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Author Topic: What budget mic are you using that works great overall & especially for vocals?  (Read 5902 times)

David Hoover

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I am using a 003Rack + Factory with Pro Tools LE.
Right now I have and use the following for different sources:

Samson CO1
CAD M179
Audix VX5
2x Heil PR-35

(BTW, I purchased these for live sound and started recording at home; they are decent depending on the source)

My question to you is - what mic would you guys buy next?  I especially need something high quality that will work great on vocals and many other acoustic sources.  What are you guys using that just works great overall?

Also, are there any budget mics that sound great?

Thanks!
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gtoledo3

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Hmm, some kind of obvious ones would be the 57, 58, Beta 52 (kinda cool for when you want a 58ish sound with more high end hype - usually considered a kick mic), 545, 546, etc. Any of those can work ok in a pinch, and even great, if the eq skew compliments the track.

There's a Crown PZM mic called the Soundgrabber (I think) that's around 70 bucks. It's super dinky, battery powered, the wire attached to it feels very flimsy, but the sound is good; it's a good alternative to many of the budget condenser mics floating around now. Almost always preferable... it gets nice air and has a "singing in your ear" kind of quality, and it's forgiving on the singer moving their head/mouth placement. Also sounds good on acoustics and drums, or fill parts that need to pop a little bit.
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hasbeen

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Ditto on the Shure 57. A must have for swiss army knife applications. I have seen pics of more than one 57 in the control room tracking vocals. I like the one with the tab-funkenwerk transformer option, about $100 more. Also, the Shure KSM large diaphragms are a great bargain as well. Audio Technica 40 series also a good bet.
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Rick Sutton

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An AT 4033 might be a good next mic for you.
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Jim Williams

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Got $49.95?

MCA SP-1

www.pssl.com

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rosshogarth

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these general topics are hard .. and what is cheap to one is not to another
cheap ? ... sm7, heil pr 22 or 20 or 35
less cheap but fair .. mojave ma 200 or 200 fet
less cheap than that ? .. anything bock, and away we go .......into more money than a sm7 ...
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Extreme Mixing

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Jim Williams is giving good advice on the MCA SP-1.  I bought two of them because of another thread, and they sound better than mics costing $1000.  Or more.  I have some of those, too...  We all knew that there would be a GREAT sounding, cheap, Chinese microphone.  This is it for right now.  Don't know how long it will stay this way.

Exceptional microphones don't necessarily sound that way because they have expensive components.  Sometimes it's just a magical combination that, by luck, sounds really good.  Try one.

Steve
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jdier

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Maybe overdone, but what about a Shure SM7 and a Senn 421.

I think good bang for the buck mics and the 7 is really nice for vocals.
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saint

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Try to FIND an SM7 (NOT the SM7A or B). Shure got it right with the SM7 out the door (like their venerable 57, but the A & B models just got way to bright & sibilant for vocals after the SM7. They are RARE birds. maybe Shure will realize the error of their ways and start making them again. It has much better bottom end then the 57 or 58's and the top end is less harsh. Remove the foam Pop Screen & use  a stand alone pop screen & watch carefully for sibilence. They aren't really great (like a condenser) for soft, present vocals because you need to crank the mic pre pretty loud and if you crank it too much you obviously introduce the noise factor from the pre amp. With a louder singer, rock or dance, they are great and cheap. Plus they are excellent on percussion, snare drums, guitars, etc. A great all around mic and as indispensable as the 57!
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Podgorny

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Shure SM7B can be great for some stuff. So can the MXL V69me.  But both are cheap and I've chosen both over other more-desirable microphones for one reason or another.
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