The best condenser mic for recording vocals under 1000$

ThugPoet510

New member
I've been looking to upgrade my mic, because of lack of vocal quality recording. What condenser mic would you recommend for less then a grand that you think can get a decent quality for recording vocals.

Any help would be appreciated it.

Thank you for your time.
 
why do you want a condenser so bad??

who told you that it was better than dynamic mics??

look, tons of rap records were cut with a SM58 (retail $99). you mean to tell me that you have never used one???

hell, you could get both a RE20 and a SM7b for under a grand.....

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Your not going to have great quality with a mic for a 100 dollars bro.

**** a 1000 isn't do much either, but it' should be atleast decent quality.
 
SMH@ assuming price is an indicator of quality...you can find a sh*tload of mics for under $200 and spend the rest on a good preamp and you'll be sh*tting on 95% of recording setups.

Studio Projects B1(condenser)($399)
Really Nice Preamp(that's the name of it)($499)

By the way condenser's aren't that great for rap vocals especially if your room isn't treated(they pick up every nuance of a performance and are more susceptible to overloading/mic clipping)
 
i understand that with many of us (even me) WANT commonly gets mistaken for NEED

now......

how many units do you push?or how many units do you plan on pushin (be realistic)

or do you or plan to operate your setup as a biz?

ive heard many a projects recorded on a 1-3 hundred dollar mic and im sure you have too you just dont know it the reality is some sounded horrible some sounded good the biggest factor was who was mixing it the next biggest factor would be was it recorded in a empty garage or a closet im sure you know wich one sounds better lol id say judging by your location alone cop a "low end" mic and call it a day but if you choose not to do so mics that you can get for around a g (used) would be neuman tlm 103 or akg c414 (is it c or b guys i cant remember?)but this is just my opinion

you shouldnt rule out investing in a preamp or channel strip either that helps alot
 
I plan on pushing projects, atleast 1000 plus units each project. Also I'm charging for studio time, so I want something thats going to make the vocals sound more crisp, and actually good enough to charge. Now I understand that mixing and mastering is important but having a quality recording makes the job alittle bit easier.

I want to buy a mic that would give me decent quality and I can use some years worth of usage.

So far its the Nueman tlm 103 or the shure KSM32. Also I was looking at the Rode NTK. But I'm still looking around.
 
Yeah condensers makes your voice come out balanced different and when you consider the need for inflection and character in the voice, which that's what rapping is.. Vocal acting, you capture more realism and it sounds less like you are on a mic and more like your real world resonance in your voice balance.

Something like a Neumann TLM 103 sounds like pure crack even through a fasttrack pro. It makes people just want to hear the voice for no reason. Its like candy.

And so what if its more sensitive and harder to calibrate. If you know what you are doing, you can make it sounds wayyyyy better than you can make something cheap sound with comressors and filters.

I could be recording, handheld, at an intersection with traffic and I would still only get the voice through the vocal filters.

Plus for business all the homies will see the Neumann and fell trust that they are in a legit, radio ready quality studio setup.
 
The mic isn't the only thing. Your effects chain needs to be good as well sir.
 
There are a few quotes I wanted to add but I'll just say what I want to say...

First, we need to know what you recording chain even is. We don't even know what mic you have now.

Also, it is highly likely that with a mic under $500, you will hear a huge gain in quality with a better preamp.

Someone else asked why you want a condenser so bad and not a dynamic...well, He obviously did his homework and decided to get a condenser, so stop worrying about why and answer his question instead of trying to make yourself sound like you know something special about choosing a dynamic over a condenser for vocals. I'm tired of hearing that one random person trying to bring up the opposite scenario just to bring it up. He said he wants a condenser so recommend him a condenser...assume he has done enough research to ask for a condenser instead of messin with their head. Nothing wrong with a condenser...it is prefered in my book anyway along with everyone I've EVER recorded or has recorded me in a studio (not live). I'm not about to get into the reasoning...i've said enough here that has wasted our time.

