For anyone interested in the Perception 100 - the 100, 200, 400 all had a full 1" diaphragm. The 200 & 400 had other features and pickup patterns as a main difference. The 120, 220, and 420 all featured a smaller diaphragm at, I think, .75". As far as I know, for voice over work, its better to stick to the 1" diaphragm models if you can find them.
First mic I bought (about 15 years ago) was the Nova. I knew practically nothing about producing, so it went into the closet. Now, that I'm into music producing and wanting to do voice work, I'm trying out (buy/return) all sorts of mics (ECs, SM7B, Neat Bee, AKG, Lauten) and still searching for what I need/want. Then I thought, hey what about my Nova? And now realizing--thanks to vids like this one--just how great it is! Will stick with it for now! (no more purchases for a while) Thanks, man! 😁👍
Just want to say I have watched almost every one of your videos, some even twice. I always learn something and feel so soothed after. Please keep them coming.
The Nova was my first mic. Alltough I did buy some very expensive mics since then, I always ended up selling them and kept on using my old Nova. Paired with a nice preamp and converter you have to spend serious amounts of cash in order to find something that sounds noticeably better. Buy one if you can find one - it will serve you good on anything with no frills and unnecessary choices of settings etc.
Mike, based upon this review I purchased a pristine M-Audio Nova on Reverb. You were not exaggerating, the noise floor on this mic is amazingly low. This mic looked, felt, and sounded brand new and it was clothed in original boxing w/ all accessories. This is a homerun for me! Thanks...now back to my treated walk-in closet to record something amazing. Peace.
This is still one of my favorite videos you made. Such a good message. With just a little bit of education, you could buy something that is still great quality but for cheap.
The batteries inside a vintage CAD E100 are both 9V NiMH. It's unlikely they've ever been replaced so you'll want to remove them, clean the battery contacts and maybe spray with a contract solution like DeOxit before replacing with new NiMH batteries. I strongly recommend low discharge NiMH batteries.
Hi Mike, I bought the Nova on your recommendation. I like it! I use it as a backup mic and also use it as a workhorse when I don't want to kill my $2,500 mics.
Hal, in light of your comment I wanted to know more about your experience with the Nova. Recently I've been looking into the Behringer B1, B2 Pro etc... I especially find the B2 Pro to be on the harsher side. The demo of the Nova in this video seems to present a less harsher, though bright mic. Is the Nova worth getting if I'm looking for an inexpensive "silver-shimmery-pop-heaven", and very quiet, to boot? I'm torn between acquiring the Nova or an AT3035. What is your opinion?
@@MrSeeker42 I haven't tried the AT3035 so I don't have an opinion on that one. I have used the Nova in a few of my videos. Here is a live stream that I did with the Nova back about a year ago. In the first part of the video the mic volume was too hot. Where this link starts is about 1 minute and 24 seconds in. ruclips.net/user/liveYDXBfaKS6P0?feature=share&t=84 Of course you can EQ the mic differently than I have here but it is pretty quite. I like it and for the amount I paid for it it is fantastic. I paid about $45 on ebay.
@@quailstudios It sounds great to me. Before EQ, did you think it sounds "harsh" or no? I don't mind bright, but if it's too wild in the upper frequencies like a B2 Pro, I don't like. Thanks!
I benefitted from Electrovoice not really being known in the UK. I managed to get a RE-27 for about £150 about 4 years ago. Also got a RE-320 for about £120 around the same time. Almost never see them now, certainly not on the cheap. I got lucky!
It prevents possible speaker damage, but more importantly if your phantom power +48v is switched on at your board or preamp you risk the damage to your mic's diaphragm, which in turn could mean you may not be able to use it for the session at worst, but also wear and tear. If you have spent good $ on a condenser mic, look after it well and it should serve you for many years is al I am saying :) happy Mixing Opto
Nick Robinson Home Studios It shoots a massive voltage spike through your signal chain which causes unnecessary wear to any components along the way. If you do this in a live audio setting you will get seriously scolded or labelled as incompetent. In applications where in-ear monitors are used, or even regular monitors, hearing damage also comes into play. Its just bad practice to leave it on, recording voice over at home is probably one of the only situations you could ever really 'get away' with it in. If you do this with a mic while a musician has in-ears at performance/tracking levels on you will have a VERY angry musician on your hands.
