# Low-end mics you really like/use(d)?



## bill5 (May 30, 2019)

We can toss the low-hanging fruit of SM57s and 58s out there, undoubtedly they're a given for many.....what else?

I have to start with a shout out for isK, who make some great mics VERY inexpensively. Their "Beauty" SDC and dymanics are crazy cheap and really good.

I'm a fan of Senns, esp the 835 and 935 dynamics. sE also makes some great lower-end mics, like the X1A condenser.

I have heard good things about some MXLs, like the 67G and the cheaper ribbons, but haven't used.

You?

EDIT: for the sake of argument and to get us on the same sheet of paper, assume $200 on down.


----------



## MatFluor (May 30, 2019)

I'll put my freshly arrived Røde NT2-A in the ring.

Switchable pattern (cardoid, 8, Omni), nice spider (suspension thingie), very nice sound for that price as well. Got it specifically for quick recordings and M/S.


----------



## Henu (May 30, 2019)

T-Bone RB 500.

Excellent choice for drum room mics or even more softer overheads (think very smooth jazz/ lounge). For everything I want to mellow out a bit, it's my secret weapon.


----------



## Vardaro (May 31, 2019)

AT 2020?


----------



## wst3 (May 31, 2019)

define low-end?

Personally I've had zero good experiences with MXL. But that is me. And even at that they are not my least favorites, I have (cause no one wants it) an AKG C3000 that is just plain awful. It was given to me, now I know why<G>.

My favorite inexpensive microphone is a Teac (not Tascam) PE-120, which I picked up years ago.

Beyond that I have chosen, for some time now, to save my pennies and get things I really want, and things I know will still be working 40 years from now. I don't think that will be true of the current crop of low end anything. My AKG C-60s and C12A are still going strong, and I have no idea even how old they are<G>!


----------



## bill5 (May 31, 2019)

Henu said:


> T-Bone RB 500.
> 
> Excellent choice for drum room mics or even more softer overheads (think very smooth jazz/ lounge). For everything I want to mellow out a bit, it's my secret weapon.


Wow that is quite low end for a ribbon. Ever use for vocals?


----------



## dzilizzi (May 31, 2019)

My first condenser mic was an AT 2025. I still use it. However, I picked up a couple MXLs on sale for about $100 each. They weren't bad. Not as good as my AT, but close.


----------



## Henu (May 31, 2019)

bill5 said:


> Wow that is quite low end for a ribbon. Ever use for vocals?



Yep, but only backing ones. It's really...ehm, "vintage"- sounding.  Not sure if I'd put that on the main vox, but I like what it does to things which I want to put more background.


----------



## bill5 (May 31, 2019)

Henu said:


> Yep, but only backing ones. It's really...ehm, "vintage"- sounding.


That seems to describe most ribbons to me.  Can you be more specific?


----------



## Henu (May 31, 2019)

Well, it's rather dark and there is some harmonic distortion vibe in the sound which can or can not be a good thing, as it has a bit cheap tone in it. Nevertheless, it's very good bang for your buck if you ask me with that price!


----------



## dasbin (May 31, 2019)

Line Audio CM3.

About the closest thing to a Schoeps MK21 you can get for less than a Schoeps... and it's a LOT less.

Get a pair of them in stereo ORTF or NOS and you're set for recording acoustic soloists, quartets, or chamber groups in any decently-nice sounding space.


----------



## Gerhard Westphalen (May 31, 2019)

I haven't heard any MXL, Apex, or Behringer ones I've liked. C3000b also wasn't great. I had a pair of AT2035 which were quite nice.


----------



## Nick Batzdorf (May 31, 2019)

Oktava MK012. But you have to get lucky, as I did with my pair.


----------



## pkm (May 31, 2019)

dasbin said:


> Line Audio CM3.
> 
> About the closest thing to a Schoeps MK21 you can get for less than a Schoeps... and it's a LOT less.
> 
> Get a pair of them in stereo ORTF or NOS and you're set for recording acoustic soloists, quartets, or chamber groups in any decently-nice sounding space.



I use one of these a lot for guitar, violin, even upright bass sometimes and it is real good.


