Opinions on a $100 Condenser for a home musician

H

HomeMadeHitShow

Member
I'll take the risk :)

I'm a 100% just-for-fun home musician. I have been recording with a copy of a SM57.

A friend has recommended that even a $100 condenser would make a big difference to my vocal tracks, currently I have trouble when I get loud or high with the quality of the recording. It seems the Studio Projects Mic is popular here. My friend warned against the Behringer B1 and recommended the Nova (?).

Any thoughts that can help me. I'm only gonna spend $100 if anything so please don't tell me how much better a $200 or more mic will be, I know it's true I just can't justify it.
 
well, the quality of your voice will make a big difference... tone and timbre i mean. are you a baritone, tenor, or what??? the Studio Projects B1 is a very good consideration. it is a great all around mic that is pretty transparent for the price range... also, if you are looking for colouration, the MXL V67g might be another good candidate. it tends to be a little darker and less bright. it is also $99:

http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--MSEMXLV67G

good luck bro,

Jacob
 
Thanks,

I just sing :) I record online collabs, cover versions, I can hold the notes properly but I don't have a great tone to my voice (IMHO) I generally sing rock, rock-pop style songs, with a generally mid-high range.
 
yeah im likeing the v67g alot.





I have two rough recordings on purevolume made only with a v67g, i recorded acoustic guitat and vocals at the same time.
(not trying to publicize my self, but when i was looking for my first mic i wish i could have had this so heres the link!)
www.purevolume.com/harrisonWeber
---
but as said the mic is very warm and smooth...i recomend it!
 
or push it w/ Sp b3 for your other patterns. I love omni LDC on acoustic.
crispy highs, sdc - mlx 990
warmer ldc - mxl v67g (pretty too)
 
junplugged said:
or push it w/ Sp b3 for your other patterns. I love omni LDC on acoustic.
crispy highs, sdc - mlx 990
warmer ldc - mxl v67g (pretty too)
Click to expand...


yeah the mxlv67 is nice, pure, warm, and very very hot!
 
HomeMadeHitShow said:
Any thoughts that can help me. I'm only gonna spend $100 if anything so please don't tell me how much better a $200 or more mic will be, I know it's true I just can't justify it.
Click to expand...

That depends on what you don't like about the sound of your current mic. All you say is that it doesn't sound good when you sing loudly or high. What does it sound like? Is it too dull when you sing high? Too bright? When you sing loudly, what does it sound like?

As for condensers, I personally like the AT2020, which comes in right at your price point.

You might also consider one of the new cheap ribbon mics like the Apex 205.

You'd probably get better sound with any of the mics mentioned here than with an SM57 knock-off, but to tell you which mic would be "best", we need to know what you don't like about your existing mic. Tell us that, and we'll go from there. :)
 
I really think the Studio Project B1's are fantastic (careful, Berringer makes a B1 too, but the Studio Project one is what you want). I sold my B1's a while back and "upgraded" to much more expensive mics, but I'm not sure they make me sound any better. I found, that for me, the B1's worked great with a little EQ to brighten the sound.
 
I agree with Big Kenny. The Cad M177 and M179 are great entry mics. Check out zzounds and even look on ebay if you buy things from there normally.
 
Thanks guys, some good information.

dgatwood, while I understand your points I don't think that it's going to make a big difference when I'm looking at a $100 mic. I believe from listening and from advice that a $100 condenser would be better than what I have. Are you telling me that if I told you the current mic had weak bass or too much treble then you would recommend a different $100 mic ??
 
It's important you don't get something too bright for your voice. An SP C1 might be a bit too pop music for you, which is why the suggestions of V67G and B1 are extremely sensible. Either of them, or the sE SE2200A, Joemeek JM47a or the CAD mics mentioned will do you a really good job.
 
#1. Try this link, $65 bucks and you can't go wrong. I own one of these mics. It's a great vocal mic (as well as for acoustic), a little darker than the B-1, has an internal roll off switch, built like a tank.

Superlux CM-H8A

#2. This is their "cheaper" condenser mic, starting bid $25.00 bucks, BUY IT NOW, $50.00. I don't own one, but read two great reviews. Hey, if you're just starting out may be worth a try.

Superlux


Like I said, I own the Superlux CMH8A along with a matched pair of Superlux SMKH8K's for a little over $100.00 that sound FANTASTIC so I have no trouble recommending the brand no matter where they are made.
 
I had a pair of those SMK8HK's. They were pretty noisy. Definately not suitable for recording acoustic guitar which is what I bought them for. To be fair, the specs for these mics do convey the high noise level. As far as the sound of the mics, they were pretty neutral. I'd probably try them on drums.

I think the CAD M179 is pretty decent for vocals. I could get a big sound out of it for alt country type stuff and when I tried rock vocals, the sound sat well with everything in the mix, although my singing still sucked. For acoustic guitar, the M179 was kind of boring. I hear that it works well in a two mic setup, the second mic being more colorful but I have'nt tried it. Overall I'd say the M179 is'nt a very colorful mic, which could be good or bad depending on what your looking for. I think it does have a certain sweetness to it though.

My voice absolutely sucks thru a sm57 but a friend of mine sounds pretty good thru one. I'd say that it's mostly due to his singing/mic technique being much better than mine. If you have'nt sang thru a condensor mic, just about any of them will sound like magic compared to an sm57 (for awhile anyway).

If you could swing it, I'd get two mics. One being fairly neutral in sound and the other being bright. It might help you to hone in on the type of sound that works best for you.
 
TravisinFlorida said:
I had a pair of those SMK8HK's. They were pretty noisy. Definately not suitable for recording acoustic guitar which is what I bought them for. To be fair, the specs for these mics do convey the high noise level. As far as the sound of the mics, they were pretty neutral. I'd probably try them on drums.
Click to expand...

Acoustic guitar are the only things I use them on, mine are dead quite and my first choice for acoustic every time. They are also good for overheads.
 
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