For acoustic guitar and vocals I don't know if it gets much better than an AT3035 for $200.

The the AT4040 for $300.

There's practically no self-noise to speak of and the response is smooth, even, tight, and accurate for both models.

So for $300, you would go hands-down with the AT4040 over the KSM27 or an NT1000?

For $300 I would give the ADK Vienna and Hamburg mics a serious listen as well

Those are 4 excellent mics and architect is right...the ADK deserves a listen.

If you can, you actually want to hear all of them.

Once in a while you can also score a used Beyer M260 for $300 on ebay or a quality used gear shop online.

you can find the studio projects c3 online for $270. I would highly recommend it for that price range.

i find it a bit bright on acoustic guitar, but with the right preamps it might sound lovely.

steve

Another vote for the AT4040. It's pretty transparent so you can use it on a lot of sources in a mix without everything sounding the same.

Wes

this is going to sound ridiculous, but...

will they let me listen to different mics at music stores? i've never had to shop for condensers before, and i asked around and sort of got the idea that as long as i stick between $2-300, i should be ok no matter what. i just assumed i'd buy it online, but are there any store in particular you would recommend that would let me test condensers out?

i guess i'm between that AT4040 and KSM27...and maybe the ADK vienna?

i found the vienna for $250 on craigslist:
http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/msg/106090728.html

hmm..

Depends on the store. In my case I was able to borrow mics on an overnight basis because of my longevity as a customer and honestly, the amount of coin I have dropped in that store.

Stores want to sell you something and will try to accomodate you where they can. This may mean hearing the mics through PA gear which probably won't be very informative. Many stores rent gear though so you may be able to rent one for a night to test it out.

There are differences between the mics you are looking at and you should test them out if you can. But, they are pretty much proven commodities and are pretty much on par with each other in my opinion so whatever you choose its a pretty safe bet you have neither left something on the table or gotten screwed.

hi

At4040. Pretty good microphone for as low as U$299 at Mannys. I bought mine at their NY store.
C3000Bs, C2000Bs and MXL V69 ( also own them) are not close.

Two so far unmentioned alternatives:

For a condenser, the AT 4033. Finding one in your price range isn't impossible. Check eBay. I got one of mine on there.

Another possibility: does it *have* to be a condenser? Check eBay for a Shure SM7 if you want a good vocal mic. I prefer a condenser on acoustic guitar, but on vocals, I often prefer the SM7. Jeff Tweedy, Michael Jackson, etc, all use it or have used it. Last night on CMT I saw footage of Waylon Jennings singing on one for a Highwaymen project shortly before his death.

It's not super cheap, either, but keep an eye out and you can get a deal.

Anyway, just my two sense...since...cents...

condenser mic

I recommend the luna, the only bad thing is the shockmount is well repairable, I have personnally found this out a few times. The mic sounds great, I liked it enough to buy two and I use them for stereo recordings, they work awesome together as a coincidental pair.

L8'r

"All The Above" will work frankly. I however chose all Rode's for my closet. I use a NT1-A for female vocals, and bounce between the NT2-A and NT2000 for male vocals and acoustic guitar (Martin). I find that placement is easy and the results are undeniably superb. The main advantage for any Rode is their uncanny low self noise (about the lowest in the industry regardless of price). This really helps pick up the nuances and subtleties of the acoustic instrument while adding NO noise of it's own. They are nice and even in their frequency output with just the slightest bump where you want it (the upper mids). I really don't think they can be beat.