I Tested 25 BUDGET Microphones - Which Should You Buy?!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- In this video, Ed picks 5 budget microphones for vocals from a selection of 25 mics.
⤴️ SHARE THIS VIDEO: • I Tested 25 BUDGET Mic...
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🎤 BEST MICROPHONES UNDER $100 - • Best BUDGET Microphone...
🛒 SHOP BUDGET MICROPHONES (Under $500):
🎙 AKG C214 - sweetwater.sjv...
🎙 Sony C80 - imp.i114863.ne...
🛒 SHOP BUDGET MICROPHONES (Under $400):
🎙 Shure SM7B - imp.i114863.ne...
🎙 Rode NT2-A - amzn.to/3s9Uu1Q
🎙 Avantone CV-12 - sweetwater.sjv...
🎙 Audio Technica AT4033a - imp.i114863.ne...
🛒 SHOP BUDGET MICROPHONES (Under $300):
🎙 Rode NT1 5th Gen - amzn.to/3u370Uq
🎙 Lewitt LCT 440 Pure - amzn.to/45BcZ0L
🎙 Warm Audio WA-47Jr - imp.i114863.ne...
🎙 Shure PGA27 - bit.ly/3CfGUvP
🎙 Audio Technica AT2050 - amzn.to/3O0oOpj
🎙 Audio Technica AT4040 - imp.i114863.ne...
🛒 SHOP BUDGET MICROPHONES (Under $200):
🎙 Audio Technica AT2035 - imp.i114863.ne...
🎙 Blue Spark SL - imp.i114863.ne...
🎙 Rode NT1 Signature Series - amzn.to/3SzN31G
🎙 Lewitt LCT 240 Pro - sweetwater.sjv...
🎙 AKG P220 - sweetwater.sjv...
🎙 AKG P420 - sweetwater.sjv...
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I think that the Sony c-80 suits your voice best. Sounds like there is more soul in your voice, and it has some kind of smoothness in the upper-midrange that I didn't hear from any other mic from this video. Great video btw!
When I heard the C80 - I thought for sure he would pick it - of course, I don't think the two recordings were normalized to one another - so it just might be the C80 sounded louder and I thought that was better.
Hands down, yes,
Hey! First of all a great comparison! What would really help though is if you would include some timestemps for each price bracket and maybe in the end compare each "winner" back to back. This would make it even easier for us to compare 😊
This was a very good comparison. And thank you for the wooden boxes for budget microphones also. Great video
Glad it was helpful!
@@EdwardSmithMusicwhat do you recommend buying. I’m trying to start a channel where I post Quran videos and I don’t know what mic I should buy pls respond and help me out.
@@Thequranverse205 a at2020
LCT 440 was the best sounding in the whole video
i just got one and so far the best mic I've had i usually stay under the 400 dollar range
WTF The Sony C 80 sounds so crisp without being harsh. Best Mic out of them 🔥🔥
I felt like the c80 sounded not very good personally.
Excellent. Always tough to measure these through TH-cam's filtering.
Monitoring on a TV bar, the C-80 cuts through the mix best, nice transients, but it reveals its hyped, almost sibilant character when I switched to quality cans. This is where the C214's lineage becomes evident. Full and smooth. Right choice.
The under $400 category presents a difficult proposition. The SM7b is so very versatile, and a "go-to" standard for loud/dynamic vocalists, podcasting/vlogging, and so many other studio duties. The Avantone? Yes, it has the famous Taylor Swift use, similar Dolly Parton's now famous utilization of a WA-47. Tough choice. I heard noise/room with the CV-12. I thought the AT sounded great. If extra features are required, I see why it might not make your cut.
Under $300 is almost impossible. The NT1, LC-440, and WA-47JR were the standouts. Too bad about Warm's QC issues. They sound great, otherwise. I found difficulty choosing between the Rode or Lewitt for sound. Both were excellent. The 440 by a hair.
Under $200, forget it. Rode and be happy (or a WA-47JR when it's on sale).
Thanks Edward - - nice work as always.
Your voice is actually amazing
Thank you!!
@@EdwardSmithMusic Your Welcome
Great comparison, and very thorough! Would love it if you posted the dry tracks online so we can hear them without TH-cam messing with the audio. Also, at this point I wouldn’t buy a Blue mic. It’s sad, because they made some solid mics, but I’m not surprised to hear that the Spark isn’t up to snuff: ever since the Logitech acquisition they’ve been steadily declining.
I disagree with every pick lol. And every $300 mic sounded absolutely excellent, and very different. The Warm mic was indeed warm! Who knew? You’re a good singer, only a couple mics sounded “bad” to me at all. And the P420 is one of the worst mics I ever bought lol, but sounded good on you, maybe I had a bad copy. Oddly enough, I use it every day… I replaced the capsule with a microphone-parts u87 clone and the difference is beyond night and day. It’s crazy how subjective and fickle this all is, but it’s fun to watch, well done!
