craveonmatter
New member
can anyone recommend a good mic for under $1000
mic recommendations for under $1000
- Thread starter craveonmatter
- Start date
Steenamaroo
...
I took the bait.
Twice.
Richard Monroe
Well-known member
Yes, I can. About a hundred of them. Would you prefer a cup of Kona, or Jamaican Blue Mountain? They are both great coffees, and they don't taste even remotely similar. Is one of them *better* than the other one? No. There are really about 4 factors that determine the choice:
1. Is it the right mic for the job? Would you rather use ballet toe shoes or Italian dress shoes for playing ice hockey? Neither one, because they are the wrong tool for the job. You'd rather have a lousy pair of ice skates than a great pair of hiking boots. If you want to buy a tool, you need to define the job first. There is no tool that's right for every job, and no mic that is right for recording everything. Some mics are more versatile, and some more specialized. But- you show me the mic, and I'll show you a source that will make it sound awful.
2. What kind of deals can you get where you live, and what's available? If you are in Europe, AKG's are cheaper than Shure. If you are in Australia, Rodes are cheaper than Oktava, all other things being equal. Sometimes the best mic is the one you sniped for cheap on ebay.
3. Mics are like shoes. They either fit, or they don't, especially on vocals, but even certain instruments are picky about mics. A Shure SM58 is a perfectly good stage mic, but it makes me sound awful. On the other hand, AKG D770 or Sennheiser e835 sounds fine. Does that mean they are *better* vocal mics? Only for me. For you, the reverse could be true. Clips don't help much, either. I can't tell from an MP3 of a bone dry track what will make you sound good in a dense mix with FX. I can't look at a fuzzy picture of your feet, and tell you what size or brand of shoes fit you, either.
4. We don't all agree on what sounds good. Play 10 recordings for 10 recording engineers and ask them which one sounds best. You'll get 11 answers.
So- what can *we* do, and what can *you* do? All *we* can do is recommend mics that work for *somebody* to record *something*. And- we can tell you what we like for recording something specific.
What you can do is never pass up a chance to use a mic you've never tried before on something that you want to record, and decide what you think sounds good.
That said, most of us (not all) would suggest that the best thing to do with $1000 is to buy more than one mic, choosing ones that are very different. I personally advise buying mics that are used a lot in recording studios, made by respected manufacturers, because that means they're good for *somebody* to record *something*. At least it makes them easier to sell if they don't work out for you. Many of us would recommend buying used mics rather than new ones, to make that $1000 go further.
There is also the fundamental question of dynamic (including ribbons) vs. condensers (including tube mics). They are like the yin and yang of mics. like Les Paul and Stratocaster. For stereo recording, two more or less identical mics are very handy. Small diaphragm mics are often used for recording instruments and percussion, and large diaphragm mics are often used for vocals and as ambient (room) mics. Those are *tendencies*, not *rules*. Both types have been used to record everything under the sun.
We'll assume you are not an experienced recording engineer, because if you were, you'd probably know what kind of mic you need/want. If you are a beginner, buying a $1000 mic is kind of like buying a Maserati when you're driving on a permit. But- I'll tell you what I'd do with that $1000 if I wanted to build a mic cabinet. Furthermore, if you really can't be talked out of spending $1000 on one mic at this stage, I'll give you some examples of what I think are some pretty versatile mics. Note that a hundred tracking engineers could come up with a hundred other combinations that would work just as well. All I can do is recommend mics that I like, and which work for me.
I would buy the tools to start learning what different mics do. Namely, a good cheap dynamic, a pair of small diaphragm condensers, and one large diaphragm condenser, possibly a multipattern mic, like:
dynamic: Shure SM57 or SM58, Sennheiser e835, or AKG D5
Small diaphragm pair: Marshall Electronics MXL603 or 604, Studio Projects C-4. Rode NT-5.
Large Diaphragm: MXL V67, B.L.U.E. Spark (OK, it's a midsize diaphragm), B.L.U.E. Bluebird or Baby Bottle, AKG Perception 220, Audio-Technica AT4040, Rode NT1-a or NTK.
Multi-pattern: CAD M179, AT2050
Plan B- Just 2 mics, one dynamic, and one condenser. These are more expensive mics, so we lose that stereo option. Buying used might be necessary to come in under $1000:
dynamic: Shure SM7b, Sennheiser MD421 or MD441, Electrovoice EV RE20.
multipattern condenser: Audio-Technica AT4050, Shure KSM44, AKG C414 (there are many models- I like the older, discontinued, and therefore cheaper C414B-ULS).
Plan C: One mic (This is your idea, not mine).
Neumann TLM102, B.L.U.E. Bottle Rocket Stage 1, Dragonfly, or Woodpecker, AKG C414XLS, Shure KSM44 (this keeps coming up, because it works).
Last, but not least:
Plan D- what *I* would do:
small diaphragm pair, also good for vocals: AKG C2000B (2). You can find these on ebay for $150 each or less.
dynamic: Shure SM7b or EV RE20, whichever I could find cheaper used.
Large diaphragm condenser: AT4040, AKG C214, or B.L.U.E. Baby Bottle, whichever one I could find cheaper.
