Must have Mics for the Home Studio 

I've been using a 421 as my main live vocal mic for 40 years. I love them.

Good to see you back Jamie! Marks mics are great, I recently just got an OPR 251 with his ck12 capsule and it’s amazing sounding!

Great overview - I have several of these - all vintage now: re the C1000's a cross pair of these I used to use in Field Recording for Atmos inc having a pair recording a Thunderstorm over the Cotswolds using a Sony DTC-D10 Dat recorder - it had been raining with distant thunder when it went unnervingly quiet I was by a glass external door in the studio making sure I had the 16-Track Tascam MS-16 delaced and covered which was next to a Studio A820 24-track set up for later session: tape was laced but not on. Suddenly the birds went quiet, the rain stopped it was ominous and the feeling electric when there was this almighty explosion, a cafe up the road where my musician son was doing some extra work said that all the people seemed to fall to the floor, no one hurt thank goodness but opposite about 100 yards away the end of a building had it's chimney and top of the attic area knocked down - I thought I had been hit and was walking around saying something like 'I've been hit'... this is one of the best Atmos recordings of an Lightening Strike and Thunder I've heard, the saving grace was that I had the Limiters on: even now when people come to use it I have to warn them not to turn up the volume and still sends chills down me. So those C1000's - can't remember now whether I had those add-on clips which changed the Polar Pattern in or not. Put on a Boom the C1000 and it's later C1000s in a Cross Pair can grab some great Atmos - esp Firework Displays and hearing the people talking the Ooohs and Aaarhs from children and the clink of money being put in the Charity Buckets... I've used the Audio Technica Stereo AT825 for years now for a miscellanea of uses - AKG kindly changed the Barrel after the thread had somehow crossed - you have some great mics and Lavaliere Mics can be a pain literally in the neck in interviews etc - my main 1990 AMS Soundfield ST250 is still my main staple for Atmos and now strangely taken over by Rode in Oz - the 4-heads are amazing - I'll never forget being at APRS in London in 1989/90 when the AMS guy asked me to test out the ST250 I just wish I'd bought the B-Splitter Unit for use in post they are amazing and I'm sure that Rode's new version is also an excellent mic from an equally excellent company. Thanks for posting. Michael (I've subscribed) UK

Thanks for the gems! def going to have to try that 421-N

Lovely Chiltern QM3, had one for many years

Welcome back... nice video and some nicely exotic mic choices there (perhaps not really home studio "must haves" - usually finances dictate otherwise, and today the market offers many, even too many budget options, not all good of course) alongside some classics & staples. BTW the "M/S" switch on the bottom of the Sennheiser 421 means "Music/Speech", not singing, which is music, too. 😉

the vast majority of these differences can be compensated for in your daw. just make sure your mic has a 20 to 20 response and youre good to go

Great stuff Jamie. Honest and no B.S Most impressed by the condition of yr 57. Mine is half the age and looks a bit more second hand ….. I’d like to add - reckon the 57 is great on acoustics if you’re looking for something a little less Posh sounding.

Excellent list! Owning half of those. SM7B for some VoX, some floortom or some guitar cab duty, three sm57‘s for racktoms, snares, guitar cabs. MD421 for Toms & guitar cabs. D112mk2 for kick or basscab. I love my KM184‘s though! Recently had the ability to compare KM184’s to vintage KM84‘s on overheads. The vintage ones sound just a bit smoother in the top end, 184‘s sound a bit harsh in comparison (more needs to be done in the mixing process) but they’re still really great mics…

Great Collection! Have you ever tried the R88 from AEA? It is magic. I never heard of the OPR, I guess they are only sold in Australia.

Great overview of classic mics. In your opinion what's a mid-range alternative to coles for rooms and overheads that give clarity without brittle top end? Neumann would be great, but apparently I need to eat food every day to stay alive.

is there a significant difference between a modern & a vintage 421?