Are there any "budget"/lower cost tube mics that are any good?

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lostcausestudio

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Just like everyone here I am sure, I love to experiment with new gear. I love the warmth and tone of tubes for guitars, and I want to experiment with a tube mic for vocals, I have a few mics at the moment, including a ribbon, but a tube mic is something I have been looking at for a while now. Are there any good tube microphones that won't break the bank? I know mxl has a few that are in the couple hundred dollar range, and so far mxl microphones have been great. I own 3 thus far and they sound very good for their price point. One is even wired with mogami wiring which really impressed me. But I don't have any experience recording with a tube mic. So anyone who has some first hand experience, anyone who has any suggestions, all help would be greatly appreciated. I would love to find a tube mic that will sound good, but not break the bank just in case the mic ends up not being a go to.
 
I don't think you'll find many tube mics in the sub-$500 range. One reason is that you aren't just buying a microphone, but you're also buying a power supply, a special multiwire cable (up to 8 lines) and in many cases, a multipattern mic. Among the lower cost good mics would be the Avantone CV12 which runs about $500. The Sterling Audio ST169 is $400 but I've read about some issues with their mics. MXL makes the V69ME for $300.

My concern is that there are a LOT of microphones in that $300-500 range which sound really good. Tubes in guitar amps do a different job than tubes in microphones. Plus I don't necessarily subscribe to the "tube stuff is warm" hype. I've heard tube gear that was bright, and non-tube gear that was warm and rounded. I've heard some STELLAR solid state guitar amps in my day. There's more to it than just the output devices.
 
What is the low cost figure, I consider $1000 as a start point? Unless second hand.

Alan
 
I was looking around the 500 dollar price point. I understand a tube mic is a bit more in-depth than say my ribbon or condenser mics, and some good suggestions have been made thus far. Really when it comes down to it, I don't want to drop say 1000+ on a mic, then find out that it really does not work for the musicians I am recording, mostly I do rock\alternative\metal bands, I don't want to spend 1k+ on a mic and have it sit in a case somewhere because it doesn't really work out well on the artists I am using it for.
 
A tube mic for vocal work is always going to be needed. A 'budget' tube mic brings along with it ,sometimes, things you don't want printed with the voice it's trying to high-light and enhance. I also believe that tube mics START at a grand for higher quality that you're gonna want to keep around.

That being said....a used mic may be an option. One of my personal favorites has always been the ADK Area 51 TT mic. I have had two of them in my mic locker for several years. When they were stock they were just fine and held their own against much higher priced mics. I had both of them modded a few yars ago since I wasn't ever going to need two matched LD tube mics for anything. So one became a ELAM251 with a CK12 capsule and the other became a U47/249 with a CK47 cap. And they are really good at being different for different voices. Sometimes the ONLY mic that will work. But it has to be an odd thing for that to happen. But thats what choice is about in mics. There's a used one on Reverb right now in the $600 range.

Another excellent tube mic to consider is the Audio Technica AT4060. This is a $1600 mic and IF you can find a used one it'll be around a grand. "Is it worth it?" you might ask. They built an bunch of them and the fact that you can't find a used one should tell the story.

It's understandable that you don't want to plunk down that kind of scratch for a mic. But like anything else musical gearwise. The better stuff really is better. Lasts longer. Sounds better. Makes your job as a recordist easier. Some people don't think twice about a couple grand for a Marshall amp head.......there's lots cheaper that will do the job.

And this choice is the same as that.
 
The rode K2 gets very good reviews and I know owners that love them, don’t know what they sell for where you are?

Alan
 
I'll drop a recommendation for the Rode NTK. I owned one one upon a time. Sold it like an idiot, and regret it. Thought it sounded great, but was overkill for what I was doing at the time.
 
How much do you want to spend and are you good with a soldering iron and reading a schematic?

You can get an APEX 460 for $250 new --or-- you can get the same mic unbranded from Chunger at GroupDIY for about $189. www.groupdiy.com look for white market. * He may be out at the moment. You can get a similar mic, with a different headbasket (and you have to paint the body) here: DIY Vacuum Tube Condenser Microphone Kit for $199. Then get the Dave Thomas mod. The Aurycle circuit is *slightly* different, so you'll have to change the circuit a little bit which is where reading a schematic is critical. IIRC the APEX is a better design.

Then get upgrade kit from Dave Thomas $359, including his C12 capsule, which is made in the same factory as more expensive Peluso capsules but all the metal work and skinning is done in China. https://advancedaudio.ca/collections/modifications/products/apex-460-upgrade-to-cm12

or a capsule for $283: Peluso Microphone Capsules

There are other capsules out there too, in various price brackets. I've gone on the lower end...

I've done some point to point mics, on my blog. If you're totally going from scratch see: http://www.gyraf.dk/gy_pd/g7/gic.htm

I don't know if PC Boards are still available for the G7. But you can get everything else you need fairly easily. Also, see the BigUgly which is similar.
 
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If you cannot afford a top end mic don't bother IMHO. Valves are unreliable and need to be replaced from time to time. They are also a dimishing resource and a very polluting one, they can also only get ever more expensive.
What I am saying is, don't buy a top end old Merc if you can't afford to service it!

The 'budget' valve mics around mostly seem to use the 12AX7/ECC83 and that is not the best type for low noise and distortion. It is however cheap and never likely to go out of production. (but it WILL cost a lot more in 2035!)

Buy a really clean, attitude free LDC then buy some emulation pluggins.

Dave.
 
As far as dirt cheap, I can suggest an ebay hunt for the old Groove Tubes mics. There were ( AFAIK ) two series of these, and the second were particularly affordable. At one point I had four so I must have liked the results!
 
The budget mics do use the 32mm K67 capsule and the 12AX7/ECC83, the tube because it's cheap and plentiful. The Dave Thomas mod I mentioned above, replaces the capsule with his own branded C12 clone, replaces the 12AX7 with a 12AY7/6072, lowers the B+, replaces/eliminates a few capacitors, and replaces the transformer. I have a couple of those unbranded APEX 460s that I'm going to do that to, with capsules I already had on hand. --C12 knockoffs.


Also, the Gyraf is designed for a C12 capsule, and uses an EF86. I built a simpler point to point single sided version of that. The BigUgly is based on the 2001 "RoyerMod" using a 5840 triode strapped. The actual BigUgly is a multi pattern with the G7 pattern scheme, and the Royer circuit (which is a lot like the SELA and U47 circuits. I've only done a modified single sided version of that too. I also built a version of that with a 6AK5 and a knock off K47 capsule, and pleased with the results.
 
I've used a Rode NTK for a long time. It can get a little hairy on loud SPL applications, but it sounds great on a lot things. I've tried changing the tube in it for a more "vintage" sound, but preferred the original.
 
I feel like I got pretty lucky I found an sE z5600a MK II in mint condition for $475.00 on Ebay and it was also the newer model. The mic sells for a grand. So deals are out there if your patient. I also changed the tube which made it a bit smoother. Its basically a U47 clone. I love the mic.

sE z5600a.webp
 
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