Best Cheap Mics

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JustGotPaid
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2009/10/01 19:33:35 (permalink)

Best Cheap Mics

I have been having microphone discussions with others in real life this week and (being a cheap skate) wanted to get everyone's list of the BEST but CHEAPEST microphones. Let's say $200 or less, and your favorite application and technique.
 
To start things off, mine short list is:
 
1. Peavey PVM 22: A hot little mic that sounds great on my electric guitar cab. Tends to be on the brighter, more trebly side.
2. Peavey PVM 46. Hot, but not qiute as hot as the 22. Seems to have a more full bodied sound. When set up on a guitar cab the right way it's hard to beat. I've been using it slightly off center and about 8-10 inches off.
3. Shure 57. The old standard and standby. I like it for certain things. In sound checks, A-B style, I can't find a situation where it beats the PVM 22 however. When checking the 22, 46, and 57, the 57 always seems the lesser of the group. But that is in my tests and to my ears.
4. Sterling ST 33. This was my first mic near the $200 price range. It consistently rates as my favorite. It sounds equally good (to my ears) on acoustic guitar and guitar cab. Sometimes, in some sound checks, a more expensive mic might sound better, but then a week later in anothe rsound check the ST 33 wins again. This is just a really good and inexpensive mic.
 
I have read a lot on the Shure 57 Beta, the Sennheiser 609, the Audix i5, the Peavey 480, and etc. I have not tried those, but they sure seem to rate high among those that record with them. My application, as you can see, is primarily acoustic and electric guitar. I don't have a really good singer to work with to get the vocal sound checks and singer input to judge mics for vocals. And I never mic a piano, which I hear is a whole different ball game.
 
What good results are the rest of you getting with the more economical mics?
 
DS
 

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#1

13 Replies Related Threads

    bitflipper
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    Re:Best Cheap Mics 2009/10/01 20:32:48 (permalink)
    Apex 460 $229

    Listen to Slau's podcast about it (scroll down to "The Fetish Stilleto").


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    #2
    Malakidreams
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    Re:Best Cheap Mics 2009/10/01 20:42:35 (permalink)
    I really like the m-audio nova. cheap on ebay well cheap at musiciansfriend also
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    JustGotPaid
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    Re:Best Cheap Mics 2009/10/01 23:03:20 (permalink)
    Wow...bitflipper! What an informative web site. Thanks! Very cool audio interview/monologue.

    Mala...I heard the same thing about the NOVA. Would love to hear some.

    Thanks!

    DS

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    #4
    Dave King
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    Re:Best Cheap Mics 2009/10/01 23:11:19 (permalink)

    Dave King
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    #5
    JustGotPaid
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    Re:Best Cheap Mics 2009/10/02 00:07:51 (permalink)
    Nice long thread, but did anyone ever mention the actual name of the magic $40 mic the first title mentioned? I read down through it, the first three links I hit didn't work, and somewhere in there I saw MXL SP-1 mentioned. Is that the mic he was referring to?

    Thanks!

    JGP

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    #6
    plectrumpusher
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    Re:Best Cheap Mics 2009/10/02 00:10:35 (permalink)
    These folks got the goods

    http://www.kelaudio.com/index.html

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    #7
    JustGotPaid
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    Re:Best Cheap Mics 2009/10/02 00:40:32 (permalink)
    He was referring to a Kel? Kel SP1?

    Earlier this week I listened to a sound check where they A-B'd different mics. One was the high dollar Neumann U87. Another mic, in fact several, well under $1,000 beat it convincingly. I believe the one they were testing them all against was around $300. (I think it was the Blue Bluebird.)

    I can't see that anything expensive would work that much better than anything in the moderate price range in my little studio room. It's sorta like a small bedroom, sheetrock throughout, and there is only so much I can do with the acoustics of something that size.

    I bought a Peavey PVM 22 years ago and found it after I got started with Cakewalk/Sonar. I didn't even take it seriously until I started doing sound checks. It is a very good and very hot little mic for guitar amps. It's when I hear something like this that makes me want to stay focused on SIMPLE and INEXPENSIVE. For home studios, at least for me, it seems the high dollar mics are typical of the law of diminishing returns. I cant' see how a $1,000 (and up) mic would be "that" much better than a good $100 - $200 mic. I'm seeing more and more on the net about good ones for even under $100 that I'd like to try.

    Good discussion!

