Lets see..... I have 4 mics I think.... 2 dynamics, one is a SM58... good mic for stage but I don't like it for the studio....
 
And 2 condenser mics.... one that came with ARC and then my Rode NT-2A....
 
The Rode NT-2A gets used every time..... and for everything, since, well, it's about the best one I have..... don't have anything else so...... what's my other choice?

Gold sputtered? Now much gold are they using.

 
Pretty much all LDC's are gold sputtered.  It is just a tiny film on top of the typically mylar or PVC diaphragms.  Needed of course to act as a capacitor in conjunction with the back plate.  Gold, while not the best material for the job, is used because it does not tarnish like silver, copper or even nickle would.  
 
I have come to appreciate the ease of putting a mic up, pressing record, and getting a great sound.  That is not something you can do with very many cheap mics.  A well designed, hand tuned by ear microphone is a luxury item and worth the 4 figure sticker price.  Most options by Microtech Gefell, and the higher end of neumann, are well worth it.  Cheaper options like the Neumann TLM102 carry the cost of the Neumann name but the sound quality of a Chinese competitor.  
 
The best bang for the buck LDC's I know of are the AT4050, Sure KSM44/32, AKG C414 of course, Miktek's line, and some of the off shore models of Telefunken USA.  Of course the SM7b and RE20 are great dynamic alternatives.   AEA's new N22 is worth a look for a good vocal ribbon mic.    If you cant afford any of these, save your money until you can.  It is an expensive business.  

Here it is! I found it!
 
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/U87Ai/
 
Some might say it's too extravagant, but I've never had any buyers remorse... I run it through the LA610 usually;
 
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LA610mk2
 
Again, no buyers remorse. It's been a sweet combo. Not for everyone, I understand. But if you can swing it? "Swing for the fences..." 

If you don't want to waste money on gold you can always try titanium.

 
In case anyone was wondering those TLM50 / M150's are small diaphragm ie. 16mm mics in a large housing.  The ball they are mounted in creates a pressure zone adding high frequency sparkle and directionality in the high frequencies.  The Neumann titanium "kk133" capsule used is one of the best orchestral mics money can by.  
 
For the record, nothing can beat the frequency response, transient response, and clarity of pure metal diaphragms like nickle and titanium.  Neumann, Gefell, Josephson, and Sonodore each have pure metal options and are very costly.  Probably not mellow and colored enough for pop vocals though.  

 I approach this differently.
 
If I can't get a good quality recording with an SM58, I have problems that are unrelated to the mic, instead, performer, performance, room, MONITORING, cables, software, FX, or even, OTHER tracks with problems.
 
At the performance level, I think MONITORING (with cans) is perhaps the most important, and under appreciated, piece of the pie. No other thing impacts the instantaneous feedback loop that governs the feelings and emotion of the performer more, and yet, most jam cheap cans in available headphone jacks, and even those who take time with their monitor setups often skimp with mid or consumer quality gear. A stellar performance (achieved by putting the performer WHERE HE NEEDS TO BE by attention to STELLAR monitori setup) on pro-sumer capture and recording gear will outperform a poor performance on million dollar mics and gear. I believe that MONITORING will become the next major focus thru the 2010 decade, much as room treatment has been since 2000, and in my mind it is of more importance. After all you CAN get a good mix in a poor room, but you can NEVER fix a lackluster, who gives a damn, clip, in a great room.
 
Once I have it where it needs to be, I audition a couple other mics, namely an AKG 200, and then a Neumann 102. These run thru a Focusrite ISA 2, a solid high-middle quality pre. I take most of the room out of the equation with gobos and a stand mount baffle.
 
That's a start with a legendary, and forever repeatable $100 mic, progressing to a roughly $200 mic, ending with a $700 mic, all of which are solid dependable performers at their price level. I can throw four and even five figures at "mic problems" which really are NOT mic problems, but instead I cut to the chase and get those other problems fixed with a standard or wireless 58. There are times when I audition better mics, and record with the 58, because it works better, and times I never audition the better mics because the 58 catches all there is. The better mic options are always there if I need them.  Until you are booking major market projects, most of your customers who know the difference between a 58 and an 87 are the folks who heard that ProTools is "better" than Sonar. Educate them if you can, pass on them if it means suicidal business practice or philosophical selling out, and for the very few who can make use of high end equipment, discuss their budget and rent the best they can afford. This formula should work equally well with other, similar price/performance components.
 
