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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
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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; 7 hours ago.
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
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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.
BIAB – 2026, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud.
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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; 4 hours ago.
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
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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
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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
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