When it comes to recording vocals and instruments, nothing beats the detail of a large diaphragm condenser microphone! If you’re looking for the best condenser microphone for recording, we’re here to help!
A condenser microphone is a mic that requires phantom power. Its larger diaphragm requires extra power to capture sound, and that power can be provided by your recording interface or mixer.
The larger, powered diaphragm means the microphone will be more sensitive, capturing more detailed recordings.
Typically, you’ll want to use dynamic (non-condenser) microphones for louder, less” detailed” sources like snare drums and cranked guitar amps, and use condenser mics on things like vocals, acoustic guitars, and drum overheads/room mics.
If you’re in the market for a new condenser mic for recording, there are lots of things to consider! What are you going to be recording? Vocals? Drums? Guitars? How much is your budget? Are you looking for a condenser mic under $500? Or do you have unlimited money to spend? There’s lots to consider when buying a condenser mic, so let’s get into some options and see what’s best for you and your recording setup!
Contents
- 1 The Deluxe Choice: Manley Reference
- 2 Best (affordable) pick: Slate ML-1 Condenser Mic (Slate VMS)
- 3 Best Pick Under $500: Aston Microphones Spirit
- 4 Budget Pick: Rode NT1-A
- 5 Best Condenser Microphone Under $100: Audio-Technica AT2020
- 6 Our favorite tube mic: Warm Audio WA-47
- 7 Most Versatile Option: Neumann TLM-103
- 8 Condenser Mic Buyers Guide: Finding the Best Condenser Microphone for you!
- 9 Top 6 Best Condenser Microphones for Recording
The Deluxe Choice: Manley Reference
- Amazing clarity in the high-end frequencies
- Extremely high build quality
- The best choice for pop vocals
The Manley Reference Condenser Microphone is one of the most expensive pieces of audio gear I’ve ever owned, and also one of the best. When I had my commercial recording studio, I picked up this microphone for recording vocals, and it delivered time and time again. The best thing I can say about the Manley Reference is that the vocals sounded expensive. Whenever a great singer stepped into the booth and sang into this mic, it sounded like their vocals were already mixed.
Best (affordable) pick: Slate ML-1 Condenser Mic (Slate VMS)
- Extremely transparent mic captures your performance cleanly
- Virtual Microphone System software lets you emulate more expensive mics
- Flexible and useful for almost any application
The Slate ML-1 is a flexible option for recording vocals and instruments, and the included VMS software lets you digitally emulate tons of different microphones! The emulations sound great, and the mic itself captures amazingly transparent recordings.
When I first heard of the ML-1, I was skeptical of the digital microphone modeling technology. However, once I got my hands on the Slate VMS system, I became a believer. I really have to hand it to the Slate team; they knocked this mic and software bundle out of the park.
If you’re looking to spend under $800 on a condenser microphone, you can’t go wrong with the Slate ML-1 and VMS system!
Check out this mic shootout to see how the Slate VMS system captures the tone of the mics they’re emulating. It’s really amazing how well the modeling captures the sound of the original mics! Considering the Slate VMS comes in at a fraction of the price of even one of the mics they’re emulating, and it even sounds good on its own without any mic emulation applied, it’s totally worth adding to your arsenal!
My favorite applications for the Slate ML-1 are recording vocals, acoustic guitars, and drum overheads. I personally own two of the Slate ML-1, meaning I can record stereo guitars or drum overheads with ease. Do yourself a favor and check out the Slate Virtual Microphone System for yourself!
Best Pick Under $500: Aston Microphones Spirit
- Multi-pattern condenser offers 3 polar patterns
- Built-in shockmount saves setup time
- Great sound for the price
The Aston Microphones Spirit is our pick for the best condenser microphone under $500! The mic has a sleek design, and comes with a built in shock mount and pop filter. That means all you need to do is screw it on to your mic stand and you’re ready to record!
