Line Audio - CM4

I recently got one of these to record a fiddle. I did some comparisons to many mics, including some more than ten times the price, and dang, CM4 is crazy quality for the money.

Was going to comment these as well. Very good mics for a very good price.

hell yeah brother, real workhorse SDCs

I got my two Beyerdynamic m58's (which are their version of the EV 635\[a\], omni dynamic mics "intended for" location sound for news) for €50 each. I use them on a lot of stuff, but mainly mono drum overhead and backing vocals. Also the 635a, but you can't get them for \~$40 like I did anymore. I got a Josephson c42 (84 clone) at GC Hollywood for $40, but I'm reasonably sure it was mis-marked. The sE v7 is my *favorite* live vocal mic for low males, bar none, and it is under $€100 new. I end up using it in the studio for scratches, and sometimes they stick. My favorite for females and high males is the Lewitt W950, though, and it ain't cheap. The Line Audio SDC's are insanely good and useful for their new price. Same goes for the Lewitt 140 AIR, but it is a bit more limited because of its high boost.

Get a Line Audio CM4

Please don’t stress about the U87 comments—it’s really not necessary for audiobooks. I’m in a Discord with 50,000 voice actors, and the key is to use a mic that is easy to listen to for hours on end. A used KSM32, for example, often goes for around $200 on Reverb and works great. Try to avoid mics like the MKH 416 (better for commercial work), which are better for grabbing attention but can be fatiguing over 3–4 hours without EQ. The key is to pick something that’s easy on the ears. Here are some examples: EM91C ($49, easy to listen to), Baby Blue Bottle ($160, easy to listen to), KSM32 (smooth), NTG5 Line Audio CM4 (budget, easy to listen to; hard to find, quite similar to the NTG5) Shure SM7B Warm 47JR Ethos Blue Sona Another point of note is that noise standards for ACX standards can sometimes be a pain in the ass so many voiceactors just use a mic with a low self noise to make things easier, ie a RODE NT1, etc. Then EQ it to their liking.

Line Audio CM4 pencil condensers $100/pair Behringer BA19A (best kick mic ever made at any price) $80 Lewitt LCT 240 for vocals $100 used Audix D6 for toms $125 used

Line Audio CM4, NOS Audio Panther Ribbon, CAD E100SX, naiant mics

There are so many posts on this sub regarding this. But FWIW take a look at Line Audio’s CM4 stereo pair, or the Sonorous Objects cardioid range. There’s even an XY rode mic which is good. These are probs your best bet for a low budget start.

The problem with this list (besides it being in a podcasting forum) is that the last three words of the first requirement best describe a large-diaphragm condenser whereas the rest of the words better describe a small-diaphragm condenser. So, forget about those three words, buy a Line Audio CM4 for $200, and thank me later.