$80 MACKIE EM-91C vs. $1000+ AKG-C414 - Large-Diaphragm CONDENSER MIC SHOOTOUT - Guitar Discoveries 

It definitely sounds better than the cost. It's hard to beat the quality to price ratio Mackie offers

Mackie was always big name and trustable company for all musicians in Europe and I would say more popular than most brands sold in North America. There is a small difference in quality and I can hear it but that’s nothing comparing to 900$ price difference. I would say pretty similar quality and again mackie proved the point of trusting them that they can compete anywhere in world of music and sound. I am impressed. BTW I like your voice and approach to music, you are talented that’s obvious. And you have one interesting perspective when it comes to important factors in sound recording. I subscribed

I can hear a difference, but not a $900 difference.

It's surprising how good the Mackie sounds for the price! Your vocals and guitaring sound superb btw

Note to viewers: Don't skip the first minutes....the Mackie has been put through a fairly detailed EQ-ing to achieve this. "EQs well" would be an interesting category. I can EQ the Rode NT1A easily to be a flatter mic (by using just a few nodes), but I can't wring the shine out of the AT2020. Just have to appreciate that shine for certain jobs. Without the EQ the EM-91c is fairly low at the high end. But...it EQs well!

The Mackie is incredible at this price point. I mean, $1000.00 to $83.00? Come on you gotta be kidding me! That's an amazing accomplishment by Mackie for sure. I do hear the difference but it's not that markedly differentiated from the AKG. I will certainly be taking at look into getting a Mackie for my own home studio needs.

I heard another demonstration of the Mackie online recently so I was interested to hear this, particularly because I used to have a 414 EB. But I would rather have heard these two without any EQ at all, just a straight up comparison.

Bro I came for a mic review ended up in love with the engineer in you. Beautiful singing too.

I just ordered one for $39.99. After seeing this review, I think it will fit right in my lab. Thanks for the review.

I just love everything makie

Well yes , definitely there’s some differences, especially in those notes where the feeling in voice come out, I just brought the Mackie , and I think is a good choice and good decision according to my budget at this moment... lol

The Mackie is very nice for the price but even on RU-vid I can hear the extra clarity of the AKG but at the price I should

coming from someone who owns a studio the new makie mic sound like it sound be at least $400 more than it is. that is steal

Convinced me. A great review of the mackie, so good just going to buy one.

I was almost going to buy the Mackie, but after listening to this demo, this would have been a false economy. Thank you for the demo. I think now - much better to save up for a better microphone. I think the swingspot for budget XLR microphones is somewhere nearer to $120 or $150. Most of the microphones below that budget, typically have flaws or lack consistency from either the design, or quality assurance lapses during manufacture. To make a consistently good microphone, from one copy to another, costs a certain minimum amount of money. I doubt if anyone can beat the Rode NT, in consistency and manufacturing quality, and their cheapest large diaphragm microphone is about $150 the NT Signature edition. Below that, there are going to be clearly compromises.

The difference is not worth $900 and to satisfy a better than average listener the difference can most likely be nullified with EQ and effects. Great comparison!

Great singing and production. The Akg is smoother to me on the mid highs. But the mackie, oh my. It can compete!

Have it and I love it 👍🏽 can’t beat it price and everything is in front of the artist so it’s cool plug n play 👍🏽 no more bs

Yes, the Mackie sounds pretty good, but the AKG is still better. You can hear a better/fuller balance on the AKG, where the Mackie sounds a bit mid-rangey. On the guitar (and on the vocal) the high end is just a bit sweeter on the AKG which allows you to hear the character of the pick hitting the strings in a way you can't on the Mackie. But, for 80 bucks....

Under $15 now at Thomann. Got 5 (and free shipping in Europe). Love your vid, by the way.

Also, great playing! Really catching the James Taylor vibe!

Bought the Mackie Producer Bundle. Thanks for the review.

Tu video es excelente, soy de México no había ningún video como este, estaba entre esos 2 micrófonos y tú me ayudaste mucho, llegue a la conclusión de que puedo sacarle todo el jugo al Mackey hasta juntar para un mejor micrófono como un Manley🦈🙋‍♂️ miraré más de tus videos bro

Not bad for an $80 banger, appreciate the review!

Nice song, nice demo and thanks for your time and info - I will get this mic

Nice review, the Mackie sounds like a 100 range mic. It definitely need more high end and fix the mids.

