Inexpensive mics you're a fan of?

[bill5]

OK besides the SM57 and 58  

 

I don't have a pat definition of "inexpensive," so define as you like...but I'd say a ballpark cutoff is $300 or less.

[Nowarezman]

Oh, I bought the Octava MK012 a long, really long time ago - maybe 1998?  

 

Plastic case, couple of capsules, pale grey metal - got it on a blowout from GC for really, I mean really cheap.  The body had a dent - seemed to make no diff...

 

They were just magic recording my Guild acoustic.  Rich, detailed, solid.   I think I paid something less than $100 - like I said, it was a GC blowout...

 

Still have it - 'tho I use my Studio Electronic pair of se8s more now - I sold the Guild and now play a Martin OM-28V which has a gentler, more subtle vibe that suits the stereo mic pair better than the old Octava. 

 

Attached is an old track that features the Guild acoustic, recorded using the Octava.  I think it's just an old Roland 1680 recorder - surprised at how good it sounds after all these years.....

 

nat

 

 

 

[bill5]

I hear lots of good things about Oktava and may have to find out for myself one day. I think most of their even cheaper mics are on the edge of inexpensive (if we go by my basically arbitrary cutoff above), but sound like good bang for the buck. 

[KenElevenShadows]

I'll mention a USB microphone since it's one of the few inexpensive microphones I own that aren't the obvious SM 57 or Sennheiser 421 type of thing.

 

The HyperX Quadcast USB microphone is pretty great. You can easily adjust the volume or the polar pattern right on the microphone as well, and it does pretty well against plosives and rumbles. I wrote more about it here if you are interested in finding out more. Oh, and it glows when activated, and you can mute it by barely touching the top of the microphone.

 

 

 

https://photofocus.com/reviews/review-hyperx-quadcast-usb-microphone-for-streaming-gaming-and-more/

 

 

[bill5]

Interesting. Multi-pattern USB mics are about as common as calm political discussions.   

 

I should have added my fav, the Senn 935. I sometimes kick myself for not buying one last year when it went on sale for $99, but I didn't have a need and there will likely be similar sales another day

[KenElevenShadows]

Oh, haha! I didn't realize they were that unusual. Seems like I got lucky then!

 

I am usually quite calm and offer many facts to substantiate my viewpoints, whether politics or anything else. This held true whether in person or social media. Consequently, i typically had usually calm political discussions with people.

 

That changed around 2015. It had already gotten worse a few years earlier, but by 2015, it got really bad. 

[BluMunk]

On 8/12/2023 at 3:08 AM, Nowarezman said:

Oh, I bought the Octava MK012 a long, really long time ago - maybe 1998?  

 

Plastic case, couple of capsules, pale grey metal - got it on a blowout from GC for really, I mean really cheap.  The body had a dent - seemed to make no diff...

 

They were just magic recording my Guild acoustic.  Rich, detailed, solid.   I think I paid something less than $100 - like I said, it was a GC blowout...

 

Still have it - 'tho I use my Studio Electronic pair of se8s more now - I sold the Guild and now play a Martin OM-28V which has a gentler, more subtle vibe that suits the stereo mic pair better than the old Octava. 

 

Attached is an old track that features the Guild acoustic, recorded using the Octava.  I think it's just an old Roland 1680 recorder - surprised at how good it sounds after all these years.....

 

nat

 

 

 

Nice track... very cool vibe.

[Stokely]

Way less than $300, 3 of the 4 singers in our band use Sennheiser e935s.   These are great mics.   The e835 isn't bad, these add more "air" and clarity to the sound.  I noticed the difference right away when I upgraded.

I dislike the big proximity effect of the SM58, you won't get that with the e935 fair warning.

I've thought about getting a  home studio mic, but my room needs treatment before I got say some really sensitive condenser, and my non-pro recordings sound more than fine with my gigging e935.  If there is fault with the vocal track, it's far more the vocalist and not the mic  

[Franz Schiller]

58 minutes ago, Stokely said:

Way less than $300, 3 of the 4 singers in our band use Sennheiser e935s.   These are great mics.   The e835 isn't bad, these add more "air" and clarity to the sound.  I noticed the difference right away when I upgraded.

