Best $200 range condensor mic

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trsalisbury

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Hey guys,

I record hip-hop into Ableton Live.

I have been using a SM58 and running it through a ART Preamp with an upgraded tube for a bit of extra warmth. The vocals are still a bit lackluster and flat.

I want to upgrade to a condensor microphone in the $200 range.

One of my concerns about switching is the potential for ambient noise from my bedroom to interfere with the sound quality. However, my research has shown this a myth. Does anyone agree/disagree?

I have two main questions.

1. Will switching mics and getting a better preamp (100-150 range) improve my sound quality?

2. Which of the following mics do you recommend? Let me know if you think of one that's not here.

Rode NT-1A
Audio Technica AT2050
Studio Projects C1
AKG Perception 400

Thanks,
Tim
 
Question one answer - YES

Question two answer - NT-1a, but that is subjective. There are many more if you raise the bar say $100. or so.

And your earlier question about room noise etc. ---- It all depends on microphone placement and microphone technique.
 
Out of those, the NT1a would be the only one I'd consider. That said, I rarely use condensers for vocals - Especially aggressive vocals. You might try looking for a use SM7b, RE20 (or 27), or maybe a Heil 40.

I've not heard the new RE320 yet - But I hear (no pun intended) it's going to be a monster...
 
Yeah, that Rode would get my vote. Plus, Rode customer service is awesome in every way. I have to say though, for a lot of vocals a 58 ain't a bad choice.
 
I have found several used AKG 535 EB mikes for under $200. I think they are great sounding, and the tight pattern rejects noise well.
 
I had a lot of these same issues as you. I got the AKG Perception 220 and an ART Tube preamp. Most of my problems went away. I have found though that unless you record in a professional studio there will always be some kind of flaw.
 
I would add two things - my opinion only -

1) don't upgrade the preamp until you have a bit more, probably around $500 (RNP minimum). A $150 preamp won't do what you're hoping for. Stick with what you have till you can afford an RNP. Then don't get any other pres until you have $1000. I haven't found any cheapy pres I liked, and after the RNP there isn't much until you break 1g.

2) condensers can work for aggressive vocals and rap. You'll have to test it to see. I use condensers on vocals all the time. Don't worry about the noise too much. It'll be there and it's not ideal, but using the right mic to me is more ideal than eliminating all noise.
 
I bought one of these for about 150 bucks on ebay I believe : Condenser Mic

Sterling Audio ST55. I have used it for vocals and acoustic guitar, and also as a room mic and overhead on drums a couple times. I was really pleased with the results
 
Consider B.L.U.E. Spark. It simply looks cooler than NT1-a and comes with the shock mount and pop filter.-Richie
 
yes, cool looking mics sound better...ALWAYS!

Actually if it was a 50/50 decision I'd go with the cooler looking one first, and the ugly one second. If the ugly one is better go for it.
 
Massive Master said:
Are we really going to go there...?
Click to expand...

Of course. He is a hiphop artist, right? And based on my limited audition of the SPARK, it is comparable to NT1-a. In fact, come to think of it, they are very similar sounding to my impaired ears. And- when you figure in the shock and the pop filter, the SPARK is about $30 cheaper, unless you're in Oz. And yeah, I know it's *orange*, but what the hell? I really do believe that the visual presentation of studio gear affects talent psychologically. If you show the talent a garage, they'll bring their garage game. If you show them a studio, they'll bring their studio game. That, I think, is one of the many differences between tracking and mastering. In mastering, it's all about *you* and the room, and the gear, *your* brain and *your* ears. It's about what you can bring to, or more often, take away from, what the clueless talent already did. Tracking often *is* an audiovisual presentation for people whose experience is a lot less than yours. Don't underestimate the importance of how things *look*.-Richie
 
You want "bling"? You want sound? You want endorsement? Here ya go:

soul plane.jpg
 
Yeah! I noticed that in the commercials for soul plane. It must be good for rap and hip hop.
 
See- that's one of the reasons V67G has survived all of MXL's various newer models, none of which ever replaced V67G. Not only is it a pretty good entry-level condenser for dirt cheap. It says "studio mic" all over it visually, instead of "bottom-feeder purchased on ebay". You have to be in this business a while to look at an old U47 with age spots on the finish and say, "Damn, what a mic. I wish I could afford it."
 
Massive Master said:
Out of those, the NT1a would be the only one I'd consider. That said, I rarely use condensers for vocals - Especially aggressive vocals. You might try looking for a use SM7b, RE20 (or 27), or maybe a Heil 40.

I've not heard the new RE320 yet - But I hear (no pun intended) it's going to be a monster...
Click to expand...

+1 I'm getting tired of doing this to your posts. :)
 
Richard Monroe said:
Of course. He is a hiphop artist, right? And based on my limited audition of the SPARK, it is comparable to NT1-a. In fact, come to think of it, they are very similar sounding to my impaired ears. And- when you figure in the shock and the pop filter, the SPARK is about $30 cheaper, unless you're in Oz. And yeah, I know it's *orange*, but what the hell? I really do believe that the visual presentation of studio gear affects talent psychologically. If you show the talent a garage, they'll bring their garage game. If you show them a studio, they'll bring their studio game. That, I think, is one of the many differences between tracking and mastering. In mastering, it's all about *you* and the room, and the gear, *your* brain and *your* ears. It's about what you can bring to, or more often, take away from, what the clueless talent already did. Tracking often *is* an audiovisual presentation for people whose experience is a lot less than yours. Don't underestimate the importance of how things *look*.-Richie
Click to expand...

I do believe that getting the persons mind in the right place can make the performance a million times better. if your surroundings feel right then, you'll perform right.
I don't know what the US price is like, but I have no niggles against the SE-2200a. I have a few SE mics and I really do think they are great. I was chatting to a guy when I was deciding to buy a pair of SE1a's or NT5's and he told me a few interesting things about the manufacturing conditions of cheap SE mics and cheap Rode mics. needless to say, SE came out on top. never tried Blue, but they look the biz.
 
Well, B.L.U.E. has done very well, being one of the first new companies in many years to break into the high-end boutique market, with the B.L.U.E. Bottle, Kiwi, and Cactus. Then they made a pretty good entry into the mid ranged market, with Dragonfly, Mouse, Blueberry, and Baby Bottle, and then added the Bottle Rocket for folks that couldn't quite swing a Bottle with all the caps. Next came the Bluebird, which was a solid entry into the low mid-ranged market, and now SPARK, which I strongly suspect is manufactured in China, taking a shot at the real entry-level condenser market. They've taken a serious shot at the live mic market, both dynamic and condenser, with the Encore series, and the USB/Podcast people w/ Yeti and eyeball. OK, the ball and snowball really were dogs. They have recently released Woodpecker, their first ribbon mic (which I have not heard). What seems to be lacking is a series of small diaphragm mics- high end, mid range, and entry level. I have used most of the B.L.U.E. line at one time or another, except Blueberry, and I own the Bluebird, Baby Bottle, and Kiwi. The Kiwi has been my personal main vocal mic for years. Even after a shakeup in ownership and management, they have consistently produced a product that competes well in whatever market segment they are targeting. In addition, I can say that their US customer service has been very good to me. And- their mics almost always look cool.-Richie
 
I second that. I have never owned one but have been researching for a future purchase and the Blue stuff seems pretty solid. I've heard some samples of their Yeti USB mic and it's almost enough to shut the USB mic haters up.
 
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