Best vocal mic under 2K?

[Phobos]

Also Pearlman TM1 sneaks in just under the wire

After a lot of research, I ordered a Pearlman TM1 and an SM7B. Blew the budget a little bit, but I am really looking forward to trying these out. Thanks all for your recommendations, I learned a lot.

[alexdingley]

I think something like a 414 would be a solid mic to have in the cabinet, and maybe a nicer dynamic mic for when that doesn’t work out.

So yeah — If I had that budget for Mics, and nothing else noteworthy in my mic drawer, I'd get an AKG 414 (I know people bemoan the newer ones and say that the old ones are way better, and they likely are... but a newer one is still gonna be solid-as-hell) plus I'd take the left over $ and grab a Shure SM7b w/ Cloudlifter. Between the two of those mics, you can cover a fuck-ton of sonic ground.

[Recycled_Brains]

Also Pearlman TM1 sneaks in just under the wire

After a lot of research, I ordered a Pearlman TM1 and an SM7B. Blew the budget a little bit, but I am really looking forward to trying these out. Thanks all for your recommendations, I learned a lot.

Nice! I had a pair of Pearlman TM-2's for a bit and they were really nice microphones that I'd like to own again someday, so I imagine the TM1 is special.

SM7B never disappoints and you are also getting a great mic for amps (guitar and bass), drums.... almost anything.

[losthighway]

Also Pearlman TM1 sneaks in just under the wire

After a lot of research, I ordered a Pearlman TM1 and an SM7B. Blew the budget a little bit, but I am really looking forward to trying these out. Thanks all for your recommendations, I learned a lot.

My Pearlman 47 (said to be pretty similar to the TM1) has been really nice to have. It makes people excited about singing when they hear it, which is really what it's all about.

And as you probably are thinking, one session out of ten, a particular singer's going to sound better through the SM7 than the Pearlman in spite of their massive price difference. Meanwhile that SM7 kills it on guitar amps and bass amps. Great choices.

[Recycled_Brains]

My Pearlman 47 (said to be pretty similar to the TM1) has been really nice to have. It makes people excited about singing when they hear it, which is really what it's all about.

Are there areas it shines other than vocals?

[losthighway]

My Pearlman 47 (said to be pretty similar to the TM1) has been really nice to have. It makes people excited about singing when they hear it, which is really what it's all about.

Are there areas it shines other than vocals?

It's great on acoustic guitar. I always get weird about putting expensive mics in front of guitar amps and bass amps even when they're rated for it, so I don't know what it does there. Great drum room mic too, but that's easier to accomplish in my eyes or ears.

[Recycled_Brains]

My Pearlman 47 (said to be pretty similar to the TM1) has been really nice to have. It makes people excited about singing when they hear it, which is really what it's all about.

Are there areas it shines other than vocals?

I always get weird about putting expensive mics in front of guitar amps and bass amps even when they're rated for it, so I don't know what it does there.

DO ITTTTT.

[vernier]

I'd definitely look into Blue Microphones.

[dennisjames]

I realize I'm late getting to this conversation and the the OP already made a choice. But in the event that someone else stumbles on this, I wanted to put in my $.02 on the Townsend Labs LR22. I've had one for going on a year now and it's proven to be one of the best decisions I've made for my recording setup. It offers so much flexibility by being able to audition different modeled mics before and after recording. I've used it on my vocals, my wife's vocals, stereo acoustic guitar, fiddle, and drum OH. I won't address the accuracy of its ability to model the mics it models because I don't have any real experience with many of those mics and more importantly, it wasn't relevant to me at all. What was relevant to me was the wide tonal palette and the ability to change patterns, proximity, and mic selection to fit my needs before OR after recording. I've both printed the initial choice as well as waiting until later when I felt I had a better idea of what the mix needed. Having this flexibility has kept our workflow flowing rather than spending time setting up and breaking down different mics and placements and the like. If the creative juices are flowing, I can reliably throw this up and get it to sound great for the purpose of a performance and choose to print it as is or merely monitor it and decide later. The differences in the models range from subtle to dramatic. I feel like this mic has helped me learn how to listen better as well. And it's allowed me to capture various sources with a single mic rather than having to have a "dream" mic locker that's a bit out of reach for me. Honestly, I think the only thing I could've done to make it a better choice would be to buy a second one so I'd have a pair of them. And for what it's worth, I had one of the mounts fail on me but when I reached out for help, I was met with a courteous and responsive team at Townsend who promptly remedied the situation.

[digitaldrummer]

I've heard good things about the Townsend Labs mic (and watched Jacquire King use it in a live stream that was interesting).

I have the Slate Digital ML-1 which is a similar concept (except for the multi-polar pattern) and sometimes it is nice to record and make the mic model choice later. I think I might like the Townsend better because with the UAD plugins you can do real-time recording (with the plugin enabled in Console) with no latency. I cannot do that with the Slate ML-1 so with a singer, they only hear the sound of the raw mic, which may or may not be as inspiring as one of the models..

[dennisjames]

Well I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is nice to run it through the Console with some effects for the purpose of an inspired performance. And like I said, I've printed the signal chain at times and been very happy with the committed approach. But to be able to just go quick and dirty without over-committing is a huge relief.

[permanent hearing damage]

you could get a Soundelux U195 and an SM7 both new for less than $2k - prob enough to buy a nice mic pre, too. those two cover an awful lot of bases for me, and can be workhorses in other capacities as well.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

The best vocal mic under 2k is the one that sounds the best on the voice in question. It could be a different one each time. It could cost 2k or $100.

[losthighway]

The best vocal mic under 2k is the one that sounds the best on the voice in question. It could be a different one each time. It could cost 2k or $100.

Yep. Ideally you can have one of each, and something else in between. And ideally all of those can be used for other things as well.

[digitaldrummer]

and see, there's my problem right there.... I just keep buying more mics.