It's harsh in the mids, muddy in the lows and sssssibilant on the highs. In short, it's pretty much what you would expect from a mic that costs $95.

Unregistered, post: 403245 wrote: Looking for the best bang for the buck vocal microphone under $250 street price for used ones tops. Prefer closer to $200.
This is all I can afford so please just give recommendations to what I am asking. I won't save up more, I already did so, my original budget was for $100 mic, but I saved up for a $200-250 one.

I have done some research, but I am still stumped.
This will be a in-studio microphone only. Will not be taking on gigs.
Does matter to me if it's a condenser or dynamic. Polar pattern doesn't matter too much either.
My room is treated, so most mics should be fine.

I know I should go to my local store and audition them myself, but just seeking recommendations first from experienced users.

Music genre involves R&B singing and rap. Male vocalist (deeper voice, but not that deep), but would like to be good for female vocals aswell.
Would also be nice if an acoustic guitar would also sound pretty good through the mic.

I re-read this today as it came up in the recents page, and after seeing Kurts post about the AT4033, it reminded me that I have a couple in my locker. So I went out in the studio and plugged them in.Then I remembered why I bought a second one. Well done. I would have probably recommended that or perhaps a used ADK Hamburg/Vienna, or maybe a used GrooveTubes as really well built inexpensive mics that have never been tied to the proposition of being so bright it hurts your teeth simply so they sound good at the desk of Guitarget. But the Unknown Poster was looking for an argument and was probably a troll from one of those unnamed "forums" with their huge amount of professionals.

I write this slightly tongue-in-cheek but also as a thought generator for anyone cruising the net looking for something to help them in their quest. You'll probably land here eventually due to the sophistication of search machinery. Here's something for that to latch onto. Shure. Audio Technica. ADK. Groove Tubes. Condenser Microphone. Dynamic mic. Mic.

Hi,

I realize that this is an old thread but i wanted to reply anyways!

There's a nice microphone company called A.I.R. They make condenser and ribbon microphones of really good quality. I own the ''FATBOY'' model, which costs around a 100 dollars, and it sounds amazing for the price!

A company you may want to look at.

-T

Torsten...I checked out their website... it appears as though they are only available in Finland. I selected "outside of Finland" and got a redirect error. What is the equivalent U.S. Price for their Black Bullet Ribbon model?

@Torsten Borg : Amazing for the price is an expression that I don't like at all. Is it that compared to other 100$ mics it sounds better or it sound as good as 1000$ mics ? Could you be more specific? ;)

DonnyThompson, post: 419857, member: 46114 wrote: Torsten...I checked out their website... it appears as though they are only available in Finland. I selected "outside of Finland" and got a redirect error. What is the equivalent U.S. Price for their Black Bullet Ribbon model?

I sent them an email asking about the redirect error. I'll let you know what the problem is as soon as they reply.

In my local music shop the Black Bullet is a 100€, which is about a 125 US dollars.

pcrecord, post: 419859, member: 46460 wrote: @Torsten Borg : Amazing for the price is an expression that I don't like at all. Is it that compared to other 100$ mics it sounds better or it sound as good as 1000$ mics ? Could you be more specific? ;)

Obviously not like an 1000$ mic, but i would like to say with confidence that the FATBOY is indeed at the same level as 250-300$ mics!

DonnyThompson, post: 419857, member: 46114 wrote: Torsten...I checked out their website... it appears as though they are only available in Finland. I selected "outside of Finland" and got a redirect error. What is the equivalent U.S. Price for their Black Bullet Ribbon model?

Donny, i got a reply from the man in charge who said that they don't run the webshop through that site anymore. You can order the microphones from F-Musiikki. But they only ship inside the EU.

If you want it really badly you could send a personal message to me, and i could get it delivered to you personally.

-T

Thanks Torsten. I'm not ready to make any kind of move on this, but I appreciate your willingness to assist. ;)

DonnyThompson, post: 419900, member: 46114 wrote: Thanks Torsten. I'm not ready to make any kind of move on this, but I appreciate your willingness to assist. ;)

Haha, no problem ;)

DonnyThompson, post: 419857, member: 46114 wrote: Torsten...I checked out their website... it appears as though they are only available in Finland. I selected "outside of Finland" and got a redirect error. What is the equivalent U.S. Price for their Black Bullet Ribbon model?