I dislike the big proximity effect of the SM58, you won't get that with the e935 fair warning.

I've thought about getting a  home studio mic, but my room needs treatment before I got say some really sensitive condenser, and my non-pro recordings sound more than fine with my gigging e935.  If there is fault with the vocal track, it's far more the vocalist and not the mic  

I totally agree about e935, I love that mic and have used it for a zillion different things; they sound great and have a nice open top end.

[bill5]

I talked to a professional musician once who was at some big studio in Chicago and they gave him a huge bank of microphones to try, including those well into four figures - he chose the 935. 

[Anderton]

On 8/13/2023 at 8:52 PM, bill5 said:

Interesting. Multi-pattern USB mics are about as common as calm political discussions.   

 

The Neat Beecaster (it's what I use for Zoom calls and such) is a multi-pattern USB mic. It was, during its unfortunately brief lifetime, inexpensive and received extremely favorable user reviews.

 

[SamuelBLupowitz]

17 hours ago, Stokely said:

Way less than $300, 3 of the 4 singers in our band use Sennheiser e935s.   These are great mics.   The e835 isn't bad, these add more "air" and clarity to the sound.  I noticed the difference right away when I upgraded.

My wife is an incredibly skilled, dynamic vocalist with a very warm, rich voice, and 58s accent the warmth to the point of muddiness and lose the sparkle on top. She's tried a few different live mics, but her recent acquisition of an e935 is the first time she's ever felt truly satisfied about what's coming through the monitors when she's singing with a band.

[Nowarezman]

On 8/14/2023 at 8:36 AM, BluMunk said:

Nice track... very cool vibe.

Thx for the compliment!  The acoustic track has a lot of noise - but that's not the mic's fault.  

nat

 

[RABid]

I’ve given a couple Neat Bumblebee microphones to family members and they have been very happy with them. My great nephew wanted to start a podcast and I thought it would be a nice looking usb desktop mic and was recommended by some people here that I really respect.

[MathOfInsects]

Rode makes beautiful mics. I have mine paired with a Sebatron pre-amp, resulting in an all-Ozzie signal chain. 

[NewImprov]

Yeah, the Lewitt 040 Match condenser, ~$100 each or ~$200 for a pair, and can be found for less. These mics kind of astound me for how good they sound for the price, they have a really nice, clear top end without the 8k fizzyness of most cheap condensers. I'll use them as close mics on cymbals, on acoustic guitar, percussion, anything that I want to capture highs on. they are tiny, lightweight, and can get right into tight spots. I have tried them for drum overheads, and, while I currently have mics I like better for that position, if I'd had these mics 30-40 years ago, I'd have made records with better drum sounds. They are good.

 

Disclaimer: I was sold these mics by a dealer at his cost when they were first released, my deal was that he'd refund my money if I didn't like them. I kept the mics, and would say what I said above if I had paid full retail.

[bill5]

General PS/FWIW when I said under $300 I meant new   When/if I ever retire I've thought about doing a cheap mic shootout as there are numerous such mics I'm curious about.

[KuruPrionz]

Blue Encore 300 - $200 new. Sensitive to plosives, a foam windscreen makes a huge difference if you sing close up. Has more output than an SM57-58 do you can turn it up a bit and sing back 3 inches or so. Sounds great.

 

[bill5]

isK mics. Hard to get now days but outrageously punch above their inexpensive price point. 

[Theo Verelst]

Good microphones depend on the purpose, for me usually that's good fidelity or a specific use, so I mention the mics on a 4k Sony handy cam, the FDR-AX43, which is at this time about $700 I guess, and is a really interesting cam.

 

The mics can record 5.1 surround and actually do a decent job, but also record video and uncompressed audio, which when talking at a reasonable distance from the top of the cam actually turns into a fairly usable digital recording.

