affordable condenser microphones

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Has anyone here had experience with these condenser mics? I'm looking for one mainly to do vocals at home, though it should be versatile too. I need the noise levels to be low, as much of the voice recordings will be used without backing tracks.

Please share your experiences if you've had one of these.

All three have 10-20db pads and high-pass. Only Samson C03 has multi-pattern.

Samaon C03
http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=1663&brandID=2
This one is available at Swee Lee. No shockmount included.
ZZsounds at USD100.

AKG Perception 200
http://www.akg-acoustics.com/site/products/powerslave,id,941,pid,941,nodeid,2,_language,EN.html
This one comes with a shockmount and classy metal carry-case.
ZZsounds at USD160.

Studio Projects B1
http://www.studioprojectsusa.com/b1.html
This one seems most favoured from internet forums and polls. Comes with shockmount and sipper-bag. But I have no idea if this is available in SG.
ZZsounds at USD120

Anyone know where to get the AKG and Studio Projects ones and their prices?

Thanks for sharing.
 
i have tried the AKG perception 200, for the price asking this piece of mic is not a impressive buy. It serve it purpose... but the colouration of the tone is not very nice and it doesn't realli capture the highs very well.... but again this is user preference....

for home recordings i would recommend you juz to get some of the famous dynamic mic... ie; shure sm58. it can keep yr noise level at bay.... coz if u r using a condenser at home... chances are u will pick up more noise... :)
 
I'm using M-audio FW410. It's got phantom power.

Went to Yamaha Music Plaza yesterday and saw AKG Perception 100 at SGD289. That works out to be USD180 - about 2 times the price at ZZsounds!

I initially wanted to get a dynamic mic so that background sounds can be minimised, but several people I spoke to all recommended I get a condenser instead for my purpose, which is to record voice, which will often be used on its own, digitally-manipulated, or with some "light" music. I suppose there's the danger of having more background sounds, but I'll try ways around that - blanket-over-the-doors-and-windows and maybe even paper-egg-container too! If all doesn't work, I'll just have to get a dynamic mic then... :)
 
i agree, sm58 will do the job for your computer at home but you do need a microphone pre-amp to boost your mic level. The other choice you can look into is Sennheiser E845S super cardioid, good pricing and better sound quality then SM58. Check it out.
 
you can work with condensers actually. sound proofing is not too difficult if you find the proper position to place your microphone.

for condensers you may wanna check out AKG C1000S ... it's a pretty impressive microphone but relatively expensive. it's multi purpose though and has an impressive sound to it.

i think for background noises ... sometimes it can't really be helped. depending on you recording situation sometimes eliminating them is difficult but you can minimize it using cardioid microphones that will help in capturing more of you frontal sound ...
 
Thanks guys...
I got myself a Samson C03, have experimented a bit...

So far, recorded mostly in cardiod pattern. The sound is clear, but seemed a little dull, so I had to boost the highs a little to get some "sparkle". I'm baritone, and noticed some tones came out very "boomy" with loud pickup. Perhaps I was too close, at about 3" away from the mic. Or perhaps it's because I wasn't paying enough attention to my mic-placement (the pickup-area seems a little sensitive, so I can't move too much). I'm temporarily using a piece of handheld-cloth as pop filter. The background sounds is not a major issue (at this point) and can easily be "masked" with a music track at low-level. A gate can also cut the low-level noises in between the phrases.

I later read somewhere that for vocalists, the distance should be approximately 6-12" away from the condenser mic. Haven't tried that yet. Now looking for a metal pop filter that can be rinsed with water. If it's too expensive (over 40), I'll probably make my own nylon filter, unless I can't find the black hoop-thing, tube and clip, then which I'll buy the nylon one.
 
if you are not have 'pop' problem, dont need to use a pop filter.

the way you sing and the distance between you and the mic will get you better result.
 
soft: I'm still experimenting with it, and at the moment, a filter is necessary. I can't afford to record too far from the mic or it'll pickup even more background noise.

blueprintstudios: is the K&M popfilter metal or nylon? I visited the K&M website and it seems to be nylon. For nylon, the highest I'll pay is $20, or I'll diy one instead. Btw, I did enquire earlier this week at bras basah, SweeLee was out of pop filters.
 
Done! My $4.70 pop filter. ($3.50 embroidery hoop+ $1.20 stockings + free old wire hanger + gf's "free" hairclip)

Okay, I'd prefer to have a more-flexible + sturdier wire that's black and a more-presentable clip. Some black paint will also be good. But it's works! :D


 
Trust me!! Don't go dynamics, you will find condensers make you sound way better and you will never turn back to dynamics.
2nd: Don't touch SM58s, unless you are a female with a pop voice
3rd: Don't touch C1000s, cause they are too expensive and not fantastic.
4th: Speak out in more detail what type of voice you have and what you want to achieve, then others can recommend better.
5th: Test out your voice on large diaphragm condensers in the shops, then find what fits your budget and the sound you are looking for. You can check out Audiotechnicas, MXL, Samsons, Akgs, Rodes etc. Too many models around, but each mic work with different voices.
 
Trust me!! Don't go dynamics, you will find condensers make you sound way better and you will never turn back to dynamics.
2nd: Don't touch SM58s, unless you are a female with a pop voice
Click to expand...

i think the many artists who have recorded with dynamics might beg to differ..SM7s (michael jackson,lamb of god, just about every band with heavy vocals nowadays) ,58/57s (deftones,pantera,much of terry date's work etc..)

its all about the right mic for the right voice and application..personally i think most condensors under a grand aren't really worth buying unless you have great pres to back them up, in which case one wouldn't be going for sub 1k mics ;)
 
i gotta agree with unsane on the dynamics ... i've heard amazing vocals recorded with .. mind you .. SM57s ... only ...

of course i'd prefer a condenser in the studio ... but like what unsane said ... without a good mic preamp ... no matter how good the condenser is ... even if i had a tube Neumann mic it'll be quite useless ... a vocal through a SM57 with a good mic preamp will sound as amazing as a condenser mic if you know how to do it ...

like they always say ... signal chain!!
 
if you have NO budget ...

AMS Neve or the Rupert Neve Portico preamps they have ... Avalon 737sp sounds amazing ... more suited for vocals but works well ... tons others also .. but stuff that i would use ... if i had the cash ..

if you are budget conscious ... Presonus Bluetube DP ... ART preamps (haven't tried them but heard great reviews of them) ...
 
+1 to Unsane on his take on dynamics.

There are advantages that dynamics have over the condensers. Sure, condensers are great cos of their wide vocal frequencies, but dynamics are rugged, don't need phantom power and are less sensitive to unwanted sounds.

Also, all that rich frequencies would come to naught if you're the type to mess with your eq alot or do a alot of editting of your recordings and mix. Compressing it to MP3 format for use in your MP3 player would mean further reduction in the quality of the frequencies as well.
 
anyway... juz to share with u guys, recently i came across a pretty cool mic after trying all kinds of mics.....

this mic that i recommend works well for VOs, vocal recordings, drum room mics, guitar amps mic.....

http://www.adkmic.com/catalog/studioseries/A-51s.php

check this one out... it comes with shock mount and everything, large diaphram condensor

for the price of a sm57..... hahaha
 
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