Preference: AKG, Sure, Oktava, MXL, Audio Technica, Studio Projects, Sennheiser

[ScienceOne]

Under $400. Which is a great studio vocal mic. I don't want to hear "save your money" or "get a Neumann". You guys can just move along. For everyone who wants to play by the rules, what is a great "all around" studio mic, mainly for vocal recording. Thanks a lot for all of your input.

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

There's no such thing as an "all-around" mic.... some mics work better on some voices better than others.

If this is for your own voice then try several of them at your local rpo store and see which one seems to work best with your voice.

If you are trying to record others as well, you will have no choice but to purchase several different mics to accommodate the differences in vocalists.

 

[crawdad]

Blue Bear makes an excellent point. There is no "one" that is magical on all voices or sources. The well stuffed mic locker is truly a treasure.

On the flip side, if I were to choose one from your list, the AT 4033 would be my choice from experience because I have had great sucess with it for vocals--both male and female--and for acoustic guitar, mandolin, drum overhead and micing an amp.

I have not used all the mics you list in all fairness. The AT 4033 is a good place to start with your mic locker as it does lend itself to many applications. I'm not saying its the ultimate do all mic or that it is even better than others you mentioned. It has worked well for my uses--better overall than anything else I have tried. There are always situations where one mic will surpass another for a specific chore or a specific voice. Theres no way to tell you mic a will be better on your voice than mic b. Best to compare if you can. I'm just saying that it seems like in the best recordings I have made, the AT 4033 was employed.

A Neumann U87 may be a better mic, but if you are talking about a $400 ceiling, the AT 4033 is a versatile condenser microphone. I don't know if they make it anymore, since the AT 4040 came out and I don't know how that compares to the 4033. A bunch of the 4033's are still around in stores though, if you want to check it out. I do know that it does not sound like crap-- it imparts a very professional, transparent sound to your tracks. Don't make my opinion the last word though. Listen to what others have to say and, if you can, make your choice based on a hands on listening evaluation in your own studio environment. I have never tried a C1 or several of the others you mention. Ultimately, whatever you buy has to please your ears and aesthetic sense.

 

[Track Rat]

As usuall, Bruce is correct. There are very few "swiss army knife" mics. What works for me my suck on you and vice versa.
That being said, teh AT-4033 is close. Medium sized diaphram electret condensor that works very well for vocals, acoustic instruments, drum overheads (if you get 4033's, you have to have a pair). Very nice mics and when you can find them, there around $250 a piece.
Octava MK-319. One of my all time favs for most male vocals. If you opt for one of these, get it from the Sound Room. This is a dark, round sounding mic without the hyped high end but that's not to say it doesn't have any "air". I really like this one.

 

[Robert D]

I dig the Oktava 319 for vocs......non hyped, warm, and smooth. No problems with sibilance.
RD

 

[riffing]

For MY voice, the SP C1 gives me great presence and clarity in the mix. For the female singer in my band, it sounded thin. So I went to Mars and tried out their mic selection for a "warmer and smoother" sound for the female singer and I will be buying the AKG C4000B. If I had the money, I may have bought the AKG 414B-ULS or Neumann TLM103. I also tried the KSM32, KSM44, AT4040, AT3030, AKG C2000, MXL V93, MXL V63. I wish they had the AT 4033 to try but they didn't.

Mind you, I'm not a pro and I just spoke into them and sang a little. I was lucky enough to find a woman who was also checking out mics and she sang into a couple I was interested in. In a moment of brilliance , Mars moved their mic station from a little room on the side to an open space in the middle of the store. WTF were they thinking? It was cool trying out some omnis though - felt like I was spying since I could hear conversations from a distance I wouldn't normally hear.

But as everyone said, if you can, you should go and check it out yourself - you'll be happier in the long run. If you can, buy from somewhere (online?) that you can return it if you don't like it. It sucks, I know, but there is no easy answer.

 

[chessparov]

Science, IS this microphone intended for just your voice?
If so how would you "profile" it, is it prone to sibilance or popping?
Even good voices have these tendencies as microphones "hear"
differently than our ears!

Chris

 

[Gidge]

with $400 and "all around" needed, go for a combo of mics

pair of Marshall MXL603's
Shure sm57
Marshall MXL2003 or MXLv67

wont be much that you cant do very well with these......

 

[littledog]

with $400 and "all around" needed, go for a combo of mics

pair of Marshall MXL603's
Shure sm57
Marshall MXL2003 or MXLv67

wont be much that you cant do very well with these......

I'm curious how you would record vocals with a pair of MXL603's? Or perhaps I misread the original question...

 

[Gidge]

my theory was instead of going for one $400 mic as a "all around mic", go for a combo of mics....in other words, use the $400 to get all of the mics i listed.....

the v67 or 2003 for vocals amongst other things....

the 603's for drum overheads,acoustic guitars,etc.

the sm57 for snare,guitar amps etc.


i may be misinterpreting what "all around" means......

 

[Richard Monroe]

Studio Projects C3- multi pattern, pad, bass rolloff, Excellent for vocals, fair for overhead/acoustic guit, etc. Useable on guitar cab and excellent as a room mic.-Richie