How much of an upgrade do you make? (vox)

[KonradG]

I've tried alot of different mic's and over the past 18 months or so, i've developed my ears exponentially as to where i was at before. i never pass up an opportunity to try new mics, and ive came to the conclusion that for 90 percent of the people reading and posting in this forum (including myself), an upgrade from a $80 mxl to a $100 behringer isnt going to pay off in the long run.

Maybe what im trying to say is, to the 10% of the people in here who can really break apart the different attributes of microphones under $400, how much of an upgrade do you need to make to make the upgrade actually worth your while?

I currently have a shitty mic, and im not settling for a studio projects c1 because im not will to spend money thats only a minor step up from what i have. Am i making the right choice holding out for a mic that isnt a "good mic for the price", but simply a "good mic" ???

 

[Robert D]

You should definitley hold out for a good mic. The question of course becomes "what is a good mic?". Not too long ago that meant spending over a grand, but there are several "good mics" now for less than half of that. Some of them find pretty universal praise...... the Rode NTK comes to mind. Others are more debatable, but that's natural since what works very well for one person won't be right for another. That's the nature of the beast. There are some mics clear down in the $100 to $200 range that are pretty darn good for a lot of users, and quite a few in the $300 to $500 range that hold up very well against their big ticket cousins. I tend to think mics are like shoes. Sometimes the Gucci's are just plain wrong for your feet, and the payless shoe store specials fit like a glove. But I think the safe sweet spot with affordable but good mics these days tends to fall in the $250 to $500 range.

 

[sound125]

Am i making the right choice holding out for a mic that isnt a "good mic for the price", but simply a "good mic" ???

If you have musical ability or you record artists with musical ability, then the answer is yes.

As an analogy, if a guitarist is mediocre and throws big money at a boutique guitar that plays and sounds exceptionally well, than it won't make much difference. That same guitarist would be better off with a production guitar, until they got better at their craft.

 

[scrubs]

I agree that there's not much difference in quality between an $80 mic, a $100 mic, and a $200 mic. However, all mics are different and your real goal should be to find the best mic for your voice (& your music) that you can afford. For some folks, that V67g might just be the ticket...for others it's muddy and harsh. The qualities of your voice, room, and the remainder of your signal chain must also be considered. An sm57 into a Great River pre might make you sound like God...or like William Hung.

Some other things to consider: for $400, you can get some world class dynamic mics, like the Shure SM7b, Electrovoice RE20, or Sennheiser MD441. Although there are some very nice mics in the $500 range, world class condenser and ribbon mics tend to start in the $1000's (and go way, way up).

I also agree that you need to consider your ultimate goal. If you're just dicking around making music for fun, you (and the vast majority of your listening audience -- family, friends, pets...) might be completely satisfied with less than stellar equipment. Some of us have other priorities that tend to consume monetary resources we'd like to be spending on gear. However, if you are trying to make recordings as a profession, get the best you can at all levels.

 

[KonradG]

Thanks for the opinions guys, im considering a rode ntk and others, Im afraid of buying a ribbon or tube mic under 1000 just because im afraid of buying a cheap version of a good thing. am i being too conservative? i understand ribbon mics are very delicate, but i would consider a tube mic under 500 if everyone agrees that they are well built and competitive with sold states at the same price.

im sure alot of it has to do with the sound you prefer and which you like your voice to the most, and THAT brings me to my next question.

in gainesville, there are three music stores. they all suck (except for one, mainly a drum store though).

where can i go to try out mics that i would like? if i make a drive to orlando, will i be able to find a place that will have mics for testing?

 

[KonradG]

Right after i posted the above message, i looked on ebay for a mic i used in a studio a while back, i liked it alot and it worked really good with my voice. my only problem is i dunno if this is the knock off of the one i used (there is a tube version of this mic.

Anyone have any comments or opinions on a Blue Baby Bottle?

 

[treymonfauntre]

Thanks for the opinions guys, im considering a rode ntk and others, Im afraid of buying a ribbon or tube mic under 1000 just because im afraid of buying a cheap version of a good thing. am i being too conservative? i understand ribbon mics are very delicate, but i would consider a tube mic under 500 if everyone agrees that they are well built and competitive with sold states at the same price.

im sure alot of it has to do with the sound you prefer and which you like your voice to the most, and THAT brings me to my next question.

in gainesville, there are three music stores. they all suck (except for one, mainly a drum store though).

where can i go to try out mics that i would like? if i make a drive to orlando, will i be able to find a place that will have mics for testing?

nothing in orlando really. but atlas is in tampa, he posts on here