Personally I loved the Sony C80 and I was surprised that to me, all the Audio Technica sounded best in their categories.
This man is a beast 🔥 thanks bro, new subscriber, waiting for this, such an incredible video for all your community ❤ I knew the nt1 SS was crazy for that price.
Appreciate it!
Hey in my country rode nt1 ss is expensive than akg p420 should a buy rode nt 1 ss by paying more or should i buy akg p420 for less please suggest something
This man got vocals 😭I forgot I was manifesting a mic 😅💯
@@mikeyfresco9196 Thank you 🙏🏻
Great video. Very helpful. Thank you. Interesting song choice for the 1st one.....
😊 I'd go for the AKG C214
It produces powerful waves
with my little experience, I've come to understand that there are only two important things .
1. Room treatment
2. Recording chain
does someone tried the AKG C3000 ? bc i found it on sale at 198
Great review! 👍 awesome content, i truly inspire to get to your level someday 😊
when you said 'smash the subscribe button" I thought this video was from a couple years ago.... not 1 month.
Haha. Great video. I've been recording music for 18 years. The best music I ever recorded to this date is 3 mics that I stand by. 1. (I currently use this) AKG c214. 2. Audio Technica AT4040 3. (Highly underrated and not really known) KAM instruments c3. I have used and tested just as many mics as this man in video, maybe even more. Although I have never tested the Sony mic that costs 10k. I have to say the 500.00 to 1k price range has some great mics.
the rode nt1 is highly overrated. I own it for a decade. And never liked the muddy and nasal sound.
@@plautus-jc8be agreed. Never owned one. Tested many Rode models. Rode is not bad. But yes, overrated imo. Many many other options for same price point.
@@northwoodzhiphop I think the ATs are decent. A bit airy though, maube also lack some warmth.
Great singer! You sound great on all the microphones.
The Rode mics are the worst mics I ever heard,I hate the tope end, all of them have an annoying top end, an never going for such mics again.
Which ones you had exactly? I had NT1-A which was bad. NT1 4th gen sounded good. NT1 5th gen sounded tinny and worse for some reason..
nt1000 is almost completely natural sound no boosts,but it is around 300$
@@NeekzuI bought nt1 5th gen. It's my first microphone. I'm stuck at this point, is it good to have or should I change it. I agree that it has some harsh top end, we've compared it to the Lewitt 440 in my friends Studio
@@unknownfor9254 Low budget mics are more or less the same. Lewitt 440 and Rode NT1 have the same performance technically speaking. But one thing I don't understand. The Lewitt 440 is by far the more brighter and also more sibilant microphone. The Rode NT1 is relative neutral with a bit of air. It is also less edgy than the Lewitt 440. But at the same time the Lewitt 440 cuts better through a mix. But you need more deessing and deharshing on the Lewitt 440. Did you use the same preamp for both mics? A good preamp smoothens mics out or accentuates what you want/need. The next best upgrade path would be a Lewitt Pure Tube if you can get it for cheap in your country. But I am not a huge fan of Lewitt to be honest. Still viewing this very subjectively. Stick with your NT1 until you can enter the 1000$€ range. One exception is the Rode NTK. It has high impedance, very high SPL, is a tube mic and has very low self noise.
If you like the Lewitt 440 you will like the Rode NTK. But only if you actually wanna invest more in your sound. It is your first mic experience after all.
So mention a microphone pllz as a suggestion...pls...wich mic should we buy ?????♥️
totally agree with the ticks on the cover picture based on your voice and reviews🎉
AT4040 gets my vote for the $300. And it goes on sale from time to time for $200. That's what I paid for mine from a major distributor. Hard to beat all-rounder.
Yeah, the AT4040 is awesome 🙌🏻
@@EdwardSmithMusic STOP SAYING AWESOME1
say which one u would pick!
Great review
Quality microphones with great sounding qualities
dope content as usual
Much appreciated!
Have had the akg c214 for years and has never failed me
it sounded the best out of every microphone
03:30
I wanted to see shure ksm32 between them
Beautifully comparison ❤❤❤
Thank you 🙏🏻
I wonder why audio channels don't get as many views compared to the subscriber number. And lot of creators aren't even that good when it comes to audio. Anyway I commented to say that I appreciate your work regurdless of everything. ❤❤
I really like your videos! Clean quality, directly and fun to wach
Thank you!! I appreciate that!
Bro, i`d just tell the true :D@@EdwardSmithMusic
Akg p420
I have at2035 and planning to get the nt1 signature series. Do you think its worth the upgrade?
Its easier to add and more difficult to take out frequencies. Go get the Sony, I'm just saying.
the best was that Sony, oh and that Spark sounded great on you as well!
