This post is dedicated for those of you who are on a budget, but really want to put out quality work. A wise man once told me that there are three keys to production, good, cheap, and fast. After he laid that out he told me to pick two because that is generally how it works. With that being said, if you are recording with a budget mic, it likely won’t sound like a hit song from Atlantic Records, but you will be able to record a demo that is good enough to gain some attention. It isn’t going to break your budget either.
I know it can be tough to start a home studio, even a basic setup is tough to scrounge together. Nobody said this would be easy. The computer alone may cost you half or even all of your budget. That is why I’m only going to talk about microphones under $100.
I’ll start things off with the industry standard mic. The Shure brand SM58 is a great mic for the price. It is a dynamic which means it will have a slightly rugged live sound to it which can be cool if you use it correctly. These things are incredibly durable, and working from experience they sound pretty good recording voice and instrument. Every studio ought to have one of these laying around.
The next mic on the list is the MXL 990 Large Diaphragm Condenser mic. Usually this mic is sold with a shock mount which is really useful for doing vocals. This mic is probably the mic that I would choose because it has a large diaphragm which allows for a lot more clarity than mics with a smaller diaphragm. For 100 dollars you will not beat the quality from this mic. It can record instruments relatively well, but this mic is gold for a vocalist. In this day in age this would be the mic to choose for your studio, just don’t drop it.
The final mic I will cover is the Audio-Technica AT2020 Cardioid Condenser. This mic is literally designed with a low-mass diaphragm to create a larger frequency response. This will give you a much more transient sound. This mic is great for performing live, or working in the studio.
Leave a question about recording instruments with mics, mic placement, or comment on the mic you find to work the best.