Male Vocal Mic Recs - Sample Included (~$500 Budget)

[gitaanshahluwalia]

Hi all! I'm looking to expand my studio setup and would love to get your recommendations for a LDC mic (for <$500). I've had my Shure SM57 for 9 years, and it has been solid on a variety of sources. I'm now looking for my second workhorse mic that will be my go-to for vocals. Most of the high-end well-regarded vocal mics have a warmer character to them so leaning in that direction might be a good idea. Multiple polar patterns, HPF, pad options are definitely a plus!



To give you a better idea of my voice, I've included a YT link to a 30-second unprocessed vocal sample recorded with my SM57 (I tried to cover different ranges and singing techniques in this silly little song) - Link to vocal sample

Based on my voice and budget, what LDC mics would you recommend I look into? I'm open to all suggestions and would appreciate any insights you can share.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Aled Hughes]

The Austrian Audio OC818 is a good mic. The cardioid-only OC18 apparently sounds the same, and is around your budget (maybe just a bit over)

The OC16 is cheaper still and uses the same capsule, but I haven’t tried that one.

[Drew Stephenson]

Tomás Mulcahy of this forum tipped me off about the Audio Technica AT4033a. It doesn't give you the multi-pattern options but it does do a good job on my voice I think. Definitely worth auditioning in your budget.

[yeroc]

UT Twin87 should fit the bill quite nicely for you!

I have one as well, great workhorse, nice value.

[James Perrett]

Tomás Mulcahy of this forum tipped me off about the Audio Technica AT4033a.

There's also the AT4050 with multiple patterns but the one I have here sounds a bit too dark for most things - although it may have been modded by SimonZ.

[ghellquist]

My two cents here.

First, let me start by saying that you will almost never use anything else than the cardoid setting. I mean, I have seen ( heard? ) other patterns but maybe once every 5 years or so.

Secondly, when you go for a LDC condenser microphone the room will make a lot more difference as compared to the dynamic you use now. Just be warned, you might not like the result.

Thirdly, if for some reason the mic you get does not work for you, it is good if you can sell it on without too much loss. This points to two things: buy known brands and types which can be resold and if possible buy used.

Fourth, the difference is smaller than the manufacturers wants us to believe. Most any microphone when positioned well will sound very similar to other microphones. There will be subtle differences, but much smaller that most of us expect. As example I set up the following mics and it actually can be difficult to hear the difference when you use a touch of EQ: Electro Voice RE20, Neumann U87Ai, Sennheiser MKH416 (I have used all of them and more). Wildly different mic technology and wildly different behaviors depending on the room, but the actual sound can in the end be extremely similar.

So my suggestion is, get a well-known brand and if possible buy used. My suggestion is the Rode Nt1 signature edition (the current one) in black. It includes a shock mount which is a good thing. Thomann should sell it at less than 150 pounds.

Well, my two cents.

[Aled Hughes]

My two cents here.

First, let me start by saying that you will almost never use anything else than the cardoid setting. I mean, I have seen ( heard? ) other patterns but maybe once every 5 years or so.

Secondly, when you go for a LDC condenser microphone the room will make a lot more difference as compared to the dynamic you use now. Just be warned, you might not like the result.

I disagree with your first two points. I find the most useful patterns by far to be figure-8 and omni- figure 8 when I need rejection, and omni when I don’t! That said, cardioid on a lead vocal is a bit of a standard, and can be useful, and is perhaps the best option in a poor room if you can’t screen off the rear of a fig 8. However, don’t ignore the other patterns!

Second, a condenser or dynamic don’t have distinct abilities to differentiate between wanted and unwanted sound- that’s down tonthe polar patterns and how close you work the mic.

[Wonks]

Though a cardioid pattern on a LDC will almost certainly be a little bit ‘wider’ than on a dynamic mic like an SM57 and SM58.

Also you’ll typically use an LDC at a greater distance than with a stage dynamic, so again, a bit more room sound creeping in. Which could be good, could be bad, could be neutral.

[Drew Stephenson]

I use Omni patterns frequently, especially if it's on an acoustic instrument or exposed voice.

[ghellquist]

Based on my voice and budget, what LDC mics would you recommend I look into? I'm open to all suggestions and would appreciate any insights you can share.

Thanks in advance for your help!

It would be interesting to hear what you ended up getting? And what you have learned / experienced from using the mic? If you happened to get a mic with switchable patterns (cardoid, omni, figure-8) -- how often have you used other than cardoid?

[gitaanshahluwalia]

Hi! I appreciate all the responses here. I’ve put the purchase on hold. My 57 is working fine for my purposes right now. That being said, I might get the AKG C414 XLS for around $700.

[ghellquist]

Thank you for sharing. Always interesting to hear from users.
/Gunnar

PS: I´ve never used the AKG C414XLS so I cannot say anything from personal experience. People whose ears I trust do use it so you should be good.

[Dave Rowles]

Nothing wrong with a good old C414. I'd throw the modelling mics into the mix as well. I've got the Slate one and love the flexibility it offers.

[Tomás Mulcahy]

My two cents here.