This approach ALWAYS gets me to the "Near Stellar" level. Since my facility is not fully live, still in config and fine tuning, this is MY most efficient way of making the recordings **I** need for now. Until my revenue streams solidify at the major label/album project or comparable level, sustainably, it is simply self delusional to succumb to Gear Acquisition Syndrome, along the lines of sows ears and silk purses.
 
As the business end progresses, I intend to RENT higher quality equipment and learn the vagaries of that equipment in MY ROOMs, at customer expense, less any learning curve delays of significant nature.
 
At that point, I have two basic options. I can invest in my future BUYING selected and familiar equipment, that my revenue streams do not (yet) support in the hopes that they will, or I can BUY equipment that the business DOES support, and make a bit extra profit avoiding the rental fees.
 
If you have money to burn, just back a truck up to Guitar Center and clean 'em out.
 
If you don't, I submit that buying gear past the "Near Stellar" level is one of two things.
 
Blind self delusion, which is probably masking OTHER OBSTACLES as yet unaddressed, or a disciplined, occasional reward to yourself and natural human wont, which I am totally kewl with, IF you are!
 
 

I still would use a Sennheiser MD421 for vocals even. (although they are always used on drums.)
But then I may use something that no one else uses.
 
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MD421/
 
Been around for seemingly forever.
 

The Senn 421 is just too crisp for some people (I guess they have gotten use to a duller sound.) The mic is kind of crisp though.
 

Bat isn't the KSM44 a dynamic? Surprised me as it sure looks like a condenser but looks can be deceiving.They make the KSM44 and the KSM44a . In the latter version they have made the circuit quieter and the output slightly more. One thing is for sure. Shure know how to make a good dynamic mic.That mic is a value if it can hold it's own against some of the pricier mics.
 
Jaytee, I agree monitoring can make a huge difference. I don't know how many of you use a temorary reverb for the vocalist. This was a trick used by some to make the tracking seem more real to the singer. The idea being that they sound a little better when wet as opposed to going in dry, even if you don't use the verb and it's only on the monitor feed.
 
I hadn't heard much about SE but their new X1 looks to be a gem for the budget minded recordist. They supposedly hand build their elements and they are large elements with small thickness.
 
Daniel I appreciate you jumping in and offering insight on the use of gold in a mic. I had falsely assumed that it was more for the aging or to prevent and changes in the element due to aging. Many mics seem to have two elements with one being only mylar and the other gold plated. The use of gold for capacitance cleared that up. Thanks.
 
Many of the less expensive mics have thicker elements. Now thicker is probably a relative term when we are talking microns. A thinner element usually means more sensitivity. For instance the KSM44 has a 2micron element as does the AT4050. Some chinese manufactured mics are as thick as 6 microns. I'm not saying there aren't good mics with thicker elements because there are , but I think you gain something with less thickness. Element thickness, response time,noise,output gain...these all figure into a great mic. I'm sure there are many other factors.
 
Studio Projects makes a few really good all rounders that seem almost too good to be true, yet there are comment after comment about how good they are. The B-1 and B-3 are gaining something of a following. Hard to believe that for under 200.00 you can get a multi pattern mic that many brag about. I heard that one year Studio Projects had their booth set up right next to Neumann and encouraged a comparison listening test. These mics are probably the best low end mics you can buy IMO.
 
I appreciate the comments guys in sharing what works for you. In hindsight I probably should have asked for recommendations in certain price ranges. If I were recording for my main bread and butter then yeah, I would probably not see anything wrong with dropping thousands of dollars on a mic or two. As it stands I am not charging anyone to do what I do, so it's more of a hobby. In my case I can't justify this much for a hobby.
 
I guess I'm shooting somewhere in the middle, but once again price has nothing to do with results and so if it isn't expensive and still sounds decent then I'm really interested as a hobbyist.
 
 

google is your friend.
 

