Condenser Mic Recommendations for Guitar / Voice

[penguinpajamas]

Hey guys! So I'm looking into buying a new condenser mic for recording and I was hoping to get some recommendations. I'm primarily going to be recording guitar and vocals and occasionally some other sounds from various different instruments. Are there any good condenser mics that anyone can recommend that play to those areas well? I'm aiming for around a $200 budget.

Thanks,
Charlie

[19oclock]

A couple of years ago I purchased a Rode NT1-A from Zzounds. Comes in at $230 but you can probably shop around for a better deal. I primarily perform guitar and voice and this has been a great microphone. To be fair: it is my first proper condenser mic, but I absolutely love it.

[Martin Gifford]

Are you including costs like cable and pop filter? The Rode also comes in kit form, and it's around $269 Australian dollars ($195 US):

http://www.turramusic.com.au/pages/Cata ... x?CIID=134

I have no knowledge of it.

If anyone reading this thread wants to go much cheaper, the Audio Technica AT2020 at around $130 (Australian dollars) is commonly recommended on the net as the best bargain. It's has a bland clear sound, whereas something like a Samson at around $180 adds some bright colour to the vocal.

But I'm no expert.

[Tarekith]

I'm a big fan of Rode mics, great value for the money IMO.

[Richie Witch]

Another vote here for the Rode NT!-A. I have one in my collection and I've used it for acoustic guitar and male vocals. In this price range, it's a great mic for both those purposes.

[mmorgan]

Agree on the Rode NT1-A. Great value with the package (pop filter, iso cage). It is a versatile mic.

[penguinpajamas]

So until now I've been using the Audio-Technica AT2020, an entry-level condenser mic and I'm not entirely satisfied with the sound from it. Does anyone know if the difference between this and the Rode NT1-A would be enough to justify the buy?

[Martin Gifford]

Type "AT2020 vs NT1-A" in google, and there are lots of discussions and comparisons. AT3035 seems to be another popular one around those prices.

[Richie Witch]

So until now I've been using the Audio-Technica AT2020, an entry-level condenser mic and I'm not entirely satisfied with the sound from it. Does anyone know if the difference between this and the Rode NT1-A would be enough to justify the buy?

If that's the case, I would save a little more money and start watching eBay for a Blue Baby Bottle. You can get it as a set with a wooden box, a really nice shock mount, and a metal pop filter for right about $300.

Since I have both the NT1-A and the Baby Bottle, I can tell you the sound is worlds apart. I've done side-by-side comparisons of them and have found it to be an excellent vocal mic, especially for male vocals. And it sounds really sweet on acoustic guitar too.

[SLEEarts]

Rode NT-1A is a solid choice for sure, but have you considered a ribbon mic? I loooooovvvvveee ribbons on almost everything.

[madlab]

Ribbon mics are much more expensive and may no be the most versatile for different kinds of voices for example. You should have a look at the SE 2200 or 2200a by Studio Electronics. To me it's much better than the Rode.

[yup yup]

Rode NT3.

[Richie Witch]

Rode NT-1A is a solid choice for sure, but have you considered a ribbon mic? I loooooovvvvveee ribbons on almost everything.

I understand the attraction of ribbon mics, but in this price range, I can't think of anything with more than passable sound quality. I have an MXL R144 (~$100), and while it's an adequate "side" mic for mid/side recording configurations, I wouldn't use it as the main mic on much of anything. The NT1-A definitely sounds better than the R144 on vocals, at least from my tests.

I think a good ribbon mic is going to cost at least $400. Then there is the additional cost of the extra preamp you need to boost the level 40-50 dB just to reach normal condenser mic levels.

[owlmerlyn]

Rode NT-1A is a solid choice for sure, but have you considered a ribbon mic? I loooooovvvvveee ribbons on almost everything.

Sorry for thread-jacking... but what (ribbons do you recommend?

[jlgrimes]

I have an Audio Technica 2020 and it is one of my most used microphones (and I have a couple of expensive ones).


I think one review said that it could be a noisy mic but I haven't experienced that.

It has a high freq boost and a low end dip somewhat so it is probably not the best choice for sibilant voices but most of my clients like its bright sound.