Budget Mics, Big Sound

May 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Rusty Cutchin

             

FOUR LARGE-DIAPHRAGM CONDENSERS THAT WON'T BREAK THE BANK

FIG. 4: The Sterling Audio ST51 sounded very good on vocals, acoustic guitar, and percussion. It didn’t add undue color to the recorded sound.

The Sterling ST51 ($99.99) is the best-looking mic I examined in the roundup — its sleek black housing and screen are offset by silver trim (see Fig. 4). The mic comes with only a pouch and a screw-on mount similar to the one that comes with the Nova. And like the Nova, the out-of-the-box sound quality of the ST51 indicates that the value of the product may be all in the mic and not in the accessories.

Of these four mics, the ST51 came closest to having the natural sound of a more expensive large-diaphragm condenser, and it maintained its transparent and clear sound working with all the recording applications I set up. On my male vocal recordings, this Class A FET condenser added very little color to the natural sound of the singer's voice, letting the baritone's rich low notes fill up the track without creating any problematic honk or bass buildup in any part of his range. Similarly, my female vocalist was held in check by the ST51's flat frequency response in the high end, and she could wail without her upper register turning into a tinny screech during loud passages on rock tunes.

I also liked the ST51 on my acoustic guitar, finding several mic positions that resulted in usable recordings. The ST51 reminded me of why studio owners audition multiple mics, especially when they need a single mic to cover lots of ground. Although not perfect, the ST51 handled basic recording tasks in a workmanlike fashion and sounded good on anything I used it on.

All of this testing left me with a few clear impressions. The Sterling Audio ST51 and M-Audio Nova showed the most versatility and the most consistent high-quality sound in the most applications. Close behind was the MXL 2006, which includes a good shockmount in the deal. For specialized recording tasks, the Behringer B-1's pad or bass rolloff, not to mention its accessories, would come in handy.

I also feel that the budding studio owner who wants a large-diaphragm mic that records everything equally well will have to spend more than $100. However, inexpensive LDCs make it possible to obtain several mics for specialized situations, such as choosing one that best suits a particular vocalist, even if it is less than optimal for other studio tasks. And having a collection of low-cost mics allows you to record more musicians and different types of instruments simultaneously.

But with so many mics available at tempting prices, it's important to audition the ones you are considering on as many different sound sources as possible. The low prices make it easy for anyone who doesn't have a large-diaphragm condenser to get one, and those who do will generally see improvements in the sound quality of their recordings.

Rusty Cutchin is a producer, engineer, and music journalist in the New York City area. Michael Cooper owns Michael Cooper Recording (myspace.com/michaelcooperrecording).