Hope that helps. Good Luck-Richie
1. Is it the right mic for the job? Would you rather use ballet toe shoes or Italian dress shoes for playing ice hockey? Neither one, because they are the wrong tool for the job. You'd rather have a lousy pair of ice skates than a great pair of hiking boots. If you want to buy a tool, you need to define the job first. There is no tool that's right for every job, and no mic that is right for recording everything. Some mics are more versatile, and some more specialized. But- you show me the mic, and I'll show you a source that will make it sound awful.
2. What kind of deals can you get where you live, and what's available? If you are in Europe, AKG's are cheaper than Shure. If you are in Australia, Rodes are cheaper than Oktava, all other things being equal. Sometimes the best mic is the one you sniped for cheap on ebay.
3. Mics are like shoes. They either fit, or they don't, especially on vocals, but even certain instruments are picky about mics. A Shure SM58 is a perfectly good stage mic, but it makes me sound awful. On the other hand, AKG D770 or Sennheiser e835 sounds fine. Does that mean they are *better* vocal mics? Only for me. For you, the reverse could be true. Clips don't help much, either. I can't tell from an MP3 of a bone dry track what will make you sound good in a dense mix with FX. I can't look at a fuzzy picture of your feet, and tell you what size or brand of shoes fit you, either.
4. We don't all agree on what sounds good. Play 10 recordings for 10 recording engineers and ask them which one sounds best. You'll get 11 answers.
So- what can *we* do, and what can *you* do? All *we* can do is recommend mics that work for *somebody* to record *something*. And- we can tell you what we like for recording something specific.
What you can do is never pass up a chance to use a mic you've never tried before on something that you want to record, and decide what you think sounds good.
That said, most of us (not all) would suggest that the best thing to do with $1000 is to buy more than one mic, choosing ones that are very different. I personally advise buying mics that are used a lot in recording studios, made by respected manufacturers, because that means they're good for *somebody* to record *something*. At least it makes them easier to sell if they don't work out for you. Many of us would recommend buying used mics rather than new ones, to make that $1000 go further.
There is also the fundamental question of dynamic (including ribbons) vs. condensers (including tube mics). They are like the yin and yang of mics. like Les Paul and Stratocaster. For stereo recording, two more or less identical mics are very handy. Small diaphragm mics are often used for recording instruments and percussion, and large diaphragm mics are often used for vocals and as ambient (room) mics. Those are *tendencies*, not *rules*. Both types have been used to record everything under the sun.
We'll assume you are not an experienced recording engineer, because if you were, you'd probably know what kind of mic you need/want. If you are a beginner, buying a $1000 mic is kind of like buying a Maserati when you're driving on a permit. But- I'll tell you what I'd do with that $1000 if I wanted to build a mic cabinet. Furthermore, if you really can't be talked out of spending $1000 on one mic at this stage, I'll give you some examples of what I think are some pretty versatile mics. Note that a hundred tracking engineers could come up with a hundred other combinations that would work just as well. All I can do is recommend mics that I like, and which work for me.
I would buy the tools to start learning what different mics do. Namely, a good cheap dynamic, a pair of small diaphragm condensers, and one large diaphragm condenser, possibly a multipattern mic, like:
dynamic: Shure SM57 or SM58, Sennheiser e835, or AKG D5
Small diaphragm pair: Marshall Electronics MXL603 or 604, Studio Projects C-4. Rode NT-5.
Large Diaphragm: MXL V67, B.L.U.E. Spark (OK, it's a midsize diaphragm), B.L.U.E. Bluebird or Baby Bottle, AKG Perception 220, Audio-Technica AT4040, Rode NT1-a or NTK.
Multi-pattern: CAD M179, AT2050
Plan B- Just 2 mics, one dynamic, and one condenser. These are more expensive mics, so we lose that stereo option. Buying used might be necessary to come in under $1000:
dynamic: Shure SM7b, Sennheiser MD421 or MD441, Electrovoice EV RE20.
multipattern condenser: Audio-Technica AT4050, Shure KSM44, AKG C414 (there are many models- I like the older, discontinued, and therefore cheaper C414B-ULS).
Plan C: One mic (This is your idea, not mine).
Neumann TLM102, B.L.U.E. Bottle Rocket Stage 1, Dragonfly, or Woodpecker, AKG C414XLS, Shure KSM44 (this keeps coming up, because it works).
Last, but not least:
Plan D- what *I* would do:
small diaphragm pair, also good for vocals: AKG C2000B (2). You can find these on ebay for $150 each or less.
dynamic: Shure SM7b or EV RE20, whichever I could find cheaper used.
Large diaphragm condenser: AT4040, AKG C214, or B.L.U.E. Baby Bottle, whichever one I could find cheaper.
Hope that helps. Good Luck-Richie
guitaristic
prophet of Dave
I would like to imagine that I have the necessary mental capabilities needed to provide an adequate solution to your dilemma, but your question is a bit vague. Ok, a lot vague.
What style? What will you be recording instrument-wise?
aaronaycox
New member
I always love these questions. Well, the questions aren't really where the entertainment comes in, it's the answers that I look forward to.
witzendoz
Senior Member
guitaristic
prophet of Dave
omtayslick
New member
Sure, Shure sm57