Best ribbon microphones according to redditors

What are you trying to accomplish? If you're just podcasting, one USB mic is plenty. If you're doing project recording, layering in instruments, etc., then I would use a standard mic.

I really like the AT2020 USB. Great for podcasts, but can really take the dB's for instrument recording, even if you're playing trumpet or something.

Samson c01u may work just as well, at a bit lower price. c03u is a pricier alternative, but higher quality from what I've read.

If you want a 'standard jack mic' (XLR), then I have more suggestions. Of course, unless you really have the soundcard for it, you'd probably need an adapter to use one. You will get more for your money in terms of mic quality though.

I don't think you can beat a Behringer ECM8000 for value, and I prefer the sound over the industry-standard Shure. I also like MXL for value, and the V67G is a great one, and may be more appropriate for podcasting.

CAD GXL3000 is a good one if you want a multi-pattern.

If you really want to get spendy, get the APEX 460. This is a favorite because you can mod it to sound like a very expensive mic. (EDIT: sounds fantastic right out of the box, too)

If you want to try a ribbon mic, as suggested below, MXL has some real bang-for-the-buck products. Also the Nady RSM-4 and -5. Ribbon mics are a bit different and I think they accentuate highs too much, but I don't fault anyone who prefers 'em.

SOME POINTERS WHICH MIGHT HELP:
Pick up a digital audio workstation (DAW). If you're doing everything live you might want to use Audacity. Beyond that, pretty much every digital audio workstation does the same thing beyond how their workflow is organised. They all have free trials so that you can get a sense of which one works best for you! I personally use FL Studio, but other DAWs that I could recommend are Cubase, which is really good especially for editing audio, Live, which is good for doing quick arrangements and mixes, even if you're playing music live, and Logic, which has some fantastic mixing tools out of the box, but is sadly Apple exclusive. As microphones go, pretty much anything can record audio decently once you get the hang of mixing, but for something comparatively quiet, I'd recommend a ribbon microphone like a Royer 121, which I've worked with before, and the quality is absolutely pristine. The only issues are ribbon mics tend to be pretty pricey, and they break if you expose them to loud noises or blow on them (I'm not joking about that, by the way). If they're a way out of your budget, pretty much any mic you can buy at a music store can still give professional results once you get the hang of how to use it, which isn't anywhere near as hard as it sounds. Astartus (who did this and this ) also recommended Melodyne, which, from what I can tell, is fantastic audio correction. As for the act of actually writing music, I'm sorry, I can't help you. I'm a total hack who does almost everything by mistake.

Try the Cascade Fathead. It's incredibly cheap for a ribbon mic because it is so very dark, even by ribbon standards, which in your case would be a positive.

Ribbons are excellent for taming sibilant vocals, and if you ever record more than one vocal track, they have the unique quality of making voices stand out. Unlike condensers, which tend to make all voices sound similar.

You will also enjoy this mic on drums and guitar cabs. If you tend to overdub vocals after the band has tracked, this mic will serve you in many ways.

Sometimes it can be too dark for vocals, in which case I'd use it with your NT1 (placed right on top of each other to keep phase) and then you can mix in as much brightness as you need with the NT1 track.

EDIT: I should add that you will need a powerful preamp to drive this mic. Most built in interface pres will barely get a peep out of a ribbon.

This one. We've been going back and forth on whether to get a condenser microphone or ribbon microphone, so I plan on getting low end versions of both before I splurge on one of the high end ones. But that one seems like a good deal, especially because he's just starting to record himself.

GLS ES-57s. Essentially the same frequency response as the SM57 (the difference could be attributed to the grille, slight changes in the body), to my ears sounds nearly precisely the same. It's got a bit more of a high mid boost but I like that about it. This was one of the best investments I've ever made.

Those would be your tom and snare mics. 4-5 of these and you'll be good.

Not sure what your budget is, but the MXL SP-1 is pretty well regarded for their sound as overheads. Overheads are the mics you put on stands over the drum kit to, primarily, pick up the cymbals, but they pick up the rest of the kit as well.

As far as kick mics go, if you're low budget, my thinking is to just go really low budget and replace your kicks. It's not difficult to get a good drum sound out of low-end kick mics, but your budget may not allow what I consider the minimum. If you can swing it, I suggest picking up a Nady RSM-4 for the resonant side of the kick, and any arbitrary dynamic mic for the beater side of the kick. That way you can get the attack of the beater with the dynamic, and the thump of the kick with the ribbon. If you can't, or do not want, to swing for a ribbon, any typical kick mic would do, but in my experience a better sound could be got from just replacing your kicks by triggering with your beater side mic.

I'd be happy to answer any specific questions you've got about drum miking. I'm not good at just talking.

I can only speak to the microphone suggestion part. Either a large diaphragm condenser, or a ribbon mic would complement the 57 really well.

You can get a Cascade Fathead ribbon mic for like $200. Or an Audio Technica at4040 condenser for around $225.

I would recommend the ribbon mic, but maybe do some research on both and go with what you think is best.

I've got two Shure SM57s that I use with my drums, one on the snare, and the other between my two rack toms. I've also used it on my girlfriend's violin (though it's just an entry level $250 Stentor), and even my 22" kick drum before I got a proper low-frequency drum microphone, and it did the job. It's called the "Legendary Instrument Microphone" for a reason. :)

For $100 apiece, it's the industry standard, as well as the studio/live workhorse its reputation has made it to be. It's a dynamic microphone suited to almost all uses, and I'm incredibly happy with the two I have.

However! It depends on what you wish to use it for. Live? Studio/Home ? I see you said you want it for studio recording. If you're recording a solo instrument (i.e. just the violin) you ideally want two microphones to get a good sense of the room you're in, unless you legitimately just want the "sound" and no ambience (which tends to sound dead). While the SM57 WILL work (and it does have the capability to match both high and low frequencies on most instruments), you'd want to lean towards Ribbon or Condenser microphones. Unfortunately, they're generally more expensive, and quite fragile too compared to dynamic microphones.

You said your budget is $100 - $200. Do you already have a preamp/audio interface to feed this into? Do you have a DAW (software?) to record into? I'll assume you do, so I'll suggest only microphones in the $100 - $200 range.

If you take a look here, you can find plenty of $100-$200 Ribbon microphones. My preference is the ART M-Five, as it's only $150 and has a nicely coloured sound. (Or spend a little bit more and grab a Cascade Fat Head though I have no personal experience with it.)

If you're looking into large diaphragm condensers and want a stereo solution, I'd recommend the AKG Perception 120. I've used one to record my drums back before I got my Rode NT-5 Pair (used, $200) as well as to help a friend record guitar, and it's fine. You can pick up two of the P120 (they're only $79 on Amazon, see link above) and record in stereo (using Mid-Side, ORTF, or similar recording techniques), or just grab one Ribbon or Condenser (higher end) and record one track. Upto you.

Keep in mind, cables, stands and sometimes shockmounts (for larger microphones, if not included) also all add up to the cost. Cheap stands can go from $30-40, a good (short) audio cable runs $15-20, so it can easily add up. If you need help rounding down the options further, feel free to ask me questions right here, and if you don't already have an audio interface, I'll be happy to assist you with that as well! I just assume you already have one, so I gave you suggestions to put your entire budget towards the microphone itself.

I love my GAP R1 Mk3. http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Age-Project-Ribbon-Microphone/product-reviews/B004ZGQKGI

Hey there! Trying to find a proper link to order a Cascade Fathead online but I'm seeing a variety of different kinds ranging from $200 to $450. Wondering if you had a good link for one.

Thanks!

Cheapest I found:

https://www.amazon.com/Cascade-Microphones-98-G-Ribbon-Microphone/dp/B01I3A07HE/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_267_tr_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=MHGNB5MXEGHF7CGN4MSR