There is absolutely no doubt that having a mic in the studio is a must. In fact, it is so important that the market is saturated with hundreds of them, all having different dimensions, functionalities and even vary in terms of pricing. With this high supply of best budget studio mic for vocals, you will surely agree that there is a need to be guided to making the perfect choice that will suit your studio needs and leave you feeling like you have had good value for your money. In this article, we will walk you through some mics we have found to be worthwhile, having different functionalities and specifications, but will serve to the best of their capabilities as microphones, meeting your audio desires and giving you a feeling of studio fulfillment with the amazing sound that comes with every usage.
Shure SM58 is a dynamic type of microphone and a good budget studio mic. If you’ve ever heard someone sing or speak into a live microphone, there’s an excellent chance it’s a SHURE SM58. Being the most popular affordable dynamic mic in the world was designed for professional vocal use in live performance, sound reinforcement and studio recording. These mics are the industry standard for working musicians. Strongly made and can withstand the rigors of gigging and the forever packing and unpacking that goes with the territory. If dropped, they will usually survive the fall.
The NT1-A is an outstanding affordable condenser mic-a microphone designed and built by RODE in Sydney Australia, with a quality sound that’s proven by countless recordings. The NT1-A is famously good for vocals and a cheap condenser mic, with an excellent value for your money. This mic will give you that ‘sounds like a record’ feeling.
The SM7B dynamic mic has smooth, flat, wide-range frequency response appropriate for music and speech in all professional audio applications. The adjustable yoke makes it easy to place the SM7B to tight corners. The SM7B is an outstanding choice for the following application:
- Talk shows
- Radio announcing
- Motion picture
- Television scoring
This is an affordable condenser mic for all budgets. This sE Electronics sE2200a mic is comparable and that’s a fact, the clarity and range of this condenser mic makes it a hidden treasure. Being a cheap condenser mic is an additional advantage and the best choice when the desire is to capture pure and natural sound, without added flavors.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A VOCAL MIC
When heading out to buy a mic. It’s important to know what you’re actually looking for. In our view, the two most important things are frequency response (overall range a mic can produce) and polar patterns (the mic’s field of sensitivity).
FREQUENCY RESPONSE:
A microphone’s frequency refers to the range of frequencies, from low to high that a microphone will pick up. This range is measured in hertz. A microphone with a frequency response range of around 80Hz to 15Hz would make a good choice for a vocal mic.
Read Shure’s article on mic basis frequency response
POLAR PATTERNS:
The polar pattern is the shape of a mic’s field of sensitivity, or the directions from which it accepts or ignores incoming sounds. A unidirectional mic responds to sounds coming from all directions. A bidirectional mic, also picks up sounds from east and west while excluding sounds from north and south.
Polar patterns are important when you are working in a noisy setting, such as when focusing on a singer in a live band. Cardioids, super-cardioid and hypercardioid mic will tend to exclude all the sounds except the voice of the singer, thus making the signal from becoming muddied.
A microphone’s frequency refers to the range of frequencies, from low to high that a microphone will pick up. This range is measured in hertz. A microphone with a frequency response range of around 80Hz to 15Hz would make a good choice for a vocal mic.
SUMMARY
Despite highlighting the difference between the four best budget studio mic for vocal, you may still be wondering which one would suit you more and give you more value for your money. We’ll try to suggest which mic is best for you and further help narrow down your options with a comparison table.
Watch this video on youtube: Microphone Polar Patterns Demonstrated