Akg crushes microphones
I really enjoyed this shootout. Also low key jelly of your singing ability. To me, the best sounding is the Icon Pro. When dialed in there’s this “feathery” sound to it. Hard to describe but like an undertone of extra texture. Great mic. Awesome video.
Honestly, most of these could be EQ'd to sound about the same - so law of diminishing returns really kicks in at the $300 mark. I bet you could even take your best picks of any of them and EQ them to sound very similar to a TLM 103 or even U87. You have to have the right application and voice for a SM7B. Dynamics really shine in less than ideal recording spaces. But, if you have access to a well treated and soundproof environment, then a good condenser will really shine.
Can you please make a video of full proper home studio, I'd like it even if it's 30 minutes long.
I will see what I can do.
You should really chapter your videos. That way we can quickly find the microphone we are looking for ;)
I will definitely do that for these longer videos.
sorry rhode nt SS wsnt my pick at all through my expensive studio monitors and headphones cost me a lot room tuned too
You are such a G, thank you so much for making this video! :) Best of wishes w/ your 300k subscriber goal!
Thank you so much!!
I'm about to release my album recorded all in 10 year's old scralet solo mic. Mic really matter 😢 I did everything possible but still not on fire.😢
C214 is best mic around and they are like $180 used, you could sell your crappy mxl or AT and be half way there. Then work on getting a a decent preamp, there's a big difference from using your interface on your 5v usb vs plugging something in and powering your mic. The lewitt sounds good, but the naturalness of the 214 allows you to eq what you want and do whatever you want to the vocal without un wanted air, I can hear it in the lewitts you boost the high end or something and it will destroy the sound. The ATs in general have this distorted burnt effect like you know when an AT was used it sounds like vocals through a light crunch pedal, same with mxls thin airy sparkly sound. That avantone was nice though very clear and warm.
C214 is pretty good but tlm 102 blows it out the water
You did nt2a dirty. Nice video though
Haha... to be fair, all these mics can do the job well 💪🏻
If you're recording in a poorly treated environment, there is no better mic than the SM7B. It's also great if you have a sibilant voice. I had a Rode NT1-A, and it was terrible on my voice due to the way it brought out my sibilance.
this is so great review🫶 Thank you💜
from PH🇵🇭
Thanks for watching!
Very thankful for your videos!! So knowledgeable and you explain it very well. Thank you! Very talented!
Just gave you a subscribe bro, keep going 🙌🏾
Thanks man!! 🙏🏻
what happened to the 7 mics under $100????
For the crisp and clarity ill choose c80. for much clean and classic vibe C214. i can here in c214 that its so quiet, the background noise is not that loud. Compare to C80
Surprised that Lauten Audio mics didn’t get a look in here.
Regardless of accessories or features value for money and of the fact that some of the cheapest ones are not real condenser mics but electret condensers, from a purely sonic point of view that zingy 10kHz top end frequency spike that most of those cheaper mics have and that is also very typical of Røde is going to be very hard to tame or eliminate further down the line, and can cause sibilance hell. The exaggerated 13kHz and above "air boost" typical of the Lewitts, albeit more pleasing to the ear, can also be a baked-in issue.
In short, IMHO the best of your bunch there is the AT4033 - incidentally, it's an older mic, it was born in the early 90s, well before the widespread flood of cheap chinese mic capsules and manufacturers for dozens of only cosmetically different brands, and it was the first serious large diaphragm studio condenser mic to break the sub-1000 $/€/£ barrier.
And it still is exactly that: a serious mic, and a well built, good sounding reliable studio tool capable of totally professional results.
👍🏻💯
The avantone tube mic is incredible, best mic in the video
Great voice! I could listen and listen and listen!
Thank you so much!! 🙏🏻
I hear you still say “condenza” in 2024
What about the Sennheiser mk4
YES, I was wondering too, why no Sennheiser , either MK-4, MK-6, MK-8
AT2035 sounded the best in that lower Range. Your singing has improved. AKGC214 sounded good but the Sony sounded better. I agree with the Avantone selection sounds really good. SM7b Sounded harsh. I do like the AT series your can mix vocals with them really really well.
Yup - I would come to similar conclusions. My one exception would be the tube mic - I would rather have something that consistently has the same sound. Tubes change over time.
what is the recording soft ware u used to make these videos please and thank you😁
Na u need to make that song cover so I can listen to it your better than the regular version😂😂
I agree ***thanks for the good video !!!
Why did the $200 price range mics sound the best to me
As Thanos said: "I'm going to enjoy this like never before"
The fact I seen no Aston microphones made me sad and bit upset lol they are fire
I go with lct 240 I use it since 2021
hallo Sir Edward i am one of your solid subscriber here in the Philippines and i always amazed to your video's and actually i have plan to start my vlog content like you making version of the songs, you really inspired me Hehe🥰actually just trying to ask if you have a cheap interface and microphone i will buy or installment to you hehe I'm really shy but if there is I'm really happy with that 🤦♂
bro, thanks for the interesting video, I would like to know what interfaces the microphones were connected to?