DonnyThompson,

I got hold of 2 of the Black Bullets you were asking about. We did some mic shootouts for drums, and turns out that these Black Bullet ribbon mics are perfect as overhead mics. I recorded a guitar as well for fun just for you to check out.

The first clip is using 3 mics. I did the Glyn Johns miking with the Black Bullets, and put a D6 on the kick. The second clip is the same, i've just added a lot more microphones to the setup. The first guitar clip is just the Black Bullet on a Vox AC15 (Played with a
start), and the second is the same, i just blended an SM57 in with it. Enjoy!

Avid

The magic bullets give nice chops for a good recipe ! ;)

I'm really liking the smoothness of the ribbons on the kit. The cymbals are nice, present, but without that typical over-hyped/harsh top end that cheap condensers can so easily produce.
I would have no trouble at all using these mics as overheads.

I also really like the tone of the guitar using the BB's... but then again, I'm already a fan of using ribbons on guitar amps. ;)
It has a very warm and smooth, "classic" tone. Of course, using an AC15 probably didn't hurt, either. ;)
(It sounds like your guitar player was channeling a little Teddy Nugent there for a sec) LOL

I'd say that these mics would be a nice, affordable addition to any mic locker.

I'm going to put these on my "when I get a few extra bucks" list.

Oh... and thanks for taking the time to post these samples, Torsten. :)

ps...one more question... what pre's did you use with the BB's?

DonnyThompson, post: 420759, member: 46114 wrote: I'm really liking the smoothness of the ribbons on the kit. The cymbals are nice, present, but without that typical over-hyped/harsh top end that cheap condensers can so easily produce.
I would have no trouble at all using these mics as overheads.

I also really like the tone of the guitar using the BB's... but then again, I'm already a fan of using ribbons on guitar amps. ;)
It has a very warm and smooth, "classic" tone. Of course, using an AC15 probably didn't hurt, either. ;)
(It sounds like your guitar player was channeling a little Teddy Nugent there for a sec) LOL

I'd say that these mics would be a nice, affordable addition to any mic locker.

I'm going to put these on my "when I get a few extra bucks" list.

Oh... and thanks for taking the time to post these samples, Torsten. :)

ps...one more question... what pre's did you use with the BB's?

Yeah, i like the smoothness too, that's what caught my attention the most. I'm no fan of washy, harsh cymbal sounds at all.

Honestly, i used the built-in pre's on my Focusrite Saffire PRO 40. They're okay for being stock pre's. Not ideal for most things though (in my opinion), but we really just wanted to try out microphones this time. :)

I am actually the guitar player, haha. Just played something quick so i would get something on tape to show you :D

No problem!

Unregistered, post: 403276 wrote: Don't mean to step on any toes, but this forum is the ONLY forum that keeps on saying the SM57 and SM58 are the best under $100 or $200. Yet when I do any search on any OTHER forum, most competing microphones in it's class are almost always said to be better. Yes, yes, I know the SM57 and SM58 are in pro studios and are really great, durable and versatile, but when comparing in clarity and best sound, other microphones ARE said to be better the these. Not downing the SM57 and 58, but it's funny how most forum members here are stuck on them, yet every other forum with professionals, confidently believe most of the other mics are better.
I mean come on, I am asking for the best mic I can get and I get recommended here to the SM57 and 58 most of the time, yet every other forum says otherwise. With some research it appears the Beta 57 and 58 are essentialy upgraded from the SM, yet those don't get recommended over the SM57 and 58 here.
Again, nothing against the SM57 and 58, but it seems (at least to other forums) it is not the best choice for what I am looking for in a mic at the moment.
Thanks for all the help everyone. I appreciate it, but was hoping for more un-biased answers. Haha.
Feel free to rant.

Unregistered, post: 403276 wrote: Don't mean to step on any toes, but this forum is the ONLY forum that keeps on saying the SM57 and SM58 are the best under $100 or $200. Yet when I do any search on any OTHER forum, most competing microphones in it's class are almost always said to be better. Yes, yes, I know the SM57 and SM58 are in pro studios and are really great, durable and versatile, but when comparing in clarity and best sound, other microphones ARE said to be better the these. Not downing the SM57 and 58, but it's funny how most forum members here are stuck on them, yet every other forum with professionals, confidently believe most of the other mics are better.
I mean come on, I am asking for the best mic I can get and I get recommended here to the SM57 and 58 most of the time, yet every other forum says otherwise. With some research it appears the Beta 57 and 58 are essentialy upgraded from the SM, yet those don't get recommended over the SM57 and 58 here.
Again, nothing against the SM57 and 58, but it seems (at least to other forums) it is not the best choice for what I am looking for in a mic at the moment.
Thanks for all the help everyone. I appreciate it, but was hoping for more un-biased answers. Haha.
Feel free to rant.