----------



## WindcryMusic (May 31, 2019)

MatFluor said:


> I'll put my freshly arrived Røde NT2-A in the ring.
> 
> Switchable pattern (cardoid, 8, Omni), nice spider (suspension thingie), very nice sound for that price as well. Got it specifically for quick recordings and M/S.



I concur. I've got one as well ... I got it with the idea of just using it for quick little voiceover recordings and such, but it also turned out to be the best mic I own for use in recording Irish whistles, for example.

I'd also suggest the sE8 SDCs ... I recently got a brand new, matched stereo pair of them for acoustic guitar recordings, and they sound fantastic to me. I don't know if they are quite as cheap as what the OP was requesting, but the matched pair cost me $400 on sale (typically priced at $500), which I thought was a very nice price for mics that are oft compared to the Neumann SDCs.


----------



## Nick Batzdorf (May 31, 2019)

I was thinking SM57- or SM58-range low-end.

After all these years, I figured the Oktavas had to be really cheap by now. Nope! They're $400 each!

And when I saw that I had to check the Audio-Technica AT4050. Surely it's cheap?

No, it's now $700!

The moral of the story is that mics are a good investment - or they would be if you didn't keep and use them.


----------



## Saxer (May 31, 2019)

iPhone. Some vocals made it into production (a line of missing lyrics was mailed to me from a singer). Not easy to EQ because nothing happens if you rise high frequencies. But with exiter it worked somehow. Nobody noticed it in the (dense) mix beside the U67.


----------



## bill5 (May 31, 2019)

Nick Batzdorf said:


> I was thinking SM57- or SM58-range low-end.
> 
> After all these years, I figured the Oktavas had to be really cheap by now. Nope! They're $400 each!


I was gonna say lol


----------



## Nick Batzdorf (May 31, 2019)

Saxer said:


> iPhone. Some vocals made it into production (a line of missing lyrics was mailed to me from a singer). Not easy to EQ because nothing happens if you rise high frequencies. But with exiter it worked somehow. Nobody noticed it in the (dense) mix beside the U67.



The iPhone mic does suck, however.

That's why God created the Blue Mikey Digital. It's perfect for interviews - narrow stereo that's just a little more than mono, and a great automatic level control (I would never use one of those, but they got this one right).

And I see it's no longer available, at least not for a serious price. Maybe the IK iRig is a good substitute.


----------



## jneebz (May 31, 2019)

MatFluor said:


> I'll put my freshly arrived Røde NT2-A in the ring.
> 
> Switchable pattern (cardoid, 8, Omni), nice spider (suspension thingie), very nice sound for that price as well. Got it specifically for quick recordings and M/S.


My NT-1A is a total workhorse....great choice


----------



## Rilla (May 31, 2019)

Oktava MK-319


----------



## bill5 (Jun 1, 2019)

MatFluor said:


> I'll put my freshly arrived Røde NT2-A in the ring.
> 
> Switchable pattern (cardoid, 8, Omni), nice spider (suspension thingie), very nice sound for that price as well.


At about $400 I wouldn't call that low end though; I was thinking (ballpark) $100ish give or take on down


----------



## bill5 (Jun 1, 2019)

Rilla said:


> Oktava MK-319


About $500. I wish I had the kind of budget you people do to call that "low end"


----------



## LinusW (Jun 1, 2019)

Røde M3, Line Audio CM3, Beyerdynamic MCE 530, Studio Projects B1, Lewitt MTP550, Røde NT1-A...


----------



## Leon Portelance (Jun 1, 2019)

AKG CS 1000, I have 2 of them.


----------



## Ashermusic (Jun 1, 2019)

Studio Projects C3 for female vocalists, and the even less expensive B3 for males.


----------



## Saxer (Jun 2, 2019)

bill5 said:


> About $500. I wish I had the kind of budget you people do to call that "low end"


Actually those are the cheapest things because you can use it all your life. Ten to thirty times longer than your computer, your car, your software, your phone.


----------



## markleake (Jun 2, 2019)

Behringer C-2 pencil pair. Great little units... until your cat knocks over the mic stand. Lucky they're only $89 aussie.