 
 
http://www.shure.com/americas/products/microphones/ksm/ksm44a-multi-pattern-dual-diaphragm-microphone
The KSM44A is a premium, large-diaphragm, side-address condenser microphone with multiple polar pattern options (cardioid, omnidirectional, bidirectional).
 
Features

• Prethos® Advanced Preamplifier Technology: Class A, discrete, transformerless preamplifier provides  transparency, extremely fast transient response and no crossover distortion. Minimizes harmonic and intermodulation distortions.  
• Groundbreaking specifications: 4dB of self-noise and max SPL of 131 dB for a total dynamic range of 127 dB – an increase of 7 dB that defines the new standard for cleanly nuanced audio capture
• Multiple polar patterns–cardioid, omnidirectional and bidirectional–for maximum flexibility in a wide variety of recording applications
• Dual 1 inch, externally biased, ultra-thin, 2.5 μm, 24 Karat gold-layered, low mass diaphragms provide superior frequency response
• Premium electronic components and gold-plated internal and external connectors
• Subsonic filter eliminates rumble from mechanical vibration below 17 Hz.
• Switchable 15 dB pad for handling extremely high sound pressure levels (SPLs)
• 3-position switchable low-frequency filter helps reduce unwanted stand vibration noise or counteract proximity effect
• Integrated three-stage “pop” protection grille reduces plosives and other breath noise
   

 
 
i have the older model.
 

I just posted a review of my $30 Shure C606 in the hardware forum but my favorite dynamic mic for vocals (that I've used) is the Shure Beta 58. I've never gotten a chance to mix the input of one though. Just used them live. Ultimately it seems like I should probably get an SM7b (or whatever they are called) for the studio. Haven't used one but from the samples I've heard and reviews I've read that would be the best for my voice/recording set up/style. I think they're like $300 though so I'll probably get an AT2020 (or is that 2025... I forget... whatever. The $80 Audio Technica condenser) for now.

SM58's are a great workhorse live, especially for rock, but I think they have fallen into the same "industry standard" realm of Pro Tools except in the live audio world. They have just been used for so long that everyone just uses them.
 
I was referring to the newer (well I guess they've been out for almost a decade now) Beta 58's which have a much better high end and mid response. They kind of cross the durability and bottom end of the 58 with the high end/high sensitivity of the less rugged Beta Greens. If presented with a Beta Green and a 58 it would be a toss up of which I would choose depending on the vocal style and venue. If I was going full bore spazzo in a dingy punk/metal club the 58 would win. If I was doing more delicate vocals for an acoustic set then the Green would win.
 
If presented with a Beta 58 in either scenario (or any live scenario really) the Beta 58 would be scooped up in a second. I freaking love them.

Sorry for the shotgun posts but I think another reason 58's are so popular for live sound is they are easier to contain from the board if the singer isn't very proficient at mic control. You can eat the bugger while spazzing out and not totally overload things. Other mics need more user control and consideration from the soundman.
 
JMO
 

I think AT raised a great idea. Using two different mics on the same source. Something I haven't commonly done before/
 

Danny Danzi
...
 
Also, someone made a comment about how your room can come into play using a mic. I'm not discrediting the person who said that, I just wanted to make a comment that it has NEVER been the case for me in all the years I've been recording. As a matter of fact, I can make any mic sound good on any voice in any room. With the right placement, right eq, right compression....it's really easy to make a mic work. However, the key is to hear something and just know it's "the golden mic" without tweaking your brains out. My point is...any mic will work as long as you know how to use it.
 
Rooms....this to me only comes into play if you record in a gymnasium. Even there, if you record the mic at close range, how much of that gym reverberation do you really think you will hear in a recording? Trust me...not as much as you think. I put up a test a few months ago with a few mic's in my studio at close and far ranges. One of the mic's was a Logitech mic that was in my web cam. It sounded almost the same as my SM 57 at a distance and was pretty close to the "up close" sound....it just lacked fidelity.
 