Glad someone pointed that out. He gets the good deals on mics, and he was making me cringe as he did this. By the way, it is the low to mid-range products that are least likely to have substantial circuitry to protect against power spikes. Or if a capacitor was used to smooth the power input, the older and less expensive mics are more likely to have used a cheap capacitor that goes bad more quickly.
Thanks for this video. I have now replaced a Tonor (a blue spark look-a-like) mic with terrible noise with the M-Audio Nova and the difference between the two is shocking. The cost? I paid about the same for the Nova as I did for the Tonor kit with arm, pop filter, shock mount, phantom power, and mic. At least the arm, mount, and pop filter are still useful (although the arm barely holds the Nova's weight). If anyone out there is trying to decide on a mic, take Mike's advice here and look at a used or discontinued mic from one of the better brands instead of something cheap even if it's new. You don't have to be an audiophile to hear the difference.
awaiting beat up akg100 for 40 bucks. hope it will sound good. it was used for breathing instruments such as trumpet. bought because few other people were raving about it
M-Audio Nova sounded the best IMO. Perception 100 was too bright just like Newmann U87 is IMO. Newmann u47 capsule which i think M-Audio Nova sounds like sounds way better IMO. Shoot out you should do vs coming Vintage release. Pretty please. Thank you.
Wow! I didn't have a chance to listen to this with good monitors, but the first AKG mic sounded better than any of them, including the Cad. The last AKG sounded pretty bad to me relative to the others. Of course, it still works, but for your voice, I'd go with that first AKG over most of the mics I've heard you use. Other than your super sweet Sennheiser shotgun mic, of course! Thanks for another great video, Mike.
Great tip mike! I have a few items I'm following on ebay, I've been trying to work with a tiny Rode Micro and not liking the results. I've also found your acoustic panel ideas great! Thanks for sharing!
I wish I had found your channel a couple of months ago before I bought a Yeti pro. Could of saved myself a ton of money haha. Awesome vid and grats on the 10k!
My mom's microphone is the Audio Technica ATM63HE, *long* since long since long since long since discontinued. Don't go watching for it. It's not even being sold *used* anymore.
I love the M-Audio, but unfortunately it is not available in germany... Guess i have to Keep an eye out for this buddy... And congrats to your 10k Subs!
I have an AKG P220 that I got about 6 months ago. And I love it! I bought it new, I would have liked to know that I could have gotten something similar for cheaper!
I discovered you just few days ago and having a lot of fun. . . positive and interesting fun. Lot of information presented in a very nice way. Here my question - any comments about the AKG C214 ? - I shall keep on following Ciao Mauro
great series, may I suggest a theme? Super cheap mics that are not marketed as vocal mics. i bought a pair of AT atm650, used for 60 bucks for the pair. It's ostensibly an Instrument mic, but can readily be used for vocals, a la the SM 57, these were hard to beat for $30 each. Last week I found some CAD e60, brand new for $50 each. I bought the 3 they had. Would love to hear you do shootout style video with these. -g. drinkwater
_I was trying to work out a, "That is so good that it's cheaper than stealing" joke_ Best I can do: There are thieves in the world jealous of you for how great a bargain that was!!!
No great mic, no well sound booth, no amazin preamp, nothig will makes your voice so good if you don't have a great voice. Mike, you have gold in your throat, your recording would be great even with a karaoke microphone :) congrats!!!! I subscribe!!
Why didn't I see this video before I made my order on e-bay? :( Found m-audio nova for like half the price of a NT1A that I ordered. Where were this video 4 days ago?! :(
What are some other older mics someone should be on the look out for on the used market, like the Nova? MXL seem to fall in a similar place but don't seem very good for voice work.
