Which Condensor Microphone?

  • Thread starter Thread starter flesh5thdog
  • Start date Start date
curley fries or...or crispy fries?

get a steak man, a steak...
 
The Studio Projects B1 is widely regarded as the better microphone and one of the best in the price range.
 
Search this site, Flesh, and all your questions will receive answers. There's loads of feedback about these mics and other similar models. (Use the search function at the top of page.)

J.
 
Yes, I'd say keep searching for more options. Don't know what your budget is though.

War
 
what is strange is that a friend of mine who really isnt into recording asked me the same question about the EXACT same mics... and all i could think was, "you really gotta open up your options".

then he kept talking about the "ratings" on musicians friend as if they meant much. strange.

anyway, yea, open up your options, do a bit more research. we can probably throw a bunch of names out at you if you name: budget, applications, signal path (what pres, recorder you are using), musical/production style preference.
 
flesh5thdog said:
If you could please give me a run-down on which one I should buy, and why, I would greatly appreciate it.

If it's down to those two, get the Studio Projects B1. It's very quiet and from what people have said over the last year or so, it's not nearly as brittle at the top end. It also does a fine job on acoustic guitars, and some like it on some voices too. My son's guitar and voice sounds great through it, and it's dead-on acurate with my voice as well. Yours could be different, but for the price, it's awfully hard to beat.
 
eeldip said:
then he kept talking about the "ratings" on musicians friend as if they meant much. strange.


they may not mean much to you but for people wanting an opinion. thats a viable option for decisions. just like this forum. as a matter of fact, i look at ratings also....i also read other people's reviews and opinions from other sights and this one and then i decide whether or not to buy it
 
i have the behringer b1 and i like it. 5 people i work with all use it and our voices sound a hell of alot better than when we use the stage mics. its pretty quiet and it picks up everything in the room and the highway also lol. as for being brittle at the top end....i havent noticed that. i do have a mixer eq and compressor i use with it. as fo rthe studio project b1 i've never used it but dont have anything against it.....i was in this same position last year choosing between those two mics...the main reason i chose the behringer b1 is because it was the only one of the two on websites i trusted. studio projects b1 is now on those websites now so i'd buy one when i have a hundred bucks to toss. would i have bought the SP B1 had it been on a website i knew? yeah probably...but i'm happy with my purchase. i figure a nice assortment of mics will help for various projects so i'll buy a SP B1 and probably some of those marshalls too. the music i record is alternative rock, rap, pop rock and acoustic shit here and there.
 
Thank you all for the responses. OK, I'm only interested in these two microphones. I'm only willing to spend around $100 on a condensor microphone. I could buy more expensive ones, but I don't want to. All I really want to know is which one would record better vocals, I guess, more "natural sounding." From what I've read in other posts, I'm leaning more towards buy the Studio Projects microphone. I searched a little before I asked this questions, so that's why I'm asking it now. If you must know my set up. I record with my computer, an external soundcard, mixer, and Radio Shack dynamic microphone, and I must say with decent results. Once again, Thank You.
 
Studio Projects is better, out of the two.
 
distortedrumble said:
they may not mean much to you but for people wanting an opinion. thats a viable option for decisions. just like this forum. as a matter of fact, i look at ratings also....i also read other people's reviews and opinions from other sights and this one and then i decide whether or not to buy it

well the reason that i find the ratings pretty close to useless is that they are devoid of context. so as an opinion they have less meaning.

what makes this board more useful is that after a while, you can get to know the people on it, know their style, their gear, their techniques, their opinions, their art, and therefore their recomendations become a bit more useful.

i bet that most of the very positive reviews from people about the B1s come from people (like my friend) who get all excited about them because they have a big high end response bump- which is nice and all, but doesnt make a mic better than one or another, just brighter.
 
flesh5thdog said:
OK, I'm only interested in these two microphones. I'm only willing to spend around $100 on a condensor microphone. I could buy more expensive ones, but I don't want to. All I really want to know is which one would record better vocals, I guess, more "natural sounding."

well for $100 or less the sp b1 is good. but in the $100 and less i would also look at:

cad m177
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=41466&item=3730748063&rd=1

oktava 319
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=41466&item=3732329841&rd=1

mxl v67g
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=41466&item=3731073075&rd=1
 
Cad, definitely Cad or Studio Projects..........No Cad, definitely Cad
 
Big Kenny said:
Cad, definitely Cad or Studio Projects..........No Cad, definitely Cad
Yeah, I was going to say that but damn...sometimes I feel like it's all I say!! CAD is making some strong performers at great (maybe too low) prices.

War
 
flesh5thdog said:
Thank you all for the responses. OK, I'm only interested in these two microphones. I'm only willing to spend around $100 on a condensor microphone. I could buy more expensive ones, but I don't want to. All I really want to know is which one would record better vocals, I guess, more "natural sounding." From what I've read in other posts, I'm leaning more towards buy the Studio Projects microphone. I searched a little before I asked this questions, so that's why I'm asking it now. If you must know my set up. I record with my computer, an external soundcard, mixer, and Radio Shack dynamic microphone, and I must say with decent results. Once again, Thank You.
The Studio Projects B1 cost 4 cents less than the Behringer B1... $99.99 vs $99.95 (8th street). I don't think very many of the people who own and recommend the Studio Projects B1 have ever used the Behringer B1 so their opinion is rather one sided. I've used both the Studio Projects and Behringer B1's and I prefered the Studio Projects B1... but IMO the SP B1 sucks as a vocal mic. Sometimes I think there are too many companies that sell cheap Chinese made budget mics... Marshall, Studio Projects, Behringer, and etc... sometimes they even sell the same (or almost the same) mic with just a different make, model number and etc.
 
Last edited:
<< All I really want to know is which one would record better vocals, I guess, more "natural sounding." >>

well.....if ALL you're gonna be using this mic for is vocals, then i would begrudgingly have to steer you away from the Studio Projects B1. The B1 is a fantastic mic, and much like an sm57, you can stick it in front of most things and get a "usable" sound. i love it on amps and acoustic guitars......but it is definitely NOT my "go to" mic for most vocals, though. it's great on some singers, and on others (like myself), it flat-out sucks. it's a neutral mic, and doesn't flatter the source much, if at all.

i have no experience with the Behringer mic, but if it's like most of their products, i'd steer clear of it.

if you want a mic that will be a little better tailored for vocals under that $100 price-point, look at the CAD or the V67. i've got a V67 and i really dig it as a primary vocal mic. IMO, unlike the B1, though, it's not been quite as "good on everything" that i've tried it on so far......i definitely prefer the B1 on acoustic......but IMO, the V67 is a much better "vocal" mic. vocals i've recorded with it definitely sit in the mix better than the ones i've done with the B1.

anyway, you need to get yourself to a store that'll let you try these mics and get one that sounds good on your voice, rather than blindly buying just on the recommendation of people here. or buy from an online retailer that has a liberal return policy.


cheers,
wade
 
I'll look into the other microphones mentioned. Thank You.
 
Back
Top