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Quick Hits: Budget Condenser Mics
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AUDIO TECHNICA AT2020[/caption]
Looking for a good condenser mic without breaking the bank? Check two of our quick favorites!
AUDIO TECHNICA AT2020 : Coming in at the very reasonable price of $99, the AT2020 has the earned its reputation of being one of the best “first mics” that will make a perfect addition to anyone building their first home studio on a budget. You might be thinking that for less than one hundred bucks, how good can this mic actually be? Well, compared to other similarly priced microphones, this guy pretty much blows most of them out of the water. Seeing as how Audio Technica clearly has the budget home studio market in mind, the biggest surprise with the AT2020 is just how well it handles multiple recording duties. Comparing it to the similarly priced AKG C1000s (which is a favorite of the budget mic community) when used for recording acoustic guitar, the AT2020 actually sounded much fuller and precise in capturing the instruments entire sound along with a very developed bottom end. Not only that, the AT2020 also kept the highs the highs smooth without getting too harsh which might not be great for cutting through the mix but works perfect for something such as a backing track. When tested on several different instruments such as an electric guitar or even drums toms, the AT2020 did tend to sound kind of flat with a slight rise (very slight) at the high end but all in all pretty negligible. If you’re looking for pretty versatile condenser mic at less than $100, you can’t go wrong with the AT2020 condenser!
Price: $99.00
Works best as: Moderate to great on most applications
MXL V67G
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MXL V67G Large Capsule Condenser Microphone[/caption]
The MXL-V67G sports a gold plated round grill and distinctive vintage brass body design. It was designed for vocals, so this mic will surely stand out in any crowd. The V67G sounds as golden as its looks. Its 1 gold sputtered, 6-micron diaphragm, FET preamp and transformer balanced output combine to create an open, vintage sound. The double screen, round grill, also helps to produce a smooth, even frequency response. Don't just take our word for it! Here's what one of our customers had to say:
"This mic is great for male tenor voice or recording an acoustic guitar track. It has a very warm sound to it Doesn't require much EQing for vocals, if any at all. Maybe a Hi-Pass around 100Hz or EQ to help with Dessing if you don't already have a plugin to take care of that. Anyway, it's definitely a mic you should check out." - Chen
Price: $119.95
Works best as: Vocal condenser mic
AUDIO TECHNICA AT2020[/caption]
Looking for a good condenser mic without breaking the bank? Check two of our quick favorites!
AUDIO TECHNICA AT2020 : Coming in at the very reasonable price of $99, the AT2020 has the earned its reputation of being one of the best “first mics” that will make a perfect addition to anyone building their first home studio on a budget. You might be thinking that for less than one hundred bucks, how good can this mic actually be? Well, compared to other similarly priced microphones, this guy pretty much blows most of them out of the water. Seeing as how Audio Technica clearly has the budget home studio market in mind, the biggest surprise with the AT2020 is just how well it handles multiple recording duties. Comparing it to the similarly priced AKG C1000s (which is a favorite of the budget mic community) when used for recording acoustic guitar, the AT2020 actually sounded much fuller and precise in capturing the instruments entire sound along with a very developed bottom end. Not only that, the AT2020 also kept the highs the highs smooth without getting too harsh which might not be great for cutting through the mix but works perfect for something such as a backing track. When tested on several different instruments such as an electric guitar or even drums toms, the AT2020 did tend to sound kind of flat with a slight rise (very slight) at the high end but all in all pretty negligible. If you’re looking for pretty versatile condenser mic at less than $100, you can’t go wrong with the AT2020 condenser!
Price: $99.00
Works best as: Moderate to great on most applications
MXL V67G
[caption id="attachment_1894" align="alignright" width="300"] MXL V67G Large Capsule Condenser Microphone[/caption]
The MXL-V67G sports a gold plated round grill and distinctive vintage brass body design. It was designed for vocals, so this mic will surely stand out in any crowd. The V67G sounds as golden as its looks. Its 1 gold sputtered, 6-micron diaphragm, FET preamp and transformer balanced output combine to create an open, vintage sound. The double screen, round grill, also helps to produce a smooth, even frequency response. Don't just take our word for it! Here's what one of our customers had to say:
"This mic is great for male tenor voice or recording an acoustic guitar track. It has a very warm sound to it Doesn't require much EQing for vocals, if any at all. Maybe a Hi-Pass around 100Hz or EQ to help with Dessing if you don't already have a plugin to take care of that. Anyway, it's definitely a mic you should check out." - Chen
Price: $119.95
Works best as: Vocal condenser mic