Cheap SDC recommendations

B

brian maddox

Senior
Jan 13, 2011
623
0
16
58
frederick, md
www.fcfchurch.com
Okay, i'm looking for some recommendations for decent, cheap Small Diaphragm Condenser mics. I'm thinking specifically in the ~100 dollar range. I know what to buy when we go north of 200 bucks. just not what works halfway decent in budget land.


FWIW, i've actually used the UBER cheap Behringer mics and they weren't horrible. so i'm not too snobby to go slumming.


These are for a church i'm working with. They would be used for general purpose stuff that SDCs usually get used for, the kind of stuff i'd use an SM81 or a 451/460 on if i had the budget for those. I'm gonna be liquidating 3 Sennheiser 421s to pay for these and i'm gonna wanna buy at least half a dozen SDCs so that gives you at least a pretty good sense of what financial parameters i'm working with.


Thanks in advance.
 
Re: Cheap SDC recommendations

brian maddox said:
Okay, i'm looking for some recommendations for decent, cheap Small Diaphragm Condenser mics. I'm thinking specifically in the ~100 dollar range. I know what to buy when we go north of 200 bucks. just not what works halfway decent in budget land.


FWIW, i've actually used the UBER cheap Behringer mics and they weren't horrible. so i'm not too snobby to go slumming.


These are for a church i'm working with. They would be used for general purpose stuff that SDCs usually get used for, the kind of stuff i'd use an SM81 or a 451/460 on if i had the budget for those. I'm gonna be liquidating 3 Sennheiser 421s to pay for these and i'm gonna wanna buy at least half a dozen SDCs so that gives you at least a pretty good sense of what financial parameters i'm working with.


Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...


AT Pro 37 is a really decent mic for it's price.. Maybe $125
 
Re: Cheap SDC recommendations

Ben Lawrence said:
How about those little Audiopile mics does anyone have any input on those? They definitely fit in your price parameter. I have been thinking of picking up a couple for a while now.
http://www.audiopile.net/products/Microphones/300C/300C_cutsheet.shtml
Click to expand...

I bought some years back. They never really grew on me. They were never abused beyond normal gig usage but I think both ended up breaking. One just sounded like a rattle when you shook it.

I've spent countless hours trying to find that hidden gem low cost condenser mic, but microphones are really one area where you get what you pay for. In the end I just ended up buying a bunch of SM81's and a couple 414's...
 
Re: Cheap SDC recommendations

Tom Manchester said:
I've spent countless hours trying to find that hidden gem low cost condenser mic, but microphones are really one area where you get what you pay for. In the end I just ended up buying a bunch of SM81's and a couple 414's...
Click to expand...


I agree. However, I have cheap MXL sdc's that I use for non-critical stuff, and they aren't THAT bad, certainly better than the uber-cheap stuff, and only around $100 each. Mine have seen lots of abuse and haven't had any issues.
 
Re: Cheap SDC recommendations

I have a handful of the AT Pro37's, great mics at a good price. Also check out the At 20 series mics, I have some of the 2020's, there a small diaphragm mic that streets for less than a $100 and sounds good. If the size of the 2020 does not work for you look at the 2010 or 2021, same mic element if a different mic body.
 
Re: Cheap SDC recommendations

Jeff Babcock said:
I agree. However, I have cheap MXL sdc's that I use for non-critical stuff, and they aren't THAT bad, certainly better than the uber-cheap stuff, and only around $100 each. Mine have seen lots of abuse and haven't had any issues.
Click to expand...

I bought a pair of the 991s a while back. Worst and best investment I've made in a while. I always liked how they sounded, but they had issues with buzzing, interference, and all sorts of other things. I would assume Jeff is talking about the 606s or the 603s, which I've also liked for their price and didn't have those issues with, but they weren't mine.
 
Re: Cheap SDC recommendations

Max Warasila said:
I bought a pair of the 991s a while back. Worst and best investment I've made in a while. I always liked how they sounded, but they had issues with buzzing, interference, and all sorts of other things. I would assume Jeff is talking about the 606s or the 603s, which I've also liked for their price and didn't have those issues with, but they weren't mine.
Click to expand...

Check out the MXL V67N, which is one of their more 'premium' models - if that's a suitable term to use! I've got six of them and they're actually not bad at all - certainly an improvement on Rode NT5s I reckon. Not quite as bright, and seem to handle fast transients better. Plus you get a cardiod and omni capsule. I paid about £70 in the UK by the time I'd paid the shipping from the US, so they must be just about in your budget over there. I chose them on the back of universally positive reviews on various forums.
 
Re: Cheap SDC recommendations

Ben Lawrence said:
How about those little Audiopile mics does anyone have any input on those? They definitely fit in your price parameter. I have been thinking of picking up a couple for a while now.
http://www.audiopile.net/products/Microphones/300C/300C_cutsheet.shtml
Click to expand...

I use these for drum overheads on a weekly outdoor stage and I have been very happy. They have also served well on hats and wood winds. A great purchase IMHO.

I also have the cheap Aidix, F15 I think?? They sound decent for similar uses, not great in the lowest frequencies though.
 
Re: Cheap SDC recommendations

Daniel McAllister said:
certainly an improvement on Rode NT5s I reckon. Not quite as bright, and seem to handle fast transients better.
Click to expand...

While I haven't used the MXL's you've mentioned I find your comments rather confusing as the NT5 in my experience is not a bright sounding mic to start with and can actually use some HF boost. IME it has a quite significantly better transient response then other affordable mic's I've compared them to although it doesn't quite measure up to a KM184 (assuming that's a reasonably well known standard but that's a different price class). The KM184 is a brighter mic with some boost centered around 8-9KHz.

Are my NT5s somehow better than usual or were yours somehow defective? Has Rode significantly changed their design since I bought mine?

S.R
 
Re: Cheap SDC recommendations

I own 480's, shure ksm141, gefell 300's, etc. I have a lot of sdc experience as both a live sound, recording guy, and live recording truck. I completely understand there is a place for a cheap, hope it doesnt get broken, but if it does... I bought a bunch and resold a bunch to check which I liked. The Audix f15 is the best sounding cheap sdc, tho it has a rather high self noise. if youre in a loud environment its great. if you are trying to mic strings, its not the best choice. I ended up owning two pair of the samson c02. They arent amazing but are just fine, not razor blades on the top end, and a lot quieter than the audix (which is a pretty good other choice imo). The next step up for me is to looking for a deal on some AT 4041.
 
Top Bottom