Hey pal.. congratz on the 10k subs... its well earned... I just wanted to post a comment in here. I have been watching your vids ever since I started my RUclips channel. At first I started using my gaming headset mic and to me it seemed fine, but then as I listened back to my recordings and then to other peoples gaming vids and then to yours it sounded terrible. I then brought the Blue Snowball USB mic to use and so far it is working fine and everything seems fine about it. However I am thinking that sooner of later I may have to go to XLR Mic, and since I don't really know anything about them I thought I would ask the question. What would be your recommendation for sub $200 for a good quality XLR mic and interface. I have been looking at buying a second hand Zoom but I don't know if I can plug that straight into my computer and then link it to the software I use to record both my webcam and my mic. Any advice would be great.
Tonka Turn I’m not sure if you bought a mic or interface yet but I would recommend for an interface either a Scarlett focusrite 2i2 or a Presonus Audiobox itwo (if you have an iPhone 6 or above you could also record to that). For a mic I would get either the nova or akg perception 120 (they aren’t hard to find used at decent prices, my 120 was 50, and my nova was 75). You can find the interfaces from like 75-110ish so combined you could probably get some headphones too.
Also if you want to go real inexpensive on the interface go with a digidesign mbox 2 mini (when they were new they were pretty expensive) you can find used ones on eBay for like $30 though I will say it’s one xlr in and I think it’s max is 48k sample rate and the other interface suggestions I made do 96k.
Listen to YT reviews, not what people say as much as what you hear the mic sounding like to you in comparison with others. What frequencies does it highlight or mask that you may or may not want in your recordings.
I swear, I seriously think there are self-hating losers who troll RUclips just popping into random videos and tapping Dislike. You can almost never find a single video without at least 1 Dislike. I don’t get it. What’s the point? I mean, how about THIS video. There a Dislike for this? Why?
Question: I have an e100s and I use a focusrite 2i2 scarlet interface, is it better to use preamps with this type of mic or just go straight into the USB interface? I'm thinking about buying either a DBX286s preamp to use with my focusrite, or just upgrading to an Audient i14 interface. Opinions/suggestions are welcome. Thanks!
The Focusrite Scarlett line all have very good preamps built in. Unless you have some crazy vintage tube pre-amp that you're in love with, there's no reason to use another pre-amp with that interface. Whatever you do is ultimately coing to run through the Focusrite preamp then get converted by it's audio to digital converter anyway. Bottom line is you've got an excellent preamp/interface already. Don't let the price tag fool you. They use the same components in the Solo and 2i2 as in their high-end products. You're good to go. No go record something awesome.
If you've got the scratch, go for the id14. Don't get me wrong, I love my Scarlett, but having done a little homework (and I'm going to get super technical here) the Audient has a bit more oomph
Been watching quite a few of your videos as they keep popping up in recommendations, and youtube lists us as similar channels. Love your videos man!
Podcastage hi Bandrew, I have been a supporter of your channel since 4 years ago. I remember when you had tens of thousands of subs. LOL.
For anyone interested in the Perception 100 - the 100, 200, 400 all had a full 1" diaphragm. The 200 & 400 had other features and pickup patterns as a main difference. The 120, 220, and 420 all featured a smaller diaphragm at, I think, .75". As far as I know, for voice over work, its better to stick to the 1" diaphragm models if you can find them.
The M-Audio Nova Looks and Sounds like an 87-Style mic. I want that one!
First mic I bought (about 15 years ago) was the Nova. I knew practically nothing about producing, so it went into the closet. Now, that I'm into music producing and wanting to do voice work, I'm trying out (buy/return) all sorts of mics (ECs, SM7B, Neat Bee, AKG, Lauten) and still searching for what I need/want. Then I thought, hey what about my Nova? And now realizing--thanks to vids like this one--just how great it is! Will stick with it for now! (no more purchases for a while) Thanks, man! 😁👍
Just want to say I have watched almost every one of your videos, some even twice. I always learn something and feel so soothed after. Please keep them coming.
The Nova was my first mic. Alltough I did buy some very expensive mics since then, I always ended up selling them and kept on using my old Nova. Paired with a nice preamp and converter you have to spend serious amounts of cash in order to find something that sounds noticeably better. Buy one if you can find one - it will serve you good on anything with no frills and unnecessary choices of settings etc.
