I got here within 50 seconds of upload and already saw someone thumbed down. Bet they really had a thoughtful, nuanced reason for doing so after obviously watching the whole video.
I got up to make a coffee and the acoustic guitar part started and I thought "Holy cow, Glenn can really play that acoustic wow!" and then saw it was Christian lol (ps: I'm sure Mr Fricker can play some mean acoustic but was busy screaming at clouds at the time :p). As to hearing him singing - utterly agree, want to hear that 👍 as he can embarrass all these wannabee screamos with his deep, sonorous voice from the bowels of hell. Oh yeah, I loved the Samson mic on the acoustic guitar - just liked the balanced and tight sound it collected.
I was at a local pawn shop here in North Jersey and saw the Samson C01 for $30 and said fuck it, lemme' take a chance. We ended up using it in the middle of two floor tom's to pick both of them up, rather than two mic's because we only had 10 inputs to work with on my new album. We engineered it ourselves - I rented a big tall wooden cabin in the middle of the woods of the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania and we just banged the album out in a handful of days... Here is the result: th-cam.com/video/zlYAm_-r5oo/w-d-xo.html
P120 sounded either best or great on everything imo, with honorable mention to the Samson which has a very appealing character in the upper mids that sounds godly on vocals and guitars but the microphone has somewhat high self noise in applications where it matters. Shure didn't stand out to me. Excellent video thanks!
The p120 is great. I have one. I choose it over the at2020 cuz it has a 20db bad and high-pass filter. I agree with Glen its not a good voice over mic. It has a pretty high noise floor. It can make do, but there are better options, but its great for music and vocals.
I swear, everytime I see a vid posted from y'all regarding budget tier gear that's worth our time it feels like Christmas. Keep it up we all appreciate it!
I bought my PreSonus M7 for $15 at a pawn shop - I got great sounds out of it.... It's not just the tool it's the artist as well that creates the magic.
Heya Glenn! I'm a small time jazz guitarist that mostly focuses on live performances and instruction. I know next to nothing about recording and I find your videos both educational and highly entertaining. You've given me a peek into what it's like in the studio and I just wanted to say I appreciate your content. Thank you for all the work you've done and are doing to put this information out there. I appreciate you!
Yep, I thought it was more detailed than all the others. I've been toying with getting one since they came out, but (until recently, when I klutzed it onto the floor) my SE 2000a has been doing the job admirably. Seriously tempting now.
Old guy learning Daw recording here , Enjoy the cheap gear stuff. Still love my 57s and 58s from 80s,90s ish when we did live sound Thanks for this and congrats on the Sweetwater deal .
Hi Glenn, In regard to this video, I just wanted to let the community know that it is ABSOLUTLEY possible to get a decent sound with less expensive mics! Design and mic placement were the main factors that I had to consider when I owned my basement home studio, so I did the following: I experimented with a few arrangements, but eventually, I designed the layout so that the drums and amps were in the middle of the room on a makeshift stage, in typical concert set up, with a cardboard/wooden layer underneath them. Then I placed the recording equipment behind the stage so I could easily see what was going on. My signal chains consisted of the following:
Drums > Sampson DK707 Drum Mic 7-Piece Kit (Mic'd Kick, Mic'd Snare, and 2 Overheads)
Room Mic (Sterling Audio SP50 - Placed about 3-5ft in front of the drum set. This mic also works great for vocals and acoustic stuff like Ukulele.) All of this ran into a Behringer UMC1820 and then into my laptop. The combination of the insulation on the ceiling, the dead sound (no to very little reverb) of the room itself, and the cardboard (maybe?) provided an already good live sound and after taking some time to find the best placement for the mics - the studio was ready to record. I recorded everything live during recording sessions and I found that the mics themselves provided great isolation with little bleed when listening to the individual tracks. The tracks have little or no EQ, as I was trying to go for a more raw sound, but even so, I think that my set up produced a definitely usable result. If anyone is curious, I can also provide links to my mixes and the photo documentary that I made of the building of the studio. Rock on, Glenn and thanks for everything that you do on this channel! You definitely inspired me! Best regards, Nicholas
I actually really liked the Shure and sE. would love to hear your thoughts on 12 Gauge Microphones! Haven’t seen anybody do a heavy video on them yet. The Black 212 is my new go-to for drum overheads
The same day you uploaded the Samson CS1 Mic Video i went straight to amazon and bought one, and im glad that i did. It's a shame they dont make those anymore (probably were too good for the price) because now i cant live without it. Even owning a Shure SM57 & 58, That is still my main vocal mic. Thanks glenn, keep doing this amazing job, Cheers from Puerto Rico.
this. I don't know how we got a hold of the CS1 but glad we did it sounds very nice. I think the SM48 probably works for someone looking for a 40ish dollar mic that sounds good.
The T-bone SC400. €50. 60 with a popkiller. Sounds great and works well for recording acoustic guitar, clean vocals, growling vocals and doing voiceovers for video games. At least these are all where I have experience with! So anyway I highly recommend it when you don't have a lot to spend!
The best mic is the one you can afford right now... The idea is to start recording, you can add more mics to your library later. BE SURE TO TURN OFF YOUR PHANTOM POWER BEFORE DISCONNECTING.
I can honestly say that Douglas Adams has never tried too sell me a mic before... but I'm glad he did! I had my eye (ear?) on that AKG as it always seems to get glowing reviews. After your review, Glenn, its a hard NO from me for that mic. You always seem to save me money, Mr. Fricker. Thank you!
Don't waste your money, you don't need a mic at all. You scream louder enought so I can hear you from here in Spain if I open the window when you're shooting a vid. Keep it up! 🤘
I'm a newbie, but I've owned the AKG P120 for several years now. I've found that it tends to compliment higher toned voices, like mine, better than the competitors. Personal opinion.