Since this video was focused on budget microphones, I wanted to use a budget audio interface as well. For the sound test comparisons, I used the Audient iD4 - amzn.to/49iFsdq (This is my favorite budget audio interface).
@@EdwardSmithMusic 👌👌thanks
I really like your vocal man.
Thank you!!!
Can you compare USB mics
Which microphone is the best for music production?
Okay i would say that AT2035 is the best when it comes to off axis coloration noise rejection. RODE nt1 wins because it is a kit under 149. I just switched to RODE nt1 SS cuz i thought it sounds better than at2035, but i think at2035 wins for me. Or its just me? because im just new to the mic?
dude, you need to actually try an mxl v67g - it's a frightening value and stands above everything in the price range. Its a k67 but actually has the deemphasis circuit in the upper mids.
bro forgot the under 100€ part
I made a separate video on them - th-cam.com/video/NMxLTPsiD2c/w-d-xo.html
❤❤❤
where is the test of 49$ microphones?
I will be making a separate video on this very soon.
@@EdwardSmithMusic thanks man. you make very helpfull video. i am a fan of you since years. i love you. go on
I owned the c214 for years... And I detested it. I finally sold it last year. It's got this humongous 10 db bump in the top end at 12-13Khz and 7.5 db around 8-10Khz. It's just so big that you can't take it out. Even after a LPF that character is still there. It's impossible to really take it out without negatively affecting what's below. It so so harsh in the top end, yet it will feel dark because of this dip in the 1 and 2.5Khz area... For me it was just unusable...Check Audio Test Kitchen and you'll see what I refer too.
Super review beetween lct 440 and at 4040 it' a.impossible to choose 😢
I'd pick the CAD M179 over those as it's $180-$200 USD, and it uses a similar capsule to the Lewitt (both K67s with about a 5dB boost in cardioid).
I need a Sony C-80, apparently. That would be really good for instruments.
Edit: Also a fan of the Shure PGA27. Shame about the design..
Can anyone recommend me a good USB/XLR mic under 100$ for iPhone 15 series? I would really appreciate. Thanks 🙏🏻
Great video, thank you. I do have a follow up question if you don't mind. I'm trying to decide on a microphone that I'd be able to use for recording voice and acoustic guitar. Any recommendation? Thanks!
Honestly it's a crime that you decided that the AKG C214 was a better choice for your voice, That Sony C-80 sounded way more balanced for your voice
Idk if this everywhere but where I live (the netherlands) the price of the at4040 has gone up to 419 euro’s
In one video you say that wa47-jr is good, now you say it aint?
Can you make up your mind?
So witch one we shoold to buy betwin all winers mic ...plklz ????
Depends on your budget.
What a voice :) Love the songs.
@@miss_pixXxi Thank you 🙏🏻
Akg P220 was the best of the next set of mics for your voice on that song.
Agreed. Was super impressed with the tone of that mic
your videos gives me motivation to set up my own home studio, Would u mind giving me one of those MCPs 😅
I hate that I love mic videos ❤😂
I don't agree with your choice in the "Under 200$" categorie. And I guess there, it really depends on the kind of vocal you are recording.
Great video still. Keep Rocking
Would love to know your pick for the mic under $200... maybe the AKG P420?
I understand the reason you took out the Spark although I think it sound amazing and If mixed properly and pared with some good analog like Saturation it can give you a nice rich and vintage like sound. (Again if that is what you are going for),
For Me I just love the Lewitt mics. Every one in every Price range. I just think they are sou great to mix with (especially on vocals) and there design an built quality is of the charts. The have a very versatile sound, are able to sound modern and vintage. What bothers me on the LCT 240 tho is the self noise.
Le me hear what you think :) I'd be interested in your opinion on my takes.
@@EdwardSmithMusic
I came for the microphones, buh I stayed for the music 😅
pretty much all sound the same to me accept the one Taylor liked I noticed a difference.
If you ever buy an amazing mic, GET A LEWITT!!!!
The AKG P220 used to have the polar pattern chooser as the 420 have. I have one and it's great for the price I paid. I don't know why AKG took the polar pattern chooser off.
This video isn't Neat, cause the King Bee II is missing :(
Great to compare for each price category
budget setup video for this year?
Coming soon! 🫡
Bro pls help me with Waves plugin activation and license. Pls help a brother
lewitt 440 5:29 | 6:18
at2035 8:50 | 9:53
I bought a new Akg P420 at 150$ was it a good purchase?
You picked the creepiest Springsteen song on the planet to test these mics...
I like the melody… the Lyrics are kinda weird to be fair.