TIPS FOR BUYING YOUR FIRST MIC IN 2023 

I love watching your videos, and few other mic reviewers, but I always smile when I see the comments and many people talking (religiously arguing) about some intangible differences while almost no one understands that there is maybe only a few microphones that will sound bad if used in a treated room, while the rest will be very, very usable, and less different between each other than what many believes. :)

Gamer here. My first mic was a Razer Seiren Mini. Excellent sound for an excellent price. Lacking features though. Looking at the Sennheiser profile mic as a possible upgrade. Love your videos!

So to simplify, first consider where you use it. Then what you are doing with it. Finally, find someone who probably sounds like you and what "affordable" mic they are using (assuming you like their voice afterwards). Make sure they tell you what processing they are doing to it. My wife would just do the "order a bunch" and return all but one method.

Low end condenser: Hard to beat the AKG P120. Higher end: NT1 4th gen easily. Low end dynamic: Controversial choice, but I really love the PreSonus PD-70 and recommend it frequently for streamers and podcasters. It just sounds good without much effort. Higher end: Rode Procaster seems to fill most peoples needs without breaking the bank. Of course this category has a ton of great options.

Thank you. Great video I'm going to apply for some grants to help me get started. I have a Boya lavalier that was unused $15. I have to determine what to plug into to use it. LOL I look forward to setting up my office for podcasts.

If in doubt: SM57. Most general mic ever, works well enough on everything! I find for my vocals an EV 767 works better, but that may just fit my particular voice.

I remember forking over $1000 for my AKG 414 back in 1985! (OUCH!) - That was A LOT of "Lawn Mowing Money" for this 18 year old future sound engineer! lol - GREAT thumbnail, BTW!!!

Yeah, microphones... This is neverending story :) You buy one, and one more, and... you know what I mean :) This has low self-nose, this has a brilliant tone, another - stong, compressed sound :D I have lots of microphones and still want to check new ones :D

I first bought a Shure SM 58, then a SEV7x. Both are good, but then on your advice, I got a TZ audio Stellar X2. It is awesome for the price, but I am KEEPING them all! Cheers!

easily the best mic reviewer on youtube. highly underrated.

I want to make video essays. USB seems simplest to me. From your video, it sounds like I need a condenser. I would like my mic to be completely out of the way of my face. I don't have a lot of money though. Any suggestions?

Great video my friend!! And I have a quick question...What's the best ratio for compression??? 3:1 or 4:1. As you know I am a podcaster with the RodeCaster Pro 2 with the Shure SM7B.

I've always been on the lookout for "that mic," the one I can use for everything I do. That said, I recently needed to buy a matched pair of SDC microphones, but I didn't want (or need) to spend too much money. I ultimately chose the sE Electronics Se7 matched pair at $219.00 USD (One Se7 is $109.00). All I can really say is Holy Moly! Even though I didn't consider the Se7 as "that mic" when I purchased the pair, it turns out that it sort of is! At least in my case, it's sounded awesome on everything I've tried it on, including my voice. Go figure... Lol

Be prepared to go down some serious rabbit holes if you are into microphones. I started with some cheap USB microphone from Amazon, and over the last 3 years have bought and sold quite a few. Use case is incredibly important. My faves are my RE20 for my radio work, my RODE NT 1 for music stuff, and my sE Electronics for live vocals. These days, most podcasters can get by with some of the better USB options out there.

Hi very quick question. I just start a home musical studio, and need a mic. What do you think about Marantz pro mpm-1000. Its like a cheaper version of the rode nt1a. I like its sound but id really want to know your opinion, so what do you say?

They need demo microphones at the shopping mall.

I had to come back to this. As a photographer I'm often asked the parallel question about cameras. Of course, one size does not fit all. But my basic advice is to neither overspend or underspend because both waste money. Avoid entry level because you can easily get frustrated by the limitations and it will be difficult to recoup your investment. The next step up is worth considering. If you graduate to more sophisticated (and expensive) gear then you can always use it as a backup. So, for microphones, you can (almost) never go wrong with the SM58. If you want a little more zing and less bass, the Beta 58a. Condenser mics are more tricky but the Rode NT1 is good without breaking the bank. Are they perfect? Nope. But you'll rarely be able to say they were a waste of money. (And, yes, I often record my podcast with a SM58 and a Fethead.)

Have you tried the Austrian Audio OC18?

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Just making recommendations : Under 50 : xm8500 Under 100 : sE v7 Under 200 : king bee ii Under 400 : nt1 5th gen Under 1000 : AU oc 18 Under 5000 : lewitt 1040