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Best Condenser Microphones For Vocals
You will need to do a lot of research to find out the best condenser microphone that you can use for vocals as there are so many things to look at in the microphone and few things that you might also need to check in the sound quality as well.
I have done so much research to find out the best microphones for vocals and I have listed out the top 5 best condenser microphone that you can use for vocals.
Check out the top 5 best microphones that you can pick if you want the condenser microphone for vocals.
Check out everything from basics to mechanism of Condenser Mic here:
| Image | Product | Feature | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top Pick | Neumann U87 Ai | Top Pick in Best Condenser Microphone For Vocals | Check On Amazon |
| Runner Up | Rode NTK | Runner Up for Best Condenser Microphone For Vocals | Check On Amazon |
| Budget-Friendly | Audio-Technica AT2035 | Most Budget-Friendly Condenser Microphone For Vocals | Check On Amazon |
| Best For Instrumentals | AKG P220 | Best For Instrumentals Condenser Microphone For Vocals | Check On Amazon |
| Popular Choice | Blue Ember | Most Popular Condenser Microphone For Vocals | Check On Amazon |
What is a Condenser Microphone?
Anyway, I hope you must have got an idea of why Condenser Mic!
Whenever you are going to record vocals, you have to choose the best room for this. You cannot use the noisy or local room where everyone in your family roams around. It is also better to have a calm and silent around you while recording. Also, what kind of environment is going to help you perform better.
If you are good with the room, then you are also good to go with condenser mic without any issues at all. A condenser mic is not that good at noise cancellation.
The only thing you have to take is a positive and quite environment around you. All other things to find the best microphone, I have already done that for you.
For the research and bringing out the best mics for you. I have already asked and analyzed so many resources and mic experts.
There are so many factors to look before buying the best mic. I have detailed everything about mics that you should be knowing. I have covered various microphones which varies with different segments.
You will find many mics with the best budget, best sound quality, and build quality.
If you still think there is anything I could add, then please do let me know in the comments.
I hope we are good to go with the list now So without any further ado, let’s move to our list of best.
Best Condenser Microphones For Vocals
1. Neumann U87 Ai
Neumann is one of the most popular brands in Microphone manufacturing. Neumann is the favourite brand of most of the top musicians or artists. They are in this market since 1949.
Neumann U87 Ai is the most popular microphone all over the world of all time. The smooth and attractive design of this mic is also iconic. This is classical in look mic. This is the standard and best microphone made for the speech and vocals.
Since launch, most of the professional RJs, studios and artists prefer Neumann U87. This is by far the most favourite Mic in the history of Microphones.
This mic will give you a natural and smooth sound. Due to its response, you can also use it for your guitar and instrumental recordings.
There are three polar patterns available in this Mic. That is going to help you often.
- Omni Polar – This pattern will capture sound from 360-degree sides.
- Cardioid – This pattern picks sound from what is in front of the mic.
- Figure 8 – This pattern picks up the sound from two sides (front and back) of the mic.
This mic has a balanced frequency response and switchable low cut and pad. Also, this mic has very low self-noise, which is the best thing for any condenser microphone.
It has less than 12dBA self-noise. That helps you to record anything without any interference from the mic itself. This mic can handle sound pressure levels of up to 127dB.
If considered from the budget point of view, this mic is not that suitable for those who have a low budget. This is a premium quality mic with a premium budget also.
If budget is not your concern and all you want is the quality and classical look, then think about Neumann U87 Ai.
2. Rode NTK
Rode is another very trusted and genuine brand which covers varieties of microphones. They make the most renowned mics in the world. They are in this industry for very long and they have built quite a good reputation. You must have seen Rode mics in many places. They have products for almost everyone.
The Rode NTK is the premium tube condenser microphone. Also, it is the quietest on the market. The design of this mic is pretty simple. Unlike Neumann U87 there are not any fancy pads or polar patterns or anything like that.
This is a simple mic with a very natural, beautiful and euphonic kind of sound performance.
Also, there is not any switching option to low roll-off. This mic has a fixed cardioid pickup pattern which is ideal for vocals or instruments.
This mic can handle sound pressure levels of up to 158dB. (Suitable for Guitar cabs and Drum overheads)
This mic comes with a dedicated power supply unit for added protection. This mic comes with Rodes 10 Years extended warranty.
If you are the one who uses the only cardioid. If you are not worried about extra polar patterns and switching then think about this one.
This microphone is also very good at the price point. They are providing great value at this price point. If you are not picking Neumann U87 Ai because of price, then take a look at this.
