Suggestions for a good budget Condenser Mic for basic home recording.
 

Looking to start recording some of my material at home. Very small basic setup. Condenser mic w/ audio interface with multiple inputs. Acoustic Guitar / Piano / and Vocals.

Looking for suggestions for a budget condenser thatll get the job done. Preferably something $100.00 and under. Also something that I could possibly use for voiceover on recorded video.

I was looking at the Audio Technica AT2020. What do you guys suggest?

Also i'm pretty sure for an audio interface im just going to go with the Scarlet Audio interface, that seems to be the most popular budget option at the moment. I see there are several models for sale i.e. 1st gen, 2nd gen. Is getting the first generation basic box alright?

Ive got both the AT2020 and Behringer C3 i like the AT a bit more for my voíce

I’d suggest getting the 2nd generation if you’re getting a Focusrite Scarlett; there is a difference. If you’ve got time and patience there are occasional deals on eBay. I found a 2i4 for my son at a good price.

Yeah, the AT2020.

Sampson C01 LDC vs The World
 

I suggest what I always do for a good general purpose condenser, AKG Perception P170.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...hoCpBEQAvD_BwE

The problem with condenser mics is that there's a whole lot of "what it looks like" involved in the purchase decision. DO check the specifications for mics you're looking at; the AT2020 looks like a LDC but has a capsule size (5/8") that firmly plants it in the medium diaphragm size.

That's NOT necessarily a bad thing, and the AT2020 is a good sounding mic in its own right.

With condensers, diaphragm size does matter, but there's a lot of overlap in the diaphragm size VS what it actually sounds like among the various brands and configurations.

I've got a bunch of mics and I recorded the same vocal and acoustic guitar passage on many of them so I could audition them in my DAW easily. The AKG P170 is deceptively smooth and matches many other higher priced LDCs closely, or at least to my ear.

The good thing is that there are many choices out there in the sub-$100 category and most of them will do a great job for you.

One of the things I learned the hard way about mics is that the self noise is very important. Maybe I'm a little nuts about it but I really like low self noise. I had bought a ribbon mic with a great mellow sound but it was so noisy (22db self noise) I stopped using it. One day I'll trade it in at Guitar Center for something. You literally could see the cloud of noise in the spectrum display. So I bought two AT 2035. The self noise of these is just 12db. The self noise of the AT2020 is 20db, which is up there. Yes, you'll save $50 buying the 2020, but you're not getting something that is critical for recording acoustic guitar at home imo.

AT2020 specs

AT2035 specs

Noise is one of the few things that's not subjective about mics, so definitely something to be aware of for acoustic guitar, where noise is a bigger issue than for louder instruments. As you go up the AT line, you get more (and pay more). Generally they have better frequency response, more sensitivity, and lower noise. That said, if your budget doesn't allow for more, I think the 2020's are a great deal, and the noise level is perfectly acceptable. What matters is signal to noise ratio, and you can deal with a less than dead-quiet mic by micing closer and/or playing louder. The 2020's are definitely noisier than the mics I usually use, but again, not really an issue in practice. Check out the demo I did for Acoustic Guitar last month using the AT2020s to get an idea of how much noise there is. No noise reduction, etc, on this, and you can see exactly what I get from the raw mics (even using cheap, relatively noisy preamps, too...):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b6E20BwSdU

My guess is that most people have more issues with noise from other sources (room, household, other electronics) than you'll get from these mics. But again, if you can afford more, it can certainly help to step up a level or two.

Do you want budget sound?

Speaking from experience, inching one's way up the quality ladder is an expensive game to play. I spent many years buying economically friendly gear only to find myself selling it a short time later at a loss because I found the shortcomings unacceptable ...microphones probably being the main culprit. So Doug is giving good advice there.

I think the thought is buy really good once. Buy not so good many times. Add up the "many times" and see how much that really is.

Been there, done that, many times :-) I've often wondered why I did that!

But I think the answer is partly, 1) it's easier to notice the dent one big purchase makes over nickels and dimes, and 2) uncertainty that the "really good" (and expensive) thing is really what one needs. Especially when you don't have any experience with, say, recording, going out and buying a really expensive piece of gear is scary, you don't know enough to be sure you're not making a big mistake. So you'd rather make lots of little mistakes that don't hurt as much :-)

So, a couple approaches might make more sense (if I could go back in time and give my younger self some advice). 1) Buy *one* fairly budget item to gain some experience, learn from that what the shortcomings are, then get something good. Big issue with that is that you still don't know - maybe your results are crappy, is it the gear, or are you just doing it wrong? And/or 2) get some hands on experience without buying first. Borrow, rent, etc. With recording, booking a few studio sessions can be eye-opening for both process and gear.

Actually, a third suggestion is to realize that if you buy quality, and perhaps used, and it's the wrong thing, you aren't losing the full cost, because you can probably sell it for nearly what you paid for it. Whereas if you buy too cheap, you probably will never be able to unload it, so you've lost the full cost.

None of this is to recommend against the AT2020, as a budget mic, it's more than adequate for home recording...

To throw another wrinkle into this, for anyone just starting to record, it's hard to go wrong with something like a Zoom portable recorder with built-in mics. The whole thing costs less than mics+interface, they work and sound very good, and are relatively "fool-proof" - and they can also act as an interface if you really want to use a computer. In addition, when you're ready for something more sophisticated, the Zoom isn't a throw-away, they're very handy to have for on-the-go recording of any kind.

Agreed,. Ive got a Zoom R8 but i prefer the ease of use with my Tascam DR-05. And it sounds good, connect it to the computer and you can adjust/ fine tune your music, its just easier if your just doing it for yourself or ?

Thanks for that, Doug. As usual, your comments here are helpful to me.

One more thing: I've listened to your recordings comparing a low-cost AT2020 to a Schoeps and to my ear, the differences between them are minor and show how it's mostly the player, the instrument and the song that determines whether or not I like a recording. And that's with one solo instrument where any differences will be dramatically multiplied compared to the same instrument in a mix.