 

TV

 

[bill5]

I wouldn't call that inexpensive. Does your company have any open positions   

[Theo Verelst]

That price, and some discount, is an interesting 4k cam with built in optical stabilizer, and the build in mics, so it's just a small portion for the sound/hdmi audio out...

 

T

[bill5]

ah got ya

[KuruPrionz]

I bought an MXL 900 used for $40 and Microphone Parts.com sold me a kit with a new circuit board, a transformer and a true large diaphragm capsule for $250.

It's a great mic, punches well above it's weight or cost. I had to do some fairly simple soldering and take the original mic apart then put it back together with new, improved parts. 

 

They have kits for other inexpensive crap mics that turn them into something really good. I also have an MXL 1006bp that I converted with MicParts components but I think I have about $310 into that one. It has more harmonic distortion, my choice of parts. 

 

It's well above the $300 budget ($460 or so) but I bought a Mic Parts T-67 complete kit and built it and that's the best LDC I've owned or used. 

[bill5]

That is on my "maybe one day" list of things to do...get a cheap mic and a kit to upgrade it. People seem to have a lot of success there.

[KuruPrionz]

2 hours ago, bill5 said:

That is on my "maybe one day" list of things to do...get a cheap mic and a kit to upgrade it. People seem to have a lot of success there.

I've only tried the Microphone Parts kits, they have 3 different LDC capsules to choose from, capsule mounts for different mics and a few different circuit boards although for many cheap mics you get one option. So far, with 2 upgraded MXL mics and a complete kit built, I'm very pleased with the results. Matt McGlynn knows his stuff and he cares. 

 

There are other kits out there, you'd have to do the research on those. FWIW, I had a Shure KSM 44 mic and it had a slightly harsher high end than the T-67 kit. I also had a Shure KSM 27 and it definitely was not in the same league as the upgraded MXL mics. 

 

[Dave Bryce]

On 8/15/2023 at 7:49 PM, KuruPrionz said:

Blue Encore 300 - $200 new. Sensitive to plosives, a foam windscreen makes a huge difference if you sing close up. Has more output than an SM57-58 do you can turn it up a bit and sing back 3 inches or so. Sounds great.

 

Agreed. I have one of those, and use it a bunch.  I think that’s my only hand-held condenser.

 

 The dynamic Encore 100 ain’t bad either, but my Beta 58 is still my go-to in that category.

 

dB

[KuruPrionz]

45 minutes ago, Dave Bryce said:

 

Agreed. I have one of those, and use it a bunch.  I think that’s my only hand-held condenser.

 

 The dynamic Encore 100 ain’t bad either, but my Beta 58 is still my go-to in that category.

 

dB

I recently acquired a used Rode M3 and it's a nice mic. Another SDC.

I got it for recording acoustic guitar but it does a fine job on vocals and probably lots of other uses. New they're about $150. Used I think I paid $65. 

 

I've used Beta 58s for live performance many times, great mics!

[bill5]

Beta 58s seem to be a growing trendy choice for vocals over the regular 58s. They're a little hotter and supposedly cut through a mix a little better.

[KuruPrionz]

2 hours ago, bill5 said:

Beta 58s seem to be a growing trendy choice for vocals over the regular 58s. They're a little hotter and supposedly cut through a mix a little better.

They do have higher output, the bass response when you get close is better controlled and there is more definition, more upper mids and highs. 

They are using a stronger magnet and probably an updated diaphragm. The SM58 originally came out in 1966, technology has advanced considerably since then. 

 

I prefer the KSM8, which is more expensive but has a beautifully controlled proximity effect due to the new Dual-Dyne capsule with two diaphragms (the one on the far end of the capsule is passive, sort of a "shock absorber" for the primary diaphragm. It sounds better for live work and much better for studio work. It's built to last.

 

Another mic I have and need to test for it's best use is an EV Raven. This has been discontinued but was around $200 when it was new so it qualifies for inexpensive mic status. It's very clear, a bit sensitive to plosives so I'd put up a pop filter for vocal recording. It's bright and it sounds to me like it will "pop out" in a mix. I guess I'll find out.