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I write a lot of songs . . . mostly in the Country vein but some rock stuff as well. I haven't been sharing anything (yet) but will be shortly. One of the main reasons I haven't is that a bunch of you on here have set the bar pretty dang high and while I love what I write the finished product just isn't something I was happy enough with to share. Some weeks ago I took my guitar, bass, and mandolin and a couple handfuls of BiaB tracks into a professional studio. I researched some of the gear he used - he recorded my vocals with a $4000 microphone hooked up to a $8000 tube pre-amp and . . . well . . . I actually sounded pretty good for a change. The 10 songs we recorded set me back a LOT of cash and I think it's worth it but I'm running out of gear to sell so probably won't be doing this again anytime soon.
I have *slowly* been getting better at mixing and I've done some work treating my home studio (spare bedroom) and I have a lot more songs I want to finish up and share so I'm looking for a good quality vocal mic, hopefully under $200, that will give me a fighting chance at capturing my vocals and not just sound like crap. Thought I'd ask here what some of you use for your home studios and what recommendations y'all have.
I fully understand you get what you pay for but I'm also sure that some of you who sound so friggin' good aren't using $12,000 mic setups so . . . What are you using and why? I have been looking at the Audio-Technica AT2020 as one possibility.
Don't ever try and be like anybody else and don't be afraid to take risks. -Waylon Jennings
PC-Win 10 Pro-Intel i9 9900 3.6 GHz-32 gig ram-SSD (X3)-AMD RX 550
AUDIO INTERFACE-Presonus FP10/Firepods
SOFTWARE-Sonar X3 / BiaB 2026 UltraPAK
~Russell~
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The AT2020 can sound good, as well as a Berhinger B2 (both lower end in price) But I suspect what you heard even more is the preamp. A good one makes a ton of difference once you start getting picky about the sound. The best budget friendly one I found is a Studio Project VTB1 preamp and that was years ago. Still may be able to find one. Matching a LDC with a good preamp makes all the difference on vocals. Just my humble opinion. Seller claims it's new - https://www.ebay.com/itm/3762904926...7-JzkkwMVOovCCB257SgdEAQYAiABEgLPbPD_BwE
Last edited by rharv; 04/10/26 02:34 PM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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But I suspect what you heard even more is the preamp.
A good one makes a ton of difference once you start getting picky about the sound.
Just my humble opinion. Ya know I hadn't even considered that . . . I suspect you're correct though. Guess I need to start rethinking the studio build. And don't be too humble . . . Good advice is priceless and much appreciated! Thanks!
Don't ever try and be like anybody else and don't be afraid to take risks. -Waylon Jennings
PC-Win 10 Pro-Intel i9 9900 3.6 GHz-32 gig ram-SSD (X3)-AMD RX 550
AUDIO INTERFACE-Presonus FP10/Firepods
SOFTWARE-Sonar X3 / BiaB 2026 UltraPAK
~Russell~
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Hey, Russell. That's a great question. If you can tell us what mic you currently use, that will help establish a baseline for comparison. Anyway... I record vocals with a German-made Neumann TLM49. It's an economy version of a $4K mic, but it's still about a grand new. I got mine used for much less. All the Neumann large diaphragm mics are quality. I've used the TLM102 and TLM103, which are less pricey but still above your price point at about $400 used. My first real vocal mix was a Chinese MXL990. They're still available today, and less than $100 new, about $50 used. I liked it a lot but upgraded because I could. One of our Showcase posters uses one on occasion and gets great sounds from it. Your FP10 is a 20 year old design. Know it can still produce GREAT music, but I wouldn't be surprised if some new interfaces might not offer higher quality mic preamps, which can be helpful. You can also get a mic with an integrated preamp. I had a Rode K2 with an integrated tube preamp, which is also quite a nice vocal mic. But again above your price point at about $500 used. There will be lots of opinions on this topic I'm sure. This is just mine. 
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
Presonus Studio One
ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM
Presonus Faderport 16
Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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I owned the Studio Project VTB1 up til it died over a year or two ago - it is now in my dead and unused equipment closet. I had it for about 5 - 10 years. The Rode NT1 condensor mic, which I bought at the same time continues to be my go to mic in my sound booth. I actually expected both to last forever.
When the VTB1 died I discovered that my USB Audio Device, MOTU Audio Express provided me with a 48 v phamtom power preamp. I have used that for the past years. I do a lot of singing.... like a real lot! I am pretty happy with the Rode/MOTU combo. Otherwise, when anyone comments favorably on my vocals I attrubute it to: Melodyn, Ozone, Nectar and Neutron (the entire iZotope line up) along with vocal lessons and gifts on loan from God.