But the room/distance wasn't an issue at all. You won't need to worry about room artifacts until you get a foot away. Not many people I know sing a foot or more away unless they are singing back up vocals in a group. In that situation, you WANT a little room ambiance. But I honestly never worry about a room I'm in no matter what the situation. I got my start recording in the worst untuned rooms in existence. I know a little something about this. :) Again, I'm not trying to discredit anyone....I'm saying it's not been my experience and for a room to play a role, you gotta have some distance as well as room reflections that really make a difference before you need to worry.
 
...
-Danny

 
I mentioned the room, and I do respect your knowlege and experience, so no offense taken, but...
 
Statement was, if I can't make an SM58 sound decent, the problem is something other than mic selection, one possibility being room problems.
 
I do have room issues, in certain spots and certain directions, with real quick, noticeable ambiance, especially with LDCs. I also have to sing as far away as two feet, I move a LOT of air at times, and overload my nicer mics. That's with a screen. Good chance its related to the vaulted ceiling config. and/or a floor to ceiling wall of equipment. The stand mount baffle and a remote transport unit made short work of that, but it was an issue and this isn't a gymnasium...I wish!
 
I also had to snaffle out a strange one...got tired of main furnace issues and installed gas fired vent free wall units as backup, and they RING like a no name Chinese cymbal, basically centered on VOX freqs. Pack em like a kick drum and problem solved, but it took a bit to find it after noticing it on playback.
 
Prefer not to comp or EQ on the way in, but sometimes have to apply some light dynamics pro to get nuance and full throat on tape in one take.
 
Different strokes, right?
 
:-)

Jay Tee 4303
I mentioned the room, and I do respect your knowlege and experience, so no offense taken, but...
 
Statement was, if I can't make an SM58 sound decent, the problem is something other than mic selection, one possibility being room problems.
 
I do have room issues, in certain spots and certain directions, with real quick, noticeable ambiance, especially with LDCs. I also have to sing as far away as two feet, I move a LOT of air at times, and overload my nicer mics. That's with a screen. Good chance its related to the vaulted ceiling config. and/or a floor to ceiling wall of equipment. The stand mount baffle and a remote transport unit made short work of that, but it was an issue and this isn't a gymnasium...I wish!
 
I also had to snaffle out a strange one...got tired of main furnace issues and installed gas fired vent free wall units as backup, and they RING like a no name Chinese cymbal, basically centered on VOX freqs. Pack em like a kick drum and problem solved, but it took a bit to find it after noticing it on playback.
 
Prefer not to comp or EQ on the way in, but sometimes have to apply some light dynamics pro to get nuance and full throat on tape in one take.
 
Different strokes, right?
 
:-)

Jay Tee....glad I didn't offend you as it's never my intention. However, you shouldn't have to sing 2 ft away brother. Back down your mic pre. If you're clipping the mic due to the signal being too hot, you definitely want to cut that down. Next, you're hurting yourself by not compressing lightly going in. It conditions the signal for the better and stops some of what you're getting now. You don't have to use much...but honest when I tell you, once you do it, you'll never go without. You don't need anything spectacular really. Any outboard rack comp will do.
 
Or are you saying you're moving enough air to distort the diaphragm in the mic? If THAT is the case, you Sir are an anomaly. :) LOL! (meant as a compliment and with respect of course) I've never experienced that before with any of my clients in all my years of doing this. Wow! I had a girl that was breaking glasses and a dude that made Pavoroti seem tame...lol....but they never distorted the mic itself. Whew...you must have some power there.
 
But if you haven't, seriously, try backing your mic signal down. Are you using the boost in the pad maybe? If you can, go for an average signal level of -10 dB with a max peak at about -6dB. No hotter, no lower. A little outboard compression using say, a 5:1 ratio removing about -2dB of gain reduction at your hottest signal point should condition your signal perfectly and stop any possible overs from coming into play. I move quite a bit of air myself...so I can relate. For a lil guy, I got some lungs. :) What comes out doesn't sound too good for me, but I got lungs! LOL! What are you using as a mic pre and what is your final input these days? Meaning, what do you record vocals at as far as your mic input signal goes? We gotta get you singing closer to that mic if in fact your room is giving you issues. At 2 ft away, you'll definitely have problems. I wonder if your mic pre is working right? This is definitely strange for sure.
 
-Danny