Mike, based upon this review I purchased a pristine M-Audio Nova on Reverb. You were not exaggerating, the noise floor on this mic is amazingly low. This mic looked, felt, and sounded brand new and it was clothed in original boxing w/ all accessories. This is a homerun for me! Thanks...now back to my treated walk-in closet to record something amazing. Peace.
This is still one of my favorite videos you made. Such a good message. With just a little bit of education, you could buy something that is still great quality but for cheap.
The batteries inside a vintage CAD E100 are both 9V NiMH. It's unlikely they've ever been replaced so you'll want to remove them, clean the battery contacts and maybe spray with a contract solution like DeOxit before replacing with new NiMH batteries. I strongly recommend low discharge NiMH batteries.
*Based on your recommendation, I have ordered a brand new CAD E100S. It just cleared Canadian Customs. I can't wait until Thursday !!!*
Hi Mike, I bought the Nova on your recommendation. I like it! I use it as a backup mic and also use it as a workhorse when I don't want to kill my $2,500 mics.
Hal, in light of your comment I wanted to know more about your experience with the Nova. Recently I've been looking into the Behringer B1, B2 Pro etc... I especially find the B2 Pro to be on the harsher side. The demo of the Nova in this video seems to present a less harsher, though bright mic. Is the Nova worth getting if I'm looking for an inexpensive "silver-shimmery-pop-heaven", and very quiet, to boot? I'm torn between acquiring the Nova or an AT3035. What is your opinion?
@@MrSeeker42 I haven't tried the AT3035 so I don't have an opinion on that one. I have used the Nova in a few of my videos. Here is a live stream that I did with the Nova back about a year ago. In the first part of the video the mic volume was too hot. Where this link starts is about 1 minute and 24 seconds in. ruclips.net/user/liveYDXBfaKS6P0?feature=share&t=84 Of course you can EQ the mic differently than I have here but it is pretty quite. I like it and for the amount I paid for it it is fantastic. I paid about $45 on ebay.
@@quailstudios It sounds great to me. Before EQ, did you think it sounds "harsh" or no? I don't mind bright, but if it's too wild in the upper frequencies like a B2 Pro, I don't like. Thanks!
@@MrSeeker42 In that video I'm not really EQing the mic. It pretty much sounds like what you hear there.
@@quailstudios sounds great.
I love those Rycote shock mounts. I'll never use anything that uses a rubber or elastic band again. Yours is called the USM.
There's an M-Audio Nova going used on Amazon right now for only $20.
I benefitted from Electrovoice not really being known in the UK. I managed to get a RE-27 for about £150 about 4 years ago. Also got a RE-320 for about £120 around the same time. Almost never see them now, certainly not on the cheap. I got lucky!
Nothing like asking Alexa to read you the news and boom its Mike Delgaudio... Just so you know Alexa, I was a subscriber already.
I want to know what show on Netflix that mic was on
Who cares? Buy a microphone that you LIKE.
Such a fun video (as all of yours are). One comment: Gearslutz is a garbage pail. Sound on Sound, much better. Love your work, please keep it coming!
Phantom Power should be switched off when un/plugging mics as good practice if anyone was wondering :)
Optomod rumour. If you don't agree though, I'd like to hear your reasoning.
Even if it's only to prevent loud pops thru the speakers, it's good practice.
It prevents possible speaker damage, but more importantly if your phantom power +48v is switched on at your board or preamp you risk the damage to your mic's diaphragm, which in turn could mean you may not be able to use it for the session at worst, but also wear and tear. If you have spent good $ on a condenser mic, look after it well and it should serve you for many years is al I am saying :) happy Mixing Opto
Nick Robinson Home Studios It shoots a massive voltage spike through your signal chain which causes unnecessary wear to any components along the way. If you do this in a live audio setting you will get seriously scolded or labelled as incompetent. In applications where in-ear monitors are used, or even regular monitors, hearing damage also comes into play. Its just bad practice to leave it on, recording voice over at home is probably one of the only situations you could ever really 'get away' with it in. If you do this with a mic while a musician has in-ears at performance/tracking levels on you will have a VERY angry musician on your hands.
