A nice read on top budget mics,
http://www.inspiringaudio.com/top-budget-microphones-for-home-recording-studios/

 

i have a behringer xm8500 - just awesome, sounds like a shure sm58

 

I have had a burning in my loins for the AKG Pro Audio C214 for some time now... thanks for the confirm on this fine mic

nice link to these...

and..congrats on your 1st like.. from me..

 

Anyone who wanted to keep microphone expenses down on a starting gear budget I'd recommend Shure sm57 for instruments = $99. And get the Shure A2WS windscreen to attach to the same Shure sm57 for vocals = $15.. and arguably better for vocals than the sm58.

If vocals were strictly the customers concern that behringer xm8500 mentioned by Korte1975 would also be an eye opener at $20 if it does sound close to the sm58.

 

Usually the "if you can only afford one mic" advice is getting a condenser one.

On that basis, check the Behringer B5 (omni/cardioid), it's totally worth it. (about 80€ new but usually 30 or 40€ used).

 

i did this mod.. worth it on an used and cheap 57¡ like it a lot even for vocalist¡ grab an used one¡

 

ALL SUBJECTIVE ON WHAT ONE CALLS BUDGET
for me a budget mic is $500-800/
stellar cm6 is an awesome budget mic and ive used them many time.. usually with a highend pre but still... ive done quite a few records with them
i own almos every jj audio and advanced audio mic currently available. also own manly and other high end mics the mics that get the most use are my AA251 and beezneez tribute 1(u47 clone) vocally. i own AA u47 clones that have a similar tonality but just dont have the same character and sound of the T1.

so my suggestion is AA and JJaudio

 

If you're looking for mics with a good price-performance ratio take a look at the Oktava MK012.

 

A 57 will cover lots of ground, used of course less expensive than an already pretty inexpensive new mic. However, I feel that a decent all around cardiod condenser will take you a bit further down the road in regard to more options and chances to be creative when recording. By that I mean, even if your room is not the best sounding, the enhanced sensitivity will enable you to record from further away which you can hedge for benefiting creative sense of space in your recording. Also, generally speaking, condenser mics will easierly flatter a voice, although great performances have been captured by dynamics such as that 57, RE-20s, SM7Bs and Sennheisser 441s. The definition of budget was never specified, so I cannot offer up the best in my opinion for a phantom cost, but Blue Spark always sounds really good on a bunch of sources as well as the also inexpensive Audio Technica 2020. I believe both limbo under the 200 buck bar. Preamp matching is another topic, but well wirth the effort to research as a next logical step. Best of luck and may your ears always be happy.

 

I own two condenser mics that are pretty cheap yet sound great to my ears.
The oldest one I have is a Behringer B1 which is a single diaphragm mic. I think
today it costs approximately £70 to buy. It comes with a good sturdy case and is
also supplied with a shock mount to boot.

My most recent purchase is a Blue Yeti mic which is also a condenser mic. It can be
plugged directly into your USB socket and comes with a USB lead. It has an attached
stand so can easily sit on your desktop. It sells for approx £100. The good thing about
this mic is that it has a double diaphragm and can record stereo and wide sound.

I also own a dynamic Behringer stage mic which was dirt cheap costing roughly £25.
(Better for live purposes)

Obviously the Blue Yeti is the more convenient of the three as it just plugs straight
into your USB socket.

Sound wise I have to go with the Behringer B1. I purchased it about 12 years
ago but it still sells today. It is a very sturdy mic and along with the extras
(Case and shockmount) I reckon it's a complete bargain. It has three input
settings and vocals sound warm and rounded.

If you want to record acoustic guitar I would probably recommend the Blue Yeti
for that purpose. It has a little bit more mid range and seems to be more responsive
to the percussive striking sound.

 

the akg c1000 even used is a very usefull mic

 

The new version or the original?

 

should not agree more, mine just died recently. when I start to talk into it it pops goes silent for some seconds.
but what could one expect, after +- 11 years borrowed to all my friends,
falling on the ground a thousand times . blowing smoke into it on several occasions
( don't worry they got kicked out) this thing is a real workhorse, an educational one for me.

I also like the cheap akg perception line, I've work with a lot of material someone does on that Mic and it's really workable

 

Could be humidity. Try dehumidifying it.

 

thanks will try, that humidity will be in the capsule?

I was thinking about replacing the capsule anyway to give it a second life

 

Yes, the capsules are the part that suffers with humidity.

Audio dropouts as if the "sound is getting weaker and fades away" and constant crackling are usually humidity problems that are easily solved.

 

if this was a question for me, both are good;)

 

I heard that it doesn't deal too well with humidity.

 

Unusual, but I find myself disagreeing with you wholeheartedly. Maybe it's a difference of what kind of music we're capturing. There are lots of 'decent' cardioid condensers for under $300 or so. I have two such mics - a Rode NT1-A and NT1 2014 model. They are fantastically sensitive and clear for their price, sure. Sadly that 'clarity' is artificially augmented by a 8khz boost that makes it almost impossible to capture a vocal performance without sibilance. I bought the new NT1 because I'd read that it had the NT1-A's nice clear sheen with a rounder bottom end and an overall more balanced frequency response. All true, unfortunately, these mics and many or most LDCs still have that ludicrous HF boost that make them impractical to record with (in my opinion, and for my purposes). Note: many high-end LDCs have HF boost too, but of the peaks are smoother, rounder and generally more pleasing and produce more predictable and manageable results.

Sometimes recording farther away will help you, but if you're worried about buying a mic under $300 you're not gonna spend $350-500 on room treatment, so it's unlikely that the space captured in the recording will be pleasing.

The solution for me was the Shure SM7B. It's great for the type of music I record, requires astonishingly little processing to sit in a dense mix, and if I want it I can add some high frequency boost into the recording and not have it sound like shards of broken glass.

In my opinion, you get a good LDC, at around $600+, or you get a dynamic mic, of which there are models that produce unimpeachable quality as low as $100

 

UVP is the standard price in Euro (Thomann is a german dealer with low prices)
I made this list for some german friends this year...



Studio Semi Professionell Starter

Audio Technika AT 4040 (UVP 451,00 - Thomann 379,00) !!!



Studio Professionell Middle Class

Audio Technika AT 4050 SM (UVP 784,00 - Thomann 699,00)

Neumann TLM 102 (UVP 668,00 - Thomann 539,00) !!!

Neumann TLM 103 (UVP 1069,00 - Thomann 877,00)

Brauner Phantom Classic (UVP 1249,00 - Thomann 995,00) !!!



Studio Professionell High End

Brauner Phanthera (UVP 1.606,00 - Thomann 1.449,00)

Brauner valvet X (UVP 2350,00 - Thomann 1.999,00)

Neumann U87 A - Studio Set (UVP 3065,00 - Thomann 2.595,00)

Brauner Valvet (UVP 2.856,00 - Thomann 2.575,00)