Hey Audiosex,

Anybody have any suggestions for a High Quality cost effective Microphone? (Bit of an oxymoron I know, but basically looking for the best quality in the budget I have).

I'm going to use it for basic vocals, Audio Chat & Streaming. I'm basically looking for the best quality I can get for cheap. My budget is around $50-80 (unless anybody has any other suggestions)? Its going to be plugged into my Komplete Audio 6 Soundcard (it has both 1/4th inch & XLR ports)

Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you!

 

Nady SCM-900 side-address condenser microphone.

 

@ Iownu1000,

My suggestion would perhaps not be exactly what you expect, because you want a Quality Microphone, yes, but for 'Basic Vocals', 'Audio Chat',...
Anyway, here you have :



Behringer B-2 Pro

'Behringer B-2 Pro'


A bit over your stated price as new... but if one day you may want to go beyond 'Basic Vocals', you'll certainly be surprised of the Audio Quality of this 'Condenser' Microphone, and far more cheaper than some other prestigious 'Condenser' Microphone. *yes*

______________________________________________________________________​

EDIT :

Just found these prices over Internet as new :

- Price: $149.99 & FREE Shipping ('Amazon.com')

- List: $224.99
Savings: $75.00 (33%)
$149.99 ('Zzounds.com')

- $149.99
or make 3 easy payments ('Sweetwater.com')

It seems that all these providers are on the same 'wavelength' with regard to the price... *yes*


P.S:
And my suggestion is also because I'm the proud owner of a 'Behringer B-2 Pro' !!! *yes*

 

Most any Blue mic. People like Rode and Nady and AT stuff. I like Blue. I own the Blue Bottle, Shure KSM44, Sennheiser MD421-II, etc.

 

You could always pick up a used Shure SM57 for under 100 beans. A great staple and all-rounder in every studio on every inhabited planet in this galaxy.

 

I've got an SM58 and it records well

For studio vocals, I picked up a used sE Electronics Z5600a II for a good price on eBay, and I recently added their reflexion filter. OK, it's over budget for the OP, but I am quite pleased with my 'budget' price to performance ratio, even though I have to use plugins for colouration and FX. I can get decent demo vocals with this set-up, and there is a proper recording studio near me if I ever need really top quality vocals.

However, I would love to spend a shed-load more on decent mics, preamps, compressors, EQ, reverb, converters and room treatment etc ... but alas it's not possible at the moment

 

Buy a sm57 or a 58... All major studios and engineers own them.. They're built like tanks and at some point in your life you'll need to use one...

 

High quality cost effective microphone, as you described it, will take you aback at least between $150-$250. Something like Audio Technica AT2020 [not USB] or better AT2035, AKG P220 [not USB] or some of the MXL mics within that range like V87 or V67. These are all good condenser mics, but if we're talking dynamic mics then you could get a great mic for up to $100, like Shure SM58 or SM57 with a pop filter. SM57 is actually more useful as a universal mic and used with a Shure pop filter it can be great for vocals, too.

You can learn a lot about microphones on this website: http://recordinghacks.com I use it all the time for checking mic specs and reviews.

Cheers!

 

Thanks Sinewave for the link.

 

If you're limited to one microphone, go for a large condenser Mic. something like an Akg perception 120, (it's an old effective model that will set you back on 60Usd used, or less. skip the behringer and samson versions because they will introduce TOO much noise floor). And while you're at it don't forget to buy a pop shield (nothing fancy, a 10$ one will do the trick and it's indispensable for vocals no matter what mic you buy, to prevent unnecessary popping).
Though you could sure go for a workhorse like an sm58 or sm57, that will last you a lifetime and as has been said, you can find it in all major studios, you actually need a really good preamp to drive those suckers without introducing too much floor noise. so my 2 cents are: go for that large diaphragm condenser.
cheers

 

Low cost and quality, both at the same time? Primo EM172 electret condenser mic capsule (needs 5v phantom though). ;)

Or go with any condenser mic. Don't forget a pop killer, preamp (with lowcut and some additional EQ), compressor, limiter, etc - before going into your audio interface.
It's usually not what mic you use, but how you handle/process the signal.

