Originally posted by MuzicNerd:
im looking at buying a cheapish but good vocal recording mic and a vocal preamp....im looking to get the best for a real low budget....any advice would be very appreciated....im currently lookin got stay below 500.
There are plenty of good vocals mics under $500. Audio Technica, Rodes and Studio Projects all make decent products in this range. You'll be hard-pressed to find good mic preamp alone for under $500 however.
Nevertheless, if your budget ceiling for both preamp and mic is $500, I'd recommend:
</font></li>[*]<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Preamp: Studio Projects VTB-1 (around $100)
</font></li>[*]<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Mic: AT-3035 or Rode NT1-A or Studio Projects C1 (all around $200).
Although this'll keep you around the $300-and-some-change range, the weak link in this chain is definitely the preamp.
If you can up your budget a little to $600, you could get a Groove Tubes Brick (around $400) and any of the above-mentioned mics. It'll up your quality noticeably.
Finally, I assume you know you'll need other things to makes vocal recording even marginally workable (e.g., mic stand, popperstopper, some kind of acceptable vocal recording space, etc.).
Good luck.