    JGP

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    #8
    Beagle
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    Re:Best Cheap Mics 2009/10/02 09:07:45 (permalink)
    the long thread that Dave King linked to was the MCA SP-1.  It's now $50, I think probably because of the popularity.  I have one.  It does fairly good on acoustic guitar, but I don't care for it at all for vocals.  but it depends on your voice.  lance in a studio loves it on his vox (high tenor).

    http://www.pssl.com/MXL-SP1-Condenser-Studio-Microphone-With-Clip

    personally, I prefer the m-audio nova over the MCA SP-1, but that's pretty contrary opinion to a lot of people here on the forum.

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    dlogan
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    Re:Best Cheap Mics 2009/10/02 10:15:37 (permalink)
    I was just searching for an inexpensive mic to add to my collection (my main mics are a Blue Bluebird and a Rode NT-1000 - I love them both but they're more in the $300 range). I'm going to be doing some vocal recordings for a group and needed a third mic.  The main place I researched was threads on this forum and I saw a lot of recommendations for the AT2020, which you can find new on eBay for around $75. Looks like a pretty versatile mic.  I ended up purchasing the AKG Perception 220. Found a new b-stock w/ factory warranty on eBay for $119, comes w/ shock-mount. I ended up picking that one because it had good reviews for vocals specifically because that's what I needed it for. You can get a new non-B-stock one for around $170. I can't give you a review of it yet though because it's being delivered on Monday and my recording session is the next weekend!
    #10
    MarlboroMan23
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    Re:Best Cheap Mics 2009/10/02 16:38:39 (permalink)
    I've posted this before it's it's posting again.  The Samson VR88 active ribbon on closeout for $150.  Original street price was $600.  Great on vocals and guitar cabs.

    http://www.americanmusica..m/Item--i-SAM-VR88-LIST

    http://emusician.com/mics/samson_vr88/



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    jacktheexcynic
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    Re:Best Cheap Mics 2009/10/02 18:41:56 (permalink)
    Beagle


    the long thread that Dave King linked to was the MCA SP-1.  It's now $50, I think probably because of the popularity.  I have one.  It does fairly good on acoustic guitar, but I don't care for it at all for vocals.  but it depends on your voice.  lance in a studio loves it on his vox (high tenor).

    http://www.pssl.com/MXL-SP1-Condenser-Studio-Microphone-With-Clip

    personally, I prefer the m-audio nova over the MCA SP-1, but that's pretty contrary opinion to a lot of people here on the forum.

    i think it's an excellent mic for the money. i actually like it great on vocals and wasn't thrilled with it on guitar but for $50 you can't really go wrong. paid almost as much for the mogami XLR cable... but then i don't have much mic experience. all i know is it sounds really good, not the smoothest mic in the world but a good all-around "LDC" (think it's really an SDC? if i recall?) for a starter.

    - jack the ex-cynic
    #12
    Beagle
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    Re:Best Cheap Mics 2009/10/02 21:10:08 (permalink)
    yes, it is actually an SDC capsule.  it's actually the same capsule as the MXL-990.

    to each his own on the mic sound!  like I said - my opinion is obviously different from a lot of people on this mic since so many on the forum do like it.  and I agree that for $50 it's definitely worth what you pay for it.  I did keep mine, but I won't use it on vox.

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    JustGotPaid
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    Re:Best Cheap Mics 2009/10/03 01:02:10 (permalink)
    I liked the audio on Slau's site about microphones. As he asked, "is a $10,000 mic ten times better than a $1,000 mic?" Further, is a $1,000 mic five times better than a $200 mic. In my opinion, from what I've heard, NO. The higher the price the more subtle the differences until you reach a point where only the most tuned in audiophiles can tell the difference. I listened to some A-B comparison's on Slau's site and I couldn't tell the difference even when he gave advance notice to listen for the difference.

    I've done a lot of moderately priced mic sound comparisons this week and on my guitar cab ALL of them sound good if I mic it with another, ie a Shure 57 with a Peavey 46, or a Sterling 33 with a Sterling 55...they seem to sound best when I combine one mic with a more trebly tone with a mic with a little lower tonal quality.

    There is so much more that goes into it that I'm learning about, and I'm sure if someone really knows what they are doing they can get really good tones with a few basic mics, most in the $100 - $200 range. I know you can get a good home studio sound with those. Beyond that, into the pro studios, the pricing gets truly unbelievable. $15,000 for ONE mic? Ouch! Thanks goodness for the cheapies!

    DS

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