Current mic is dying. Any recommendations?
Good external mics for under $65 after tax that can be found on amazon
- Thread starter Sullybash12
- Start date
- Status
PebbleHost
High performance, consistent uptime and fast support. Minecraft hosting that just works.
Being a full time live sound guy, I can't possibly recommend anything in that price range.
You're not gonna get a clean, accurate, high quality mic AND an audio interface (whether integrated into the mic or not) at that price point.
If you're only looking for a mic just to chat with friends or whatever, save your money, get a headset or something.
If on the other hand you're looking to buy something that will work as a professional piece of gear, be high-quality, have a decent resale value and last for years to come, I recommend:
[ Out of budget recommendations ahead! :rofl: ]
Instead of an audio interface, a small console with a USB interface built in. This will make things much easier as it's going to allow you to EQ and volume-adjust your mic to taste on the fly without the need for post processing. One such console is the Behringer Xenyx Q502USB. It's tiny, it's got a built in 1-knob compressor, and it's cheap for what it is. It won't sound like a DiGiCo SD5 but it's about one or two thousand times cheaper - It certainly doesn't sound a thousand times worse.
You're then gonna need a mic to pair with it; There's dynamic mics and condenser mics.
Dynamic mics will usually give you a deeper bass response, sometimes almost muddy, with reduced fidelity in the mids and highs. That being said, they'll pick up much less room reverb and background noise than a typical condenser as they're more directive and less sensitive. The Shure SM7B and EV RE20 are the two most popular Broadcast radio mics and they're both dynamic.
The Shure SM58 is arguably the world's most popular mic. It shares a similar capsule to the SM7B and is much cheaper - You really can't go wrong with it. A cheaper choice that IMHO sounds a bit better is the AKG D5.
A decent condenser will usually sound a LOT cleaner, with a more extended frequency response as long as your room is free of standing waves or other acoustical problems - Which for most household spaces is not the case. Large diaphragm condensers are being used to record vocals in studios 99% of the time.
The Rode NT1A is a pretty popular starter mic (In fact I think I read somewhere that Billie Eilish recorded her latest album in her bedroom with one of those, but I could be wrong), but I much prefer the AKG P220 or Aston Origin in that budget.
Very cheap condensers almost always have weird resonances in their high frequency response making them unusable. I wouldn't recommend anything cheaper than those with the exception of the Audio Technica AT2020 which is a lovely mic for the price.
Again, it's no Telefunken ELAM 251 but you're no Adele either
You're obviously gonna need a stand and an XLR cable with either choice - I'd recommend a pop filter too, ESPECIALLY for a condenser mic.
TL;DR: Get a cheap headset or buy a pro piece of gear for more than what a headset costs.
You're not gonna get a clean, accurate, high quality mic AND an audio interface (whether integrated into the mic or not) at that price point.
If you're only looking for a mic just to chat with friends or whatever, save your money, get a headset or something.
If on the other hand you're looking to buy something that will work as a professional piece of gear, be high-quality, have a decent resale value and last for years to come, I recommend:
[ Out of budget recommendations ahead! :rofl: ]
Instead of an audio interface, a small console with a USB interface built in. This will make things much easier as it's going to allow you to EQ and volume-adjust your mic to taste on the fly without the need for post processing. One such console is the Behringer Xenyx Q502USB. It's tiny, it's got a built in 1-knob compressor, and it's cheap for what it is. It won't sound like a DiGiCo SD5 but it's about one or two thousand times cheaper - It certainly doesn't sound a thousand times worse.
You're then gonna need a mic to pair with it; There's dynamic mics and condenser mics.
Dynamic mics will usually give you a deeper bass response, sometimes almost muddy, with reduced fidelity in the mids and highs. That being said, they'll pick up much less room reverb and background noise than a typical condenser as they're more directive and less sensitive. The Shure SM7B and EV RE20 are the two most popular Broadcast radio mics and they're both dynamic.
The Shure SM58 is arguably the world's most popular mic. It shares a similar capsule to the SM7B and is much cheaper - You really can't go wrong with it. A cheaper choice that IMHO sounds a bit better is the AKG D5.
A decent condenser will usually sound a LOT cleaner, with a more extended frequency response as long as your room is free of standing waves or other acoustical problems - Which for most household spaces is not the case. Large diaphragm condensers are being used to record vocals in studios 99% of the time.
The Rode NT1A is a pretty popular starter mic (In fact I think I read somewhere that Billie Eilish recorded her latest album in her bedroom with one of those, but I could be wrong), but I much prefer the AKG P220 or Aston Origin in that budget.
Very cheap condensers almost always have weird resonances in their high frequency response making them unusable. I wouldn't recommend anything cheaper than those with the exception of the Audio Technica AT2020 which is a lovely mic for the price.
Again, it's no Telefunken ELAM 251 but you're no Adele either
You're obviously gonna need a stand and an XLR cable with either choice - I'd recommend a pop filter too, ESPECIALLY for a condenser mic.
TL;DR: Get a cheap headset or buy a pro piece of gear for more than what a headset costs.
Last edited:
- Status