The bang for the buck factor is huge with the Mackie, but the AKG has more resonance, depth, and detail, it is especially noticeable on guitar since it has a wider frequency range compared to the vocals. The EQ used hyped the Mackie a bit, and the low end was thin, the 2 mics should have gain matched and left flat. I've heard it used in a church on a quartet of singers and they sounded very good. I've bought a pair to try them out, just waiting on delivery.

You're right about there being no info about this mic online, but I still can't find the one thing I really want to hear -- a comparison with other budget friendly condenser mics, especially the Audio Technica AT2020.

I love that song

To my ears, the highs didn't feel as detailed even with the boost on the Mackie, and it kinda feels like the vocals have a veil on them and sound comparatively boxy. And although the Mackie has a darker tone, the AKG one has an amazingly smooth low end too. But of course, the price...

Mackie великолепная фирма и микрофон этот замечательный! Я себе купил.

I agree, it was hard to find a recording of someone using it, so I made a video myself also, just talking about the mic, using the mic. No editing, no EQ, it's the raw audio of me talking and moving around the mic, plosives, and proximity effects included. It's down and dirty, but it gives an idea of what to expect. Honestly I love the mic for $80!

Thank you for this review. I’m super convinced to buy this mic from Mackie :)

Always awesome stuff

Nice test and nice music bro...

I can hear more gleam at the top end of the C414, that seems the main difference. The thing about the EM-91C is that it's oddly smooth for a low-cost mic. It's not the C414, but it's comfortable for the price. Doesn't put your ears through the cheese grater.

Song at the beginning is a hit. Voice sound like Andy Hallet.

I actually like the Mackie better... the akg is a bit too boomy on the low frequencies. You have a great voice. I wished you lived closer by so you could add some harmony to some of the songs I write if you were willing.... If you have time you might give a listen to (Wings of the Morning) by Gary Ingersoll on youtube...

Thanks for the video! I'm no pro but I hear more nice "low end" coming out of the AKG on the guitar. I suspect we could compensate with some EQ adjustments on the Mackie track to come closer to the AKG sound if we wanted to?

I like both. The Akg is warmer to me.

Both have good things the other hasn’t…bit for the price I can’t hear things that I dislike or sound phony in the Mackie. I might get it.

Great video thank you, I just ordered the Mackie. The AKG does sound better to me, something about the lower mid presence sounds so full but smooth. I like to record while making a video, and would love to then add audio tracks to the video. How do you incorporate your singing video with the multi track? do you use a DAW? or do that in a video editor and sync it with your final audio? great performance and video!

i already have one and its awesome

Nice. What about even using it to record a live room with a 3 piece playing guitar drums bass. Not ideal maybe but could this pull that off?

You should make "blind review", so nobody shifted in mind that "more expensive is better".

The Mackie definitely sounds thinner, but for a $900 difference I wouldn't complain about it... I am a young musician looking for a way to record good-sounding tracks, would you say the Mackie Producer Bundle is a good buy? Or would you rather spend a bit more money and go for a Rode NT1 (a) with a Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen?

Great Review!! I just have one question: is it okay to record eletric guitar with the Mackie?

i brought that shit. this video was well done

Great review - I think I will get the producer bundle off the back of this - Just one question..... I'm new to logic, what dd you do to the EQ to improve the high end?

The sound difference between both mics is not like $900, but If you want the AKG sound quality you have to spend the money.

The mackie is good, but the presence that the AkG has gives both the guitar and vocal that "special" sauce that eq can't substitute for. there are reasons why the Akg is a true standard, the parts quality, build quality, rf interference, and holds its sound as long as you own it--- the Mackie is built in china by probably MXL and the parts quality is nothing like the AKG, yes short term it will suit you, but which one will you still have 10-20 years from now? um, the AKG.

I think I’ll give that a try for under 100 bucks you can’t go wrong be safeBe cool

Looking for a cheap but still decent mic to work on my piano compositions, and I've come back to this one after looking for something of value under $100. What other materials do you need to run the mic? Does it work through USB or do you need a converter/splitter? thanks for this review, I do believe I'll check it out. If I can get it to work through USB, that is. Cheers

Hi Robert. What drum are you using on the demo?

I won the mackie in a giveaway, do you think it is worth upgrading?