First, let me start by saying that you will almost never use anything else than the cardoid setting. I mean, I have seen ( heard? ) other patterns but maybe once every 5 years or so.

Secondly, when you go for a LDC condenser microphone the room will make a lot more difference as compared to the dynamic you use now. Just be warned, you might not like the result.

Thirdly, if for some reason the mic you get does not work for you, it is good if you can sell it on without too much loss. This points to two things: buy known brands and types which can be resold and if possible buy used.

Fourth, the difference is smaller than the manufacturers wants us to believe. Most any microphone when positioned well will sound very similar to other microphones. There will be subtle differences, but much smaller that most of us expect. As example I set up the following mics and it actually can be difficult to hear the difference when you use a touch of EQ: Electro Voice RE20, Neumann U87Ai, Sennheiser MKH416 (I have used all of them and more). Wildly different mic technology and wildly different behaviors depending on the room, but the actual sound can in the end be extremely similar.

So my suggestion is, get a well-known brand and if possible buy used. My suggestion is the Rode Nt1 signature edition (the current one) in black. It includes a shock mount which is a good thing. Thomann should sell it at less than 150 pounds.

Well, my two cents.

Agree 100% that the differences are exaggerated- one simply needs a good mic. Everything you mention there is a keeper except for one. The Rode NT1 is ok but it is not in the same league as the others and is well below the OP’s budget- for a reason. I’ve been using it recently because the singer owns one. It’s nothing to write home about, the AT2020 is slightly better. AT4033a is better again, the used price on those is closer to budget. It’s more flattering for voice and sounds smoother. And I’ve always found the Rode treble boost a bit sibilant personally.

C414 is a fine mic obviously but IMO the 4033a is a bit nicer, it makes the 414 sound relatively metallic. I would not say no to either mic though. Both sound “expensive”

EV RE20 is classy for voice and the Beyerdynamic M88 and M201 are similarly classy, all slightly preferable to the more hip SM7B IMHO.

[Sam Inglis]

The Austrian Audio OC818 is a good mic. The cardioid-only OC18 apparently sounds the same, and is around your budget (maybe just a bit over)

The OC16 is cheaper still and uses the same capsule, but I haven’t tried that one.

I haven't directly compared them but I am pretty sure the OC16 is voiced brighter than the 18 and the 818. It's definitely at the bright end of the spectrum, anyway.

[Sam Inglis]

In this price bracket I'd probably rather have a good fixed-cardioid mic than a mediocre multi-pattern model, especially if it's for vocals and nothing else. The 5th gen Rode NT1 is an excellent mic and superb value. I was also very impressed with the Sony C80. The Earthworks ETHOS is another mic that gets a lot of use around here.

[Arpangel]

As always, a U87, or a TLM103 are my recommendations for trouble free no worries vocals, but theses are out of your budget, so it's a Rode NT1, nothing major wrong with it, will "do the job" a friend just bought one and he’s using it without any issues.
But why insist on a large diaphragm? I record vocals regularly with a Beyer M201, as long as you use a wind/pop-shield it gives very good results and suits a wide variety of voices, plus, it’s great on a lot of different types of instruments, especially percussion.
But, you could get a Behringer XM8500 and put the rest of your budget back in the bank, and still be happy, in a blind challenge this mic would give people more than a few surprises.

[Drew Stephenson]

I record vocals regularly with a Beyer M201,

I'm generally of the opinion that you can record pretty much anything with a M201 and it'll sound good.
And they're so solidly built you could use them as a defensive weapon should you ever need to!

[Wonks]

I record vocals regularly with a Beyer M201,

I'm generally of the opinion that you can record pretty much anything with a M201 and it'll sound good.
And they're so solidly built you could use them as a defensive weapon should you ever need to!

Not if your opponent was armed with a C1000!

[James Perrett]

Recently I put up my Line Audio CM3 SDC in a mic test. It fared better than any of the similarly priced LDCs that I tried and gave a very usable sound that would be receptive to eq.

I'm always worried when I see the NT1 recommended. The one that I tried was worse than a C1000. Now I understand that the modern ones are different to the old ones, but why use the same model number as a product that was pretty bad?

And while an M201 might be rugged in the right hands, I've found a couple of broken ones in SimonZ's collection which proves that they're not indestructible.

[Sam Inglis]

I too have come across numerous broken M201s. They are good mics but surprisingly fragile.

I don't know why Rode chose to maintain the NT1 product name for the current version, because it is a very different and much better sounding mic than some of the earlier iterations. I recently mixed an album where the singer had tracked his vocals at home on an early NT1, and eventually reached the point of posting him an SM7 so he could do them again!

[Sam Spoons]

I found an early/original NT1 (the one with the grey painted body) in a Cash Convertors for £30 last year, I haven't really tested it properly but on an initial, brief 'live speech into headphones' I thought it sounded very good indeed.

[Drew Stephenson]

And while an M201 might be rugged in the right hands, I've found a couple of broken ones in SimonZ's collection which proves that they're not indestructible.

I too have come across numerous broken M201s. They are good mics but surprisingly fragile.

Oh, I am surprised by this. I shall go back to using a C1000 for personal defence.