What's a decent enough condenser mic for home recording...?

[lolalola]

Something in the low-mid price range.... ? ie, Behringer B2 territory...

[minigoat]

I like the MXL 770. I've had it for about two years maybe and its been a good mic for me.

[agent314]

I've got an AKG Perception 200 and it's served me well for the past couple of years.

[Tarekith]

Anything Rode.

[dhilsabeck]

Audio Technica AT2020 ($100ish)-sometimes cheaper as a bundle, free headphones, etc

Sound on Sound review:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb06/a ... at2020.htm

[leedsquietman]

Rode M3. It sounds like a $500 dollar mic and is great on acoustic instruments and voice.

If you shop around you might get a Rode NT-1A which is a superb mic which sounds like a $1000 dollar mic.

The Rode NT-1A and Studio Projects C1 if you can catch them on sale are especially good condenser mics in the budget (sub $275 dollars). It's worth paying a bit extra to get these but otherwise, the other mics mentioned will do a job.

The AT2020 is a good mic for it's money. It is good for vocals especially. I just happen to personally prefer Rode.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov07/a ... rodem3.htm

[Pyro Z]

The AKG Perception series all the way, man. That's what I started out with. I still have my 200, the thing is built like a brick (not in the bad sense), and I still use it occasionally for certain things that it shines on, like acoustic guitar and male vicals. The newer 400s are even better.

[leedsquietman]

Even though I have better mics than the Rode M3 I still use it on almost every session. They make pretty decent drum overheads too.

Rode mics rule. The M3 is much better IMO than the AKG C1000 with lower noise and more sensitivity. I personally rate the NT1-A over Perception 412s etc. All subjective of course, these are all good mics. I also like the build quality of Rode and they're made in Australia as opposed to China. (no major issue as Chinese made mics tend to be fine).

The only AKG mic I really like is the 414, which is really top notch on acoustic instruments. The rest are fine but don't stand out like a beacon for me, whereas the Rode NT 1-A and M3 just kill in their price ranges for quality. The pricier Rodes have more competition because the 800 dollars to 1.5k range has many excellent products. In the next price range ($300-$600) I like ADK mics.

Then again, the only way to decide is to test them out because different mics suit different singers best. And all of us are going to recommend the mics we use as 'the best' even out of objectivity (I mean, I have used dozens of different mics as I am a former studio employee), the only recommendation worth a damn is your own personal one having tested at least a few different ones out.

[lolalola]

Rode M3. It sounds like a $500 dollar mic and is great on acoustic instruments and voice.


http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov07/a ... rodem3.htm

I'm only really concerned with vocals - so still the Rode M3 you think?

[leedsquietman]

It's good for vocals in the studio (not Live on stage vocals, but then a dynamic mic is better suited for that purpose anyway), but if you can get a Rode NT-1A on sale, that is a mic that stacks up really well against mics costing 3 or 4 times the money and being a large diaphragm mic will do slightly better on vocals.

I've used a Rode M3 on vocals many times, it's a small capsule point and shoot microphone. If your room is untreated, or not sounding very good even with some treatment, it can be an advantage to have this type of mic over a large diaphragm mic like the NT-1A, Audio Technica AT2020 or AKG Perception as it picks up less problematic early reflections etc.

If your recording room is treated and sounds OK, you will probably want to go with an NT-1A or one of the other alternatives.

A Rode M3 is a bit like a Shure SM57 - it can do almost any studio job pretty well and is durable. If you want acoustic guitar, drum overheads, vocals, for the money it does all this and more for a great price.