Best Vocal Microphone For Your DAW Home Studio

I get this question everyday! "Which microphone do you believe is the best" By the end of the day it honestly is all up to personal preference, but I am here today to share my personal thoughts on the great debate!


Out of all the components in the home recording studio, microphones offer the most choices and opinions on which ones are the best. Since this is a home recording studio article, we'll stay under $1,000 with our recommendations.

The good news is every mic we recommend here sounds good. The bad news is they all sound different. The same mic even sounds different depending on who's using it (male, female, tenor, bass, etc.). Some mics have a sharper EQ type sound, the tube mics add harmonics to the vocal which gives it warmth, the shure handheld mics are kind of in the middle of sharpness and warmth.

Technically, you can get a decent to great sound out of any of these mics. If the vocal track is recorded clean and mixed well, it will sound good.

Remember, compression, EQ and effects are eventually added to the vocal track, so you're not necessarily stuck with what the mic gives you during recording. One thing you'll find is it's easier to make a warm mic recording sound sharp using EQ and effects, than it is to make a sharp EQ mic recording sound warm.

VOCAL MICROPHONES

Here are a few of our vocal mic recommendations for a home studio:
$999 AKG C 414 XL II 9-Pattern Condenser Mic - This mic is an all-around classic performer. You can record vocals and acoustic instruments with it. It's a clear true sounding mic. It does not add warmth like a tube mic.
$699.00 Rode K2 Tube Microphone - If your looking for a warmer sounding mic for your vocals, this is a great tube mic for the price.

$99 Shure SM58 Dynamic Handheld Microphone - Another classic vocal mic. Millions sold! For the price, you can't beat it. This mic doesn't have the high EQ added to it. If you need a warmer mic but can't afford a tube mic, this will do.

$99 Shure SM57 Cardioid Dynamic Microphone - This mic is a great instrument microphone, especially for snare drums, toms, and guitar; but will also double as a good vocal mic.


Remember, when it's all said and done, all that matters is the sound of your recording. You want your vocal track to sound great using a mic that fits the singer's style. We've recorded loud rock and roll singers who just didn't sound right using a $4,000 mic, but sounded excellent using the $99 Shure SM57. Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) always records using a handheld mic. He's done pretty well with them!