The Spirit has a selectable -10 and -20 decibel pad, making it suitable for recording loud sound sources, as well as a low-cut switch. Combined with the 3 polar patterns (cardioid, omni, and figure 8), this mic offers lots of options for recording various sources. The Aston Spirit is built in the United Kingdom, and the build quality of these mics is exceptional, especially when you consider the price.
The Aston Microphones Spirit is a totally serviceable piece of gear, and you should have no problem making great recordings with this microphone! If you’re looking to get started recording vocalists, rappers, and singer songwriters, this is a great option for you!
Budget Pick: Rode NT1-A
- Cardioid polar pattern
- Ultra-low noise for clean recordings
- Includes shock mount, pop filter and dust cover
The Rode NT1-A was the first quality condenser microphone that I purchased in around 2009, and I used it as my main vocal/acoustic guitar recording mic for a few years. While this mic may not stand up to the more expensive options when it comes to tone, it’s still a totally workable microphone. You may need to do a bit more mixing to get this mic to sound how you want it, but it’s a great value for the money and makes a good first condenser mic.
Jared Leto even used it on 30 Seconds to Mars’ album “This Is War,” which sounds fantastic. This Gearspace thread includes the engineer from that album, and he describes the vocal recording process.
What I learned from having an NT1-A, and from listening to albums like “This Is War” is that a great vocal sound depends largely on the performance of the singer you’re recording. Having an expensive microphone will make it easier to dial in a great tone, but you can go a long way with a cheaper mic and a great vocalist! The Rode NT1-a is a great pick for someone looking to get started in recording without spending tons of cash on gear!
Best Condenser Microphone Under $100: Audio-Technica AT2020
Coming in at just under $100, the Audio-Technica AT2020 has secured its place as the best condenser microphone in its price bracket. My band in high school had an AT2020, and we used it for making demos before going into the studio.
When purchasing this mic, it’s important to be realistic about what you’re getting. The AT2020 is a solid pick for making demos and scratch tracks, and it’s also a good choice for video content creators who want to upgrade from their camera’s built-in microphone. Even Audio-Technica’s product listing says “ideal for project/home studios,” so just know that you’re not getting their top of the line vocal mic.
You probably want to save up for a higher quality mic if you’re looking to record music projects for other people. However, this is a solid pick for your first condenser microphone, so if you’re a student or someone just looking to dip your toes in the recording waters, the AT2020 is a decent choice. Audio-Technica is a reputable brand, and this entry-level offering is a usable mic!
Our favorite tube mic: Warm Audio WA-47
- Large-diaphragm Tube Condenser Microphone with 9 Polar Patterns
- Warm tone with lots of character
- Includes shock mount and external power supply
Our favorite tube microphone is the Warm Audio WA-47! You can check out our full review of the WA-47 here! The WA-47 is a fantastic sounding mic with lots of character. Tube microphones offer a harmonic character that other condenser mics don’t have, with a touch of tube saturation and compression affecting the tone of your recordings!
The WA-47 is a clone of the much more expensive Neumann U-47, which costs more that my car! Considering the tone that the WA-47 offers, unless you’re a microphone collector or lottery winner, it’s the best choice for the someone looking to record with a tube microphone.
With its warm character, the WA-47 is a great, vintage sounding choice for recording vocals, and its musical tone will help liven up the sound of whatever source you’re recording!
Most Versatile Option: Neumann TLM-103
- Transformerless construction makes it super transparent
- Versatile for almost any sound source
- Compact size makes it portable and easy to mount on any mic stand
The Neumann TLM-103 is our pick for the most versatile condenser microphone! This mic is transformerless, meaning the sound of your source will be recorded with as much accuracy as possible. This article explains transformers in depth, but to sum it up, when you cut transformers out of your microphone’s electronics, you’ll get less coloration in the sound. This might sound like a good (or bad) thing, but like most things in audio, color is a tool! Sometimes, you’ll want to use a mic with a lot of color (like the tube WA-47 above). Other times, you’ll want a mic like the TLM-103 that doesn’t add much color to the sound.
