Best Mic under 400?

[Daniellovessound]

advanced audio microphone cm 87 or dm20

[guitarboy94]

Sounds cliche....but it's gotta be the Sm7b. My kel hm2d is almost as good, but still not quite as full/thick sounding as my sm7b. I've tested a U87 on my vocals and still prefer the 350 dollar sm7b by a longshot.

[Ironmalk]

I second what guitarboy says - the SM7B - helluva workhorse!

[Drumwaiter]

A used 441. Might take a bit of digging to get it at that price, but it's worth it if you find one in good condition. I have purchased 2 for around $300ea in great shape. I just had to replace the clip.

[chk23]

Originally Posted by guitarboy94

Sounds cliche....but it's gotta be the Sm7b. My kel hm2d is almost as good, but still not quite as full/thick sounding as my sm7b. I've tested a U87 on my vocals and still prefer the 350 dollar sm7b by a longshot.

Depends on the voice - the SM7b is great on most male voices, but imho lacks the top end sparkle for many female voices and higher pitched male voices I prefer a decent condenser in those cases (the AT2035 or AT3035 would be a great "under 400" choice for that). So you should see if you can test one first to see if it fits the voice you want to record. Nevertheless, the sm7b is indeed one of "the" alround workhoses and a great mic for the price!

[j2dafo]

there is no single mic. There isn't a single mic in any budget that is "best" for recording vocals. It depends on the singer, the song, and the sound you are going for.

But an SM7 through a good pre is hard to beat. it will also sound good on bass, kick, amps, etc. etc.

[edva]

Originally Posted by Drumwaiter

A used 441. Might take a bit of digging to get it at that price, but it's worth it if you find one in good condition. I have purchased 2 for around $300ea in great shape. I just had to replace the clip.

+1, my experience as well. Other contenders would include a good, modded Oktava 219/319, RE20, AT 4047, and Beyer M260. IMHO.

[Strange Leaf]

SM7 if your pre is up for the task.

[edva]

Something like this ain't too shabby either:
Nice Neumann TLM 102 Microphone Excellent Studio Gear | eBay
IMHO, and YMMV

[ido1957]

I like my Sputnik which cost me $300 on eBay used in mint shape

[prizebeatz1]

Just do yourself a favor if you do decide to get an SM7 and make sure you try it out first. You're going to have to figure in the cost of getting a preamp that will drive it as well. Or an extra $100 for a Triton Fethead or something similar.

If you already have a good preamp then there a ton of mics that will do the job. The best one is a matter of opinion and taste and it's probably best if you answer the question for yourself.

[Aaron Miller]

Totally depends on the voice, but if I had to pick only 1 and couldn't buy used it would be the SM7B, unless (a) I had a shitty preamp that could not deliver 55-60 db of clean gain or (b) was primarily recording singers/styles with soft voices

[prizebeatz1]

If you've got a good room or vocal booth, you might as well go with a condenser.

[Shannon Adkins]

Used AT4050.

[retrogradeorbit]

Especially if you have a deeper voice, make sure to give the EV RE-20 a shot.

[Geddyleewannabe]

SM7 (or SM7b-whatever) without a doubt from my experience. As a bonus, room treatment is less of a factor with this mic as well, making it super convenient and saves you even more money.

[jetam]

Originally Posted by Drumwaiter

A used 441. Might take a bit of digging to get it at that price, but it's worth it if you find one in good condition. I have purchased 2 for around $300ea in great shape. I just had to replace the clip.

[heyman]

Not in any order....

Sm7b
Sennheiser 441
Re20

[Tekker]

SM7B....just do it!

It takes EQ really well, so you can make it brighter with some high end boosting if needed (so far that hasn't been necessary for me). There is a reason why studios with literally an unlimited budget use a mic that is priced in the home studio range for lead vocals....that's because it is a KILLER mic! The list of professional artists who use this mic is astonishing (the most famous being Michael Jackson's Thriller album) and this fact alone was enough to spark my interest in the mic and I couldn't be happier with it.

-tkr

[cheu78]

Originally Posted by j2dafo

there is no single mic. There isn't a single mic in any budget that is "best" for recording vocals. It depends on the singer, the song, and the sound you are going for.

But an SM7 through a good pre is hard to beat.

+1!
SM7 could be a good choice indeed, as the 441..
On the condenser side (which might be more "versatile") I'd try to get a Violet Design Black Knight.. Read the reviews (<<<fwiw I reviewed other Violet models on the GS review section, but I mentioned also this mic, soundonsound did a good review btw).. This mic is not too fussy about the preamp, while of course having a great preamp makes the difference.

new it's sold for a bit more than 400$ I think (199£ in UK), which are totally worthed IMO, but there's one on ebay right now for 325$ (for this price is a steal, but be careful as always when buying online, also I'm not related with the seller in any way).

I hope this helps somehow,

Just my 0.02$,



Cheu