Whenever I've used sm58 they've sounded muddy..even samsons were better

The trouble is your determination of the word 'best' is the problem. Does best mean most likely to get you out of trouble, or does it mean some kind of industry standard everyone can relate to, or what?

The 'best' microphones to have laying around in my mic box are clearly 57s and 58s. Are they sonically the best for their price? Probably not. Best can mean many things. Most reliable, most predictable, least likely to fail, least likely to cause issues in tonality that will leap out and bite you - all these things. Some cretin swapped one of my 57s for a Chinese copy, and I rather like it on acoustic guitars because it's much brighter. Doesn't mean it's the best.

People on here seem ok saying they like X or Y, and rarely get told they are wrong - some forums will berate you for suggesting trying model X on instrument Y, because it's 'not professional'. Very commonly I look at my mic box and have to do a matching exercise - picking out a certain mic for a certain instrument or voice, then the next - leaving me with a few odds and ends - out of which, the 57/58 is always usable. Are they the best sounding mic you can buy? Of course not, but they are a solid, reliable workhorse that whilst maybe not getting the best out of a sound source, will rarely make it sound poo! Ed Mark said he likes the sound of Samsons - that's good, then use them - it's fine, but give me a mic I have not tried before up against an SM58, with no time for a listen, or a sound check - then I'll go with the Shure, until I have a proper chance to listen. This is why they sell so well - the list of things they do badly is small.

Ed Mark, post: 422648 wrote: Whenever I've used sm58 they've sounded muddy..even samsons were better

On what? Through what pre?

Here's the thing... we're talking about mics under $250. This greatly limits your choices.

If your total mic budget for your recording rig is $250, then you are clearly a hobbyist, and not a professional.

There are members here - myself included - who have invested 10's of thousands of dollars into high end microphones - Neumann KM's, U87's and 89's, AKG C12's and 414's, Royer 121's, etc., etc., and yet, we still all have a few 57's and 58's in our mic lockers, because they do what they do very well.

57's and 58's are in every major studio in the world because they work for what the engineers need them to do... miking guitar amps, drums, and yes, even occasionally vocals...

But - you have to keep in mind that these pro studios are also using top of the line mic preamps. They aren't using Tascams, Behringers, or any of the $99 "Musician's Friend Specials"... they are using hi-end preamps made by manufacturers like Millennia, Neve, SSL, Lavry, John Hardy, API and Great River ... and 57's and 58's sound great through preamps like those.

You have the right to voice your opinion, although you'd probably be taken a bit more seriously if you'd be willing to actually join RO and debate as an actual member, instead of as a "guest".
We welcome debate, as long as it's intelligent and respectful. And, while guests are certainly allowed, there's more than just a hint of "ring and run" to your statement when you won't commit to debating as a member.

d.

Lol its gotta be a troll. the only thing that is practical that a non troll would mean probably just relates the the 57/58s proximity effect.

Ed Mark, post: 422648 wrote: Whenever I've used sm58 they've sounded muddy..even samsons were better

then you should buy a Samson mic ...... and rock on!

I'm not sure that he's trolling as we know "trolling" to be ... it's not like his post was disrespectful or offensive, he was just opinionated.

Ya can't really fault him for that. Everyone here is opinionated about certain things, to some degree. I don't think his post calls for deletion - I just think he'd get a bit more credence paid to his posts if he'd actually join, post some samples, and discuss and debate - as opposed to the guest member, one-time "ring and run" method of posting... ;)

d.

15 years ago, I was impressed about a AKG C2000b with a Peavy mixer and 5 years after that, I was all about the KSM32 with a DBX576. By then I was using a fairly good room and monitoring on Yorkville YSM1. Each step further I take in knowledge and ear training, I get to change my opinions.
In 10 years I might despite what I have now.
But some Tools will remain handy. Each time I buy a mic, I check it on numerous sources and preamps. When I buy a new preamp I check it with nearly all my mics. This is the way I get to know my gear and know how to use it properly for what it's good for.. ;)
When I comment on how something sound, I can only rely on my experiences or bet on others opinions.
I've done bad purchases but I still need to use what I've got.