I personally find this useful when capturing sources that sound amazing on their own. I use it for drum overheads, saxophones, string instruments like violin and cello, or any other source that sounds expressive in the room. If I am recording an orchestra, the TLM-103 is my first choice.
That’s really where this mic shines: capturing great sounding performances in great sounding rooms. The lack of color does mean that sometimes it feels a little flat and lifeless when recording vocals, especially compared to other mics that have more of an effect on the tone. But, if you’re after the truest and most accurate recordings, the TLM-103 is a great choice. It’s also a lightweight and compact microphone, making it easy to travel with and mount in hard to reach places!
Check out our full review of the Neumann TLM 103 here!
If you’re going for that top quality, high budget, radio vocal sound, the Manley is the way to go. While you can get amazing sounding vocals from any of the mics on this list, the Manley Reference has the best sound out of the box. If you are someone who records clients often, is running a professional studio, and wants to level up their vocal chain from the pro-sumer options, the Manley Reference is a seriously amazing sounding mic.
Condenser Mic Buyers Guide: Finding the Best Condenser Microphone for you!
If you’re looking for a new condenser microphone, consider these factors when making your decision.
Price: What’s your budget for a condenser microphone?
While you may be able to find cheap condenser microphones online, I would suggest starting with a budget of around $250 for your first condenser mic! If you aren’t able to spend that much on a microphone, I’d suggest looking into dynamic microphone options. A high-end dynamic microphone is going to offer better sound than the most cheaply built condenser. Considering a dynamic mic is a simpler type of microphone, you may be better off recording with something you can find laying around, like a Shure SM57 than an extremely cheap, $45 condenser mic. Also, if your room is not treated at all, your condenser microphone will pick up more background reflections, so take a look at our home studio acoustics guide to make sure your room is sounding ace!
While there are infinite options for condenser mics and almost every level of budget, you can make great quality recordings with mics in the $400-800 price range. Don’t feel like you must spring for the $5,000 gold plated option to be successful in music. As with any product, there is a point of diminishing returns when you get to a certain price point.
Buying a $400 condenser mic can be a good choice, even if you plan on upgrading later, because having more mics in your mic locker isn’t a bad thing. If you decide to buy a nicer mic later on, you can still use your older mics depending on the application. Unless you’re planning on only recording one track at a time forever, you’ll often find yourself using multiple mics at once, whether it’s to record a guitarist and singer at the same time, or micing up a full drum set.
Application: What are you using your condenser mic for?
If you’re looking to simply and quickly record vocals, the Aston Spirit will be a great choice with its built in shock mount and pop filter. All of the other choices will require you to have your own pop filter if you record vocals.
If you’re planning on using your mic for drum overheads, you’ll probably want something small like the Neumann TLM-103 or Aston Spirit, plus they don’t require a shockmount, making them easy to move around.
If you mainly are looking for the best condenser microphone for recording vocals, something a little less compact like the WA-47 or Slate ML-1 is a great practical choice, since you won’t be moving it around all the time.
Durability and portability:
By their very nature, condenser microphones are more delicate and need to be handled with care. They are also designed to be used in the recording studio, so durability is not a huge factor when selecting a mic for the studio. Realistically, you’re going to keep the mic in the case or mounted on a stand 99% of the time.
If you’re looking for a mic that you can throw in your backpack for mobile podcasting, something like the AT2020 becomes a solid choice, since it’s not going to break the bank if you need to replace it. However, all of these mics will stand up to typical studio use. You should be really careful not to drop your condenser mics, and to keep them on good quality mic stands, so they’ll last a lifetime of use!
Now that you’ve considered all of the options, you should be equipped to pick the condenser microphone that suits your budget and needs!
Top 6 Best Condenser Microphones for Recording
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