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The Audio-Technica AT2020 is an excellent choice - at that price I don't know of anything better and I use one myself. I also have a Neuman U87 from way back when I ran a commercial studio. Is the Neuman better than the Audio-Technica AT2020? Yes, of course, but the difference isn't what you'd expect from the price difference. My USB interface is a Behringer UMC 404HD which has Midas preamps. Midas have been making world class mixers for decades and these preamps are brilliant - it's a cheap way of getting a boutique preamp sound.
Hope you find some of this useful.
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Hey, Russell. That's a great question.
If you can tell us what mic you currently use, that will help establish a baseline for comparison. Anyway... I currently have a Rode NT1, an MXL V250 and a cheaper MXL and a Sure Your FP10 is a 20 year old design. Know it can still produce GREAT music, but I wouldn't be surprised if some new interfaces might not offer higher quality mic preamps, which can be helpful. There will be lots of opinions on this topic I'm sure. This is just mine. I'm getting more and more convinced from all the posts here, that upgrading the audio interface is going to be my best first move. Keeping the Firewire card and drivers working on every new PC upgrade or Windows update is getting very difficult anyway . . . Thanks!
Last edited by Sawmill Music; 04/10/26 04:39 PM.
Don't ever try and be like anybody else and don't be afraid to take risks. -Waylon Jennings
PC-Win 10 Pro-Intel i9 9900 3.6 GHz-32 gig ram-SSD (X3)-AMD RX 550
AUDIO INTERFACE-Presonus FP10/Firepods
SOFTWARE-Sonar X3 / BiaB 2026 UltraPAK
~Russell~
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Thanks!! I was really hoping to find someone who had actually used it!
Don't ever try and be like anybody else and don't be afraid to take risks. -Waylon Jennings
PC-Win 10 Pro-Intel i9 9900 3.6 GHz-32 gig ram-SSD (X3)-AMD RX 550
AUDIO INTERFACE-Presonus FP10/Firepods
SOFTWARE-Sonar X3 / BiaB 2026 UltraPAK
~Russell~
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when anyone comments favorably on my vocals I attrubute it to: Melodyn, Ozone, Nectar and Neutron (the entire iZotope line up) along with vocal lessons and gifts on loan from God. Probably deserves it's own thread but . . . I have 5 zillion "free" vsts for my DAW and nothing really useful. I would love to see what people are using in their vocal chain as far as DAW plugins.I'm certainly willing to spend a little if I can find something useful and very user friendly
Don't ever try and be like anybody else and don't be afraid to take risks. -Waylon Jennings
PC-Win 10 Pro-Intel i9 9900 3.6 GHz-32 gig ram-SSD (X3)-AMD RX 550
AUDIO INTERFACE-Presonus FP10/Firepods
SOFTWARE-Sonar X3 / BiaB 2026 UltraPAK
~Russell~
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I owned the Studio Project VTB1 up til it died over a year or two ago - it is now in my dead and unused equipment closet. I had it for about 5 - 10 years. ... and gifts on loan from God. They're built like tanks! What died? I had a power supply die (replaced), but otherwise it's been a great little unit.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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sawmill...
rent a under 50 buck mic into say an audient interface with good pre's.
note...audient studio grade mic pre's are in their usb interfaces.
now rent a expensive mic...same deal.
tell me if you can hear a diff.
also other interfaces have studio grade mic pre's...
theres a lot of hype with gear.
ive owned and recorded with gear cost thousands.
right now i'm auditioning a cheap 30 buk mic...for s's and giggles...
i was surprised.
there is a hilarious thread on gearspace where people auditioned a art 50 buk mic pre versus big boy gear.
so many people got it wrong...lol....and chose the 50 bukker.
in the end its all about the song to the music consumer imho.
some of the songs in my sig used mic's/pre' costing thousands and some just a 50 buk mic into my audient interface...see if you can tell the diff.
om
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 04/11/26 07:37 AM.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs(90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
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I owned the Studio Project VTB1 up til it died over a year or two ago - it is now in my dead and unused equipment closet. I had it for about 5 - 10 years. ... and gifts on loan from God. They're built like tanks! What died? I had a power supply die (replaced), but otherwise it's been a great little unit. I just checked, it is no longer in the closet. I must have purged it to trash over the past year. I have been doing a lot of that lately. Fact is I do believe I purchased both the pre-amp and mic based on your recommendation so many years back. The combo worked well for maybe a decade or more, but as I said the preamp just quit on me one day. I was a pleasently surprised it could be so easily replaced by gear I already had with my MOTU. So I never looked back or thought about replacing the pre-amp. Far fewer adjustments available, but I never really learned how to optimize the VTB1 so it just was bit over complicated for me. The MOTU I just turn on and adjust gain.
