The Shure KSM27 is a good studio vocals mike.

AKG 414 BULS

Or

SM 57

Audio Technica 4033C

I've been thinking about this a lot, and have decided that the best general purpose mic that is equally at home recording vox, instruments, whole room/choir/group/etc, is my AKG C535EB.

But I already have 2 so I can do stereo !

geoff

Thanks All!

I'll answer as a person that places heavy emphasis on value, but wants really good quality and uses a PC for my audio.

If I had only one.... I'd go for the Zoom H2. $200, 4 built in mics that can record surround sound, about the size of a deck of cards, and works as a portable studio or as a recorder for lavalieres or anything else that doesn't require phantom power and has a 1/8" jack. It's really quite impressive. I've found myself in a jam before and recorded voice overs in a closet with the Zoom and a script; and they really sound good! I love being able to record on the go or hook it up via USB and use it as a desk mic. I have one of these in my briefcase along with 2 Audia Technica lavaliers for interviews. No, it won't match a $2,000 mic, but it's surprisingly good and extremely versatile.

If you don't value portability, then you could do better for a little less. I get very good voice-over results with an inexpensive MXL large diaphram mic for voice overs ($100) run through a Art Tube MP Project Series /USB amplifier ($80). I can run the output from the amp to a line-in jack or run a USB cable straight to USB if I don't have access to a clean amp on the receiving side.

There are a plethora of great mics North of $500, but I'll let someone who has more experience in that category point you in that direction.

I always thought sennheiser stuff sounded better than AKG or audio technica ( phones and mics )

For a good all around mic Sennheiser 421

http://www.zzounds.com/item--SENMD421II

I have to vote for the 421, too. I use mine probably more than anything else, because when I don't know what I'm up against, and the situation doesn't allow me to experiment and A/B mics, the 421 always gives me something that is, at worst, pretty dang good.
Plus, it isn't fragile, and it doesn't need phantom power.
To my surprise, the 421 has become my mic of choice for a certain female, whose voice is beautiful but who emits deadly sibilance.

I can't go past my Sennheiser 416, from general sound recording tor video through to VO recording.
It does need phantom power but it's quality of sound and hyper cardiod pattern make it my mike of choice on most occasions.

SM 57...been an industry standard for years....

**SM 57...been an industry standard for years....**

If I was recording instruments only I could agree -- the 57 is known as the "poor man's drum mike" because of it's ability to handle high SPL's.

However, for vocals one of the solutions above is preferable becuase of sensitivity (something the 57 lacks) and tailored response curves which are available only in large-diaphragm condensers and high-end dynamic models.

That being said, if I really wanted a dynamic for vocals, I would pick a Senny or a 58beta. An advantage to a dynamic is you can drop it without having to replace much more than the cage. I've seen people have aneurisms when their prized condenser or vacuum-tube model hit the floor.

Nothing 'poor man' about a 57 on drums, especially if you load it with it's designed impedence (a 750 ohm resistor in parallel gives it back it's balls when used with a modern higher-Z input). I have 7, I think.

However it is of little use on quieter delicate sources. The mic I reckon will become a new 'standard' for SD condensers (which is really what you need for a universally applicable mic) is the RODE M3, which is inexpensive, multi-powered, and unlike it's comparableequiv AKG C1000 or Shure SM81, will not shred your ears.

geoff

OK, I've never used a Rode, but the name keeps popping up in these forums as being comparable to the ones you've mentioned, in addition to some of the other mics mentioned above. One impression that sticks with me is that people either love or hate the Rode -- there didn't seem to be much in between.

Having used SM81's for years in both stage and orchestra (SM81is the workhorse mic in my corner of the biz), I would like a few people to comment on Rode and fill in a few of the gaps -- there doesn't seem to be as much variance of opinion about other mics mentioned in this thread . . .

Geoff, how do you think the Rode M3 compares with the NT5?

A Shure SM57 is the tried and true jack of all trades mics. And for a hundred bucks, you can pick up a couple of them.

sure condenser mics sound nicer but they aren't always appropriate where as the sm57 can be useful in pretty much all situations to some degree.

"Poor man's drum mic" Maybe for toms, 421s are usually the go-to mic, but 57s work good on toms too. Listen to any rock or pop radio station... Probably 98% of snares' you hear were recorded with 57s... and most of the guitars for that matter too. FYI Back in my early apprentice (go-fer) NY studio days, a popular LI duo (now legends) ended up using 57s for some of they're final vocal tracks. And NO, I'm not confusing the SM-57 with the SM-7 dynamic large diaphragm mic.
However, I would not normally recommend them as a vocal or piano mic.

I don't think I've ever heard of anybody hating RODE, but SM81s are known as splashy and bright. Not as bright and harsh as a C1000 (what is ?!!) though. The M3 has an extended brightish HF response, without harshness. Like the C1000 and SM81 it is an electret design, but that means little in itself...

geoff

NT5 less bright (darker ?), and no battery power.

geoff