UPDATE -- I sold the Mackie. My conditions changed. I ended up liking the Behringer XM8500 better (see a few comments below). ------ Just a follow-up after 3 months of ownership. I've come to enjoy this mic for what it is. I have pretty much the same review on Amazon (Amazon mixed reviews of a few different Mackie mics together, so their reviews are kind of a mess). Before you buy this mic, look at the spec sheet and know this mic has the highs rolled off compared to other condensers. Because of this, you will find this mic works very well for simple long form spoken word. It is not often a good choice for instruments or singers who want a big/wide sound, IMHO (Podcastage talks about instruments in more detail, as he has experience). If you want something for music, my suggestion near this price point is to spend a bit more for the wider but neutral AT2035 (Which is a step up from the 2020, and doesn't have the 2020's slight excessive high boost) OR Neat King Bee. Or spend a lot more for the Blue Babybottle SL. The Mackie excels at long form spoken word, specifically for those who have somewhat sibilant voices. This mic tames sibilant issues (my problem). It doesn't sound muffled, but it is a smidge muddy in the very low end, and not bright. The bass extension on the AT2020 and AT2035 are better, but the high end "air" those mics create also pick up more room noise. That extra air is not crucial for my line of work (teaching videos), and too much air makes for a less enjoyable longform experience without a perfect studio noise-removed set-up, IMHO. I EQ'd the bass to roll off from around 100hz, pulled it down a bit between strategic places at 250 and 500hz. I also brightened the highs maybe 2db from 5,000hz up. I like how it handles sibilance, though. Without EQ, its character borders on dull and a bit overbearing in the lows, but not overly so. Trim them down a little, and you're good. This is a mic which provides a very pleasant long form sound for someone like me -- a teacher looking to create clean vocals for 30 minute teaching videos, so long as you trim the lows as you normally should with any mic. Note that I have a moderately well-treated recording room, with several thick moving blankets covering the walls and laying around. If you cannot pull off a room like this, avoid the condensers and get a dynamic mic like the Samson Q2U or Shure SM58. After further use, I am finding I like how this mic acts almost super-cardioid in how it keeps out background sound (or like a dynamic mic, might be a better comparison). For voice-over where I am a little close to the mic, I do drop some of the bass, as mentioned above, and add about 2db to the mids. I de-ess a smidge because I've boosted, but not much is needed. I am going for a bigger sound than cheaper mics typically give me. I like how this mic ends up sounding through my student's laptops and earphones (I took a poll of 110 students, and 80% of them listen through earbuds or a laptop with tinny little speakers). I have learned "enough" clarity and a lack of echo are more important for my trade -- too many condensers are shrill and harsh in the ears, but not this one. I like how I don't have to worry as much about room acoustics compared to "better" condenser mics. The trade-off is that I have a very workable mic that improves my teaching videos and Zoom meetings without adding a lot of room noise like condensers tend to do. Another reviewer said it almost sounds like a dynamic at times, and I agree, but the pickup pattern is wider so you can move around a bit, and not be penalized for it. A little compression helps to make this mic approach the sound of a more expensive dynamic like the Shure SM7B -- not the same, for sure, but very good on its own. As mentioned, you have some room to move around without having to put your mouth within an inch of the thing. That's a nice advantage to this mic (so long as I stay within maybe 10 inches I can move side to side a bit more than with a dynamic -- enough to make a big difference while teaching). I am sorry but I lack the experience or need to be further away from it. If you are wanting a mic for online gaming, I still suggest a dynamic mic, and if you want to go cheap but still have XLR sound, go with the Behringer XM8500 (freaking amazing mic for the price) or if you want a USB mic, go with the Samson Q2U. Even cheaper still -- Fifine K668, which is hilariously good and only about $30. In fact, for teachers and 90% of the public, that mic is enough.

There is a definite loss in detail in the upper frequencies. The Mackie is great for longform spoken word, but I wouldn't buy it for singing or music. I ordered one specifically for spoken word, because I am too sibilant.

We in the voice over community didn't get anything out of this video. We were hoping , that apart from the singing, you would have spoken into the microphone , to give us a better idea, as to how the mackie condenser sounded....not only singers are interested in microphones

The AKG is much better. But the Mackie is ok.

Here's another review of this mic from podcastage -- ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lVqdENzOrsM.html that I saw yesterday on this mic.

No one will convince me that the AKG is 10 times better than the Mackie. Doesn't warrant 10X the $$$.