3. Audio-Technica AT2035
Audio-Technica is another renowned company. They provide great quality low and mid-range microphones. They focus more on set quality, durability and pricing points. If you are a beginner and want to test out something, then you can pick options from them.
AT 2035 is the durable Cardioid Studio Condenser Microphone. This has a large diaphragm for smooth, natural and low noise.
This mic has an 80 Hz high-pass filter and 10dB pad to handle high sound pressure levels with ease.
AT 2035 is XLR Condenser Mic which means it requires a full 48-volt phantom power to work. That means it will not work by only plugging it to your computer or USB cable. You will need to connect it to the power supply as well.
The build quality of this mic is pretty awesome. It has all-metal construction and lightweight around 1kg.
This has a switchable option for a pad from 10dB to 0dB and bass roll-off. This has 20 to 20,000 Hz of frequency response. Thus, this sounds great in instrumental uses too.
You will get a decent response by recording your voice and vocals with this mic.
Also, there are so many variations available on this microphone. Almost they have similar features with different mechanisms and frequencies.
This is the suggestion for the beginner if you are a newbie looking for testing out. The audio quality of this mic is good at this price point.
If you are starting out and looking for a low budget microphone, then give a look at Audio-Technica AT 2035.
4. AKG P220
AKG is another very old company established. They have created great products covering headphones, microphones and much more. They have become one of the biggest players in the sounds category.
AKG P220 is the Vocal Condenser Microphone build for vocals itself at a low price point. Like AT 2035 this mic also requires a full switchable 48-volt phantom power to work. This is also an XLR Microphone at all.
This microphone provides 16-bit/48kHz studio-quality sound.
The built quality is great at this price point with an all-over metal body.
This has a switchable option for a pad from -20dB to 0dB to control when you are recording loud sound. This mic has a frequency response from 20Hz to 20,000Hz for instrumental sounds.
This mic has a sound pressure level of 135dB to 155dB which is a decent one.
This sound is not that much good compared to others at noise cancellation at 16 dB. Thus it gives some boosts in the sound due to air frequency.
This is best suited for instrumentals with all pitch sounds. This is good if you are going to sing at a constant pitch. But this might give you some issues if you are hitting hard pitched in mid. It makes the sound more breathy than you actually are.
If you are going to focus much on guitar and not that much worried about the highs and lows of singing, then you can take a look at this.
The reason this is in our list is because of instrumentals, built quality and pricing points.
5. Blue Ember
Blue is another new name in the market, which is growing its presence by adding a wide variety of mics. They are focusing much on podcasting and studio mics. They have created a good reputation in the microphone market in a very less period.
Blue Ember is a small-diaphragm studio condenser microphone. This is also an XLR Microphone, which means you will need 48 Volts phantom power to use.
The blue color and metal body structure of this mic gives a super classy premium look.
This mic has a fixed cardioid polar pattern and Frequency response of 38Hz to 20,000Hz. Also, this mic can handle the Sound Pressure Level up to 132dB. Instead of having a cardioid polar pattern, this mic picks up the voice perfectly.
This mic is not that perfect in rejecting some noise in the voice. It does the okayish job with noise cancellation. You can fix this by using the pop filter. This mic works well with instruments too! (But you cannot expect super smooth sound, there might be some noise)
There is pretty good detailed and clarity in the sound at the top end of the microphone. They also have a little bit of boosted bass.
They have made this mic as perfect for streaming, vocals, and podcasting.
They are providing great value at this price point. If you are interested in best pick with a low budget, check out the Blue Ember Microphone.
Conclusion
That’s for now! As there aren’t so many perfect condenser microphones for vocals. There are many dynamic microphones also available which are best for the vocals. I will cover them in another post. You can pick any one of the above go for it. All the microphones listed above are great. They all are perfect for your vocal recording and all. If you have anything to ask related to this, then please do let me know in the comment box. I will surely help you out.
Read Also: 10 Best Microphones For Singing Or Recording Vocals
[P.S: (Also a NOTE) You might get confused that some of the microphones listed above are not that much good at noise cancellation. Will those work for your vocals? My answer is: Obviously yes. At the very start of this post, I have told you to take care of one thing. That is your surrounding environment. Just make it quieter and silent. You will not have any issues at all in your vocal recording. I would love to hear out your vocals!]
I would like to make a recommendation here for the vocals microphone. If you are looking microphone for the long term project, then you must go with Neumann U87 Ai [Only if you good with your pockets]. If you want to find cheaper options, then you should look for either Blue Ember [An Amazing Looking Microphone] or AT 2035 [Perfect for a newbie – simple and natural]
You might also like some of our best articles as well:
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5 Best Condenser Microphones For Vocals