For just a bit more the Lewitt Audio 240 Pro is an awesome option. I have the 440 Pure as my main vocal mic and it's been an amazing addition to my home studio.
Fun fact about microphones, I have a $30 mic that only sounds about 15% worse than my $699 microphone. It seems the price increase doesn't translate relative to sound quality. Like I was told a $3200 microphone would only sound about 10% better than my $699 microphone. Basically what I'm saying is it's ok to use cheap stuff when you're starting out. Because expensive mics won't improve your performance that you're putting into it. Only experience does that.
I would add the Behringer C-3 to that list, because it's one of a handful of mics I know below $100 that offers figure 8 and thus gives you the option to set up a Blumlein pair. I love to have that option available and the increased cost with other options gets pretty steep.
Behringer B1 deserves a spot on this list too I think. I've bought it used for €40 and it sounds good on vocals, it has a bit of an exaggerated 'shine' to it but overall it sounds very pleasing
Glen, I think a lot of us would love to hear you sing. It might be terrible (or not, who knows until you do). If it does suck, I'm sure it would be comedy gold. On a more serious note, it's actually really good practice to sing everything you play. It helps strengthen the link from brain to instrument, also being a little uninhabited about singing helps get musical ideas across to bandmates. Theres no need for everyone to have a great voice, but if you can keep a tune it's a massive aid to musicality in general.
As of now my favorite is the Aston Spirit. It’s a really good contender against the SM7B as it doesn’t require a cloud lifter and has built in attenuator as well as several other really cool features, very solid built and sounds amazing. I got it to replace a Cobalt mic (great for heavy vocals but not so great for clean) and this has taken over both spots. Just throwing that out there. Retail is around $450 US
Not really sure to be honest, there’s a lot of mics people prefer, I chose the spirit because it’s solid made and I just generally liked it, they have another one that’s cool too I can’t remember the name but it’s slightly less money, I believe called the origin. I have a couple other shure mics that are pretty nice too, I see a lot of ppl using the sm58 beta as well
It's crazy how different our ears are. I very much expected you to pick the SE mic. To me the more pronounced upper mid gave it a.more natural sound. Assuming I don't have permanent hearing damage, I felt like the mics you choose had a more scooped mid sound. Is there a reason you lean that direction for these mics?
I thought so too. His voice sounded great in the SE and the mixes were HEAVY. I also felt like the plosives and sibilance were less noticeable. The shure sounds good except for the booms that sound like a kick drum when he says a P or when the guitarist plucked a string hard. I can't speak for Glenn but I believe he would have preferred scooped sounding gear because it's more "metal" sounding. Metal engineers aren't used to hearing a lot of mids lol. But I also think the more crisp sound of something like the akg may be easier to fit into a mix for whereas the fuller sounding SE sounds great on it's own. He definitely has more mixing experience than me so I tend to give him the benefit of the doubt that he's probably hearing it from a different perspective. Also everyone's ears are just different. I hated the samson but a lot of people here seem to love it.
I actually have one of those M7's that just sits in my random mic bin. I only own it because there was a deal with the presonus audiobox that came with a mic and midi controller for like $180.
Somehow I liked the X1-A the most for voiceover. It seems to record a quite warm sound, making everything sounding less harsh - which makes it less suitable for drums or guitars. But for voiceover, I'd consider it. Thank you for the comparison.
Hey there from the future! Just watched your mic comparison, and you know what? I've been wielding the AKG P100 since 2015, mostly for vocals and voiceovers. Now, here's a funny twist - every single test you ran, AKG triumphed in my personal hit parade. Why? It seems owning the thing made it sound sweeter every time. I guess I fell for that classic cognitive bias we all suffer from, where our eyes hijack our ears. I mean, I had a session with a fancy and really expensive Soyuz mic once, and it mangled my voice so bad I needed to chainsaw the EQ to get it back to life. But my AKG? Straightforward and clean? or at least it seems to me. This video of yours was a reality check for me - reminded me to challenge that bias every time. Sure, the Shure and SE Electronics were cool too, but who's kidding? AKG is the real rock star here, lol. Great video by the way, but next time I'll need a blindfold to truly hear!
I actually liked the SAMSON C01 better than the others.... the voice was pretty neutral and the acoustic was great! The metal guitar was great as well.. The only thing was the finish...meh.. Would have been better in black!
20 years ago I tested the Samson S2 Vs SM57 Exactly the same but the Samson was 1/2 of the price of the SM57 so I purchased 5 of them, and to this day I still use them
Thank you for the quotations. This stuff has been an invaluable source of wisdom for me many years ago and it's great to be reminded. It is definitely way beyond merely funny, we're talking serious help to cope with life.
Sounds pretty decent for the money, but the drawback is it was too noisy. (You can clearly hear the high frequency noise with earphones, compared to the AKG)
Hey Glenn, thank you so much for doing this vid!!!! I've been watching you for the last 5 years and when recording my drums for TH-cam, I've gleaned a lot from your channel. I was looking for an inexpensive pair of mics for my overheads and I think I'm going with the PGA181. I appreciate all the time and effort you put in on your vids. Thanks again. Marcus 😊❤
My first condenser mic was a Samson c01, picked it up used for $40. Wasn't expecting much but was surprised at how great it sounded. Another good budget mic is the Audio Technica at2020.
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I know it was mostly due to the performance but PGA181 on acoustic guitar sounded like magic to me
I own the AKG mic, it does pick up a lot of external noise, esp when mounted on a stand and on stage, you can hear people walking around. I added the shock mount to it and now it is quite as anything. My two favorite from this list are the Shure and the AKG. Both great mics and I use them all the time. For context I do a lot of studio and theater work. Thanks for the video!
