If you’re setting up a studio for the first time, the sheer amount of choices and opinions can be overwhelming. Choosing five mics, with $1k to spend, check out our quintet of smart buys that will get any job done.
To paraphrase others, the best mic is the one in your hand. But what does that actually mean for the engineer on a budget? It means that the good news is that the best recordings are made by great people in a great space. Will the mics used change that? Absolutely, but not for the reasons the newcomers to recording often think. It is choosing the right kind of mic with appropriate specs, and using it correctly that will get you most, if not all of the way there.
Does this leave the established workhorses or exotic classics out in the cold? Most would say no. This is because once everything else is in place, why wouldn’t you use the best mics if they are available to you? The final polish in any recording situation is using fantastic equipment that has earned its place in studios the world over. Moreover, if it weren’t for these trailblazers, many of the mics featured in this article would not exist. With that in mind, our first choice is as affordable as it is ubiquitous.
1 - Shure SM58 - $90
OK let’s be clear. The SM58-LCE (to give it its full, un-switched name) is not the only rugged, high quality dynamic mic out there. Nor is it the most affordable, or everyone’s favourite sounding mic of this kind you can get for the same kind of money. What gets this mic on the list is its stablemate, the SM57. So why not just get a ‘57? Because the ‘58 does everything the bomb-proof 57 does and adds vocals that don’t require thoughtful positioning or some kind of pop protection. Can you put a 58 on drums? Yes. Guitar cabs? Yes. Anyone who thinks there is a significant difference between the two mics might be mistaken according to the people who make it. Using a dynamic mic alongside a large diaphragm condenser mic in the studio also provides a welcome alternative flavour for some voices. And if a drummer dents the grille you can get a new grille, or a new capsule for that matter. Not that you should need to. The odds of you out-living this microphone aren’t as good as you might hope.
2 - Samson DK705 - $199
Some might say that a five mic kit might not be in the spirit of this article, however there’s no doubt that any recording situation can arguably be tackled with a set of drum mics, including Samson’s DK705 drum mic set. Loud things? Yes. Quiet things? Also yes. Arriving in a pair, the pencil condensers bundled with many sets like this make the ability to record transient detail or any stereo source big or small a reality. Vocals and guitars are also welcome. Our chosen set is one of many in this price bracket, but the point is that it will have you covered. Foregoing the overhead mics, the Samson DK705 set lets you add your own. The Q72 tom/snare mics come with clip mounts that are very reminiscent of a tried and trusted design so they shouldn’t fall off, and both they and the Q71 kick mic sport supercardioid pickup to reject nearby drum spill.
3 - SE Electronics X1 R - $230
After a very long hiatus, the ribbon mic renaissance has been with us for quite a large chunk of this century. This could be mainly down to this old tech being particularly suited to digital recording. Ribbon mics’ generally smooth top end is a great match for the medium by down-playing bright sources, and can be especially useful for taming whistling harmonics on cymbals or fizziness on electric guitar. Does the ribbon earn a place in your collection when money is tight? Arguably yes, especially when its figure-of-eight polar patterns’ deep side rejection can get you out of jail. The next time you’re recording the singing guitarist whose voice is being drowned out by their own guitar, try one on vocals with a pop shield with the guitar in the dead zone. Alternatively, buy a multipattern mic and use some gentle low pass to fake the smoothness. The X1 R borrows elements of its capsule design from SE Electronics’ well-regarded Voodoo range of mics, and costs a great deal less.
4 - Lewitt Audio LCT 240 PRO - $300
Just about every studio will have a ‘big mic’ to put in front of clients who often expect to see something that gives the illusion of being large enough to hide behind! While Lewitt cannot yet claim to be the best known mic manufacturer, the smart money is on their innovative design and affordability that make them an attractive proposition for anyone who wants obtainable quality. Sharing the family look with the other LDCs in Lewitt’s range, the LCT 240 PRO delivers no-frills quality recording. Opting to ditch things like high pass filter and pad does not render the studio’s ‘big mic’ limited in its use, and can be a great option for smaller studios. In the case of the filter, this can also be done later in the mix. The switchless option also has other advantages… You’re not paying for features that you might not use, and also has the added bonus of making the mic immune to those unwanted ‘adjustments’ that always seem to happen over lunch…
5 - Behringer B-5 - $75
Now that we’ve got your attention, let’s finish with something that may surprise you. In the recently published book Classical Recording - A Practical Guide In The Decca Tradition, a very well respected engineer who spends the day in places where Neumann M50s actually do grow on (Decca) Trees, describes the Behringer B-5 as being ‘an extraordinary microphone’. According to one who knows a thing or two about quality microphones, it has low noise, and sounds good off-axis. Both desirable in any situation, and harder to come by once you get into a mic that costs the same as a handful of mic leads. Incredibly, the B-5 small diaphragm condenser comes with two capsules in cardioid and omni flavours. The latter inherently affords you the extended bottom end that’s indispensable for overheads and orchestras alike. Good and cheap, with a recommendation from someone with a genuine basis for comparison. What’s not to like?
How About You?
Given a budget of $1k, what would your selection be? Let us know in the comments.
For approximate prices in UK pounds or Euros for the mics in this article, multiply USD by 0.8 or 0.9 respectively (2022 rates).