BEST VOCAL MICS FOR UNDER $500

The question is: can you get a good vocal mic for under $500?
I think you can.

If I were looking to the best vocal mic for under $500, the following mics are the ones that I would be looking to get. There are several on this list that I am still considering getting even now (Shure SM7B, and the Roswell Mini K47 to be specific).

It’s tough when you are starting out to know what a good mic is. The truth is that each mic will be different. You have to look for the mic that gives you the best results for your voice. Each person’s vocal is unique, and one microphone may work better than the others for your particular vocal.

I have tried a couple of different mics, and the one that works well for my voice is the Audio Technica AT4033/CL.

Audio Technica AT4033/CL

I can truly attest to capability of this microphone. I own it. I use it. I love it.
This mic is a workhorse. I can use it on just about anything for recording.  I record all my vocals into my DAW of choice, FL Studio.

This mic runs around the $399 range if you buy it brand new.

But I have an awesome wife, and she found one on eBay for about $200. And it works amazing.
I had owned an Audio Technica AT4033a years ago, and because I frequently moved locations, I often purged gear when I moved as well. I had missed having this microphone for several years.

I had tried a couple of other mics, like the Blue Bluebird, and didn’t like it. So when my wife got this for me, I was thrilled! You can check out this review from Front End Audio.

Aston Microphones Spirit Large Diaphragm

This is a newer mic to the market.
But I am hearing a lot of people talk about it. I don’t have any personal experience with it, but when you start seeing it pop up in lots of videos, you start to pay attention.

I remember seeing the mic for the first time in a video from the makers of the Albion String Libraries. I think it looks pretty cool. And I it’s design is by some audio guys, with the head being able to absorb the shock of a fall, and not be permanently dent. So you can reshape the head basket if it ever ends up on the floor.

I think that is a pretty slick idea.
You can see the mic in action in this Vintage King demo.

Rode NT2-A

I’m not going to say that this is the most amazing mic on the planet, but I think it is a solid mic. I would describe this one like the Audio Technica AT4033CL. It’s a workhorse mic. Not flashy, not fancy, but it will get the job done.

I like the fact that it has some extra features like the rolloffs and pattern selectors, so you can get a little more creative and precise depending on the recording application.

You can see this microphone in action on this review video from Freshly Baked Nonsense.

Roswell Mini K47

This little gem is a mic that is modeled after the Nuemann U47 Fet mic. For a fraction of the cost.

If you know anything about microphones, you know about Nuemann. They have some of the most legendary mics, two of them being the U87 and the U47. Tons and tons of vocals on records that you know have been recorded on one of those two mics. Later down the line Nuemann also released a FET version of the U47.

This mic from Roswell is modeled after that FET version of the U47.

I don’t have any experience with it, but I there are a couple of videos from Joe Gilder, who swears by the mic. And he gets decent results with it. Watch this video to hear him talking about why he loves the mic so much.

Shure SM-7B

This bad boy is in a class all its own.
I mean that literally and figuratively. From a literal perspective, this mic is different than all the other mics on this list, because it is not a large diaphragm condenser mic, even though it looks like it. It’s a dynamic microphone.

So it’s innards are more like a Shure SM57 or Shure SM58, but the housing and the configuration for the body are set up more like a condenser mic. I think the original purpose of this mic was for broadcasting, like radio personalities, etc. But it started to be used for recording as well.

I think that Michael Jackson at one point or another used one of these mics on some of his recordings that he did with Quincy Jones.

I remember watching a recording engineer use it on a location recording for a band in the DC area. He loved it on the vocals for the presence and the bass that it highlighted in the singer’s voice.

You can see this mic in action on almost any of Andrew Huang’s videos (towards the end of the video). He uses that as his primary vocal mic.

CONCLUSION

So that is my take on the 5 best vocal mics for under $500. You don’t have to use one of these mics, you can get away with some cheaper dynamic mics, like a Shure SM57, but I believe that a good mic like one of these can be very versatile for a small studio.

I didn’t include just large diaphragm condenser mics, because I think the Shure SM7B is a very good mic that can be very versatile in a small home studio. If you do get a dynamic mics, it might be beneficial to also get a Cloud Lifter CL1, which adds some gain up front to the mic. This is especially helpful since the dynamic mics operate at such a low signal level.

But these are just a few of the mics that I would consider adding to my collection, if I were looking for a good vocal mic in the under $500 category.