate the "guess which mic this is" shit, so each track is clearly labeled as to what it is.

All times start at "0:00:00", so you can simply solo any guitar track and any vocal track at the same time. If you think one mic doesn't have enough (or too much) bottom or top end, try playing with your eq and see if you can get an acceptable sound.

These are just quick and dirty tests of four mics that most people here wouldn't normally think about using for recording both vocals and guitars. But if you're new to recording, perhaps one or two of these mics might be good enough to get you started. Here's the zipped file:

http://itrstudio.com/MicTest.rar

Note: You might hafta right click and save the file, then open it with your archiving program.
As a budget condenser, you cant go wrong with the Rode NT-1. Cost me £100 and you get the diaphram and pop shield included. Very robust, great dynamic range and as good an S/N ratio of any condensor under £500. I bought 2 of them. However I can't comment on how they work with a DAW interface as I am primarily recording analogue right now.
😉👍👍
 
The NT1 is a great mic, I've had one for several years. However, it's not a $100 mic, at least not in the US. The current pricing is $270 for the kit. You can sometimes find them for less on the used market, but that's not an everyday price. Used prices is typically $150-200.

Of the mics on Harvey's list, the V67G, SM57 and MXL603 are still at or below $100. The ECM8000 is under $50. It is an omni measurement mic, but as Harvey said, a mic doesn't know what it's recording. That's pretty remarkable since Harvey's original list was created 12 years ago. I have a V67G and SM57, and both are usable.

I would add some other mics to the list... Sennheiser e835, Rode M5 ($200/pair), Lewitt LCT 040 ($200/pair) and the AKG P170. I have three of the four, and I like them.

BTW, Harvey's website is no longer up so the files in his original most are no longer available. I'm not sure if he's still around anymore. I haven't seen anything from him since about 2015. His son has a studio in Texas.
 
The NT1 is a great mic, I've had one for several years. However, it's not a $100 mic, at least not in the US. The current pricing is $270 for the kit. You can sometimes find them for less on the used market, but that's not an everyday price. Used prices is typically $150-200.

Of the mics on Harvey's list, the V67G, SM57 and MXL603 are still at or below $100. The ECM8000 is under $50. It is an omni measurement mic, but as Harvey said, a mic doesn't know what it's recording. That's pretty remarkable since Harvey's original list was created 12 years ago. I have a V67G and SM57, and both are usable.

I would add some other mics to the list... Sennheiser e835, Rode M5 ($200/pair), Lewitt LCT 040 ($200/pair) and the AKG P170. I have three of the four, and I like them.

BTW, Harvey's website is no longer up so the files in his original most are no longer available. I'm not sure if he's still around anymore. I haven't seen anything from him since about 2015. His son has a studio in Texas.
Honestly, I paid £100 new about 5 years ago (I am in England).
Must have got a good deal !
😉😉😅👍
 
The NT1 is a great mic, I've had one for several years. However, it's not a $100 mic, at least not in the US. The current pricing is $270 for the kit. You can sometimes find them for less on the used market, but that's not an everyday price. Used prices is typically $150-200.

Of the mics on Harvey's list, the V67G, SM57 and MXL603 are still at or below $100. The ECM8000 is under $50. It is an omni measurement mic, but as Harvey said, a mic doesn't know what it's recording. That's pretty remarkable since Harvey's original list was created 12 years ago. I have a V67G and SM57, and both are usable.

I would add some other mics to the list... Sennheiser e835, Rode M5 ($200/pair), Lewitt LCT 040 ($200/pair) and the AKG P170. I have three of the four, and I like them.

BTW, Harvey's website is no longer up so the files in his original most are no longer available. I'm not sure if he's still around anymore. I haven't seen anything from him since about 2015. His son has a studio in Texas.
They are made in Australia I think so maybe the Aussie dollar has gained a bit.
Also the way our bloody currency is sinking faster than the Titanic I would not be surprised if the pound is worth less than the US Dollar before long! Ha ha.
Anyway whatever, the NT-1 is a great mike for vocal home recording, so clean and quiet from background noise.
Cheers dude 😅😉👍
 
The NT1 is a great mic, I've had one for several years. However, it's not a $100 mic, at least not in the US. The current pricing is $270 for the kit. You can sometimes find them for less on the used market, but that's not an everyday price. Used prices is typically $150-200.

Of the mics on Harvey's list, the V67G, SM57 and MXL603 are still at or below $100. The ECM8000 is under $50. It is an omni measurement mic, but as Harvey said, a mic doesn't know what it's recording. That's pretty remarkable since Harvey's original list was created 12 years ago. I have a V67G and SM57, and both are usable.

I would add some other mics to the list... Sennheiser e835, Rode M5 ($200/pair), Lewitt LCT 040 ($200/pair) and the AKG P170. I have three of the four, and I like them.

BTW, Harvey's website is no longer up so the files in his original most are no longer available. I'm not sure if he's still around anymore. I haven't seen anything from him since about 2015. His son has a studio in Texas.
I have a Senheiser e835, it is a brilliant dynamic mike, superb gig mike for live vocal, I use it with a Helicon T1 Compresser/expander foot pedal. The combination is brilliant. With the Helicon I can belt it out without overloading the mix and then go into falsetto without losing power, it makes it sound seameless 👍
 
Back
Top