Glad someone pointed that out. He gets the good deals on mics, and he was making me cringe as he did this. By the way, it is the low to mid-range products that are least likely to have substantial circuitry to protect against power spikes. Or if a capacitor was used to smooth the power input, the older and less expensive mics are more likely to have used a cheap capacitor that goes bad more quickly.
Thanks for this video. I have now replaced a Tonor (a blue spark look-a-like) mic with terrible noise with the M-Audio Nova and the difference between the two is shocking. The cost? I paid about the same for the Nova as I did for the Tonor kit with arm, pop filter, shock mount, phantom power, and mic. At least the arm, mount, and pop filter are still useful (although the arm barely holds the Nova's weight).
If anyone out there is trying to decide on a mic, take Mike's advice here and look at a used or discontinued mic from one of the better brands instead of something cheap even if it's new. You don't have to be an audiophile to hear the difference.
Hey, was on the market for a TLM 103, and I was looking all over, didn't think about craigslist, and found it pretty nice and cheap. Thanks !
awaiting beat up akg100 for 40 bucks. hope it will sound good. it was used for breathing instruments such as trumpet. bought because few other people were raving about it
M-Audio Nova sounded the best IMO. Perception 100 was too bright just like Newmann U87 is IMO. Newmann u47 capsule which i think M-Audio Nova sounds like sounds way better IMO. Shoot out you should do vs coming Vintage release. Pretty please. Thank you.
Wow! I didn't have a chance to listen to this with good monitors, but the first AKG mic sounded better than any of them, including the Cad. The last AKG sounded pretty bad to me relative to the others. Of course, it still works, but for your voice, I'd go with that first AKG over most of the mics I've heard you use. Other than your super sweet Sennheiser shotgun mic, of course! Thanks for another great video, Mike.
Great tip mike! I have a few items I'm following on ebay, I've been trying to work with a tiny Rode Micro and not liking the results. I've also found your acoustic panel ideas great! Thanks for sharing!
That AKG has such a neat sound
I wish I had found your channel a couple of months ago before I bought a Yeti pro. Could of saved myself a ton of money haha.
Awesome vid and grats on the 10k!
My mom's microphone is the Audio Technica ATM63HE, *long* since long since long since long since discontinued. Don't go watching for it. It's not even being sold *used* anymore.
I love the M-Audio, but unfortunately it is not available in germany... Guess i have to Keep an eye out for this buddy... And congrats to your 10k Subs!
Three words: "XLR power switch". Seems like a good thing to invest in if you're going to be live-swapping mics on a regular basis.
I have an AKG P220 that I got about 6 months ago. And I love it! I bought it new, I would have liked to know that I could have gotten something similar for cheaper!
I discovered you just few days ago and having a lot of fun. . . positive and interesting fun. Lot of information presented in a very nice way. Here my question - any comments about the AKG C214 ? - I shall keep on following Ciao Mauro
I enjoy these videos. You remind me of Greg Kinnear with a beard.
great series, may I suggest a theme? Super cheap mics that are not marketed as vocal mics. i bought a pair of AT atm650, used for 60 bucks for the pair. It's ostensibly an Instrument mic, but can readily be used for vocals, a la the SM 57, these were hard to beat for $30 each. Last week I found some CAD e60, brand new for $50 each. I bought the 3 they had. Would love to hear you do shootout style video with these. -g. drinkwater
Dude all your videos rock. Great Channel
Picked up a used E100 on eBay per your suggestion, and it's awesome!
how much??
Picked it up for $140.... all original with case in amazing shape!
Wow...I'm happy to hear that!! Congratulations
_I was trying to work out a, "That is so good that it's cheaper than stealing" joke_
Best I can do: There are thieves in the world jealous of you for how great a bargain that was!!!
lol thanks.... keep hunting, the deals are out there!
Hey man, you should really check out the audio technica at 3000 series. apart from that, great video!
What happened to the audio? Every other video in yt has audio but i cant get this ones to work :/
And now the audio works. Maybe a bug in yt or smth..
No great mic, no well sound booth, no amazin preamp, nothig will makes your voice so good if you don't have a great voice. Mike, you have gold in your throat, your recording would be great even with a karaoke microphone :) congrats!!!! I subscribe!!
