Dependable, quality information that you can use.
I’m not an engineer, so creating my DVD, “Depression What You Must Know,” and my Podcast, “Psychiatric Secrets Revealed with Dr. Mike” involved a lot a research and learning. The information listed below is a compilation of that work. I hope you find it helpful. Mike Kuna
more pronounced. It is livelier than the Shure mics. In addition it looks “way cool” with its vintage 1950’s styling and very heavy chroming. Although it sounds different from the Shure mics, I would say that it ties with them as far as overall sound quality.
4. Blue Snowball USB (street price $150). The Blue Snowball condenser mic is an odd looking USB microphone that is roughly the shape of a softball. Since it is a USB mic you can plug it in directly into your computer and completely avoid your sound card. The snowball is switchable from cardioid to omni directional. Sound is very pleasant with a bit less definition than the top microphones. Phantom Power is supplied by your computer’s USB port. Gentle post-production sweetening makes recordings from the snowball sound awesome (although this was not considered in rating the mic).
5. Samsum R11 (street price $23 via three pack). This dynamic microphone sounds amazing for the price. Clear and crisp. It is a SM 58 clone. In some ways I like it better than the Shure mics. This is due to the fact that the R11 adds some mild midrange boost, great for me, but it may be too much for someone with a bassy voice.
6. Nady SP5 (street price $7 via three pack). This dynamic mic is truly a best buy and sounds very similar to the Samsum R11 with a slightly lower output. I would say that the Nady and the Samsum are tied. A SM 58 clone (ice cream cone).
7. Behringer XM 8500 (street price $20 via three pack). This dynamic mic has a slightly less defined, warmer sound giving my voice a soft/rich quality. A SM 58 clone (ice cream cone).
8. Behringer C-1 (street price $50). This large diaphragm condenser requires phantom power to operate. It has a nice expansive sound but it tends to be so sensitive that it picked up more background noise than the other microphones. It adds a slight husky quality to my voice which was not unpleasant. The C-1 was also more sensitive to “plosives.”
9. Radio Shack 33-3001(street price $39). Another SM-58 clone, this dynamic microphone has a pleasant full sound. It tends to have slightly more problems with handling noise than the other microphones. The 33-3001 comes with a XLR to ¼” microphone cable.
10. Radio Shack 33-3030 (street price $20). The 33-3030 looks like a stylized, baby EV RE 20. This omni directional dynamic mic has a very nice open sound which is most likely due to its pick-up pattern. Unfortunately, that pattern also makes it more susceptible to background noise. The 33-3030 has a permanently attached microphone cable that terminates in a ¼” plug.
11. Audio-Technica ATR35s/Schriber Acoustic SA-110 (street price $35 for the Audio-Technica and $28 for the Schriber). As far as I can tell these two omni directional lavaliere, electret microphones, are identical. They were probably manufactured by an OEM company and re-branded. They are permanently attached to a long, thin cable which terminates in a 1/8” plug. A 1/4” adaptor is also included. For power, they use a button type battery and they are dirt cheap for a lavaliere-type microphone. I have used these wired lavs for years in video work (for instance in my DVD: Depression, What You Must Know) and they have preformed very well, especially when you consider their inexpensive price. If you compare them to the other microphones on this page they tend to have a more constrained, somewhat duller sound. With them said they are useful when I have to record an interview off-site as they are tiny and don’t require any additional hardware (like a mic stand or cables). Combined with a small flash recorder, they become a recording studio that fits in a pocket. They produce a clear, clean, although not terribly open/transparent, sound.
If you look at the ratings you will quickly discover that the more expensive microphones do sound better, but that difference is not as dramatic as you might think. All of the microphones sounded very good and it was only when I did A/B comparisons (over and over) that I could really pick out the differences. In general I would say that the cheaper mics tended to have a softer, less defined sound. They also had a tendency to boost midrange frequencies or add a little fullness to my voice. None of this sounded bad (and it sometimes improved how I really sound). However, these qualities would be less desirable if I was recording a Stradivarius or a virtuoso singer.
Listeners are not trained audio engineers and they are mostly interested in pleasant, artifact free sound. All of these microphones did that without difficulty. In addition, most recordings can often been easily sweetened using EQ and other options allowing you to tailor a microphone to fit your particular sonic needs.
Is it worth spending almost 40 times the price (the PR-
1. The need to use a microphone for other, more demanding, work. For instance doing professional voice-overs, recording music, or some other commercial application.