Mics were measured at 3" away from the diaphragms of each mic, gain levels were all matched in software. Thoughts about each mic 1. SL84C: This mic sounds great for less than 15 dollars, it actually sounds similar to the AT-4033a to my ears. Not very robust, wouldn't trust it to tour with. 2. BA85a: This mic I don't like too much, it's a great price and very usable but I would never choose it over some of the other mics in this test. VERY solid build though! 3. D9000: hottest dynamic mic tested here, the sound is a bit too forward in the mix for singing, I feel this would be a great mic for speaking publicly as long as you had a good feedback elimination system. Only mic on this list that's not still made. 4. Sennhieser e835: this mic sounds great and it's beefy, I would gig with this in a heartbeat and it sounds good in most mixes I've tested. Very balanced sound. Also a better deal than the sm58/57 as long as you are not going for that specific sound. 5. SM58: legendary mic, a solid choice for anything, easy to mix in and great for live performances. It sounds like the standard mic everything is compared to. It's great! 6. SM57: IMO this mic sounds better for vocals as long as you use an appropriate windscreen, it's more balanced to my ears than the 58, sits in a mix a little easier from my experience. Super solid but a bit more finicky than a 58 when performing without a windscreen or plosive rejection peripheral. 7. P220: This mic sounds great for vocals although it is very bright in the top end, it can be tamed. Mic feels very solid in the hand although its not a hammer. 8. NT1SS: This mic sounds great compared to most mics ive used in my life, i feel it is well voiced but wish the very top end wasnt as harsh. Easily a top contender for value and performance. Very fragile feeling, i wouldn't recommend dropping it. 9. ST170: this mic sounds like its under water, theres only one other mic ive ever tested that sounds like this and it was 1 dollar. Im sure this would be great for cymbals or snare, something super loud and harsh, but for vocals it would take a lot of work to sound right. Maybe the ribbon is stretched out on mine? Awesome build quality though. 10. AT4033a: this mic sounded very bland to my ears, nothing really standout to me. It sounds too close or inferior to much cheaper mics imo. I can't recommend this mic. 11. H44: expensive for a mic, cheap for an excellent ribbon. Very well suited to the voice. Much less harsh top end than most mics. Super robust build quality, doesnt come with a shock mount, i think for the price, it should come with a shockmount but i understand its a very small company.
WOW. This is going to take me a min to sort through. LOL. Did you write the lyrics? Clever comparison. Learning a lot about mics. Will leave another comment when I finish my analysis. Thanks for posting this!
Lol, I figured I had enough mics and even some oddball mics that are not compared often to make a comparison video. Hopefully it will help some others that are trying to find a decent setup.
