Vocal Mic Poll for home studio: best for under $500

gearboy · Post by **gearboy** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 6:49 pm

Audio Technica 4047sv is an amazing microphone for vocals, acoustic instruments, and KICK DRUM. I love mine. Check eBay, you can get one now for $386 from a dealer with warranty, which is the best *new* price I have ever seen. I got mine off of eBay used for $305 back in 2003.

Shure SM7... Listen to Wilco's Being There. This is/was Jeff Tweddy's vocal mic of choice for a long time. It's on the Being There inside cover. He uses a Blue Mouse in a scene in I Am Trying To Break Your Heart. You may be able to find a used Mouse or Dragonfly by Blue for $600-$700.

I have heard great things about the OktavaMod Mk-219 and MK-319. Less than $500 for one of those with the Premium Electronics mod. http://www.oktavamod.com/

I have also heard good things concerning the Studio Projects C1, the AT4050, the Blue Baby Bottle, and the Red Type B (http://www.vintagemicrophone.com/JShop/ ... p?xProd=37). If you go with the Red you are investing in a modular system and can always add capsules later on down the road. It's a sweet setup, actually, and lots of folks on the TapeOp messageboard are recommending it. Plus, it looks cool as hell!

Jeff

oldguitars · Post by **oldguitars** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 7:13 pm

get a 4050. you won't be disappointed. It always sounds good without all the too crispy stuff of the rode ntk and silicon valve (i have all). another option is a shure KSM 32. very smooth mic and kind of a sleeper.

abe_lincoln78 · Post by **abe_lincoln78** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 10:19 pm

I haven't seen much talk about them anywhere, but Groove Tubes makes great microphones. Their Class A FET models are in your price range too.

They sell both large and medium diaphragm mics. I use a GT55, which they don't sell anymore, but uses the same capsule as the GT50. What you will find with this mic is that its bottom end is fairly big. I use it to mic my Alvarez MD85 guitar and my own voice. Its top end is soft enough to smooth out some of the harshness of my voice and put the tone of my guitar better in check.

I have also used it in tandem with a Beta 57 to record guitar. The resulting sound can be HUGE but you have to be careful not to overpower the GT55. I actually use a 12AU7 phase splitter to make this easier.

I have a friend who uses a C1 and he's jealous.

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 10:51 pm

I picked up a GT-66 used for $250 and great on guitars. Not bad on vocals either, but not my favorite for vocals.

denovo · Post by **denovo** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 11:26 am

My fave vocal setup for me (I'm a mid tenor with not much low end in my voice. I sound fuller in the mid highs and perhaps even a little screechy in the very high end) is having a MXL V69me with a Mullard NOS tube instead of the stock Sovtek together with a SP dual tube T3. Mix to taste.

New the V69 is $300 and the T3 is $600. I think either of these by themselves will work. You can get a T3 used for about $400-$500 and the V69 for about $200.

That being said the AT4050 is such a great all around mic. I think you definitely need that one in your mic cabinet. I picked my mine up for about $300 used.

Charles

ramadev · Post by **ramadev** » Mon May 05, 2008 9:17 am

Here it is, a year later, and I just now found this thread . . .

For under $500, the Electro-Voice RE-20 is a great addition to any mic collection. I was told that Stevie Wonder cut his vocals on the RE-20 in the '70s, and I recorded a band last year that chose the RE-20 over SoundDeluxe U99 and AKG 414 UBL for lead vocals.

It also sounds good on kick drum and toms (I used it on kick for years until I got my AKG D112), and we even used it once on mandolin when that particular mando was too bright - the RE-20 softened the mando very nicely, and the mandolin player was delighted.

The AT 4050 is also a great mic; we have two of them, and I agree with everything said about it previously in this discussion.

Gravity Jim · Post by **Gravity Jim** » Mon May 05, 2008 9:26 am

I'd be careful on an RE-20 as a vocal mic. It's not what you'd call a "sounds good on every singer" kinda thing. I love it on kick drum and use it all the time for VO's.

On the other hand, I'm surprised there isn't much more love for the Shure KSM32. Mine sound great on just about everybody, not to mention being a super mic for acoustic guitar, brass, and drum overheads. If I'm micing something new (Melodica, for example), I usually try a KSM32 first.

ramadev · Post by **ramadev** » Mon May 05, 2008 11:38 am

Gravity Jim wrote:I'd be careful on an RE-20 as a vocal mic. It's not what you'd call a "sounds good on every singer" kinda thing. I love it on kick drum and use it all the time for VO's.

I absolutely agree Gravity Jim. It's not the ideal solution by any means. Like the 414, it does work well for some vocalists and not others. I was just pointing out another (overlooked) under $500 option. Although I often use it for Voice Over, I don't ever use it for my own (singing) vocals - I don't like how it sounds on my voice. But some of my clients insist on using it, and in some cases I agree with them.

davedempsey · Post by **davedempsey** » Tue May 06, 2008 6:58 am

Gravity Jim wrote: On the other hand, I'm surprised there isn't much more love for the Shure KSM32. Mine sound great on just about everybody, not to mention being a super mic for acoustic guitar, brass, and drum overheads. If I'm micing something new (Melodica, for example), I usually try a KSM32 first.

Totally agree about the KSM32 - great sounding and very versatile mic.

Gravity Jim · Post by **Gravity Jim** » Tue May 06, 2008 7:53 am

ramadev wrote:I absolutely agree.... It's not the ideal solution by any means... I was just pointing out another (overlooked) under $500 option.

I hope I didn't come off like I was busting your chops, ramadev. I know that MY voice sounds like crap in an RE20!

daniel.sneed · Post by **daniel.sneed** » Tue May 06, 2008 9:31 am

Anyone tried a RE27 ?
Do you consider it as an upgrade from a RE20 ?

Resonant Alien · Post by **Resonant Alien** » Tue May 06, 2008 9:42 am

Bono recorded the main vox on Joshua Tree and All That You Can't Leave Behind, and probably others as well, with a Shure Beta 58......$159........

Just sayin'

ramadev · Post by **ramadev** » Tue May 06, 2008 11:02 am

Gravity Jim wrote:I hope I didn't come off like I was busting your chops, ramadev. I know that MY voice sounds like crap in an RE20!

Not at all Gravity; you are correct, no mic sounds good on everyone.

We have easy access to a Neumann U87 whenever we wish, but even that mic sounds wrong on some folks. And the SM58 can be an excellent vocal mic with the right voice. The RE-20 is kinda like that, love it or hate it . . . I've cut lead vocals with the SM58 myself. (We were going for a Joey Ramone sound; we ran a mult of the vocal through a miked guitar amp in a tiny bathroom and blended it with the main track - it worked really well!)

Somebody told me that the Electro-Voice PL-20 is just an RE-20 that didn't pass spec, so that could be an even bettter bargain for those on limited budgets.

monkey man · Post by **monkey man** » Wed May 07, 2008 4:05 am

Resonant Alien wrote:Bono recorded the main vox on Joshua Tree and All That You Can't Leave Behind, and probably others as well, with a Shure Beta 58......$159........
Just sayin'

I heard he has used an SM58 in the control room with the monitoring running the mix at full tilt, RA.

markwayne · Post by **markwayne** » Thu May 08, 2008 5:32 pm

I'll just add my voice to the chorus suggesting an AT4050. It's always a safe choice and often ends up being the best as well. The SP C1 is kinda cool. It can sound great or terrible. Personally, I prefer ribbon mics for my voice, so I mean it's going to be tough to choose an all-rounder. But the AT4050, yeah, you'll never regret that purchase down the line.