7+ Best Mic For Recording Vocals Of 2023 (Low Cost & Good)
Choosing the right microphone is extremely important if you are doing any kind of vocal production.
From recording vocals for music or podcast to doing voiceovers for videos on social media, the best microphone for recording vocals can vastly improve the quality of your work and produce high level results.
So in this guide, I ranked and review the 7+ best mic for recording vocals, along with my top 4 picks, so that you can choose the best one for you.
Having a good microphone to produce the best sound quality will help entice people to either listen on to your music or podcast or your video more.
Nothing is more annoying than hissing bad audio, loud distortions or irregular volume levels that is equal to someone literally shouting into your ears.
However, many creatives still struggle in finding the best microphone suited for their needs.
Which is why in this list, I’ll ranked and review the best mic for recording vocals based on its price, its suitability, and durability.
Let’s get started!
Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links where I may receive a small commission at no cost to you if you decide to purchase a product.
What is the best Mic For Recording Vocals?
1. Neumann U87 Ai (Best Overall)
The Neumann U87 Ai is one of the most iconic microphones in the world of vocal mics. Many hit songs, great podcasts and even videos were most likely recorded on this microphone as it is an amazing recording device that gives your vocals a richness, a warmth and a clarity to it.
Highlights
- Has a flat frequency response so the U87 Ai is able to capture any sound with virtually no coloration or change to the overall character of the sound
- Perfect for any type of vocal recording production that you do
- Extremely durable with a life expectancy of 50 years, depending on how you take care of it.
- Able to record close-up one person recordings to an orchestra ensemble
- Easy to mix, saving time and effort, making it easy to clean up noise and EQing during post production
Pricing
Because the Neumann U87 Ai is a high-end microphone that can really strengthen and enhance your sound quality, it comes with a high price point so if you are on a tight budget, you might want to look at the other more affordable microphones below.
2. Shure SM7B (Best Value For Price)
The Shure SM7B is by far the most bang for your buck microphone when it comes to vocal recording. This mic is a great introductory microphone for people who are getting into both home and professional studio recording projects.
This microphone is perfect for anyone who does singing, podcasting, live streaming or voiceovers for videos.
Highlights
- Veryversatile in recording, allowing the SM7B to be used in a range of situations and environment.
- Less sensitive to loud noises compared to most mics
- Very durable, being able to last for many years
- Has a flat frequency response as well, producing beautiful tones in your vocals and recordings
- Works well with a variety of other applications and recording equipments
Pricing
Overall, the Shure SM7B is a great purchase where at a decent price, you can enjoy highly professional, clear, crisp, and smooth sound. It is most definitely the best value for money.
3. Electro-Voice RE20 (Best For Podcast, Voiceover & Live Streaming)
The Electro-Voice RE20 is optimised for voice recording. So anything from Voiceover work, to singing, live streaming on Twitch, podcasting or even radio work the RE20 is your go to.
Mainly used for broadcasting in the market, it is a microphone great for maintaining a consistent tonality throughout any performance.
Highlights
- Creates a more deep and smooth sound with a neutral tone in your vocals
- Has a low-cut filter which helps better protect against distortion
- Built like a tank, extremely durable
- Able to operate in various environments without any degrade in performance
Pricing
The Electro-Voice RE20 is a great investment for people who are doing more broadcasting projects, podcasts or voiceover works. If you are more in to singing and music, I would recommend the other microphones in the list.
4. Audio-Technica AT2020 (Best Mic Under $100)
I highly recommend the Audio-Technica AT2020 if you are on a tight budget. For a very affordable price at around $99 USD, you can good sound quality and a great built microphone.
This microphone is one of the most famous budget mics out there because of those factors.
Highlights
- Great for beginners who is starting out in vocal recording of any kind
- Pretty durable with a life expectancy of 2 years, depending on how you use and take care of it
- Able to handle loud sounds without any distortion
- Better sounding than most microphones in the same price range
Pricing
For its price, the Audio-Technica AT2020 is wallet friendly and is best for people who are freshly dipping their toes into the worlds of podcasting or any vocal recording. But if you have more budget to spend on, we would recommend other mics on the list.
5. Rode NT1-A
This microphone is known as a goodie but oldie and is a widely recognized mic around. The Rode NT1-A is another great microphone for beginners or intermediate in their vocal recording journey.
Many YouTubers to live streamers on Twitch love starting out with this one.
Highlights
- Has a large-diaphragm design so the Rode NT1-A can capture sound with detail and clarity
- Able to minimise noise and feedback well
- Pretty durable and it usually comes with a 10-year warranty from Rode, to ensure and count on many years of use
- Great for recording in a studio or a good setting
Pricing
The Rode NT1-A although not cheap as the Audio-Technica AT2020 is still very much affordable at around $199 USD, making it an excellent value for your money too. I would recommend anyone who is in the social media video making space such as a Youtuber or Twitch streaming that is just starting out to give this one a go.
6. MXL 990
The MXL 990 is one of the industry’s most ground-breaking microphones with a price point that will not break the bank at all.
This mic is a good starter for musicians and singers who wants a good in price microphone but good sound quality.
Highlights
- Produces a neutral and nicely balanced sound that is detailed and crisp without sounding too harsh
- Ideal for recording lead or background vocals
- Decently durable that may last you 1 to 2 years depending on how you take care of it
Pricing
This is one of the cheapest microphone on the list costing about $49 USD, making it extremely affordable to start. This mic is recommended mainly to singers and musicians who are beginning their career and would like to have a good sounding microphone to record with.
7. AKG C414 XLII
This has got to be one of the most stunning and also widely used microphones out there. The AKG C414 XLII has become a professional standard in many studio recording whether is it for singing vocals on a new album or voiceover work for a movie.
Highlights
- Amazing for capturing close-up recordings to a live band or choir setting, able to be used for any type of vocal recording
- Able to capture any sound clean without any changes to its original character of the sound
- Great in post production, making mixing a breeze
- Everything is built extremely well except for its gold grille mesh screen which is done so to improve sound quality
- Extremely versatile in any setting or environment
- Has an abundance of functions and controls
Pricing
Due to its amazing ability to produce amazing high quality sounds that is perfect for any kind of vocal production. It comes with a decently high price but if you want to take your vocal recordings to the next level, this is the mic for you.
What are Microphones?
Mainly a microphone is a device that translates sound vibrations in the air into electronic signals and scribes them to a recording medium or over a speaker.
Microphones helps in communication of various kinds such as music vocals, speech and sound recording for videos or podcasts.
Therefore, each mic serves a different purpose depending on how they are built and what they are built for.
Best Mic For Recording Vocals – Summary
At the end of the day, no matter what mic you decided to go for to enhance your vocal recording production, do make sure that you choose a microphone that not only is best suited for you and your work but it is also well within the means of your budget.
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