# Budget Microphones



## NormkbPlayer (Mar 12, 2020)

Behringer C1 Vs Samson C01 ..

Which one should I get. ???


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## bill5 (Mar 12, 2020)

Frankly I doubt you'll find many if any who have used both of those enough to give a qualified opinion...and suspect it's a coin flip. I would guess the Behringer but that's all it is, a guess.


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## storyteller (Mar 12, 2020)

If it is for vocals, you’re better off with an SM57 coupled With the A81WS windscreen for a similar price. It will be very similar to an SM7b sound for 25% of the SM7b price. It will also serve you really well for voice overs and dialogue.

Of course, budget not being an issue, I’d jump to a Manley reference cardioid...

*EDIT: *You’ll need an SM57 for guitar amps anyway. And, it does a descent job with miking acoustic guitars and percussion like congas, snares, bongos, etc.


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## Quasar (Mar 12, 2020)

storyteller said:


> If it is for vocals, you’re better off with an SM57 coupled With the A81WS windscreen for a similar price. It will be very similar to an SM7b sound for 25% of the SM7b price. It will also serve you really well for voice overs and dialogue.
> 
> Of course, budget not being an issue, I’d jump to a Manley reference cardioid...
> 
> *EDIT: *You’ll need an SM57 for guitar amps anyway. And, it does a descent job with miking acoustic guitars and percussion like congas, snares, bongos, etc.



I learned this trick about the A81WS from a voiceover artist on YouTube, and it really works to add some smoothness and give your voice a more robust low end. Not that I have an SM7b (too expensive) to compare it to, but does make a for a more than passable dynamc vocal mic, and it's even better for spoken word IMHO.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Mar 12, 2020)

I agree with storyteller that you can't go wrong with an SM57 - although I prefer to use a good pop filter (or double pop filters) on mics rather than foam, because they're more transparent.

If the YouTube video I saw is the same one you did, Quasar, it was obvious immediately which mic was which. It was a French guy if I remember right? I personally would rather use EQ than muffle a mic, and I don't care about matching an SM7b - I just want a good sound! But yeah, they use the same capsule.

Now, I don't know the Samson or Behringer mics, but you can get lucky with cheap mics sometimes. The problem is that you don't know in advance.

One other thought: there's an Audix dynamic mic, I forget which model, that the founder of the company recommended for podcasts - spoken voice. (I have several very good mics, but not six of the same model, and I may need to record several people at once.)

He said it was "an SM57 on steroids," and I'm sure he was telling the truth, first because the mic would have to beat the SM57 for him to go up against it, and second because I'm friendly with him and he wouldn't bullshit me.

What I do know about that mic is that it's hypercardioid - a tighter pickup pattern - which is useful for off-axis rejection.


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