H
Harvey Gerst
New member
LOL. Welcome to my world, C7sus!! I've had that same question thrown at me for the last five or so years on the rec.audio.pro newsgroup. That's why I started listening to some of these low-end condensor microphones to see if there was a "best" or at least a "decent" mic, but, like you, I had to first figure out what the hell "best" and "decent" meant. That was the hard part.c7sus said:
I finally figured out that for me, "decent" meant it was reasonably quiet, no disturbing peaks or upper-end shrillness, consistent from unit to unit, and capable of recording not only voice, but various instruments. That last requirement created some problems. Ususally small condensor mics will record acoustic guitar better than large condensor mics. The reason why is too lengthy to go into here, but I will, if anybody's really interested.
So now, I'm looking for two "best" cheap mics - one for vocals, and one for instruments. A small condensor mic, and a large diaphragm condensor mic.
The other problem is the nature of the human voice, and the nature of acoustic instruments. They vary widely, and even the most expensive mic in the world may turn out to be terrible for one person's voice. Same with acoustic guitars - a Martin is not a Gibson is not a Taylor is not an Ovation.
So instead of trying to find what's best or decent for under $200, it actually turns out to be easier to find what "doesn't suck for under $200".
Getting rid of all mics with harsh top ends was pretty easy, which took out the NT1, the C1000 and C3000, the Oktava 219, and several of the low end Audio Technicas.
Getting rid of all mics with inconsistencies from unit to unit was also pretty easy, which took out the NT1, the Oktavas, and the Nadys. If the mic I happen to get is vastly different from the same unit you bought, my recomendation wouldn't mean very much.
So what we're left with is a few Marshalls that worked pretty well on a lot of voices, along with a couple of small mics that worked well with a lot of different instruments. These shouldn't suck for most applications.
But let me go back to the AKG C3000 as an example. In the 3 years I owned one, I only found one person and one guitar where the AKG C3000 was better than any other mic I owned - and it was spectacular on that one person. Every other person and instrument I tried it on, it sucked - big time.
Should you avoid the AKG C3000? If you own a shaved top 1956 Martin D-18 AND you have a low, slightly gravelly voice, by all means try the C3000. For the rest of you, avoid it like the plague. What's the bottom line?
There is no single "best mic under $200 for vocals and guitar" - there ARE a few that are pretty decent and if you buy one, it'll sound a lot like mine, which is what I'm basing my opinions on.
IF the question is "what's the best mic under $200 for my voice and my guitar", the only answer is "go listen and try a few", but make sure you know what to listen for. If you can't hear the differences between some of these mics, you're not ready to buy one yet.
I've had people tell me I was full of shit about the AKG C3000 - that is was absolutely killer on their voice and guitar, only to talk to them a year later and have them say, "I can't believe I didn't hear all that harshness in the C3000's top end, till I tried XXX".
There are no easy answers.
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