Best Microphone Regardless of Price Range

  • Thread starter Thread starter Re.Vo.Lu
  • Start date Start date
I know that the MXL USB.009 is a great sounding mic. Also look at the price tag. Not anywhere near the $100 mark of our friend. And I still don't like the idea of not being able to use a hardware compressor on the way in. There is just no sound like it. Eq plug-ins are great and compressor plugins are great for mixing but I really do think that there never will be a substitute for hardware compression when tracking.
 
The only way I could see a USB mic being anywhere near usable for anything more than a podcast is if they put gain control on it. The only USB mic I've ever used, didn't have gain. I didn't get it. I just kinda stared at it.

Best mic regardless of price though....

Neumann TLM 103
But if you don't have a clean pre, and an isolation booth, you'd be wasting your time and might as well get an AKG Perception.
 
i used to have a sterling audio mic, which was decent but just couldnt acheive that sound i was lookin for. then i did some homework and bought a Rode nt1a and a True systems Solo-P mic pre. overall, it was give or take around $1,000. but it made all the difference in the world. these guys are right when they tell you its not just about one or the other. there are countless combinations or mics and pre's out there, so its hard to say whats best. you might go through a few different mics before you find the right sound for you. but a solid mic pre is what you should focus on first. a decent pre could make your little cheap mic sound 200 times better and maybe you'll decide you like it, and hold off on the mic for a while. but from personal experience, the combo that i have sound extremely crisp and clean together. you cant tell it wasnt recorded in a top notch studio. although my mixing skills help out there also. anyway, thats what i use and you cant go wrong with that combo.
 
Morning_Star said:
Usually when a cheap mic is better for the job it's a Shure SM7b or a Bluebird. Not ever a $5 toy mic. Even if I wanted a toy mic sound I would still use a good mic and then use AudioEase Speakerphone to sound like anything I want. Hollywood Undead is some "friends" of mine and they don't have the best quality sound but it matches their style and they use a Rode NT2a but it goes straight to a high end pre and a Distressor. Even when you want the sound of a cheap mic you usually run it through some great gear to properly capture that sound.

And the thing I like about FutureSex is the vocal mixes. Not the whole mix. I mean Ja Rule (don't really like his music) has some of the best sounding vocals I've ever heard for vibe, quality, mix, and smoothness and they used a U87 to a Avalon 737. And I hate the 737. But it's still good gear. I've never heard a vocal mix that impressed me and then found out it was a USB mic.

All I'm saying is that although you might get something you can live with out of a USB mic it still doesn't compare to any mic through a real mic pre and converters.

And I do believe that the chain still matters by the time it hits iTunes. Another amazing recording is Listen to your Heart by DHT. M49 mic to all boutique gear.

Name one quality recording pressed to cd on a usb mic. I'd be surprised if there is any.
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I do't know man I have a Sony F-98 that was 8 dollars and use it on guitar cabs all the time. Its awesome for that. It doesn't even have pro outs its a 1/8" output!
 
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