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Add some sheen to your vocals with the best dynamic and condenser mics from Shure, AKG, Rode, Aston, Telefunken, Neumann, and more Boom Microphone
1. Quick list 2. Best overall 3. Best for versatility 4. Best hybrid mic 5. Best for studio 6. Best for live vocals 7. Best budget mic 8. More options... 9. Buying advice 10. How we choose
In much the same way that human voices each have a unique timbre, the same is true that no one microphone will suit every vocalist. So if you’re looking for the best vocal mics then how do you go about finding your perfect match? We’ve reviewed countless vocal mics over the years so while it’s true that every vocal is different, we’ve put together our top picks for every job.
The truth is most producers and engineers will have a variety of vocal mics on standby to cover all bases. If you’re just starting out recording vocals then we heartily recommend you grab one of the condenser mics in this guide, as they will cover a lot of bases. Likewise, if you need a vocal for live scenarios, then a dynamic mic will be your best bet. Looking to add to an existing collection? Don’t worry we’ve got you covered with tube condensers and FET mics too.
If all of this sounds a little confusing, or you just want to do some more research before you pull the trigger, make sure to have a look at our exhaustive buying advice section, which features loads of common questions answered by the expert authors here at MusicRadar. If you just want to get to the good stuff then keep on scrolling…
Chris Corfield is a journalist with over 12 years of experience writing for some of the music world's biggest brands including Orange Amplification, MusicRadar, Guitar World, Total Guitar and Dawsons Music. Chris loves getting nerdy about everything from guitar and bass gear, to synths, microphones, DJ gear and music production hardware.
Want to cut to the chase and find out exactly which we think are the best vocal mics on the market right now? Below, you’ll find a round-up of our top choices. You can jump to a more detailed review of every pick and better yet, our clever price comparison tool will help you find the best deal.
As an all-rounder vocal mic, the Shure SM7B takes some beating. Over the years it’s been adopted by some of the music world’s biggest names, while its rich, balanced tone has found it adopted more recently by the podcasting community.
As the most expensive mic in the line-up, the AKG C414 XLII has a lot to live up to. It’s also just about one of the most versatile microphones we’ve come across, excelling at everything from speech to vocals, via acoustic instruments and even drums.
Combining the circuitry of both a tube and FET vocal mic with switchable polar patterns, the Lewitt LCT 940 is a super versatile vocal mic. It's essentially two vocal mics in one, making it excellent value for your cash.
We'd all love a U87 in the studio, but for most of us, it sits well out of our price range. Enter the Neumann TLM 102, which aims to give you that iconic sound on a budget. Transparent and open, it's perfect for pristine studio vocals.
It would be remiss not to include the Shure SM58 in this list, right? We did consider omitting it, but couldn’t bring ourselves to do it. After all, for a large number of live performers, this mic has been the go-to choice for decades now.
One of the best-selling condenser mics of the past few years, the Audio-Technica AT2020 is exceptional value for money. It will suit lots of different vocal styles, work on a huge range of instruments, and is robustly built, all for a great price.
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Here you'll find full writeups and reviews of all our favourite vocal mics. Many of these have been personally tested by our writing team too, so you can rely on our recommendations for your next vocal mic.
✅ Buy if you want a vocal mic that can do it all: The SM7B is insanely popular whether you want a vocal mic for death growls, falsetto vocals, or to pick up someone softly spoken on a podcast. ❌ Avoid if you want a live vocal mic: The design of this mic means its applications for live performance are somewhat limited.
As an all-rounder vocal mic, the Shure SM7B takes some beating. Over the years it’s been adopted by some of the music world’s biggest names – Michael Jackson swore by them – while its rich, balanced tone has found it adopted more recently by the podcasting community.
The flat frequency response means it delivers a rich and smooth vocal with plenty of warmth and body. It's excellent at noise rejection too, only picking up whatever you place directly in front of it.
For home recording it’s a great choice as it features in-built protection against electromagnetic hum, meaning your computer monitor isn’t going to interfere with your signal. It’s also, as with all the Shure SM range, built to withstand all manner of performance situations without letting you down.
Read the full Shure SM7B review
✅ Buy if you want a pro-level vocal mic: Found in pro studios all over the world, the C414 is a professional-grade microphone for capturing pristine vocals. ❌ Avoid if you're on a budget: This microphone isn't cheap, so if your budget is tight you'll want to swerve this one.
As the most expensive mic in the line-up, the AKG C414 XLII has a lot to live up to. It’s also just about one of the most versatile microphones we’ve come across, excelling at everything from speech to vocals, via acoustic instruments and even drums.
A total of nine pickup patterns are available, including combining two different patterns, meaning there is no application where this mic won’t suit, while the overall levels of quality, durability and construction are exemplary. Oh, and it sounds incredible too.
✅ Buy if you can't decide between tube and FET: With its multi-modes, you're essentially getting two mics in one with the LCT 940. You can also blend between the two flavours for added versatility. ❌ Avoid if you like vintage mics: This mic is very much a modern one, from all the added extras to the aesthetic. If you like vintage vocal mics then steer clear.
Essentially two microphones in one, the Lewitt LCT 940 gives you both a tube condenser and FET vocal mic, as well as the ability to blend the two sounds to taste. A relative newcomer to the world of vocal mics, Lewitt's mic designs combine some really interesting design perspectives for the modern recording engineer.
We love the ability to blend the tube and FET sounds of this mic, which opens up a lot of interesting sonic possibilities whether you’re recording vocals, acoustic guitars, brass, or anything else really. Each side also stands on its own, with the tube side offering warmth and depth whilst the FET component delivers excellent clarity.
