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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
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
Sennheiser E835 | ||
Shure SM58-LC | ||
Audio-Technica AT2020 | ||
MXL 770 |
For under 200
AKG P420 | ||
Audio-Technica AT2035 | ||
Sennheiser e935 | ||
Shure 55SH |
For under 300
Rode NT1A | ||
Audio-Technica AT4040 | ||
Blue Microphone Bluebird | ||
Shure Super 55 Deluxe | ||
Sennheiser e865 |
For under 500
Shure SM7B | ||
Aston Microphones Spirit | ||
Blue Microphones Baby Bottle | ||
Electro Voice RE-20 |
For under 1000
Neumann TLM 102 MT | ||
AKG Pro Audio C414 XLII | ||
Sennheiser EW 500-945 G3 | ||
Lewitt LCT-840 |
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
AKG Perception 170 | ||
Samson C02 |
For under 200
Audio-Technica PRO 37 | ||
Shure SM137-LC | ||
MXL V67N |
For under 300
Sennheiser E614 | ||
Audio-Technica AT4041 |
For under 500
Shure SM81-LC | ||
AKG Pro Audio C451B |
For under 1000
Neumann KM 184 | ||
Audio-Technica AT4053B |
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
Shure SM57-LC | ||
Audio-Technica ATM650 | ||
Audix I5 | ||
AKG D40 |
For under 200
Sennheiser e906 | ||
Shure BETA 52A | ||
Audix D4 | ||
AKG D112 |
For under 300
EV RE320 | ||
Sennheiser E902 | ||
Shure PGADRUMKIT5 | ||
Shure PGASTUDIOKIT4 |
For under 500
Sennheiser MD 421 II | ||
Sennheiser E604 | ||
Shure PGADRUMKIT7 | ||
CAD Audio TOURING7 |
For under 1000
Audix DP7 | ||
Audix DP5A |
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.
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