What Makes A For A Good Condensor Mic? Options

[jbsound-com]

I agree with the above poster that the $300 range is where you want to go. I've owned a ton of budget mics, including the Studio Projects C1 and some Rode's. You want to go with either the Audio Technica AT4040 or the Shure KSM27. Your budget is basically keeping you with one mic right now...and you need a versatile one at that. Don't go for the idea that you can get 5 mics for $250 and be good to go.

Either the AT4040 or the KSM27 will be a versatile and well built mic that will last you a while. Neither are overly colored and they'll sound great on a wide variety of sources. I like the KSM27 in particular.

As for the preamp, that will make a HUGE difference, almost as much as the mic. I went from crappy onboard pre's to an M-audio DMP3 my first time around. There was a big difference...the dmp3 is a good sounding pre, especially for the money. I then toyed with some other pres that were slightly more expensive, until the day I brought an Avalon 2022 to the studio for a demo...WOW. Big Bucks, but great sound. I never looked back.

I do think the dmp3 is going to be about the best you can get in the under $400 range. After that there are some nice pre's by Presonus, the FMR RNP, and the Sytek pre that are going to be noticeably better than the dmp3. After those pres you might as well move up to high end pres.

I would suggest starting off with a Shure KSM-27 (or AT4040) and then eventually getting something like a dmp3 or presonus mp20. You'll have a good sounding signal chain at that point.