gswitz
Are you going to use it for live performances?

Strictly studio use. SM58 works for me on the dive bar circuit. 😜

mike_mccue
How about one of these?
 

 
http://www.beesneezmicrop...rdioid-microphone.html

They want $100 to ship to the U.S. thanks anyway.

Blue Baby Bottle

KEL Audio Song Sparrow! It's marketed as a chick mic, but it really is an allrounder, so long as you don't absolutely need the spiky highs condenders in this price range are known for. Silky on acoustic guitar as well!

KEL is out of business.
 
They figured out that Chinese Contract mics are pieces of junk and so the owners have started a new business based around their intention of making their own mics at their own domestic factory.
 
"We learned a lot by initially manufacturing in China," Dueck continues, "But now we can create exactly the kind of product we want, when we want. We're a small company but now there's no more waiting in line behind the big guys manufacturing out of the same plant. To guarantee consistency, we've used Western parts as much as possible including components from Canada, Germany, Brazil and the USA. All final manufacturing is done in Winnipeg, right down to the name plates on the front of the mics."
 
 
BLUE makes some nice hi-end mics in USA, and it seems as if people bring a sense of optimism to the prospect that the cheap Chinese Contract mics BLUE also sells are somehow elevated by the relationship.  
 
Most $400 LDC mics are designed to get $400 dollars from the customer... and they sound like $150 microphones.
 
The $499 Oliver is actually designed to sound like a $1000-$2000 microphone. It's got better guts than a lot of $1300 famous maker brand mics.
 
If I was ready to buy the BeesNeez mic I linked to, I would ask them if they could back off the shipping price and see what happens. The company is very accommodating. Tell them some guy told you to tell them that this will be your first really good mic and you need a break to get over the sticker shock.  That mic is made entirely by BeesNeez, they manufacture the capsule (which sells for $345), the metal work, and as much else as possible in their own building and the quality control reflects the fact that they are a family owned business that loves making microphones, and getting great microphones into the hands of musicians.
 
 
 
 
Like I say I'd buy a pair but I already have about 3x as many mics as I have input channels... heck I may still buy a pair.
 
:-)

@McQ: Huh, I was not aware..!

I'm certainly happy with my 3 chinese-made KEL mics, and I must've tried most of the usual suspects in this price range by now. The Sparrow is real special IMO! There might be consistecy issues, I dunno. So the BeezNeez Oliver is wholly Australian-made? Interesting!

It is my impression, based on knowing a few mic importers first hand, that the best companies try their best to hide the horrors of trust and bust Chinese contract manufacturing by eating a lot of rejects that cost more money to return than to send to the trash bin. If the import company is doing a good job, they get some good mics into the hands of customers, but to do consistently so they may literally have to check each one as if they are a customer. That is a very difficult process to scale when the Q.C. only happens at the the end of the line once the product has been shipped across an ocean, and so there is a powerful diseconomy of scale factor that impacts the import companies' effective Q.C.. They have to make hard decisions like choosing to continue to sell price point stuff while building the cost of the excessive waste into the pricing structure, slacking up on Q.C., or folding and finding another pathway to great Q.C.
 
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dubdisciple
Blue Baby Bottle

Thank you. I picked one up today and I must say ........wow, it suites my voice very good. I'm happy. 😝

keneds

dubdisciple
Blue Baby Bottle

Thank you. I picked one up today and I must say ........wow, it suites my voice very good. I'm happy. 😝

Glad that worked out for you. I think they make great mics for the price.

late again... things do happen fast here!

I love the Baby Bottle, I also have a Dragonfly and need to get a second one. There are quite a few other Blue microphones I have used, and would not hesitate to buy when the time is right.

No one mentioned the Shure KSM family, the KSM-32 would have been an interesting alternative. It is a very neutral microphone, especially compared the the Baby Bottle, but sometimes that's a good place to start too.

With respect to Mike's comments - I think he has described the marketplace well. In the sub $1000 market (number purely a demarcation, I'm not sure exactly where it falls) there are a lot of not-so-great microphones, unfortunately. Some sound bad the day you buy them, some age poorly. But there are exceptions to the rule, the thing is you need to find a way to audition them to at least rule out the first group, and then you need folks you trust to rule out the second<G>!

My LDC collection is modest, and it was built over quite a few years, and most of them were purchased used. The thing about used microphones is they are a gamble if you do not know their history. AND, sadly, good microphones hold their value - you are not going to get a $1500 microphone for $500 on the used market unless you get very lucky. BUT, a $1500 microphone that you buy for $1000 has probably been well cared for, and will last as long as you choose.

One company that flies under the radar is Michael Joly. He makes his own microphones, but he also modifies inexpensive microphones, sometimes to the extent of replacing even the capsule. His MJE-384K is at the top of my list. He provides WAV file demos, which I find quite useful. I've seen what he does to the Oktava microphones he modifies, and he offers return privileges.

You can't go wrong with the Baby Bottle, I know you are going to have a lot of fun with it... so go make some music now!