The great thing about online radio and podcasting is that you don’t have to be a professional to start the adventure! That being said, it can also make it difficult to choose the right microphone for your project (especially when there is so much choice out there!) Today we’re going to show you some of the most popular microphones for podcasting and radio broadcasting, whether you’re on a budget or not!
Behringer B1: $80
The Behringer B1 is a great XLR condenser microphone, perfect for home recording. Condenser mics are ideal for capturing vocals, and the Behringer is no exception! Thanks to its wider and flatter frequency response, it does a wonderful job at capturing details better than most dynamic microphones. It includes a handy -10dB switch that helps with attenuation, as well as a low-frequency roll-off switch.
Another advantage is the shock mount, wind screen, XLR cable and storage case that come with it! Overall, you get the crisp sound of a studio condenser mic at a price that’s great for home usage.
Purchase the Behringer B1 here!
Audio-Technica AT2020: $80
The Audio-Technica AT2020 is a solid XLR microphone that will give you a great sound quality at an affordable price. It’s perfect for picking up voices and acoustic instruments in a studio setting. The cardioid pattern helps reduce any unwanted background noise and focuses on the desired sound.
It comes supplied with a metal swivel-mount and a travel pouch. If you’re looking for a bundle package (including XLR cable and a pop filter) click here. Overall, the Audio-Technica AT2020 is a great all-purpose mic that provides particular richness and warmth when it comes to voice recording.
Purchase the Audio-Technica AT2020 here!
Rode Procaster: $149
The Rode Procaster (XLR mic) is a personal favourite here at RadioKing! With its cardioid polar pattern, it’s excellent at picking up your voice and blocking out any background noises, so no need to have a professional studio! The internal shock mount helps reduce vibrations traveling up from the floor to the mic stand and it also has an internal pop filter to help reduce any popping sounds. Something to keep in mind is that this mic is pretty gain-hungry, which means that you’ll need to turn your input levels up.
The XLR cable is not provided, you can purchase one here for $3,70. Overall, it’s an excellent microphone that delivers in terms of professional sound quality!
Purchase the Rode Procaster here!
Rode Broadcaster: $305
As the name indicated, the Rode Broadcaster was designed for broadcasters and vocal situations. Although it’s a condenser microphone, it proves extremely effective at cancelling out any background noise, even in an acoustically untreated room. It has a high output level which means that, although it does require phantom power, you won’t need to pump up the volume of your audio interface/preamplifier.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with an XLR cable or shock mount, so you’ll need to purchase those separately. However, it does include an internal pop filter. Overall, this is a great sounding microphone that is pretty well known for capturing the richness of lower sounds.
Purchase the Rode Broadcaster here!
SHURE SM7B: $329
You’ve probably seen this dynamic microphone before, it’s extremely popular when it comes to radio, podcasting and is even used by many YouTubers. The Shure SM7B has an internal shock mount as well as an integrated pop-filter which means you don’t need to spend any extra cash on those accessories. You can find the bundle package (with XLR cable) here.
Overall, the vocal reproduction of this mic is very impressive. Thanks to its cardioid pick up pattern, background noises stay in the background, even if you don’t have a professional set up.
Fun fact: Michael Jackson recorded “Thriller” with the Shure SM7B!
Neumann U87 Ai: $2039
The Neumann U87 Ai is an extremely versatile studio microphone, thanks to the three polar patterns: omni, cardioid, and figure-8. It’s commonly used as a vocal mic and has remained a top favourite in the audio world since its release in 1967!
A 10 dB attenuation switch is located on the rear and an additional switch at the rear allows to change the microphone’s cutoff frequency. This is the most expensive microphone in our list of recommendations, but there is no denying the amazing sound quality that comes with it.
Purchase the Neumann U87 Ai here!
Although having a good microphone will obviously impact the quality of your voice, it’s important to remember that the mic doesn’t do all of the work for you.
The sound processing is also an important part of your audio! In addition to (and prior to) sound processing, amplification is also very important, especially for low impedance microphones (the higher the number, the lower the impedance) output. This means you will need a suitable audio interface/preamplifier to accompany your microphone. Your mic technique will also impact the quality of your audio, so make sure that you’ve researched your microphone in order to understand how to use it efficiently!
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