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(The 320 k MP3 here is my recent spoken word mic tests with this MXL V67G mic (you’ll need an interface with phantom power, I use this one for 87 dollars)
You’ll need an XLR cable and a mic stand, I use this, and a shockmount, and I use a foam windscreen (even indoors, helps prevent pops and sibilance). Here’s one but there are also colored ones on Amazon.)
I did some mic tests tonight in Reaper. I played a 440 hz sine wave with no effects in this, over some good speakers that are pretty flat.
Mic is a foot from the speakers, speakers not too terribly loud. Volume of a loud but not screamed conversation.
See attached images. File name says what each one is.
The Pure one is just the sine wave “in the box” (in Reaper, no mics or speakers involved), just sine.
The Clean one is an Audio-Technical ATR2100 dynamic mic. I used XLR, not with the built in USB pre-amp. Looks pretty transparent without adding character or distortion.
The one with nice second and fourth harmonics is that new MXL V67G condenser mic I like a lot.
Those are good, “musical” harmonics, same thing a tube guitar amp ads to make the guitar sound warm.
My colleague in this study, Professor Grok (who will call crap crap, and will call good good) said I had some noise from my cheap DAC, and (obviously) room rumble from not using low-cut switch (I didn’t have one on my DAC and didn’t add one in software, I wanted to see what I really had).
But “The harmonics on the condenser mic look great. That’s an absurdly good two-mic locker for the money. Use them both forever.” lol.
Grok also said that most of the sound in these condenser mics comes from the transformer, not the capsule or the pre-amp. See attached screenshot with breakdown. I believe it, 20 years ago I had the MXL V63M microphone, which is basically this same condenser mic but transformer-less. It sounded good but not THIS good.
Grok also said that SM57 type dynamic mics like this have a transformer but “It’s the big, juicy, saturating kind you find in an MXL V67G, or a ribbon mic, or a high-end tube condenser.”
Cheers,
MWD
JUST SINE WAVE, “IN THE BOX”:
Dynamic mic, clean recording of Sine:
MXLV67G condenser mic, recording of Sine showing nice 2nd and 4th harmonics:
Grok’s opinion, I agree:
