I still often buy cheap mics, For a few purposes, One of them being that one of them might just be good or a real one trick pony but a good one trick. Also diddling around with one of my simple rack devices, I have a few of these now which enables one to vary the impedance of a microphone going into a pre-amp, They are awesome little things which just sit between a mic and a preamp input, The results that can be had are really rather good. The little device is by a company called Magneto Audio Labs and the product itself is called 'VariOhm', I'll see if I can find the webpage/hopefully they've not disappeared like a lot of small but good hardware developers that are new/not established do. Just in case yourself or anyone else fancies checking one out...Ah yes here it is and their website:
http://www.magnetoaudiolabs.com/products.html and http://www.magnetoaudiolabs.com
Tinkering with modifications is also something I like to do and mic's which are dirt cheap are the perfect subjects of such, Then if the fiddling has made a difference for the better, I'll often apply it to some more pricey models, Dynamics and ribbons are perfect for switching transformers and even in the case of some dynamics, Sound better with the cheap, nasty onehunglow transformer removed (As long as you've got a decent mic pre which is very clean and has bags of gain, Same principal really as getting the optimal results from a ribbon mic, Not the variety with the built-in phantom powered pre-amp even though I do like a good number of those newer types of ribbon mics).
That little unassuming device honestly can change a mediocre mic into a good mic, Such a useful piece of kit

Absolutely a great call and I'm always routing around for used gear, It is really worth the effort as it's possible to score gear for so much less than any retailer even selling used gear charge. Well put and sage advice which is true for almost all audio gear

All the best to you both and to all as always, It's always a pleasure hearing other's experiences and insights on all manner of topics audio related, Such a friendly community too which I can not stress the refreshing feeling of, A lot of others are just full of elitist snobs, know it all types that are condescending instead of genuine in sharing advice...etc. Cheers

Dean

Edit: This is well worth a read or grabbing the PDF as it is from microphonedata (a really useful resource/data site that has the crucial details of practically any/every mic you could imagine in an easy searchable database). The possibilities are really endless and it's an area that isn't covered enough IMextremelyHumbleO that could save people a load of shekels and/or for just creative purposes. http://microphone-data.com/media/filestore/articles/Mic impedance-10.pdf

 

Last edited: Jul 15, 2017

Audio Technica AT2035 - my most affordable favourite with no compromises.

 

I might just be picking up one of these. Besides being able possibly to save time and energy by maybe leaving a mic up and change the color for another application and extend the usefulness of all my microphones, I can buy it for the paltry sum of 69 bucks. Thanks for the info.

 

The OP's search is difficult to help as he seeks a mic for (singing) vocals and voice-over recording (if that's what you mean by VO). I imagine that singers and voice-over talent use mics in different ways, so a condenser that's suitable for singers might not be the best for voice-overs. I have been recording voice-overs professionally for 8 years with my own RODE NT 1-A at home. The recording quality is stunning and it's affordable. I thought I'd contribute this post since the terms VO or voice-over have only appeared in the title of the thread and never again in any of the posts.

 

My MPA has variable impedance which really can change the color of the mic. That's a great device for pre's which don't have variable impedance, @Death Thash Doom.

 

Superb example of price/sound ratio some of us where speaking about ;) For under 300 bucks, nowadays we can get amazing mics.

 

Spend a little bit more and pick up one of these :

http://stamaudio.com/sa87.html

 

Anything Stam is killer. My issue is the oft time long wait for some of his gear way past promised delivery dates and scattered miscommunication when it comes to his customer service. His SA4000 stereo bus compressor is the shit and the people that I know who use it drool over the glue that it tacks tracks together with. High grade components throughout and the price of his outboard gear offerings just cannot be beaten, not by Warm Audio or anybody else. And how many gear manufacturers do you know work out of Chile? His LA2A version is on my list of "I want".

 

Hey, Anytime I can share something cool with a fellow that is useful information or a bit of gear then I'm happy to do so, It is what I like about enthusiastic audio communities and more so the people they bring together
That's a great price that you can grab one for! If you find it useful then would love to hear/read about it, There are only a number of mic pre's I can count on one hand which I've used and/or have which feature any form of impedance switching capabilities, Since it makes quite a difference I would of thought it might have become more common but I'm useless at predicting "trends" hehe

Nice one and as always all the best

 

Awesome, I do have some ART bits and think for the money their stuff is really rather good. I've not come across that one/used one but knowing that I'll be keeping an eye out for one used preferably. I wasn't/am not sure you mean ART as quite a few mic pre's from wallet friendly to eye wateringly expensive are called MPA/MPA-1 or similar variation but just looked at ART's site and they are advertising a PRO MPA II which fits the description, One example of a pretty damned expensive one with a similar name is by one of those small "boutique" kind of brands called CharterOak, It's an excellent mic dual or stereo mic preamp but no variable impedance on it, It's the type that I'd grab if I had for example like a pair of old/original Coles 4038's ribbons or similar but otherwise I just could not justify the kind of asking price, It's great at colouring signal as well as being super clean and healthy amounts of clean gain on tap but I try to prioritize things, Save and spend on more essential kind of stuff first, It doesn't help being a guitar player with an unhealthy appetite for new pedals and all the rest, So I have to be pretty strict with myself or I'd totally neglect the studio gear and upgrading just due to playing and guitar and bass gear being my first love after just being a humble music fan. I likely do not need to explain the torture and headaches to anyone here though about that and conflicts of head and heart when able to spend shekels, It is a sickness we all share to some extent I expect man, Thanks for the heads up on the ART MPA if it indeed is that which you mention, I like the price to quality & features ratio, So a used one would definitely find a space in the racks somewhere

Cheers

Dean

 

That's exactly the one. Must've been on fast type mode that day.
I've also got the ART MDC 2001 which I've been using as an insert on my boards Mains to add a little glue while summing through the console. Never thought of using it in my hardware chain, primarily was used for live vocal treatment, but as @superliquidsunshine pointed out to me, it's got really good specs for what it is. So yeah, ART stuff is pretty dang good for the money.

 

@Death Thash Doom

Just bought the Variohm for the insane throw away price of CHF 69- after seeing it everywhere for 299°°(and an 8m Mogami Gold guitar cable which I needed, it put me into the free shipping category). Thanks again for the head's up on this cool tool.

 

Anytime my dude. I hope it serves you as well as the little box's have served me, Good quality 1/4" instrument cables are something it's hard to have enough of I find due to using so many routing options including quite a few stomp boxes incorporating their own FX Loop's, Leads to some very, very interesting chains and looks like an absolute mess with wires all over as is to be expected.
The most recent bits I've picked up are one of those new(ish) Fender bassbreaker small amp heads (I went for the Bassbreaker 007 model), They're pretty much a clean to mild crunch when cranked sounding variation of what a bassman would of possibly sounded like with either 6CA7/EL34 or 6BQ5/EL84 depending on the model, It's a really quite decent little amp head that takes any pedal or combination of pedal I've chucked at it, I suppose it is pretty much the same idea as what got Jim Marshall started, Fecking around with Fender amps and beefing up the power amps as of course raw, epic amounts of volume was extremely important back then/very much in demand. It does have the feel of a decent JTM45 and at the same time of a 59' Bassman (along with a Vox-esque or similar small "British" style amp due to what'll make that make sense in a second) thing going on all at the same time, Which is strange but in a really good kind of way, The 007 variant is packing just a single 6BQ5/EL84 for the power amp which lends it a definite "British" sound, Especially so with the built-in treble boost circuit that's inside of the pre-amp by design engaged, Which is done via a simple, tiny button or footswitch if one is hooked up. My one and only gripe with this one is that it is not packing a series FX Loop but it was far from a deal breaker. The biggest of the range/the "flagship" model Bassbreaker 45 head, Which is packing the pair of 6CA7/EL34 valves for it's power amp section is I'd say in my extremely humble honest opinion a really damned good option for someone that is wanting/needing a Marshall JTM45 style amp but one which will not set them back a hell of a lot of money, It's more wallet friendly than Marshall's own re-issue of the JTM45 (and good luck to anyone that is going to search for an original JTM45 head that is in really good nick and that has not been modified for less than a 1k!) The last thing I'll say about the Bassbreaker's is that they pack solid-state rectification oppose to the original's valve rectifier IIRC using the usual suspect GZ34, However personally I prefer solid-state power-amp rectification, It is purely down to personal taste, For me the tracking has to be tight.
I've got quite a lot of small amp heads along with my bigger monsters and beasts, I personally really dig the small sized stuff which started flowing and now is at the point where pretty much all brand's offer mini/micro/lunchbox sized heads so it allows one to have access to way more flavours of amp, It because they usually sound bloody awesome piped into a 4x12" and as they are small, One can get way more of them which is a really awesome way around a lack of space. It is definitely worthy of any collection and goes well with for example my Blackstar HT5H head with an A/BY box splitting the signal in order to feed both amps. I even have a damned four way switcher that enables me to run a guitar or bass into four separate signal paths/setups/rigs at the same time, That one is by Morley but usually the trusty little ART coolswitch does me just fine, I'm able to even go further by using a few A/BY boxes after the Morley 4-way if I wish to go ridiculous!!!
I also picked up a simple EVH 5150 III 1x12" extension cab as I have many extension cabs and combos but I didn't have a 1x12" standalone cab, So that remedied that. On a side note, I'm as you know and other's here, A high-gain whore amp wise and I love my 5150 Mk II amongst plenty of others, However I could never stand the 5150 cab or more specifically the guitar designed loud speaker's which Peavey used for it, They are Peavey's own designed and built Sheffield 1x12"s, Eww what crap and I find Peavey's bass guitar loud speakers and PA/live sound drivers to be really decent, I do not know how they managed to fuck up an electric guitar loud speaker up so much...I'm puzzled often by certain things gear wise by name's that I like, use and trust but for some reason they always manage to put out at least one head scratching bit of gear which is not just bad to me personally at what it is designed for, The Sheffield being for very high-gain guitar sounds but that they don't work well in any other application for me such as those Sheffield 1x12"s sounding good in a very clean amp, I tried to find use for them in all sorts but I honestly just was not able to do so. Just one of those things.
Sorry for going on, Perhaps I/we could/should start a topic thread about what is the most recent gear anyone has picked up where anyone can share their newest bits, how they wound up buying it/them, How they are finding their most recent toy(s) and what they like an don't like...etc. It could be kind of like a mini Review/opinion along with whatever it is, What do you think my friend?

All the best as always, Cheers

Dean

 

@Death Thash Doom .. A thread like that would be fun. I am on another forum that has a What's The Latest Gear You've Bought thread, and it is very, very informative. Hardware only. Great idea. I am going to sleep now, but I will post it up mañana, that is, if you don't before me.