Hello there everyone;

I am trying to find the absolute best value for under $300 for a microphone. I have been poring over the threads on here , and have seen the Aston origin come up ... I bought one at guitar center and was totally underwhelmed. The sound was noisy, and seemed to have a very small , hard to orient sweet spot that made the mic pretty much useless. I have an Apollo duo interface (if that matters) and was running through the vox box emulation.

I see some really cheap Sterling St69s online ... should i pull the trigger on one of these ? Should I go for a warbler ? What is the absolute best deal I can find in this price range ? This is for recording vocals and the like , and I want something flattering for my vocals but also very professional sounding if possible .

Thanks in advance ...

What other mics have you tried? What have you found lacking in them? The tough part about mics and especially for vocals is that what could be great for me might be blah for you and your voice.

Well , the Aston origin... which was problematic as I said. I also have an AT 2050, and feel like it’s kind of noisy and missing the professional sheen. Hard to explain . Also , I have an MXL LDC type mic which is OK... and an SM57. I am thinking about a sterling audio st69 as they are rather cheap but can’t find many reviews online . Either that or an oktava 319???

Out of those two options I'd tend to favor the Oktava. I haven't used that particular model, but am a big fan of the other Oktava mics I've tried. Also you haven't mentioned anything about your preamp, interface, or room. I only say this because one thing that made a huge difference in my vocal sound was simply hanging a heavy blanket behind me to dampen refections. Another thing that really helped was learning how to use compression. Compression used well on a vocal will really help give it more of a professional sound.

The MXL Revelation Multi-Pattern Tube Condenser Mic is on sale. $399
Considering its a £1500 mic, thats quite a drop.
MXL Revelation Multi-Pattern Tube Condenser Mic | PSSL

I never tried one but was impressed by the reviews here on Gearslutz.

3U Audio has an impressive reputation.
Theiy're always a serious consideration.

Not an LDC, but the Beyer M88TG is an excellent vocal microphone. It'll minimize bad room tone better than any LDC, I know of. There's usually at least one or two M88's in excellent condition, on eBay... Being sold for around $300.

Here's a vocal clip below of an alternative to the M88, the AKG D790, which remains a major sleeper.

I'm also a fan of the Oktava 219/319, so there's also a vocal clip of the stock 319 below.
You can buy them stock, and then evaluate if you want modification.
Chris

P.S. Please excuse that the 2nd clip is louder.
You may want to TURN DOWN your volume.

Personally rather than buying a cheap LDC (large diaphragm condenser) mic, I would buy a professional dynamic mic.

$300 will get you a Beyer M88.

A Beyer M88 is my all time favourite dynamic mic, I could happily make an album with just M88's.

They sound great on just about anything and everything - the M88 has an extended top end and so still has lovely detail.

It can sound really fantastic on a male vocal and has been used to cut albums that have sold in their millions!

LDC start to sound worthwhile when you get to the next price bracket (and upwards)

The Rode K2 is pretty good for the money.

The BLUE Kiwi is truly fantastic but a lot more money unfortunately.

Maybe get an M88 (or similar) and save up for a while and get a truly decent LDC when you can comfortably afford one.

Sterling Audio st77 - seriously good mic for the money you pay used. I've had one for years and I just picked up another one for $115.00. I think they sold for $500 when they first came out and people were saying it was a good deal then.

It does not have the hyped top end. Fairly smooth and just a little gritty in a really retro kind of way.

If you want to go REALLY cheap, a nice sounding MDC, is the AKG P120.
Pancake flat type response, then an "air bump" around 12KHz.

Two things about it though...

1) It has a wider cardiod pattern vs. the Oktava 219/319-So will hear more of
"the room".
2) Higher self noise, so best used 8" away (or less). Then it's fine, in a decent sounding room.

Here's another brief acapella clip example below. P120>MBox 2 Mini.

I hit it with the included Tape Saturation/Tube Saturation/Vintage Compressor/
Plate reverb plugins, included within the Multitrackstudio DAW.

The AKG P120 is only $80 when on sale new, around $50-60 mint used.
Chris

P.S. But I still love M88's! (and the Sennheiser 441) The Roswell Mini K47 is also a very nice LDC.
I'm also curious about the SE 2200 series, that has a good reputation too. Oddly enough, the Aston Origin
I tried at this NAMM, sounded really good for my voice! It was one of the best "at/under $300" i've tried.

The Lewitt LCT440 Pure is around $300 I think. You could always get a 3U Audio Warbler as well. If you need multiple polar patterns a used sE Electronics T2 can be found for $350 or so, and there's the CAD M179 for $225 (I think) which is nice, but I don't know 100% how it sounds on vocals due to very few English samples being posted on YouTube. I think it should be good enough though.

Haven't used the sE 2200 mics, but I have an sE T2 with the titanium capsule. I have a really quick sample up in one of my threads comparing it to my Lewitt LCT441 FLEX, but that sample was done in an untreated basement.

Ahh, another thread to sing it's praises on high... the Avantone CV-12!!!!!! Throw an NOS GE tube in it (PM Whitmore for the hookup), change the capsule to an RK-12 and put a cinemag in the PSU and you'll easily rival the real thing. Keep in mind, the real thing is twenty THOUSAND dollars. I always say it's like putting new tires on a ford focus and it's all of a sudden a Bugatti. Quite an insane ROI and value if you ask me. Don't know anywhere, in audio or elsewhere with that kind of incredible value from investment. Best Chinese mass produced Condenser money can buy, hands down. I have a CV-12R and it's basically the same thing.

What is this response doing in a thread asking for the best $300 microphone?
What would your mic+tube+capsule+transformer cost?

Can't comment on most of it, but the RK12 can cost $30-150 dollars depending on where you buy it (with $30 being the price per unit from the factory but requiring a bulk order unless you do a group buy, they seem to go foe $50 each on wgtcenter)

In this price range The Lewit 440 smashes everything (for me!)

Currently the CV-12 alone goes for $700 new and $390 used, so your suggestion would ultimately be at least $500 and some free hours to end up with a used, modded mic, which would have an extremely tiny pool of potential resale buyers if the OP didn’t like it.
I respect your very high opinion of the mic and mod you suggest. You must really like it. But unless the OP can try your modded mic and know it is perfect for him, following your suggestion seems like too much risk with possibly no reward at all.
Edit: this shouldn’t have been directed to Dohreetoh, but to the poster who suggested the purchase and mod.