----------



## bill5 (Jun 2, 2019)

Saxer said:


> Actually those are the cheapest things because you can use it all your life. Ten to thirty times longer than your computer, your car, your software, your phone.


Even if those examples were relevant, your math needs work.  Relevant would be comparing the shelf life of cheaper mics. I have an SM58 which is 10 yrs old now. Even if it died tomorrow, you're saying the mic you posted will last 100-300 yrs? I'm a bit skeptical....(and also irrelevant as I'll be long gone)


----------



## FrontierSoundFX (Jun 2, 2019)

MatFluor said:


> I'll put my freshly arrived Røde NT2-A in the ring.
> 
> Switchable pattern (cardoid, 8, Omni), nice spider (suspension thingie), very nice sound for that price as well. Got it specifically for quick recordings and M/S.



I have two rode mics, large diaphragm and a shotgun. They are probably my favorite manufacturer for lower priced mics.

Anyone ever buy any of those mics off monoprice? I’ve always been afraid, lol.


----------



## Saxer (Jun 3, 2019)

bill5 said:


> Even if those examples were relevant, your math needs work.  Relevant would be comparing the shelf life of cheaper mics. I have an SM58 which is 10 yrs old now. Even if it died tomorrow, you're saying the mic you posted will last 100-300 yrs? I'm a bit skeptical....(and also irrelevant as I'll be long gone)


An SM58 is for lifetime too. It's cheap but good. But how many cars or phones or computer? I'm at around 8 or 10 each... and I hope for some lifetime to go...
Things you buy once in life and use all the time are the best bang for the buck. Even when they cost a lot.


----------



## bill5 (Jun 3, 2019)

Saxer said:


> An SM58 is for lifetime too. It's cheap but good. But how many cars or phones or computer?


And, again, that is irrelevant.


----------



## R. Soul (Jun 4, 2019)

Slate ML2 - probably the most versatile sub $200 mic out there.


----------



## MatFluor (Jun 4, 2019)

R. Soul said:


> Slate ML2 - probably the most versatile sub $200 mic out there.



Side note on that - if you want to use the Virtual mic emulations with the software, you need an iLok USB key if I'm not mistaken (which is why I didn't get one). How about the sound without emulation?


----------



## R. Soul (Jun 4, 2019)

MatFluor said:


> Side note on that - if you want to use the Virtual mic emulations with the software, you need an iLok USB key if I'm not mistaken (which is why I didn't get one). How about the sound without emulation?


I don't actually have one, but I've heard it's a good mic, even without the emulations. 
There's very few reviews out there. I think it's due to them having huge problems with deliveries - it was out of stock everywhere for months, and the initial run had some QC issues, which I believe have been rectified now.


----------



## Guffy (Jun 4, 2019)

I like my Aston Stealth


----------



## hdsmile (Jun 4, 2019)

Schoeps cmc5/6 & mk4/8 with various capsules..., so it's a bit expensive, but it's really one of the best quality!


----------



## Henu (Jun 4, 2019)

Oh, I totally forgot the CM3's. I use them always on the overheads. They're awesome!


----------



## Saxer (Jun 4, 2019)

bill5 said:


> And, again, that is irrelevant.


Um, well... no.


----------



## Fredeke (Jun 4, 2019)

The BeyerDynamic M101 is a dynamic omni mic that sounds super smooth and natural.
It's not very sensitive, though, and has become hard to find.

Back in the 1990s it was in the same price range as an SM57 - but I don't think they sold many.


----------



## bill5 (Jun 4, 2019)

Saxer said:


> Um, well... no.


Actually, yeah, but no point going in circles. Back to low-end mics


----------



## bill5 (Jun 4, 2019)

Guffy said:


> I like my Aston Stealth


I guess this is my fault; I should have specified a monetary amount or range up front....added!  (and quoted below)



> for the sake of argument and to get us on the same sheet of paper, assume $200 on down.


----------



## bill5 (Oct 22, 2019)

bump and another thumbs up to the little-known but little engines that could isK mics. Punch way above their prices. Their newer flagship dynamic ICDM is $60 and I prefer it to the SM58 and even beloved Senn 835 (all pretty close though, all are great mics).


----------