Why didn't I see this video before I made my order on e-bay? :( Found m-audio nova for like half the price of a NT1A that I ordered. Where were this video 4 days ago?! :(
i wish i would have watched tis before i bought that snowball ICE
Breaking bad??? What series?
What are some other older mics someone should be on the look out for on the used market, like the Nova?
MXL seem to fall in a similar place but don't seem very good for voice work.
Hi Mr booth junkie sir...Would you be willing to part with your M-Audio Nova? I'm very very interested
hay should space for recording voice over for movies be completly dead silent? :)
Are all of these cardioid? In looking for a decently cheap microphone that two people can use in the same room (each with their own mic)
how do you make your mics sound so loud at 5 on Zoom? I use H6 and all mine sound much quieter.
Hey pal.. congratz on the 10k subs... its well earned... I just wanted to post a comment in here. I have been watching your vids ever since I started my RUclips channel. At first I started using my gaming headset mic and to me it seemed fine, but then as I listened back to my recordings and then to other peoples gaming vids and then to yours it sounded terrible. I then brought the Blue Snowball USB mic to use and so far it is working fine and everything seems fine about it. However I am thinking that sooner of later I may have to go to XLR Mic, and since I don't really know anything about them I thought I would ask the question. What would be your recommendation for sub $200 for a good quality XLR mic and interface. I have been looking at buying a second hand Zoom but I don't know if I can plug that straight into my computer and then link it to the software I use to record both my webcam and my mic. Any advice would be great.
Tonka Turn I’m not sure if you bought a mic or interface yet but I would recommend for an interface either a Scarlett focusrite 2i2 or a Presonus Audiobox itwo (if you have an iPhone 6 or above you could also record to that). For a mic I would get either the nova or akg perception 120 (they aren’t hard to find used at decent prices, my 120 was 50, and my nova was 75). You can find the interfaces from like 75-110ish so combined you could probably get some headphones too.
Also if you want to go real inexpensive on the interface go with a digidesign mbox 2 mini (when they were new they were pretty expensive) you can find used ones on eBay for like $30 though I will say it’s one xlr in and I think it’s max is 48k sample rate and the other interface suggestions I made do 96k.
Notifications Squad!!
Is there a way to tell if it's a good mic or not before or are you just taking your chances?
Listen to YT reviews, not what people say as much as what you hear the mic sounding like to you in comparison with others. What frequencies does it highlight or mask that you may or may not want in your recordings.
No dislikes!!! Yay!!!
did you just meow? 4:53... hahaha
I swear, I seriously think there are self-hating losers who troll RUclips just popping into random videos and tapping Dislike. You can almost never find a single video without at least 1 Dislike. I don’t get it. What’s the point? I mean, how about THIS video. There a Dislike for this? Why?
Question: I have an e100s and I use a focusrite 2i2 scarlet interface, is it better to use preamps with this type of mic or just go straight into the USB interface? I'm thinking about buying either a DBX286s preamp to use with my focusrite, or just upgrading to an Audient i14 interface. Opinions/suggestions are welcome. Thanks!
The Focusrite Scarlett line all have very good preamps built in. Unless you have some crazy vintage tube pre-amp that you're in love with, there's no reason to use another pre-amp with that interface. Whatever you do is ultimately coing to run through the Focusrite preamp then get converted by it's audio to digital converter anyway. Bottom line is you've got an excellent preamp/interface already. Don't let the price tag fool you. They use the same components in the Solo and 2i2 as in their high-end products. You're good to go. No go record something awesome.
Thanks for the tip! What do you think about the Audient id14, does it have better preamps & converters than the focusrite?
If you've got the scratch, go for the id14. Don't get me wrong, I love my Scarlett, but having done a little homework (and I'm going to get super technical here) the Audient has a bit more oomph
kinda miss you talking about other aspects of VO not just mics lol.
Best usb mic for vo?
use the zoom h5, you can use it as a mic, but you can also use it as an audio interface
Røde NT-USB, or Apogee MiC
On a budget? Check out the Samson Meteor. Sub $100, for my tastes, it's the best bang for buck USB mic out there
JoobDoob samson C1u
Blue Yeti