We like the look as well, although can appreciate some might find it a little gaudy. A separate power supply gives you polarity switching options to further enhance this mic’s versatility. There’s a bunch of filter and pad options to help you tame your sound at the source, as well as auto attenuation and a clipping history function that tells if you’re last signal clipped the mic at any point.
✅ Buy if you want studio-grade vocals on a budget: Designed and engineered in the same factory as a host of legendary vocal mics, the TLM 102 delivers phenomenal sounds without you needing to remortgage. ❌ Avoid if you like modern features: There are no fancy features like switchable polar patterns, built-in pads, and filters here.
Neumann is a premium German mic brand, and the TLM 102 is pitched as its most inexpensive large diaphragm condenser. Frankly, it’s not cheap but it is a more affordable option for producers, musos, or vocalists working out of modest studios to buy into the famed Neumann tone.
Neumann clearly understands this market because, very sensibly, its engineers have developed the TLM 102 to be both small and versatile. So, while it’s perfect for vocals it’s also very capable of covering a lot of other ground too – everything from acoustic guitar to light percussion.
Its frequency response is authentically flat across the mid-range which gives it a transparent, open character that’s perfect for faithfully capturing vocals without adding any colour. The lower frequencies do have the kind of richness that’s expected from a large diaphragm condenser, but fortunately, it doesn't muddy up when close-miking.
If you’re happy investing the money, you’ll find the TLM 102 is a wonderful mic for vocals and a lot more besides. If you work with clients, they’ll appreciate the premium branding too.
Read the full Neumann TLM 102 review
✅ Buy if you want a reliable live vocal mic: Regularly seen on stages throughout the world, the SM58 is the go-to for anyone needing a rugged vocal microphone. ❌ Avoid if you want studio sound: While this mic might find some use in the studio, you'll want something a little more high-definition for recording vocals.
It would be remiss not to include the Shure SM58 in this list, right? We did consider omitting it, but couldn’t bring ourselves to do it. After all, for a large number of live performers, this mic has been the go-to choice for decades now. You don’t become one of the best-selling vocal mics in the world by accident.
Widely regarded for its excellent noise rejection properties and ultra-durable build. You probably won't want to do studio vocals with this mic, but if you're on the live circuit it's a must-have in your mic locker.
As a specialist live performance mic, the Shure SM58 offers the perfect combination of reliability, performance, and durability, all for a price that sits very nicely around the $100/£100 mark.
Read the full Shure SM58 review
✅ Buy if you want to record vocals on a budget: Coming in around the $100/£100 mark, the AT2020 is a top choice for those looking to get great vocals without splashing the cash. ❌ Avoid if you need a low-noise floor: If you're recording softly spoken vocals or podcasts we'd avoid the AT2020 as the noise floor is higher than others on this list.
The Audio-Technica AT2020 is one of the best-selling condenser microphones for good reason. Packing excellent sound quality into a robust casing, it’s a versatile workhorse mic that will deliver on vocals and plenty of other instruments.
The AT2020 is flattering to many vocalists thanks to its mid-range warmth and ever-so-slight presence peak. It captures the full bandwidth between 20 Hz and 20 kHz too, so you’ll hear every little nuance of your vocalist's delivery.
Despite the low cost, it feels incredibly robust in your hand, always a nice quality in a mic that might have to put up with abuse from life in the studio. Our only gripe with the AT2020 is that the noise floor is comparatively high, which means recording quiet sources at a distance might not work all too well.
So those are our top picks, but there are many more great options to choose from that offer something a little different in terms of features and performance. We've selected some more of our favourites below.
✅ Buy if you want a great value all-rounder: The Aston Mics Spirit works on pretty much anything whilst sitting at a fantastic price point considering what you get. ❌ Avoid if you need a flat response: The Spirit's various polar patterns have a slight presence bump, which may not suit your needs.
As the most expensive mic in the line-up, the AKG C414 XLII has a lot to live up to. It’s also just about one of the most versatile microphones we’ve come across, excelling at everything from speech to vocals, via acoustic instruments and even drums.
As you would hope when spending this amount of cash, it sounds incredible. The lows and mids are rich and warm with clarity and definition in the top end. Due to the varying pickup patterns, you can cover pretty much all the bases with this microphone, which is why you'll find it in pro studios all over the world.
A total of nine pickup patterns are available, including combining two different patterns, meaning there is no application where this mic won’t suit, while the overall levels of quality, durability, and construction are exemplary.
✅ Buy if you want a pure studio vocal mic: Rode mics are well known for their exceptional performance on vocals and this mic is no different. ❌ Avoid if you prefer modern features: There are no extra switches here, so if you prefer to add a pad or low cut on the fly then this won't suit you.
Australian brand Rode is one of the best-known microphone specialists operating today. The Rode NTK is their flagship mid-point condenser, delivering exceptional performance for vocals and other speech-related applications. Part of the NTK’s magic comes from the twin-triode 6922 tube, which adds a touch of vintage warmth to recordings.
It's flattering on a variety of vocal styles, whether you're going for hip-hop bars or rock and roll belting. It sounds great close up too, sounding bigger and warmer the closer you get. If you want to use it for other applications, we found it sounds great on acoustic guitars too.
Microphone For Pc We particularly like the build quality of the Rode NTK, which offers easy access to replace the tube, should you need to. As with the rest of the Rode range, there’s a lot of quality on display here at a great value price point.