@@graxjpg I did end up getting another one later on, it came in a hard case with a shock mount, I can’t remember the price in that. I picked that one up at guitar center. The shock mount makes all the difference. Love the sound it produces.
The Samson was a big surprise! To me, the AKG sounded thin and harsh on acoustic guitar and the best overall and most balanced one was the Shure. I also think you should have recorded the same part for the acoustic, or at least similar parts. That AKG part was really different from the others.
Yeah samson sounded pleasing to the ear whatever thing Glenn threw at it.. So great choice for the "record anything" type of a person with tight budget
Okay so if someone was looking to get two mics on a budget to mic up their speaker cabs, and to track vocals for the demo song, they'll look towards the AKG P120 to use as a dedicated cab mic. And then the Shure PGA 181 to use for vocals, and/or paired up in addition with the P120 to capture more of that guitar tone for certain songs. All around that to me sounds like a pretty decent route to go, plus you'll have an extra incase the bass player shows up to the home studio drunk or stoned and he decides to fucking break one or the other.
Great and test and review. I finally bought a PGA181 a few months ago and will be adding at least one more to my kit. Can't wait to use them on horns and percussion.
i own the AKG P120 and Glenn was absolutely right about the sensitivity to shock and vibration, but its is a really good mic, very crisp. Really liked the Samson C01 as well, a pretty good allrounder. and talking about the shure, more often than not, you can just buy a shure product blindly and it will be good.
Dont forget behringer xm8500 for about 20 bucks i think. It is equal sm58. At least live it is unbeatable for its price. Heavy, hard to damage, no hard time for foh-tech with HZs
I’m currently using the AT2020 and a rode nt1 for my vocal mics depending on the voice. I like them both. I used the P220 for a few years as well as the p120. All GREAT mics at any price point for the most part. My favorite of the bunch has been the NT1, and you can find those for around $100 at pawn shops all day. I actually take NT1 over TLM 102-103 and every U87 clone I’ve ever used. Best bang for buck you can get, especially when paired with an SSL channel strip on an Apollo, or even the Avalon..pure gold.
I've found that a lot of the stuff AKG produce is a pretty good quality. I record live drums at home and I use the P4 model as close mics on the toms and I think they sound great for their price point. I'm still learning how to mix my drums and I'm always looking to improve my skills and equipment so I love videos like this, especially when I'm trying to not break the bank!
Hi Glenn. Thanks so much for your videos. I like them all because of your style (no bullshit and fun at the same time). A very special thanks to your gear reviews: I bought the Kali LP-6 after all you said about them and I'm sooo happy about them. Thanks so much for your advice. I got the chance to to compare them against some Genelec and Yamaha at the shop and indeed liked them better because they were not too bassy or too middy, they seemed to well preserve the full spectrum. Regarding this set of comparison for mikes I'd definitely go for the Samson because it seemed a bit more preserving the mids and high ends than the other ones, for vocals. For versatility, your choice on shure indeed. For people like me who are hobbyist it's really great to get advice on improving our set up with a budget in mind. Thanks for sharing.
The Samson was the first mic I owned (usb model) I got the recommendation from the dude from GarageBandAndBeyond I really liked it! Pretty good for beginners
I've been using an AKG P220 for about 15 years now on my guitars and I've always loved it. The 120 is definitely just a little more slimmed down. Honestly you can absolutely just by some thick foam from Amazon and fix that resonance issue. Or a shock mount like he said. That line all use the same capsule so they will sound great for whatever you're using it for.
Glen, my man, I watched this ages ago, but recently took your advice and bought a Shure PGA181 to mic my guitar cab.... I just came back to say THANK YOU! The sound is sweet as fuck, and for only $130 CDN! I have yet to try it on vocal recording, but I have a feeling it is gonna also be just as great. Thanks for your honest reviews, keep up the good work!
For anyone interested in the p120, for $50 more the AKG p220 comes with a shock mount, hard case, and an upgraded capsule. HIGHLY recommend for a starter mic.
Loving the Hitchhiker's Guide voice overs! I think in the Presonus line of mics you need to plan on spending closer to $150. I have the PX-1 (largr condenser) and a matched pair of PM-2's (pencil mic condensers) that work quite well. Truth be told I never used them on cabinets, mostly on acoustic guitar and sample captures. The PX-1 does pretty well with voice overs and vocals.
To this list I would add the Behringer B-1 although, in Canada, it's a bit over $100. In many side by side tests with much more expensive mics such as a Neuman U87, it compares very favourably in different applications. Read all the rave reviews on the Sweetwater site and others. I have a pair and swear by them.
I had an AT2020 fall off a stand and die a horrible death... Being left with an empty shell I went ahead and bought a DIY mic parts upgrade kit that comes with a new bigger capsule and the whole guts for the thing for 140ish USD and it's a really nice useable mic now! They have other kits available in the 200-400 buck range that seem to be in the quality range of stuff worth at least twice as much! When funds become available I'll buy some of the other kits!! If you're into DIY and have soldering skills they're worth a look I think!
I spent the extra 50 bucks on the AKG P220. Sounds more full and ironically came with it's own shock mount. 😁😅 And LOVE Sweetwater. Their customer support is unmatched!
Holy shit, I have a samson C01 and I can never make it sound as good as you did. I was thinking of getting another mic but this was a reality check. Thanks Glenn!!
My only complain is outside of the voice over test, the guitar tests didn't work at all because each time the mic was changed a completely different thing was being played on the guitar. No chance to compare them sound-wise unless the same passages are played on each mic. Just my two cents.
I picked up a used Co1 and it's a solid mic, cost me not very much, and it's a solid performer. Always, always check out used quality gear when shopping on a budget. Only new parts of my setup are the cables and the DBX286s channel strip.
I found an AKG Perception 100 for free (predecessor to the AKG P120) I put it into a shock mount and have used it for a bunch of stuff. I was stunned how good it sounded on acoustic. I paired it with an ART AR7 ribbon mic in mid/side configuration and my word did that sound great for pennies on the dollar. Really helps when you have a great source as well.
Would love to see you review some T.Bone overheads, they seem decent but there's not a whole lot of good reviews on them. The T.bone sc140 (matched pair for 100eu), and there's also the EM700 (and 800) for 55 EU for the pair... Would make an interesting video comparing it to more expensive ones and maybe the lewitt LCT 040s EDIT: They also have a ribbon mic called the RB500 for 100eu which looks interesting, it kinda reminded me of the apex 210 in look as well, maybe it performs similar too? hmmmm
There is no such thing as a do it all mic in my opinion, as each one offers its own subtle nuances, and its performance depends on what your using it for. Just start off with a mic that fits your budget for now, and collect a few more down the line to build your library of mics.
The Behringer XM8500 is a pretty decent mic too for cheap, it's not the best (obviously) but as not so uncommon with Behringer, it's a cheap mic that doesn't suck too much.
I owned the C01 and it's usb sibling for years now. No complaints here! I dig the Shure but, like you said, axis is a bit finicky... Cool video, thanks!
Hey Glenn. Thank you for your content. I have been away from recording for quite a long, long time. Your videos have helped spark a renewed interest. I have both the PreSonus M7, from the bundle pack, and the SE X1a from another bundle. Got the X1a earlier today. I actually remembered this video. Rewatched to get a second opinion from my own. They both do well for my needs at this point, but I think I may use the M7 for something else and the X1a as my main vocal mic. Keep up the good fight.
Thanks for the review! Got the AKG P420 which I guess is very similar to the P120 but has switchable pickup patterns. I can confirm it's quite sensitive to shocks but the P420 comes with a shock mount which helps a lot. Wouldn't use it without that I gotta admit. Also I don't know how it reacts in a drum room with all the shocks from loud drums and kick pedals...might be a deal breaker. I use it for recording acoustic guitar, works well for that.
I bought an at2020 and haven't looked back. Granted I use it mostly for recording TH-cam video for my other channel and game chat but it works like a champ for $100
New Bad News tee G-Money?? Imogen you were stoked to get it!! Samson was my fav of the bunch and thank you very much for the reviews! Great acoustic sound - would love to watch a more detailed video on your acoustic guitar tricks and tips!
This was an incredibly useful video. I thought the AKG & sE sounded the best in terms of width of spectrum with lows and highs. The Shure and Samson had nice wide middle which is I’m guessing is good for vocals.
I got here within 50 seconds of upload and already saw someone thumbed down. Bet they really had a thoughtful, nuanced reason for doing so after obviously watching the whole video.
For real.
Sometimes the butt hurt of last week becomes the thumbs down for life lol
Saw 16m video, press dislike just bc
All engagement is good engagement.
@@lil_pan46 Hear hear. Still subscribed so he can dislike daily LMFAO!
I really appreciate the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reading
“No one out there really wants to hear me sing”
Oh no, that’s where you’re wrong. We would love that.
I got up to make a coffee and the acoustic guitar part started and I thought "Holy cow, Glenn can really play that acoustic wow!" and then saw it was Christian lol (ps: I'm sure Mr Fricker can play some mean acoustic but was busy screaming at clouds at the time :p). As to hearing him singing - utterly agree, want to hear that 👍 as he can embarrass all these wannabee screamos with his deep, sonorous voice from the bowels of hell. Oh yeah, I loved the Samson mic on the acoustic guitar - just liked the balanced and tight sound it collected.
I was at a local pawn shop here in North Jersey and saw the Samson C01 for $30 and said fuck it, lemme' take a chance. We ended up using it in the middle of two floor tom's to pick both of them up, rather than two mic's because we only had 10 inputs to work with on my new album. We engineered it ourselves - I rented a big tall wooden cabin in the middle of the woods of the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania and we just banged the album out in a handful of days... Here is the result: th-cam.com/video/zlYAm_-r5oo/w-d-xo.html
I could see it there between the floor and lower tom! The sound was good and I liked the song! You guys rock!
@@johnnyq1233 thanks so much, man!
Love that song! :)
@@ChiefMouse thank you dude!
I really liked the Samson it was my fav out the bunch.
Glen using Hitchhikers Guide to the galaxy for ALL his voiceovers is my FAVORITE THING!!! thank you so much Glen.
I've owned a Samson C03 (C01 with extra features) for several years and it's a great mic. Used it on vocals, guitars, drum room... it just works.
P120 sounded either best or great on everything imo, with honorable mention to the Samson which has a very appealing character in the upper mids that sounds godly on vocals and guitars but the microphone has somewhat high self noise in applications where it matters. Shure didn't stand out to me. Excellent video thanks!
agreed with the AKG P120
The p120 is great. I have one. I choose it over the at2020 cuz it has a 20db bad and high-pass filter. I agree with Glen its not a good voice over mic. It has a pretty high noise floor. It can make do, but there are better options, but its great for music and vocals.
Couldn't agree more. Great company and they make decent cans too..
I swear, everytime I see a vid posted from y'all regarding budget tier gear that's worth our time it feels like Christmas. Keep it up we all appreciate it!
I bought my PreSonus M7 for $15 at a pawn shop - I got great sounds out of it.... It's not just the tool it's the artist as well that creates the magic.
Thank you ! That's what I keep telling my girlfriend but she keeps telling me that the Magic is highly subjective
hey Glenn, I have my towel and am going Hitchhiking... Great book, and thanks for all the fish.
Heya Glenn! I'm a small time jazz guitarist that mostly focuses on live performances and instruction. I know next to nothing about recording and I find your videos both educational and highly entertaining. You've given me a peek into what it's like in the studio and I just wanted to say I appreciate your content. Thank you for all the work you've done and are doing to put this information out there. I appreciate you!
I honestly enjoyed the SE electronics mic quite a bit on all sources.
spot on, sE is a hidden gem in the world of mic
Me too... Terrific tracking sax especially
The sE mic does sound good. Kristian Kohle has a dedicated video with sE mics.
Yep, I thought it was more detailed than all the others. I've been toying with getting one since they came out, but (until recently, when I klutzed it onto the floor) my SE 2000a has been doing the job admirably. Seriously tempting now.
me too - sounded best to me
I like the low end of the sE x1A
Old guy learning Daw recording here , Enjoy the cheap gear stuff. Still love my 57s and 58s from 80s,90s ish when we did live sound Thanks for this and congrats on the Sweetwater deal .
I don't know why but, is it just me or Glenn just can make any microphone work in his favor? I loved the demos on all mics to be honest.
Hi Glenn,
In regard to this video, I just wanted to let the community know that it is ABSOLUTLEY possible to get a decent sound with less expensive mics!
Design and mic placement were the main factors that I had to consider when I owned my basement home studio, so I did the following:
I experimented with a few arrangements, but eventually, I designed the layout so that the drums and amps were in the middle of the room on a makeshift stage, in typical concert set up, with a cardboard/wooden layer underneath them. Then I placed the recording equipment behind the stage so I could easily see what was going on.
My signal chains consisted of the following:
Guitar > Fender Champion 100 > Sterling audio SP30
Bass > Peavy Minx 40 watt > Sterling audio SP30
Drums > Sampson DK707 Drum Mic 7-Piece Kit (Mic'd Kick, Mic'd Snare, and 2 Overheads)
Room Mic (Sterling Audio SP50 - Placed about 3-5ft in front of the drum set. This mic also works great for vocals and acoustic stuff like Ukulele.)
All of this ran into a Behringer UMC1820 and then into my laptop.
The combination of the insulation on the ceiling, the dead sound (no to very little reverb) of the room itself, and the cardboard (maybe?) provided an already good live sound and after taking some time to find the best placement for the mics - the studio was ready to record.
I recorded everything live during recording sessions and I found that the mics themselves provided great isolation with little bleed when listening to the individual tracks.
The tracks have little or no EQ, as I was trying to go for a more raw sound, but even so, I think that my set up produced a definitely usable result.
If anyone is curious, I can also provide links to my mixes and the photo documentary that I made of the building of the studio.
Rock on, Glenn and thanks for everything that you do on this channel! You definitely inspired me!
Best regards,
Nicholas
I actually really liked the Shure and sE. would love to hear your thoughts on 12 Gauge Microphones! Haven’t seen anybody do a heavy video on them yet. The Black 212 is my new go-to for drum overheads
Ive been using the AKG P120 for 12 months now and I can say that mic kicks ass!!! Great for vocal tracking!!
Love that you're reading Douglas Adams! Greetings from Greece and a very warm Fu!
The same day you uploaded the Samson CS1 Mic Video i went straight to amazon and bought one, and im glad that i did. It's a shame they dont make those anymore (probably were too good for the price) because now i cant live without it. Even owning a Shure SM57 & 58, That is still my main vocal mic. Thanks glenn, keep doing this amazing job, Cheers from Puerto Rico.
this. I don't know how we got a hold of the CS1 but glad we did it sounds very nice. I think the SM48 probably works for someone looking for a 40ish dollar mic that sounds good.
as user of C01 since 2012 i'm proud having it on my own arsenal
The T-bone SC400. €50. 60 with a popkiller. Sounds great and works well for recording acoustic guitar, clean vocals, growling vocals and doing voiceovers for video games. At least these are all where I have experience with! So anyway I highly recommend it when you don't have a lot to spend!
The best mic is the one you can afford right now...
The idea is to start recording, you can add more mics to your library later.
BE SURE TO TURN OFF YOUR PHANTOM POWER BEFORE DISCONNECTING.
I would have blended the SE and the Samson they had something going on that appealed.
I was thinking the same thing
I can honestly say that Douglas Adams has never tried too sell me a mic before... but I'm glad he did! I had my eye (ear?) on that AKG as it always seems to get glowing reviews. After your review, Glenn, its a hard NO from me for that mic.
You always seem to save me money, Mr. Fricker. Thank you!
I love my p120!
@@dannyboi9552 me too 😂
Don't waste your money, you don't need a mic at all. You scream louder enought so I can hear you from here in Spain if I open the window when you're shooting a vid. Keep it up! 🤘
I've had a Samson C01U for over a decade now. It works.
Okay, can we just talk about the riff in the full band mix? Damn.
I love that you're reading Douglas Adams! You obviously know where your towel is
I'm a newbie, but I've owned the AKG P120 for several years now. I've found that it tends to compliment higher toned voices, like mine, better than the competitors. Personal opinion.
Mics that are proven over time that cost less than $100 (at Sweetwater): Shure SM57 and Shure SM58.
We’ve got a few SM-58s that have been used for at least 11 years (probably over 20 years) and still sound great.
Facts, but all of these are condensers.
Rode m3 is a great 57 replacement if you need a condensor ;)
This isn't about dynamics. Those are great mics, for an entirely different purpose.
Dont waste money... u can get equivalent for 15? Bucks... believe it or not.... behringer xm8500 but thats the only behringer mic i recommend ^^
For just a bit more the Lewitt Audio 240 Pro is an awesome option. I have the 440 Pure as my main vocal mic and it's been an amazing addition to my home studio.
I was given the LCT 240 Pro and I am satisfied 666%
Fun fact about microphones, I have a $30 mic that only sounds about 15% worse than my $699 microphone. It seems the price increase doesn't translate relative to sound quality. Like I was told a $3200 microphone would only sound about 10% better than my $699 microphone. Basically what I'm saying is it's ok to use cheap stuff when you're starting out. Because expensive mics won't improve your performance that you're putting into it. Only experience does that.
I wasn't ready for that acoustic to end. I could listen to that all day.
Sounded great, but for the purposes of Mic comparison, it would've helped if he played the same thing for each mic....
I would add the Behringer C-3 to that list, because it's one of a handful of mics I know below $100 that offers figure 8 and thus gives you the option to set up a Blumlein pair. I love to have that option available and the increased cost with other options gets pretty steep.
Behringer B1 deserves a spot on this list too I think. I've bought it used for €40 and it sounds good on vocals, it has a bit of an exaggerated 'shine' to it but overall it sounds very pleasing
Glen, I think a lot of us would love to hear you sing. It might be terrible (or not, who knows until you do). If it does suck, I'm sure it would be comedy gold.
On a more serious note, it's actually really good practice to sing everything you play. It helps strengthen the link from brain to instrument, also being a little uninhabited about singing helps get musical ideas across to bandmates. Theres no need for everyone to have a great voice, but if you can keep a tune it's a massive aid to musicality in general.
As of now my favorite is the Aston Spirit. It’s a really good contender against the SM7B as it doesn’t require a cloud lifter and has built in attenuator as well as several other really cool features, very solid built and sounds amazing. I got it to replace a Cobalt mic (great for heavy vocals but not so great for clean) and this has taken over both spots. Just throwing that out there. Retail is around $450 US
Any other alternatives within SM7B price range?
Not really sure to be honest, there’s a lot of mics people prefer, I chose the spirit because it’s solid made and I just generally liked it, they have another one that’s cool too I can’t remember the name but it’s slightly less money, I believe called the origin. I have a couple other shure mics that are pretty nice too, I see a lot of ppl using the sm58 beta as well
It's crazy how different our ears are. I very much expected you to pick the SE mic. To me the more pronounced upper mid gave it a.more natural sound. Assuming I don't have permanent hearing damage, I felt like the mics you choose had a more scooped mid sound. Is there a reason you lean that direction for these mics?
I thought so too. His voice sounded great in the SE and the mixes were HEAVY. I also felt like the plosives and sibilance were less noticeable. The shure sounds good except for the booms that sound like a kick drum when he says a P or when the guitarist plucked a string hard.
I can't speak for Glenn but I believe he would have preferred scooped sounding gear because it's more "metal" sounding. Metal engineers aren't used to hearing a lot of mids lol. But I also think the more crisp sound of something like the akg may be easier to fit into a mix for whereas the fuller sounding SE sounds great on it's own. He definitely has more mixing experience than me so I tend to give him the benefit of the doubt that he's probably hearing it from a different perspective.
Also everyone's ears are just different. I hated the samson but a lot of people here seem to love it.
I actually have one of those M7's that just sits in my random mic bin. I only own it because there was a deal with the presonus audiobox that came with a mic and midi controller for like $180.
Same, the mic doesn’t work to well for me. Its got a really annoying static.
Somehow I liked the X1-A the most for voiceover. It seems to record a quite warm sound, making everything sounding less harsh - which makes it less suitable for drums or guitars. But for voiceover, I'd consider it. Thank you for the comparison.
Hey there from the future! Just watched your mic comparison, and you know what? I've been wielding the AKG P100 since 2015, mostly for vocals and voiceovers. Now, here's a funny twist - every single test you ran, AKG triumphed in my personal hit parade. Why? It seems owning the thing made it sound sweeter every time. I guess I fell for that classic cognitive bias we all suffer from, where our eyes hijack our ears. I mean, I had a session with a fancy and really expensive Soyuz mic once, and it mangled my voice so bad I needed to chainsaw the EQ to get it back to life. But my AKG? Straightforward and clean? or at least it seems to me. This video of yours was a reality check for me - reminded me to challenge that bias every time. Sure, the Shure and SE Electronics were cool too, but who's kidding? AKG is the real rock star here, lol.
Great video by the way, but next time I'll need a blindfold to truly hear!
I have the AKG P120 in a shockmount and articulated arm mount, it definitely helps with the resonance issues. Love it!
I actually liked the SAMSON C01 better than the others.... the voice was pretty neutral and the acoustic was great! The metal guitar was great as well.. The only thing was the finish...meh.. Would have been better in black!
20 years ago I tested the Samson S2 Vs SM57
Exactly the same but the Samson was 1/2 of the price of the SM57 so I purchased 5 of them, and to this day I still use them
Thank you for the quotations. This stuff has been an invaluable source of wisdom for me many years ago and it's great to be reminded. It is definitely way beyond merely funny, we're talking serious help to cope with life.
P. S. Oh yea the Samson I liked that too.
Sounds pretty decent for the money, but the drawback is it was too noisy. (You can clearly hear the high frequency noise with earphones, compared to the AKG)
Yeah. It's good for the price but is a bit noisy. Plus I was able to score an Akg D5 for 40 bucks so I basically upgraded for free.
I had a pair of the 181's for drums and wasn't feeling them so i got some 414 xls. totally worth it
Hey Glenn, thank you so much for doing this vid!!!! I've been watching you for the last 5 years and when recording my drums for TH-cam, I've gleaned a lot from your channel. I was looking for an inexpensive pair of mics for my overheads and I think I'm going with the PGA181. I appreciate all the time and effort you put in on your vids. Thanks again.
Marcus 😊❤
My first condenser mic was a Samson c01, picked it up used for $40. Wasn't expecting much but was surprised at how great it sounded. Another good budget mic is the Audio Technica at2020.
I know it was mostly due to the performance but PGA181 on acoustic guitar sounded like magic to me
I own the AKG mic, it does pick up a lot of external noise, esp when mounted on a stand and on stage, you can hear people walking around. I added the shock mount to it and now it is quite as anything. My two favorite from this list are the Shure and the AKG. Both great mics and I use them all the time. For context I do a lot of studio and theater work. Thanks for the video!
@@graxjpg I did end up getting another one later on, it came in a hard case with a shock mount, I can’t remember the price in that. I picked that one up at guitar center. The shock mount makes all the difference. Love the sound it produces.
@@graxjpg that’s awesome. I need to shop where you shop!
The Samson was a big surprise! To me, the AKG sounded thin and harsh on acoustic guitar and the best overall and most balanced one was the Shure.
I also think you should have recorded the same part for the acoustic, or at least similar parts. That AKG part was really different from the others.
Have had the Samson CO1 for years and I love its versatility. But my main vocal mic is the Rode NT1-A.
Yeah samson sounded pleasing to the ear whatever thing Glenn threw at it.. So great choice for the "record anything" type of a person with tight budget
Okay so if someone was looking to get two mics on a budget to mic up their speaker cabs, and to track vocals for the demo song, they'll look towards the AKG P120 to use as a dedicated cab mic. And then the Shure PGA 181 to use for vocals, and/or paired up in addition with the P120 to capture more of that guitar tone for certain songs. All around that to me sounds like a pretty decent route to go, plus you'll have an extra incase the bass player shows up to the home studio drunk or stoned and he decides to fucking break one or the other.
I'm surprised you didn't do the AT 2020, but still, this is a very good video
Great and test and review. I finally bought a PGA181 a few months ago and will be adding at least one more to my kit. Can't wait to use them on horns and percussion.
i own the AKG P120 and Glenn was absolutely right about the sensitivity to shock and vibration, but its is a really good mic, very crisp. Really liked the Samson C01 as well, a pretty good allrounder. and talking about the shure, more often than not, you can just buy a shure product blindly and it will be good.
Dont forget behringer xm8500 for about 20 bucks i think. It is equal sm58. At least live it is unbeatable for its price. Heavy, hard to damage, no hard time for foh-tech with HZs
I've been using the akg p120 for years. I love it so much (even though it's not my preference) it's a great cheap mic.
I’m currently using the AT2020 and a rode nt1 for my vocal mics depending on the voice. I like them both. I used the P220 for a few years as well as the p120. All GREAT mics at any price point for the most part. My favorite of the bunch has been the NT1, and you can find those for around $100 at pawn shops all day. I actually take NT1 over TLM 102-103 and every U87 clone I’ve ever used. Best bang for buck you can get, especially when paired with an SSL channel strip on an Apollo, or even the Avalon..pure gold.
I've found that a lot of the stuff AKG produce is a pretty good quality. I record live drums at home and I use the P4 model as close mics on the toms and I think they sound great for their price point. I'm still learning how to mix my drums and I'm always looking to improve my skills and equipment so I love videos like this, especially when I'm trying to not break the bank!
I definitely could hear more noise in the voice over but i preferred the top end cut it has. Sound like a solid unit
Hi Glenn. Thanks so much for your videos. I like them all because of your style (no bullshit and fun at the same time). A very special thanks to your gear reviews: I bought the Kali LP-6 after all you said about them and I'm sooo happy about them. Thanks so much for your advice. I got the chance to to compare them against some Genelec and Yamaha at the shop and indeed liked them better because they were not too bassy or too middy, they seemed to well preserve the full spectrum. Regarding this set of comparison for mikes I'd definitely go for the Samson because it seemed a bit more preserving the mids and high ends than the other ones, for vocals. For versatility, your choice on shure indeed. For people like me who are hobbyist it's really great to get advice on improving our set up with a budget in mind. Thanks for sharing.
“If you’re young and you’re
still I’m school...”
You really hit the nail on the head there
+1 for the P120 - it's been my go-to for recording bass cabs (and the occasional upright) for years now!
The Samson was the first mic I owned (usb model) I got the recommendation from the dude from GarageBandAndBeyond I really liked it! Pretty good for beginners
For a while I put a 57 on our drummer's kick pointed at the bottom of the drum and blended it with a 4" sub kick. It actually sounded pretty cool
I've been using an AKG P220 for about 15 years now on my guitars and I've always loved it. The 120 is definitely just a little more slimmed down. Honestly you can absolutely just by some thick foam from Amazon and fix that resonance issue. Or a shock mount like he said. That line all use the same capsule so they will sound great for whatever you're using it for.
Glen, my man, I watched this ages ago, but recently took your advice and bought a Shure PGA181 to mic my guitar cab.... I just came back to say THANK YOU! The sound is sweet as fuck, and for only $130 CDN! I have yet to try it on vocal recording, but I have a feeling it is gonna also be just as great.
Thanks for your honest reviews, keep up the good work!
For anyone interested in the p120, for $50 more the AKG p220 comes with a shock mount, hard case, and an upgraded capsule. HIGHLY recommend for a starter mic.
Loving the Hitchhiker's Guide voice overs!
I think in the Presonus line of mics you need to plan on spending closer to $150. I have the PX-1 (largr condenser) and a matched pair of PM-2's (pencil mic condensers) that work quite well. Truth be told I never used them on cabinets, mostly on acoustic guitar and sample captures. The PX-1 does pretty well with voice overs and vocals.
Thanks for this, looking to buy a mic and I’m new to this and your word is one of the few that I trust so thanks!
I’m glad you covered this! I’ve actually been looking for a mic that isn’t gonna break the bank. Thanks!
Happy to help!