Someone else mentioned the Rode NTK, N1000, and NT2A.

The NTK has bang for the buck. However, it is known for having the highs a little too sylabant. Nothing you can't correct in the mix, but there are other options. The n1000 doesn't have the clarity of the NTK, but obviously doesn't have the problems with the highs. The NT2A is AMAZING all around especially for the price. However, there is one mic that trumps them all from Rode that is under $1k

The Rode K2 screams vocal clarity without the nasty highs. Not to mention a natural warmth to whatever is going in. 3 different polar patterns. I recommend cardiroid for vocals, but you definitely want to experiment because its variable meaning you can blend two of the polar patterns to focus the vocals differently.
http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--RODK2 More than one occasion from pros and amateurs think this mic is actually on par with mics in the $1500+ range. Commonly hearing that a u87 nueman is what beats it in the $2,000 under range. I'm sure there are other mics to consider, but for $700 bucks, not more than two or three.

Someone mentioned the neuman tlm103. This is the same mic Ryan Leslie got big with. Not a fan...at all. Sounds harsh on his voice, sounds harsh on MANY voices. The highs are just over exaggerated and it creates two things...incredible clarity, but a slight, sharp buzz on certain words. A $1,000 mic shouldn't be doing this...However, this mic is perfect for certain people who lack natural harshness to their own voice...I don't know anyone personally who doesn't have some type of their own characterisic resonance that need to be brought out anymore than it is...the tlm103 does that and that's the problem. Great on a dull, neutral voice.

Again, let us know your recording chain. You will probably benefit just as much on upgrading your preamp.
 
nova.....finally someone who knows my pain the tlm 103 sounds like dog doo doo on my voice thats why i prefer the akg(btw the rode k2 is great also)

the tlm 103 makes my voice high pitch to the point it dont sound like me the akg dosent its seriouslly a night and day difference

but i went to someones studio once and used a tlm 103 and sounded great im not sure what it was ran through though didnt ask didnt pay attention didnt care
 
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nova.....finally someone who knows my pain the tlm 103 sounds like dog doo doo on my voice thats why i prefer the akg(btw the rode k2 is great also)

the tlm 103 makes my voice high pitch to the point it dont sound like me the akg dosent its seriouslly a night and day difference

but i went to someones studio once and used a tlm 103 and sounded great im not sure what it was ran through though didnt ask didnt pay attention didnt care

Oh yeah, fa sho...it almost gives a nasally sound to the voice as if the high mids are exagerated (Ryan Leslie and others).

I remember comparing an AKG to the Rode K2. I can't remember which it was, but it was a pretty close to a tie. Both were being ran through a presonus eureka...a pretty transparent preamp in my opinion.

My first condenser mic was an AKG perception 200. I will forever love that choice I made. No mic I ever came across then or after has come close to it that was it's price or less. It had the quality of some $600 mics for a third of the price. They don't make these anymore though. They've moved on to perception 240s or something. I think there are higher models available too like 300 or 500 maybe? Not recommending any of these, just mentioning. I've only tried the 200. =)
 
You dont have a clue hat you are talking about, do you?

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Are You argueing that a dynamic mic is better for recording then a condenser mic? Seriously bro? C'mon now, I'm not bout to entertain that. I'm not an engineer but I atleast know that much about mixing. Having good equipment makes the quality of the recording better which in turns make the mix better.

My recording set up is this, I use a imac, an mbox 2, also I have the pro tools digi rack 001 (I heard that the digirack 001 is better then the mbox 2 I dunno thats what I heard).

I use an AKG mic thats pretty old, its a condenser mic but it is for recording instruments and thats why my vocals sound mucky and muffled. I feel that anything newer would be an upgrade but I want to get the best for that price range. Also I use Event Monitors 20/20 and I have an old compressor limiter that I never use lol.

Thats the basic set up, I have the default plug in's for pro tools and I know thats hurting me also. But thats the set up I run for now.
 
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