The 5 best microphones to record in a home studio (2022)

Although nowadays music creation programs offer us a great variety of virtual instruments, in any space dedicated to music production, be it professional or in a home studio, a microphone is always a basic tool for recording voices or instruments and always it will take center stage in our creative space.

One of the questions that our clients ask us the most when recording songs online is in reference to which microphone we recommend buying to create their own home studio and thus be able to achieve the best results in the vocal production of their songs by collaborating with our online studio.

In this article, we offer an analysis of the 5 microphones in 2021. Due to quality and price, seem most interesting to us. This a comparison that we hope will be useful when deciding which of them best suits your needs. Pay attention at the end of this article we will reveal a little secret to you.

List of the best micros for a home studio

Shure SM57 LC

It is a unidirectional dynamic microphone, widely used for recording instruments in the studio and live, thanks to its robustness and dynamic range. Even so, it is a microphone that, due to its characteristics, is very versatile and can also give great results in recording voices.

Its low price and the quality that Shure always offers in its products make it an interesting option if your idea is, in addition to recording your voice, to also use it to record a guitar or any percussion instrument. It can be said that it is the reference microphone for recording guitar amps and for snare drums.

High volume suits it very well and you will often have to turn up the gain to make it perform at its best.

Some features of the Shure SM57:

• For instrument or voice
• cardioid polar pattern
• Sensitivity: -56.0 dBV/Pa
• Includes microphone bag, microphone clip, 3/8″ adapter

Shure SM7B

Another dynamic microphone with a lot of history behind it (does Michel Jackson’s Thriller ring a bell ?) and a great sales success, especially since the appearance of the podcast.

It is especially recommended for recording voices and can be your best ally if your style is more oriented towards rock, metal, trap, or hip hop, where the voice sounds more aggressive and direct.

It offers clarity and low external noise like few others, it comes with an anti-pop filter (double) included and with its characteristic support. For these reasons it is also one of the favorites on radio stations, recording voiceovers, podcasters, and YouTubers. Without a doubt, this is one of the best microphones to record voice.

• Dynamic microphones widely used for vocals
• Cardioid Polar Pattern
• Sensitivity: -59.0dB (1.12mV)
• Mid Boost switch
• Includes stand, connector cover, and windshield

AKG C214

We continue our analysis with a large diaphragm condenser microphone, the little brother of the mythical AKG c414, which is a fundamental piece in any professional studio.

It is an accurate and realistic microphone. Ideal for capturing all the nuances of a performance, whether voice or instrument. On the other hand, it is delicate, so if our recording space is not well conditioned, this will be reflected in our shots. Remember that for condenser microphones a preamp or mixer with Phantom power (+48v) is required.

Although it can be used in different styles, we see it as very suitable for singer-songwriters or more vintage styles.

Its build quality and features make it more towards the professional field, but its adjusted price, for what it offers us, and more knowing that it offers us the same capsule as the 414 although without being able to choose between polar patterns, makes it a better option. How interesting for a home studio if you want to have a powerful tool for your recordings.

• Condenser microphone for voice or instrument
• Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
• 20 dB Pad attenuator in case you record something louder
• Requires 12 – 52V phantom power
• Includes clamp, case, and windscreen

Audio-Technica AT4050SM

Another large-diaphragm condenser microphone, this time a little more “all-terrain” than the last. A companion that will follow you without question on any adventure.

The Audio-Technica AT4050 SM is a robustly built and highly versatile microphone, suitable for all types of vocal and instrument recording. It may not have the mythical aura of other competitors, but instead, it offers a very crystalline response, and several polar patterns, which makes it more than interesting to have a lot of flexibility when experimenting with our shots, especially in the voice.

A microphone widely used in music production work and with one aspect to highlight: the 15-year guarantee offered by the brand.

• With a double diaphragm capsule
• Switchable cardioid, omnidirectional and figure-of-8 polar pattern, interesting for placing the microphone in different positions and testing its response
• 80 Hz high pass filter, very useful for attenuating low frequencies
• Includes AT8449 suspension and plastic case

Neumann TLM 103

Neumann is responsible for some of the most famous condenser microphones in history, such as the U87, U47, or U67 which, due to their high price, can be unaffordable for many producers, especially if they work in a home studio environment.

Even so, the brand offers us cheaper alternatives and our favorite is the Neumann TLM103.

It is also a large diaphragm condenser microphone, aimed mainly at professionally recording voices and acoustic instruments, whose design, manufacturing, and quality are inspired by its older brothers but at a much lower cost.

As a good representative of this mythical brand, the TLM 103 offers that classic sound that we have heard on so many records. Warmth and precision would be two good adjectives to describe this little beast. Both for voices and instruments of all kinds. Without a doubt, its acquisition will be an important investment in the short and long term to take your study to another level. A mic that we do not hesitate to put in our top of the best microphones to record voice.

• Large-diaphragm condenser microphone for vocals or instruments
• cardioid polar pattern
• Sensitivity at 1 kHz at 1 kOhm 11 mV/Pa
• Includes high-value cardboard packaging and SG2 hinged stand

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