Hi, looking for some recommendations for solid budget consider mics for general purpose/vocals. I liked my friends ADK A-51 Type V a lot. Really cheap microphone. I remember trying my other friends mic which was an AKG perception 100 side by side with the a51 and I remember liking the p100 because it sounded less boxy on the daw I was using.

I read jim williams of audio upgrades talk about the MCA sp-1. He mods them which makes it sound smoother and has more low end I think for around 100 bucks. I heard a sound sample of it stock and I really liked it. Liked it more than that New Neumann TLM thats like a grand

Those sell for $39.99 (+10% off if you have a BMI thingy). I ordered 2 but they havnt came it yet.

Anyone have any favs (with maybe a price or second hand price around the 100 dollar mark)?

try a Rode NT1. try and get the older ones. i bought 2 from ebay US last year for about $110 each. pretty good as drum overheads too. very quiet, just a little thin is my only waffle.

hey kprllc,


the search function on this site is useful, although flawed.


try searching "budget" and limiting the search to the tech room (pull down menu).

should get you lots of good threads.

The kings of this area are brands: AKG, Rode, Audio Technica and MXL.
If we're talking bargain basement the cheapest Rode is nearly twice the price of the cheapest one from the other brands so we can discount tht. So if you want cheapest of the cheap, but still good quality, youre gonna be looking at:
AKG P100
AT2020
MXL 2001

You can get the mxl with a small diaphragm mxl mic in a pack for $100. I've ordered this myself but it hasnt arrived yet.

Being budget mics none of these have a sensitivity of higher than 18mv but they all still get pretty good reviews sound-wise.

Speedie wrote:try a Rode NT1. try and get the older ones. i bought 2 from ebay US last year for about $110 each. pretty good as drum overheads too. very quiet, just a little thin is my only waffle.

I agree. I borrowed one to cut vocals a year or so ago and I was happy with it. If you're running a DAW, try convolving the track with a Focusrite Red 8 impulse response file to get some depth (I'm sure a real Focusrite pre might be a tad steep if we're asking about budget mics here).

Wow thanks wasnt sure anyone was going to respond. Reason I want to try out the cheaper ones is pretty obvious- cause they are cheap and wont break the bank dickin around with several of them. That mxl looks exactly like the 39.99 mca and might even be the same mic.

I tried out a P-200 before and really like it. Might try it out again today versus the MCAs that come in today.


Thats looks like a pretty need audio technica. I will have to look into that one.

AT Pro 37r and pretty good from what I hear and found I that sells them for about 100 new.


Havnt looked into the rode yet but I will check that out.


Also i there is the CAD m9. I heard Very good things about from fletcher of mercenary audio. I definitely want one of those. I think used you can get them 175

Some of the cheap mikes are the same mike. Some just use the same outside frame and the capsule or electronics might be differently designed.

The Studio Project mikes are good for inexpensive ones. The Rodes are made in Australia and are better made than a lot of the cheapest mikes. The most expensive one (not the old NT1) has a very low noise floor. Some people say the high end is too hyped. Rode mikes sell for a lot less money in the used market where I have picked them up. I had a friend who did a acostic guitar and voice album with a NTK tube mike which sounded very nice.

A studio I went to had a bunch of CAD mikes and the engineer who was very experenced liked them a lot.

weownyoursoul wrote:AT2020

yes.

voerking wrote:

weownyoursoul wrote:AT2020

yes.

The only thing I have found this mic acceptable for is clean electric guitar.

Other than that I think it is total trash.

Yeah i actually heard those at2020s were garbaged and was warned to stay away from those.

I got my MCA sp1s in yesterday. 39.99 plus shipping. I ordered 2. They are so dirt cheap. Pretty funny-they even came in blister packs!


Anyway I did a stereo test recording of band I know. I set the two up just as room mics. I just thru them up and didnt really position them the best. I didnt care just wanted to test them out.

They are going straight into my Tascam SX-1.

I havnt tried comparing them with my other mics yet this is my only test.

http://media.putfile.com/mca-sp1-mic-test

I dont think they are too shabby the mod you can do to them makes them sound killer tho.