I’ve published countless reviews of microphones of all shapes, sizes and prices in the pages of SOS over the years, but how often do you see us write something along the lines of “but every voice is different, so do your best to try before you buy”? Why is it, you might wonder, that we can’t simply tell you what’s the best vocal mic you can get within your budget?
A review can tell you plenty about the sonic characteristics and build qualities of a microphone, and while it’s easy enough to find information about the frequency response of most mics (via the handy and comprehensive www.microphone-data.com web site), the characteristics of all mics are complex — and those of each voice even more unique. So, although it’s possible to identify a mic that’s likely to be a solid all-rounder, there’s no way to tell just how a mic will work with a given voice unless you can try them together.
This presents many readers with an awkward problem: if you have a limited budget and/or are stuck in the back of beyond, it’s not easy to try out a lot of mics before buying. With this in mind, we decided to bring a few vocalists together and audition them on a range of mics at different price points.