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Working backward … Every USB 2 interface introduced since 2020 is far superior to any FireWire interface, last built in 2012. The current ones are all using CL chipsets marketed under many different brand names with 192/24 or better performance with near zero RTL (round trip latency). Brand really doesn’t matter (shhhhh… don’t tell the marketing departments but it doesn’t) so buy on the feature sets. I regularly tear interfaces apart to see what’s under the hood for (oops, there’s an NDA). The ones I’ve kept are the Zoom UAC-232 (2 channel 32 bit float under $200), and an M•Audio AIR 192|14, my daily workhorse. The AT 2020 is pretty good. Not as sensitive to sibilance as that NT1. I have no love for microphones that require a de-esser plug on all vocal tracks. Zillions of folks making great vocal tracks without external mic preamps. I have some but use them only with my ribbon mics on acoustic upright bass.
BIAB 2026 Audiophile Mac
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Digital Performer11, Logic, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScore/Notion/Overture
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Personally, I have used a Rode NT2A (around $400) that is plugged straight into my Scarlett 4i4 interface for the past however many years. Since the Focusrite line has had pretty decent audio preamps in them, and being a sort of tightwad, I haven't purchased any of the tube pre's on the market but if someone wanted to donate one to me, I wouldn't turn it down. Honestly, I've since found a few mics that are easily as good as the Rode, for much less.
That said.... there were a few folks back in my old Cakewalk Forum days who were using some very cheap condenser mics that sounded really good. Those mics were in the $60 range each and for home studio use, were outstanding quality to cost.
It's not necessary to spend a lot of money on gear to get a good sound. It's been said that if you took the average home recording enthusiast and put them behind the desk in a $5 million dollar state of the art studio, the results would still sound like a home studio production and conversely, giving a studio engineer a laptop and a condenser mic and a couple of plugins, you'd get a very professional sounding production. It's not always the gear. But take someone who knows what to do and how to do it and give them high quality gear and the results are nothing short of amazing.
A couple of years back, I had the opportunity at a songwriters convention to compare a new company's products. It was Gauge-USA microphones. They had their (around $100) mic set up so you could A/B it with a mic that retailed for around $1000 and another one that was $299 at the time against a $4000 studio mic. It was impossible to hear the difference, at least it was to my ears. The point being, for what you are doing, you don't need a fancy high dollar mic and preamp to get good quality vocals. Good quality vocals come from the gain settings in your DAW and more importantly, from YOU as the singer using proper techniques when singing.
Regarding the interface: Yes... Firewire is kind of outdated now. Always trying to find the right chipset in the computer that supported it was a job. I started with a firewire Saffire focusrite and it still works on the other computer. At the time it was the fastest thing out there but the times have changed. When I upgraded to W-10, I decided to go with the Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 USB and it's a great interface for my needs.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Thanks Herb for the detailed info - I really appreciate everyone taking time to help me with this! Everything you said makes sense and this thread has me rethinking everything about my humble home studio.
Don't ever try and be like anybody else and don't be afraid to take risks. -Waylon Jennings
PC-Win 10 Pro-Intel i9 9900 3.6 GHz-32 gig ram-SSD (X3)-AMD RX 550
AUDIO INTERFACE-Presonus FP10/Firepods
SOFTWARE-Sonar X3 / BiaB 2026 UltraPAK
~Russell~
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If you already own an iPhone, that might be all you need! I would think you'd be able to get similar results with an Android phone with a voice memo/recorder app that has a lossless setting that can be enabled. After watching that video, I'm rethinking why I bought all my mics. 
Last edited by jawgee; 04/14/26 12:41 PM.
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If you already own an iPhone, that might be all you need! Oh goodness me, no! My iPhone 17 Pro has four microphones and no way to control the input. Actually, that works sort of ok for recording the community orchestra at the local Senior Center so that the members can watch it on a private YouTube channel (my wife is the director) but it doesn't beat out the M+S array I have feeding my Zoom F3. Likewise, I used my iPhone to record rehearsal clips I used in the Preview reel for the operetta I produced a couple weeks ago. This is what that sounds like mounted on a tripod using the internal mic array. So while the iPhone has its uses, as a dedicated vocal or voice/over mic, just say, no.