 

Cheap mic that makes a great job:

 

Rode NT2-A is not cheap, but it's the best in bugdet range and you wouldn't have to think of replacing it or buying something else in the future, since it's already high-end of neutral budget very detailed mics.
I can't think of anything better for general purpose.

 

I have both mics (Rode NT2-A & AKG C1000s) and they´re both great!

On a budget I would prefer the AKG C1000s - you can get the old model very cheap on Ebay!

Look Here!

 

Have you ever heard of the Kaotica Eyeball.........you can actually do a DIY for $4, Homemade Kaotica Eyeball

 

Looks awsome and pretty obvious at the same time - I´ll try this myself soon!

 

rode
behringer
nady

 

Wow, I didn't expect this big of a response, thank you everybody for all the suggestions!!!

A bit overwhelming as I don't really know Jack about microphones, but great to hear so many different perspectives!

So basically, I'm not looking to make the next Orchestral Masterpiece, I mainly want to use this for Podcasting, VOIP Chat/Audio & Video Streaming of my Studio & for Vocals, but mainly simple Studio Vocals as I can't really sing and mainly want it for simple vocal Phrases & drones/glitchy noises, sampling random sounds from my room, etc.

I have a Komplete Audio 6 interface and it has 48V phantom power. Zenarcist I feel you bro, I wish i had a lot more disposable money for some actual hardware gear, but I'm broke ATM. Thanks Sinewave for the suggestions & that awesome website & to everybody who suggested the Shure SM57 + 8

So my general understanding is (and basic research), a Condenser mic has a much wider frequency range, much more sensitive to transients & sound. A dynamic mic is more rugged, has a narrower frequency range & is used in Live performance as it isn't as sensitive to noise but can also be used with good results in the studio.

Will a Condensor Mic, being more sensitive, pick up more of the background noise of my computer fan (which will be close to the mic)? Will a Dynamic pick up less external noise? Can I talk into a Dynamic or Condenser from half a foot or a foot away and still have it to record a quality sound or do I need to be right next to it?

I plan on using Adobe Audition with Noise reduction FX (if necessary to remove fan noise) and some EQing, or I might just run it through Ableton as I know that program much better. With live streaming I have less flexibility in Post editing, obviously in a Track I can EQ, compress, add reverb & process it much more detailed. I don't really have the ability to test these out, so choosing is tough...

Basically I've narrowed it down to:

In Budget:

Shure SM57-LC Cardioid Dynamic Microphone

Shure SM58-LC Cardioid Vocal Microphone

Audio-Technica AT2020 Cardioid Condenser Studio Microphone

AKG C1000s

Out of budget:

AKG Perception 220 Professional Studio Microphone

Behringer B-2 Pro

I have some thinking to do...

Still amazed at all the responses I got! Thank you EVERYBODY for your suggestions, I sincerely appreciate it! This is truly the best Audio community on the internet!!!

 

@ Iownu1000,

Hence the suggestions done by some Members to have a look at 'Condenser Microphones', effectively these need to be 'amplified', not the case with 'Dynamic Microphones' (e.g. 'Shure SM58', 'Shure SM57',... ), that you can 'plug' as is, either through a 'XLR' Input, or a 'Mic' Input.

Yes, from a general point of view, 'Condenser' Microphones are always more sensitive, and above all, for these that have a large diaphragm, more detailed, hence one of the main reason why these are often used by Singers, Vocalists, Background Vocals,... , all that is related to the human voice from a general view, but not only ! Some Instrumentalists also used them often due to their warmness, and as previously mentioned, all the fine details of the sound that these can reproduce. *yes*

Due to their higher sensitivity previously mentioned, unfortunately, I fear that Yes ! , but you can try to overcome this kind of drawback by using different 'Directional Patterns' offered by some 'Condenser' Microphones, or even 'Dynamics' ones. *yes*

For Info :



In 'Grey' are all the fields that your Microphone (according to its 'Directional Pattern') will capture.

 

Yeah I know what Phantom Power is, sorry that was stupid, what I meant was an external pre-amp & hardware like compressors, etc. I thought people were recommending buying another pre-amp. I'm running on like 3 hours of sleep today lol

Ah, ok yeah that's what I thought, thank you!!!

Ah yes I remember this from music production classes I took in college years ago, great! I forgot all this information as I hardly use it lol. Good to know.