Studio microphone

[Dj Buik]

Hi all,

I am at the point to buy a studio microphone. Anybody has any tips for me?
Price range max 350 dollars.

I heard good things about the Rode mics. Anybody has experience with these?

[Jumpin' Jeff]

Will it be plugged into your PC or an old school mixer?

I used an Audio-Technica AT2020 for a couple of my videos I've posted. The M-Audio Xponent video is one you may use as reference of it's quality. It was mounted on a shock mount to reduce noise. This is of course a USB microphone, and can be picked up under $100. Then you can add the shock mount, and a pop screen of which I don't currently have.

Here is the video I used this with, and again, without a pop screen...
http://youtu.be/Sa-nVGT7ths

[Dj Buik]

The mic goes into a old school soundcraft mixer. It has 48v phantom power.

[Lane]

The following advice is for voice use.

I'm against using any sort of condenser mic unless you're in an actual sound conditioned space. They are designed to hear 'the room', and that includes your computer fan and other such noises. It even hears the walls, and the audio slapping back from them. This is true even when it's a cardioid pattern. They're just more sensitive to those subtle sounds.

A dynamic mic, particularly like those used in radio studios, are designed to hear the person in front of them and reject sounds from the sides and behind. A standard stage mic also works in a similar way, with the shure sm-58 being the standard go to mic for stage performers. It doesn't sound quite as good as radio broadcast mics like the RE-20, SM7B, or the PR-40 (by Heil). You don't go wrong with any of those, but they aren't really necessary. Note that mic position is more important with a dynamic, and that each mic has a 'sweet spot' for the best sound.

Here's what I'm actually recommending to people lately.

If it's your first mic, get an ATR2100 or AT2005, both in the 50 dollar range. Those are almost identical mics, so you could get whichever is cheaper. They are great for a starter mic because they have both usb and xlr connections. You can plug it directly into a computer, or into your mixer. It travels well too if that's important. It sounds excellent. If you want more than that, the three I mentioned are way I'd go next. Microphones are a thing you really have to test though to see what matches up with your voice. Whole lotta personal preference in here too.

I also recommend getting a micro processor strip if you intend to use it with a mixer. The dbx 286s is the best 200 bucks you can spend on a microphone preamp that comes with some processing. To get something that sounds better, you have to pay 5 times the price. You can do some compression, have a gate so it goes fully silent when you stop talking, and enhance the lows and highs in your voice to taste. It's considered the best in it's price class and you'll find them all over the place in radio studios etc.

[milky]

Yeah, what Lane said, UNLESS you DO have a sound conditioned room. Then the R0de NT-1 or even a Behringer B1 or B2 come into their own and make it really easy to do voice work without having to look for sweet spots.

[Darryl]

I can't believe that the Audio Technica mics are around USD$50 on amazon.com but are UKP£150 on amazon.co.uk (thats USD$252.45 according to google).  Your decision may also be influenced by where you live in the world!

[DJ-MK]

Darryl that is a scandalous rip off of UK consumers!

[Dj Buik]

I can't believe that the Audio Technica mics are around USD$50 on amazon.com but are UKP£150 on amazon.co.uk (thats USD$252.45 according to google).  Your decision may also be influenced by where you live in the world!

That's a good point, Darryl.
I have a little studio, and it's very quiet. No noise from fans etc.
So I go for a studio mic. The Rode and Behringer mics are reasonable priced here in Holland.
I do not have experience with both of the mic brands.

The Audio-Technica AT2020 cost here 113 euro, that about 152 US dollars

[milky]

The R0de is much more expensive in Australia, but it is marginally ahead on specs IF you want to record music to very high quality. The B1 and B2 is a brilliant mic for its price. If you are considering using it mainly for voice, the B1 is good for solo or maybe a couple on the one side (it only has one element), whereas the B2 is good for both sides of the desk (two elements, back to back).

[Ed]

Folks, You GET what you pay for, want a good mic? Electro Voice RE20  Hands Down!