To this list I would add the Behringer B-1 although, in Canada, it's a bit over $100. In many side by side tests with much more expensive mics such as a Neuman U87, it compares very favourably in different applications. Read all the rave reviews on the Sweetwater site and others. I have a pair and swear by them.
I agree. I don't think the Presonus was THAT bad, but definitely the Samson and Shure would be my top choices.
I had an AT2020 fall off a stand and die a horrible death... Being left with an empty shell I went ahead and bought a DIY mic parts upgrade kit that comes with a new bigger capsule and the whole guts for the thing for 140ish USD and it's a really nice useable mic now! They have other kits available in the 200-400 buck range that seem to be in the quality range of stuff worth at least twice as much! When funds become available I'll buy some of the other kits!! If you're into DIY and have soldering skills they're worth a look I think!
I spent the extra 50 bucks on the AKG P220. Sounds more full and ironically came with it's own shock mount. 😁😅
And LOVE Sweetwater. Their customer support is unmatched!
Have used 2 of the Samson C01's as drum overheads and they worked great!
The guitar and the band recordings were awesome. Highly entertaining.
Holy shit, I have a samson C01 and I can never make it sound as good as you did. I was thinking of getting another mic but this was a reality check. Thanks Glenn!!
My only complain is outside of the voice over test, the guitar tests didn't work at all because each time the mic was changed a completely different thing was being played on the guitar. No chance to compare them sound-wise unless the same passages are played on each mic. Just my two cents.
I think best to solve this would be to record the di track than send it back to the amp but only change the mic, that way the playing is the same
Love the Hitchhiker reading!
I picked up a used Co1 and it's a solid mic, cost me not very much, and it's a solid performer. Always, always check out used quality gear when shopping on a budget. Only new parts of my setup are the cables and the DBX286s channel strip.
I use the AKG P120 for micing my cab and it sounds fantastic combined with a dynamic mic.
I like the brightness of the Sampson over the Shure. Sounds fantastic.
I found an AKG Perception 100 for free (predecessor to the AKG P120) I put it into a shock mount and have used it for a bunch of stuff. I was stunned how good it sounded on acoustic. I paired it with an ART AR7 ribbon mic in mid/side configuration and my word did that sound great for pennies on the dollar. Really helps when you have a great source as well.
Would love to see you review some T.Bone overheads, they seem decent but there's not a whole lot of good reviews on them. The T.bone sc140 (matched pair for 100eu), and there's also the EM700 (and 800) for 55 EU for the pair... Would make an interesting video comparing it to more expensive ones and maybe the lewitt LCT 040s EDIT: They also have a ribbon mic called the RB500 for 100eu which looks interesting, it kinda reminded me of the apex 210 in look as well, maybe it performs similar too? hmmmm
An AT2020 is a decent all rounder at this price, it doesn’t particularly shine anywhere but it’s useable pretty much on anything.
i thought that would be the first one he'd show lol
There is no such thing as a do it all mic in my opinion, as each one offers its own subtle nuances, and its performance depends on what your using it for. Just start off with a mic that fits your budget for now, and collect a few more down the line to build your library of mics.
At2020 is extremely harsh in the treble imo
@@BulletsForTeeth5029 "Theres no such thing as do it all mics"
SM57 - Hold my capsule
I'm surprised too that the AT2020 wasn't in the mix.
Great video. I own both the sure and Sampson mics you are testing. I like them both for overhead drum applications they work great for me.
Dude, I love you for reading Hitchhiker's Guide
Glen, cool shootout 👍 , but could you do a similar video with mic`s in a higher price range? Maybe $200 to $500 range? Thanx!
The Behringer XM8500 is a pretty decent mic too for cheap, it's not the best (obviously) but as not so uncommon with Behringer, it's a cheap mic that doesn't suck too much.
I owned the C01 and it's usb sibling for years now. No complaints here! I dig the Shure but, like you said, axis is a bit finicky... Cool video, thanks!
I've been using the Samson C01 for years now since I started making music a few years ago. Still great.
Hey Glenn. Thank you for your content. I have been away from recording for quite a long, long time. Your videos have helped spark a renewed interest. I have both the PreSonus M7, from the bundle pack, and the SE X1a from another bundle. Got the X1a earlier today. I actually remembered this video. Rewatched to get a second opinion from my own. They both do well for my needs at this point, but I think I may use the M7 for something else and the X1a as my main vocal mic. Keep up the good fight.
The translation actually helped a lot! Did you use drummers language? Awesome video !!!
I've had a 2020 for years, just got the C1 ... nice for acoustic guitar, vocals, etc... also just got the mxl990... its wonderful.
Thanks for the review! Got the AKG P420 which I guess is very similar to the P120 but has switchable pickup patterns. I can confirm it's quite sensitive to shocks but the P420 comes with a shock mount which helps a lot. Wouldn't use it without that I gotta admit. Also I don't know how it reacts in a drum room with all the shocks from loud drums and kick pedals...might be a deal breaker. I use it for recording acoustic guitar, works well for that.
I bought an at2020 and haven't looked back. Granted I use it mostly for recording TH-cam video for my other channel and game chat but it works like a champ for $100
Loving hearing you read hitchhiker's!!
New Bad News tee G-Money?? Imogen you were stoked to get it!!
Samson was my fav of the bunch and thank you very much for the reviews! Great acoustic sound - would love to watch a more detailed video on your acoustic guitar tricks and tips!
I was looking for a $100 mic and I was thinking "Man, I wonder what would Glenn recommend" and then this video popped up xd
This was an incredibly useful video. I thought the AKG & sE sounded the best in terms of width of spectrum with lows and highs. The Shure and Samson had nice wide middle which is I’m guessing is good for vocals.
Well, I didn't expect the Hitchiker's Guide to Spectre Recording!