Audio-Technica - AT2050

>Condensers in an untreated room turns out are bad. This so much. I wish someone had guided me on my first big-boy mic purchase. I've always had SM58's and SM57's kicking around from my live performance career, but when it came time to start building a home studio, I was swayed by the image of what I'd previously used in other people's studios. I went with an AT2050, specifically for the switchable polar patterns. Granted, that mic has been useful in a variety of applications in and out of my own studio, but if I could re-make that decision that day in 2010 at that Guitar Center in Sherman Oaks, CA with the knowledge I have now, I would have spent more for an SM7b and never looked back. And the only reason I still don't own a Royer 121 is simply cost.

The AT2050 is amazing

Just to clarify what's going on here: * Blue Yetis are *not* recommended microphones for voice work. From experience, they have a really mixed reliability rating for the electronics (death by overheating), and they're really just designed to be plug-and-play USB mics with a built-in preamp. The capsules cannot really handle a wide range of volume, and the early versions only supported 16-bit audio, so you get digital clipping and distortion really quickly. * Be prepared to spend between $200-$500 for a quality microphone, and $200-$500 for a quality audio interface, depending on how many inputs / outputs you need. If you know what you're looking for, you can find deals on demo models and B-stock (Sweetwater is great for this). * The other half of this is your mic technique. If you're staying at the same distance from the mic and then ramping up into yelling from your normal speaking voice, yeah, it's gonna clip! You need to learn how to pull back and/or away to the side to tame volume jumps like that. Work with a teacher or coach to refine this. * A good voice director / engineer should identify lines with volume for you, so you can avoid straining your voice by jumping between levels, and get the "loud" takes done as separate lines, though some volume jumps are unavoidable. Your setup should be something like this: * A quality XLR, 48v phantom powered condenser microphone. No onboard electronics, preamps, interfaces, or USB anything. They may have switches to select polar patterns (sensitivity / which side), and to engage built-in -10db pads and low cut filters to reduce bass rumble, etc. * A "spider" shockmount for the microphone, which attaches to your mic stand or mic arm. This isolates it from vibrations that might pass through the desk. * A pop filter for the microphone, that deflects air from the mic capsule on plosives (P, B, T, etc.) to tame peaks. * A quality audio interface that provides an XLR connection and switchable 48v phantom power for your mic, has a good amount of clean gain, at least one pair of line outputs if you have studio monitors, and a good full-sized 1/4" headphone output. * Some sort of tamed space for recording - if you don't have a booth, something like a small bedroom with carpets and curtains, or a deep coat closet (with coats!) works. Plenty of DIY booth plans out there that you can make with moving blankets and PVC pipe. My recommended gear for a serious beginner: * Mics: Rode NT1 or NT2A; Aston Spirit; Warm Audio WA47 or WA87 (good clones of Neumanns); Audio-Technica AT2050. I recommend these because they're all reputable brands, the prices are reasonable but not dirt cheap, and if necessary they retain their retail value. * Interfaces: Audient iD4 (single input, perfect for VO, great quality); MOTU M2 (2-in, high quality); Focusrite Scarlett Solo (single input, very popular). * Shockmount: Sometimes there are ones of the same brand that come with the mics in a bundle, which is fine, I also recommend the Rycote USM InVision universal shock mount. * Pop Filter: The industry standard is the Stedman, a metal screen with a patented design that deflects air at an angle. But any decent one will do! But again: quality gear will help, technique will take you the rest of the way. Check the Helpful Resources sidebar section here for guides!