Best Microphone – A Simple Buying Guide & Recommendation

How is the list of best microphone made?

There are thousands of microphones manufactured by leading companies worldwide and it is indeed a tough task to make a list of the best microphones. Depending on the usage of the microphone, you must assure that the few concerned technical aspects are powerful enough for the purpose. For starters/beginners, a guide is obviously necessary to help them in selecting a decent microphone and most importantly, that best serve their purpose in that price range.

Key points to consider before buying

Microphone polar patterns: polar patterns describe how microphones pick up sound

Polar Pattern	Specs
Cardioid	capture sound in front
Super/Hyper Cardioid	improved isolation
Shotgun	more directional, eliminates sound from the sides via phase cancellation
Figure-8	capture sound in front and back
Omnidirectional	capture sound from all angles
Switchable/Multi-Pattern	change between different polar patterns via a switch

Microphone types: Dynamic/ Condenser

Type	Specs
Dynamic	coil magnetic diaphragm, reliable and versatile, can handle high sound pressure levels
Condenser	thin conductive diaphragm that sits close to a metal backplate, high sensitivity, more sound details, ideal for precision recording in the studio

Microphone diaphragm: a thin material that vibrates when it comes into contact with sound

Diaphragms	Specs
Large diaphragms	higher sensitivity, more sound details
Small diaphragms	wider dynamic range, higher sound pressure levels

What are the Best Microphone Brands?

Brands manufacturing microphones are plenty, and more or less, each brand has its own signature style, its area of expertise and specializations. For example, Blue are pioneers in producing USB type microphones whereas for ribbon mics, companies such as Royer, Beyerdynamic can be vouched for. There are however a couple of brands who have ruled the market of microphones for years and are versatile in their area of expertise and thus come in the list of best brands

Best Microphones for Vocals

The first thing you must make sure while buying a vocal microphone is that it is of cardioid pattern. A cardioid dynamic mics is very helpful for live performers who perform in close vicinity of other instruments or crowd noises. For precision studio recording make sure that the microphone is a condenser one.

For under $100

For under $200

For under $300

For under $500

For under $1000

Best Microphones for Acoustic Guitar

Acoustic instruments produce minute sounds in between which are parts of the music and needed to be captured clearly. Your microphone will have added sensitivity if it is a condenser type instead of dynamic.

For under $100

For under $200

For under $300

For under $500

For under $1000

Best Microphones for Electric Guitar & Drums

For electric guitar: Electric guitar is all about tremendous sound pressure level and lots of variations in the frequency. A condenser microphone normally cannot withstand such mercurial sounds. Thus a common practice is to use dynamic microphones.

For drums: Drums and percussion instruments comes with its unique kit of various sound combinations and so mics for drums also are fabricated separately for kicks, snares, cymbals and toms … The microphones for drums generally are sold in kits which will contain a set of four, five, seven or more microphones. Each of these microphones will have separate response curves and profile suited for the particular drum where it is to be used. For example, to capture the sound of cymbals, hi-hat small diaphragm condenser microphones are the best; For toms, snare and bass on the other hand, dynamics are prefered.

For under $100

For under $200

For under $300

For under $500

For under $1000

Conclusion

Though this concludes the article about best microphone, it is imperative to state that there are plenty other microphones (other than these aforementioned) which can perform proficiently. The bottom-line is, it is not the brand name and the price tag that you should look out for while selecting a microphone, but the specifications and features (both technical and physical) of the microphone and decide accordingly. And it is exactly the reason why this text has been subdivided into separate categories of usages and price ranges.