I'm looking for a cheap but at least half decent vocal microphone for use in a home studio for recording demos and such. Ideally looking for something as cheap as possible, but not really wanting to spend more than £100 (hence the challenge) and happy to buy used if need be.

Anyone got any recommendations?

 

Last edited: Aug 29, 2023

Not sure what your budget is but the SM7B is a no brainer for home studios. Get it with the Anser mod for extra gain.

If you have a dedicated recording space, the old trustworthy AT4033 does a great job as well.

If we're talking super cheap, the SM58 is a life long keeper. And again, if you have a dedicated booth, an old NT1 (the original one with a cream or pale grey coating) should be covering the other spectrum.

 

How much do you want to spend? I'va always been partial to AKG's on the budget side since i have a P220 and it has worked just fine. Here's a comparative that might help you, mist of these should be available worldwide:

 

I did a bunch of research on this 2-3 years ago when i was looking for something to buy during covid. I was looking for something from an independent boutique developer but reasonably priced. I don't know what your budget is but here's my notes:

(note that my notes are based on reading up on Gearspace threads/reviews. I was buying blind (cos covid)

-There's a small Canadian company called Advanced Audio that make high quality mics on the cheap. I ended up buying the CM48T but there's plenty of options.
https://advancedaudio.ca/

-A company from Belgium called NoHype who makes ribbon mics. Pretty sure it's just one guy with a bunch of experience. I had my eye on the LRM-V or the LRM-B2. Extremely good value for money.
https://www.nohypeaudio.com/nhaproducts.htm

-A company called 3U: http://www.3uaudio.com/chanpin.asp?dh=1

-An Australian company called OPR. Bit more expensive but really good: https://www.openplanrecording.com/

^ Those are the main ones from the smaller independent guys

Here's some models i was looking at that might be worth you looking into:
sE VR1
ADK A6
sE 2300

If i was to buy today i would personally go for a NoHype ribbon mic. I haven't used/heard it myself but that's what i would do.

 

You can buy the AKG P220 or the P420 with your eyes closed. Sturdy, versatile, and comes with a quality hard case. Very good all-round tone that responds well to EQing. I daily-drive the P420 for about two years now, always been satisfied with it.

 

This mic is "cheap" but its sound is not. Better than Warm Audio and any other 87 clones costing twice or thrice more. We received one to demoed, and were so impressed by its sound that ended up buying 2.

https://unitedstudiotech.com/en/products/ut-twin87

Edit: Here some of the reviews by users

https://gearspace.com/board/product...-presents-twin-circuit-twin87-microphone.html

PRICE:$699 (NEW) $500+ (USED)

 

Last edited: Aug 29, 2023

An all rounder for me, which has never failed to deliver *for me* is the Neumann TLM102. It retails for about $700. I'm extremely happy with it. On the other hand, most any current cheapo condenser mic will deliver the goodies better than ever if money is tight.

 

Same here. That mic gave me flawless results every time, even over 7-8 times more expensive ones.

 

To me, budget mic = $200-300, good mic = $500-700, above that equals expensive. Right now, with the AT4033 around $400 I think that's an unbeatable price/performance ratio (and Alan Parsons swears by that mic). But that said, there's a lot of great new mics coming out that I haven't tried. I have a WA47jr and I like it but don't love it. On a real serious budget, I bet you can find a used Studio Projects C1 for a hundred bucks and they're quite good.

 

Guys, this thread is very interesting, and it would be good to put the price of every mic you speak about, as "budget" mean very different price, depending each one's situation.

As aside note, I was always surprised that every musician buy their own instruments, but not singers.
As a bass player and guitarist, I cant count how much money I spent on instruments. Right now, I have more or less 9.500 euros in bass and guitar, not counting the effects pedals, in ear monitors, etc...
Not to speak about drummers, that have to spend 10 000 for a decent drum set.

But the singers, they arrive to any place, a studio, a rehearsal, with their hands in the pockets, but easily complain about the sound... lol

 

Last edited: Aug 28, 2023

Sure,

Price in USD $

SM7B with Anser mod (Remove the pop filter and use your own) : 549$
4033 (original, NOT A,CL,SE) (used) Approx.400$
SM58 (remove the Pop filter head and you got a clear unidirectional) 100$
NT1 (The Original Off White/Pale Grey designed by Jim Williams) Between 200$ and 400$ (Rare but easily upgradable to a very close U87 clone)

 

We are very happy with SE Electronics V7X, which was a $100 dynamic we've used both live and in the booth. We've switched from SM-57s, and are very happy with the tone of these, they have an impressive line and that's a good place to start on a budget.

 

Not back in the real ye olde days. The singer probably was the singer because he owned a PA.

 

Ksm32 is great $350 usd used
Some of the DIY kits are great to if you are handy with a soldering iron! Matt is a good guy and has good stuff.
https://microphone-parts.com/collections/microphone-kits

 

Last edited: Aug 28, 2023

+ You can get a used C1000 for 50, i got real good use of them

 

Isn't anyone capable of reading and understanding what they have just read anymore, he asked for a "cheap but half decent vocal microphone" most probably not at all in the higher price ranges some of you are suggesting, If you have so much money as to recommend those expensive mikes, just buy one for him or give him one of yours.
Bunford, try local studios, music stores, even pawnshops.they often have good used or rental equipment to sell. The faltering economy has been putting a strain on many businesses, so there are really good bargains to be had and if you negotiate hard enough they will lower their prices even more just to make a sale, show up an hour before closing and it's a done deal. good luck, I'm sure you'll be able to find something in your price range

 

What's expensive ?

I'm puzzled.

 

Can vouch for Advanced Audio - I've owned a cm87 for years, and it easily holds it own against (and depending on the situation, even beats out) other mics in my drawer worth several times as much.

@Bunford - if you're UK/EU based, this is the website you'll wanna go through: Advanced Audio Microphones Europe (advancedaudio-europe.com)

They don't sell in stores, or even advertise - the mic will come directly from their facility in Portugal. Their customer service is excellent, Mike in the office over there was very helpful when I was purchasing.

 

With the amount of plugins available nowadays, you could make a SM58 sound like an expensive studio mic.

 

Well... that might be a titch hyperbolic...
(I record all my own vocals with a SM58. It just fits my voice apparently.)