BIAB 2026 Audiophile Mac
24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia/Tahoe, M1 & M5 MBAir, 2012 MBP
Digital Performer11, Logic, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScore/Notion/Overture
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If you already own an iPhone, that might be all you need! I would think you'd be able to get similar results with an Android phone with a voice memo/recorder app that has a lossless setting that can be enabled. After watching that video, I'm rethinking why I bought all my mics. My wife has the latest Pro iPhone and I have a Google Pixel and I won't even listen to anyone's music on a phone (without headphones anyway) and I would never even consider using one to record anything other than one of my friends bar / cover bands . . .
Don't ever try and be like anybody else and don't be afraid to take risks. -Waylon Jennings
PC-Win 10 Pro-Intel i9 9900 3.6 GHz-32 gig ram-SSD (X3)-AMD RX 550
AUDIO INTERFACE-Presonus FP10/Firepods
SOFTWARE-Sonar X3 / BiaB 2026 UltraPAK
~Russell~
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If you already own an iPhone, that might be all you need! I would think you'd be able to get similar results with an Android phone with a voice memo/recorder app that has a lossless setting that can be enabled. After watching that video, I'm rethinking why I bought all my mics. My wife has the latest Pro iPhone and I have a Google Pixel and I won't even listen to anyone's music on a phone (without headphones anyway) and I would never even consider using one to record anything other than one of my friends bar / cover bands . . . I had the same opinion as you and Mike about smartphone-recorded audio...until I watched that Spencer video. Perhaps he's being deceptive in some way with the iPhone-recorded vocal, but it sounds more than passable to me. Did you folks check out the comparison at the 4:09 mark? Granted, I think the differences would be more noticeable in an acoustic mix, but I was still impressed that a smartphone mic could hold its own to a Neumann TLM103 (which I happen to own). Would I choose a smartphone over a TLM103 (or any other condenser mic) for vocals in my studio? Most likely not, primarily out of habit, but I would be open to using one if I lost all my mics and was starting over. ...My iPhone 17 Pro has four microphones and no way to control the input... That's a bummer. Why wouldn't an expensive "Pro" phone have that option?
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If you already own an iPhone, that might be all you need! I would think you'd be able to get similar results with an Android phone with a voice memo/recorder app that has a lossless setting that can be enabled. After watching that video, I'm rethinking why I bought all my mics. My wife has the latest Pro iPhone and I have a Google Pixel and I won't even listen to anyone's music on a phone (without headphones anyway) and I would never even consider using one to record anything other than one of my friends bar / cover bands . . . I had the same opinion as you and Mike about smartphone-recorded audio...until I watched that Spencer video. Perhaps he's being deceptive in some way with the iPhone-recorded vocal, but it sounds more than passable to me. Did you folks check out the comparison at the 4:09 mark? Granted, I think the differences would be more noticeable in an acoustic mix, but I was still impressed that a smartphone mic could hold its own to a Neumann TLM103 (which I happen to own). Would I choose a smartphone over a TLM103 (or any other condenser mic) for vocals in my studio? Most likely not, primarily out of habit, but I would be open to using one if I lost all my mics and was starting over. ...My iPhone 17 Pro has four microphones and no way to control the input... That's a bummer. Why wouldn't an expensive "Pro" phone have that option? Why would it have that option? An iPhone is not designed to be a single source microphone, pure and simple. Apple has some serious AI going on in there to try to get the best sound from that 4-mic array. Notice that the guy in the video emphasized room treatment? Of course he did — those other three microphones are still active; nothing anyone can do about that. And then there was all the processing. A hell of a lot of effort spent and time wasted to “prove” that my $1,400 iPhone is as “good” as a $1,300 TLM 103 (not a mic I would use on my voice)… Yeah, well it isn’t and no amount of that guy waving his arms changes this. Now, let’s go back to the OP who asked about the AT 2020, a pretty good mic that can be purchased for $119 new. Put that up against a TLM 103 instead—many YouTube videos doing just that. The 2020 is pretty good and fairly neutral, a mic I could use—I prefer neutral mics such as my TLM 193 unless I want something edgier and I have U 87s and FET 47s for that. If I had to move 50 people ten miles, which is better—a Ferrari or a bus? There’s a lot to be said about using the right tool for the job.
BIAB 2026 Audiophile Mac
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Digital Performer11, Logic, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScore/Notion/Overture
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until May 15, 2026. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.
Holiday Weekend Hours
As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:
April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours
Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!
— Team PG
Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!
If you're already using RealBand 2026 for Windows, download build 10 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® users: Build 1237 is now available!
Already a Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows user? Stay up to date and download the build 1237 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.
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