Best Overall Home Studio Microphones Under $500
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Recording that perfect sound for your next rap, pop, EDM, or rock song is getting cheaper and cheaper every year due to advances in microphone technology. Exclusive Audio asked professional audio engineers which microphones they would recommend in 2021 under $500! Microphones are an investment and should be researched properly before making a purchase. Whether it's your first microphone, you're looking to upgrade your microphone, build your first home studio, or you just want the best microphone for under $500 for your next hit track - you're in the right place.
Exclusive Audio broke down our recommendations into three categories: Budget Friendly Options, Professional & Industry Quality, and For More than Just Vocals with a brief description and reasoning behind each recommendation.
Budget Friendly Options
Shure SM58 ($99)
This legendary microphone is the one you see at nearly every single bar, club, and live venue out there - and for good reason too. It’s one of the industry standards for live vocal mics, and they’re virtually indestructible. If you’re looking for something to start you off, you can’t go wrong with the Shure SM58. With its built in pop filter, all you need is a microphone cable and you’re good to go sing at your favourite producer’s studio. The SM58 is extremely budget friendly (it’s the most inexpensive one on this list!), and it’s not a super sensitive microphone either - which means if you’ve got no isolation/acoustic treatment in your room, you’ll still be good!
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Finneas used this microphone to record Billie Eilish’s demos of Ocean Eyes, Six Feet Under, and Bellyache (source). The AT2020 is a budget friendly option which usually comes in packages that include a bunch of other goodies that will make your recording life easier. With some great plugins and proper mixing, you can make vocals recorded on the AT2020 sound like a million dollars. If you’re looking at spending as little as possible on a mic so you can invest more money into marketing, mixing, etc., the AT2020 is a great choice!
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Similar to the AT2020, the Rode NT1A is for the artists who are ready to take a step up to crisper vocals and higher quality recordings/demos at home. It’s extremely budget friendly, and it comes in a package that includes a BUNCH of stuff to help you make the most out of your recording artist career (pop filter, shockmount, XLR cable, dust cover, instructional DVD).
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Blue Microphones Bluebird SL ($299)
Blue Microphones makes some of the coolest looking microphones (in my opinion) which also sound amazing - the Bluebird SL is one of them. Great for female vocalists, voice artists, and acoustic guitars, you won’t go wrong by investing in a Bluebird SL. It also comes with a shockmount and wood jewel box for storage - neat!
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Professional/Industry Quality
Aston Microphones Spirit ($420)
Ready to take the leap to professional/industry-standard quality? Aston Microphones has you covered with its Spirit. If you’re looking to really step up your game, the Aston Spirit’s price is hard to beat for the quality it can provide (compared to other professional quality microphones). The Spirit also adds its own harmonic content (air, space, shimmer, etc.) into your recordings, making your vocals sound great right into your DAW.
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This is one of the mics you see everyone using. Michael Jackson used a version of this microphone on Thriller (the SM7B is the newer version), and The Weeknd has been seen using it as well (source). With that in mind, it’s safe to say that the Shure SM7B is an investment that you won’t regret. The microphone itself isn’t super sensitive, and it’s regularly used for loud vocals - hard rock, metal, percussive hip-hop, belts, etc. That being said, it’ll still work for other genres AND you don’t need a ton of isolation/acoustic treatment to get a good sound from this microphone!
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The AKG C214 is based off of AKG’s very expensive C414 model, but at a much more affordable price. This microphone is extremely versatile - it’s regularly used to record lead vocals, drums, and even guitar amps. Your vocals will come out clean, clear, and detailed with the C214. The microphone also comes with a shockmount and windscreen.
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The microphone is also based on AKG’s legendary C414 microphone. You also get the option to select the polar pattern of the microphone to pinpoint where and how the microphone picks up the voice/sound you’re recording - something that the C214 doesn’t have. The WA-14 is exceptional at picking up the realism and thickness of your voice, and your vocals will sound great in your DAW without too much extra processing.
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sE Electronics Voodoo VR1 ($419)
The Voodoo VR1 is a ribbon microphone, which means it is exceptional at reproducing the nuances of your voice and performances! The built in harshness filter keeps things natural sounding, with a bit of darkness. The ribbon in the microphone is extremely fragile, so you NEED to be careful when recording your Plosive sounds. That being said, its fragility is just a minor inconvenience for the detail it can capture.
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For More Than Just Vocals
The Shure SM57 is basically an SM58 for anything that isn’t vocal related (but you can still record vocals with it - it’ll just look a bit different). It’s one of the most used mics on...literally everything. Like the SM58, the SM57 will last you seemingly forever. It’s a great buy if you’re looking into recording more than just vocals, and it has the same price tag as the inexpensive SM58.
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Another extremely versatile microphone with tons of applicable uses, including drums (it’s the one of the industry standards for toms), wind instruments, and vocals as well! If you’re looking for a mic that does it all, you won’t go wrong with the MD421. It’s also one of the main microphones you’ll find in a ton of live performance situations!
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Conclusion
Finding the top microphone for under $500 in 2021 just got that much easier. Advances in microphone technology are at your finger tips with this list of the top budget microphones for all genres including rap, EDM, rock, R&B, and more. These are the top microphones in 2021. Microphones are an investment and should be researched properly before making a purchase. Find the confidence you needed to purchase your first microphone, upgrade your home studio, or just make your first ever track.
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