KM 84

I was tech director for a classical concert hall for 10 years. We used Neumann km84 which were replaced with Neumann 184 when we had issues. I’ve done hundreds of concert recordings with dpa 4011 and schoeps cmcxy4v. If looking to save money the Shure ksm137 would be reliable and sound very good in a high school setting. There are a hundred other choices from akg, audio technica, telefunken, rode, etc that would get this job done.

I think the answer is: it depends. If they do classical, Schoeps or DPA. Maybe Gefell or Josephson. Rock: dynamics like MD421, MD441, RE20, EV635, M88, M201, SM58, SM57. Acoustic/vocal stuff: Gefell, good Neumanns (KM84, U67, U57), Beyer MC930, Josephsons. A ribbon can find its place in many places as well.

Been at this professionally a long time. My first try is a Neumann 84 and I’m rarely disappointed.

another great mic that is clearer and even more feedback resistant is the audix om5. i wouldnt go usb mic. get some scarlett interface. then you could also use condenser mics for stereo recording guitars etc… lewitt lct 040 are grwat small condensers. almost up with my neumanns km… a great underrated large condenser mic is shure sm27, rugged designed for stage use, integrated pop protection. got mine used for 120. cheap china ribbons can je great with a cloudlifter…tbone rb700 fat warm deep…love it. and to throw in another polar pattern: its figure 8! recording from both back amd fromt and deaf at the sides. some might call it bidirectional.

I have an mxl condenser mic that works well, but just bought a Neumann condenser mic off Amazon. In the studio, they always said they used the $4k Neumann on me. Not sure that it is a knock off, but supposedly the same one Billie eillish uses and it sounds great. Under $400.

Those are great for shows/touring. But for vocals, you definitely want a condenser. I used the MXL for years, and then I got a VERY good deal on Amazon on a Neumann.

It matters massively and you’ll see that with experience your ears will learn to recognise the difference. It doesn’t matter how much you process a 57, it won’t compare to a Neumann, no matter what you do to it. It might sound cool in a different way, but you won’t get the high fidelity of a top notch condenser, if that’s the sound you’re going for. Think about this: If you go for an “expensive” vocal sound and have a U 87 and maybe a nice compressor, you won’t need to process it much, maybe a bit of eq and some reverb / delay. In that case you’d be MIXing. If you have a 57, you’ll have to use a ton of processing to make it sound more “expensive”. You’ll have to use multiple compressors, color eqs, cut resonances, etc. in that case you would be FIXing. Makes sense?