Which condenser mic when on a budget ???

[cjacek]

Hi,

(1) Which condenser mic, in your opinion, is the best ? BUT also keep in mind that I wish to keep my costs down. The best, "budget", condenser mic is what I'm after. Any suggestions ?

(2) I've looked but I can't seem to find a simple (good but inexpensive), non tube, condenser mic pre-amp (phantom power). Any suggestions as to where I can get one of these ?

(3) Ok I know this forum is about microphones, but can anyone suggest a great sounding yet inexpensive reverb unit ?

Again, I'm after good (and accurate sounding) gear that won't strain the 'ol pocket book

Thanks again,

Dan

 

[ametth]

what does inexpensive mean to you? then we can go from there.

 

[cjacek]

what does inexpensive mean to you? then we can go from there.

I knew I was bound to be asked Ok, (1) condenser - approx 450 Canadian (approx 300 American) (2) phantom - least expensive but good. Not sure of price. (3) Reverb - 200-300 Canadian (approx 150 - 200 US).

Dan

Ok maybe the question should have been : If one was to buy the least expensive condenser, phantom and reverb and all were to sound very good and accurate, which would u choose ?

 

[ralf]

the AKG C 1000 S only costs about 200 american dollars. you can power it by 9 volt battery instead of phantom power with no loss of sound quality. it also has a switchable polar pattern, and presence boost adaptor. in my opinion, it's pretty good for the price

 

[FBstdminime]

All prices are given in american dollars:
Condenser - Rode NT3-$139 OR Audio Technica 4033-$289
Phantom - Behringer MX602A Mixer-$99 OR Art tube MP pre-$99
I dunno really 'bout the reverb since i moslty use plug-ins from my software.

Hope this helps,
Eric

 

[drstawl]

Musician's Friend has the Røde NT-1 for $179. I bought two of them for $199 each at Guitar Satan and I don't think I was ripped off. They don't really need the cool spider shock mount that they sell for $80 (I don't have them) but I'll bet that this would cut down on some ambient noise and look much cooler. My AT-4033 has one but i haven't really noticed more handling noise with the Rodents w/out the shock mount over the AT with. The AT w/shockmount looks a lot cooler... Neither of these mics will withstand a jerk bumping into the mic stand without a significant blip on your recording w/ or w/o the cool shockmount.


One really nice feature of the NT-1 is that it has a very hot signal. Anything you can do to keep the gain control down on a cheaper pre will help out. Not as much a problem on higher end pres which is one reason why you'll hear a lot of poo-pooing of the Rodents in fancier circles while the lo-end crowd knows this is a jewel in the rough.

 

[trucker dave]

just had to comment as i seem to have most of the stuff you guys are talking about. Rode NT1, good and cheap. AT 4033 not much more and a hell of a lot better. Mx602A, cheap and adequate for RODE NT1. I don't use it or NT1 for vocals anymore. AKG C1000S, best thing i got for close miking acoustic. Sounds like crap on vocals(mine anyway). Don't know about outboard reverbs much. Got a ZOOM RFX 2000. Good sounding fairly cheap reverb/effects unit with s/pdif output(around $250 i think) but it has a little brother that is real cheap without a lot of the fancy stuff most people would never use, like cheesy mastering tools and a 30 band virtual EQ that are easier to do with software. I assume the reverb would be the same, though.

 

[DigitalDon]

CAD Equitek E-100 Condenser Mic
ART Tube MP mic preamp w/48V phantom (yep, uses a tube)
Behringer DSP1000P effects unit
Behringer MDX2200 Composer Pro compressor (gotta have some kind of compressor, this or the RNC)

Search the usual places for prices:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com
http://www.samash.com
http://www.allprosound.com (Behringer)
http://www.ebay.com
http://www.digibid.com

 

[cjacek]

Hi,

Just wanted to say thank you to all who responded. Thank you for all your help

Dan

 

[Sabith]

As a fellow Canadian myself, I bought my Rode NT-1 for $450 I belive, and my Presonus Bluetube Mic Pre for about $300, from Steves Music, which has stores in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. They have the best Canadian prices that I've been able to find.

And it might sound cheaper buyin from the states on a site, but just remember border taxes and shippin......... they will kill ya, and if the units bad, U get to send it back =)

In my opinion keep it in Canada, less hassels by far......

Sabith

 

[cjacek]

As a fellow Canadian myself, I bought my Rode NT-1 for $450 I belive, and my Presonus Bluetube Mic Pre for about $300, from Steves Music, which has stores in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. They have the best Canadian prices that I've been able to find.

And it might sound cheaper buyin from the states on a site, but just remember border taxes and shippin......... they will kill ya, and if the units bad, U get to send it back =)

In my opinion keep it in Canada, less hassels by far......

Sabith

I agree. I got the AT 4033 from Long & McQuade in BC and am very happy with the mic.

 

[saucy jack]

ive got the Rode NT1 for 199

i agree its a decent mike for the money im not" blown away"

good for vocals,overheads..havent been real happy with it micing amps but not sure the At4033 is any better

 

[chesterfield]

I was looking at the same 2 mics that you mentioned, the Rode NT1 and the AT 4033, in part because of recommendations from this site. I bought them both and made the same recordings with each mic. The Rode is a nice mic for the price; on much of the material I couldn't tell any diference. But on accoustic guitar the AT really stood out - something like putting new strings on your guitar. I could make out the sound of each individual string clearly, whereas with the Rode the sound was more muddy. If you're micing an amp and it's loud, I believe the AT has a much greater tolerance for high volume. Hope this helps.

 

[alan mansfield]

akg

go for the akg 1000s for the money they cant be beat

 

[chessrock]

Alan,

This thread is almost 5 years old.

I'm sure he's made his decision by now.

Oh yea, and the AKG's suck.

 

[cpc]

hahaha who would post ina 5 year old thread

 

[Big Kenny]

I gave my akg 1000 away, worst mic I ever heard YMMV. CAD 179 makes a great mic and a guy is selling two for $300 in the classified.
https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=170955

 

[dgatwood]

hahaha who would post ina 5 year old thread

It's really easy if you follow a link from some other post.

What this board needs is automatic archiving. After a post is more than two months stale or so, any attempt to post should result in a page that says "You are about to post in a very old thread (last post 2001-01-01). Are you sure you want to do this?" with yes/no buttons. If you click yes, -then- you'll get an editing window to create the post.

 

[noisedude]

This forum cracks me up sometimes ... this is not one of those times.

 

[Getaway Driver]

I would go with a Rode NT2a

It is not the cheapest mike the others listed, but it is by far the most multi-purpose and best sounding- not too bright, silky top, good tight bottom. You can get one from Sweetwater for $325. The big advantage with this one over the others (AT4033, etc) is it is a multipattern, dual diaphram mike with easy access switches on the front of the mike. For a reverb unit I would recommend the TC Electronics M300 - $199 and sounds fabulous. I have both this unit and the mike I mentioned, and I have owned an AT4033. The Rode is much smoother and richer.