In your opinion what do you think is the best mic for the money?

Don't be shy to suggest an expensive mic if you think it's worth the money. Example:


If you truly believe a U87Ai is 300 times better than an MXL mic then the cost to price comparison is correct ($3000 vs $100). So that's cool say that.

 

I guess everyone seems to agree that the bang for the buck is The Rode NT1A. At $200 dollars you get a good-sounding mic, better than the price point, and a tool set consisting of a pop filter, cable, carrying pouch, and shock mount. However, if you can stretch to a bit less than a thousand bucks, you can buy a Neumann TLM 102. It sounds fantastic on everything. It has a very detailed, high class sound.

 

I second the suggestion about the Rode NT1A. At the next price point, I'd say the AKG414. It's a workhorse.

Btw, $3000 to $100 is 30, not 300.

 

Great choice! Is the Rode NTK basically the same mic but with a tube power supply?

 

i'm a musician not a mathician

 

but there are like 634 version of the 414! which one???!?!

 

If you need to stay cheaper The Rode NT1A is good bang for Dollar like Mercurysoto said... 2 other s would be the Sterling Audio ST55 it has a highpass switch @ 75hz and a -10db pad on it for if you mic somthing thats loud $139.00 at guitar center ... And another is Audio-Technica AT2020 $99.00 ... i have all 3 of these and all descent mics man for the $ ;) this is just for a cheap mic i see you said best for the money I like my Sterling ST69's they are tube mics an i gave $600 for 2 of em ;)

 

Last edited: Sep 27, 2016

NT1 A is thin sounding, brittle and harsh. The NT2 is better but still very pinched sound.

I agree with above, it is a waste of money up to around the Neumann TLM102. The extra for the 103 is worth it. It is a fast mic that sounds pretty good on everything and has a natural balanced tone.

The original tube Rodes (NTK I think?)are alright too. Used for around $350 they are great on drum overheads. They work best on brighter stuff because they are naturally a little dark.

 

Well I can tell you what my next microphone is going to be it is not a secret but it is a sleeper Mike that a lot of famous people and professionals use the Shure sm7 Michael Jackson used it Alicia Keys uses and it's only around $300 you can find it even cheaper on Craigslist or Ebay sometimes too

 

I have about 14 mics, including a Rode NT2A. My other large dia. con. mic is a Blue Reactor. The Rode has a pad and multi-patterns, which makes it versatile. The Rode doesn't sound as nice on my vocals as the Blue. They both sound better with an ART pre amp, which isn't too expensive as pre amps go. Like all hardware, depends on what you want to do with it. No tool does all jobs well, but the Rode is my "swiss army knife" of large diaphragm mics, and Rode customer service and warranty are hard to beat. They have good price points because they designed their factory from scratch and use robots.

 

Agree \m/ best mic for the $ is the one you like ! period ..... I have some high end mics that sound good for recording certain elements and dont on others. Some cheaper mics may fit the bill where the others do not... so its all pretty subjective to what sounds good to you on the source regardless of the cost... You mentioned the preamp an this and anything in the chain on the way in can have effect to the sound . I have some killer Pre amps that will make a cheap mic sound stellar compared to what it does alone so their ya have it ;)

 

The room is important too. The same mic chain in one room sounds great and then in a different room brings up everything you don't want.

Some less expensive mics sound better than the icons in certain applications. Are you looking for a room mic or overhead or guitar/vocal mic? Guitar cabinets?

The SM57 is still the greatest snare mic no matter what budget you have, for example.

 

"The SM57 is still the greatest snare mic no matter what budget you have, for example."[/QUOTE] If I only had one microphone, an SM57 is what I would want. The Shure SM58 is the same mic with a different screen to avoid proximity effect. They just hit their 50 year celebration for that one.

 

Michael Joly mod mics are great if you need U87ai quality. I bought the MJE mod MXL 990 mod for $449. It's the right mic for the money, I think.
You could hear the comparison between both and you can hardly notice any difference. Rode NT1A was my main mic for vocals after selling my Rode Classic. It's a good mic and very quite but very bright top end.

 

Last edited: Sep 27, 2016

I think they are very similar but the 58 has a slight bump in the upper mid freqs that adds clarity to a voice.

They are the most durable mics in the history of mics though. You can hammer nails with them all day and record all night with them.

I think the Rode NT5 set is a great value for the money too. I like to use them for stereo sampling small percussion items or quieter instruments without a lot of low end but need a lot of detail like a mandolin, dulcimer or glockenspiel.

I think you can get them used for less than $300.

 

Try out Aston Microphones (btw they're made in UK and cost around the same as Chinese sE's or MXL). The Spirit is a multi-pattern LDC with very nicely coloured sound. It also costs 1/3rds less than the TLM102 and for me sounds better. In the league with Neumann U87 if you listen to comparisons. Or you can try the Aston Origin or MXL2003a. Both are very neutral, transparent mics with cardioid pattern which will reject a lot. They're ideal for homerecording, where you need your signal to be flat and easily EQable, because the recording room can sound unpleasant. Particularly the MXL2003a is a notable mic. Whereas MXLs are famous for their shitty harshness, then this one is really something different.

Personally I don't like Rodes. They use almost the same or exactly the same capsule in 90% of their mics, which produces this high-mids bumped and sometimes thin signal (depending on the source). The NT1A had been the industry's king for long, but since that time, there came out a ton of other, great options.

 

Last edited: Sep 27, 2016

best bang for the buck imho right now is by far any of the warbler by 3u audio. those mics come in a variety of voices (they are voiced after famous vintage mics for example u87, c12, u47, 251 etc.) and sound superb and the build quality is very good! (wima caps, proper ratio transformer as the mic it is voiced after) they also have a switch which can change the voicings 3 different styles. check out the thread at gearslutz if you want more info. i have the mk6 which is the most "modern" "bright" sounding and supposedly voiced after the c800g the u87i and the vintage u87 (to me its more close to the u87 then the c800g but damn its good!) and the tale cm1 and for the price (sub 300$ for the warbler and about 125$ for the cm1) you wont find anything even close in its ballpark. even diy.

 

After reading some of these comments, I can see I need at least 10 more mics to go with the 14 I already have....I also have a Tascam DR-1 portable digital recorder which can also be used as a pretty decent omni stereo mic, in a pinch. Gots me a thing for transducers.

 

I recorded my first band with nothing but sm 57 mics ;) it was all we had at the time cause we played live in clubs and used trigger on the drums Kick but 57's on everything else on the kit... we used em on the whole band lol guitars, bass, even my singer at the time sung thru 57 and he sounded awsome ... he still to this day sings thru 57 cause thats what hes used to lol

 

Last edited: Sep 28, 2016

My fave bang-for-the-buck LDC these days is the USA made CAD E100s. Got mine new for $325. Helluva mic. Not to be confused with the Chinese E100s2.