Best Mic For Recording Electric Guitar (2024 Update)

This microphone is one of the best suited for handling guitar amps and other louder close mic applications, especially where a low profile is advantageous, such as on stage or in a cramped studio setting. The mike can be hung/slung over a speaker cabinet or mounted on small footprint stand and placed directly in front of speaker cone/grill. The flat design allows for setup in extremely tight spaces. The frequency response of 40-18k works well on most amplified instruments. It is designed optimally to handle high sound pressure levels (loud) without pads. Response is fairly flat and even across the entire range. It is also super-cardroid pattern meaning crosstalk can be kept to a minimum, important when mic'ing multiple cabs. I found these to be superior to the standard sm-57 type mics for guitar cabinet pickup, more bottom end, crisper high end and very low profile. They are also fairly durable. I've been using mine for a long time and they have held up well.Steviebone

Works great as a guitar-amp mic. You can hang it over the top of the amp, or use something like the K&M 25950 (or 25900) stands. I'm not enamored with Sennheiser's mic clips, but they function; I'd be concerned about repeatedly attaching/removing mics from those clips. That could be unwarranted, but time will tell. Otherwise the mic sounds perfect for my needs (micing guitar amps)Dan

I looked up and down everywhere to see what's the best mic for all around, Like the hidden gem in the cornfield. People told me the rodemic, Razer and snow xlr mic, But from looking past the "Normal" I seen the sm57. A famous hidden mic no one really knew about, Basically has the same tone sm7b just a little different. $100ish instead of $400 count me in, I been using it for zoom calls, Twitch, Discord and everyone i talked to said i went from a very noisy and outland voice to a solid nice tone. I personally use mine with a boom arm, the a81ws, focusrite. No issues with it and i had it for about 3 months, I'm not the gentlest on it either so I feel comfortable using it on a day to day basis. Who would i recommend this to? To be totally honest everyone, You want it to do something? Trust me it will. 10/10Bradleigh, K

I've only had chance to do a quick sound check miking my Bugera V22 and recording the sound using my new Tascam DP-008 EX 8-track recorder. Sound quality was very good, especially for a basic home office recording setup. I can see why this mic is so popular in the industry. For perspective, I am a hobbyist and don't perform, but like to have the best sound for my limited budget to make recordings for myself and maybe friends and family. This mic lives up to its rep for being a great value for what you pay, punching above its class, no doubt.Steve

I looked up and down everywhere to see what's the best mic for all around, Like the hidden gem in the cornfield. People told me the rodemic, Razer and snow xlr mic, But from looking past the "Normal" I seen the sm57. A famous hidden mic no one really knew about, Basically has the same tone sm7b just a little different. $100ish instead of $400 count me in, I been using it for zoom calls, Twitch, Discord and everyone i talked to said i went from a very noisy and outland voice to a solid nice tone. I personally use mine with a boom arm, the a81ws, focusrite. No issues with it and i had it for about 3 months, I'm not the gentlest on it either so I feel comfortable using it on a day to day basis. Who would i recommend this to? To be totally honest everyone, You want it to do something? Trust me it will. 10/10Bradleigh, K

I've only had chance to do a quick sound check miking my Bugera V22 and recording the sound using my new Tascam DP-008 EX 8-track recorder. Sound quality was very good, especially for a basic home office recording setup. I can see why this mic is so popular in the industry. For perspective, I am a hobbyist and don't perform, but like to have the best sound for my limited budget to make recordings for myself and maybe friends and family. This mic lives up to its rep for being a great value for what you pay, punching above its class, no doubt.Steve

Overall: Seeing the pictures online made me think one thing. But then seeing in my hand made me think another. This is a rather small microphone in comparison to what I've used in the past. Transitioning from a monsterous Sterling Audio ST-79 to the TLM-102 made a HUGE difference. The depth of the vocal is outstanding. The frequency range is great and the Higher SPL makes it able to withstand some of the loudmouth vocalist rappers it will be used on. I myself have a deeper raspier voice and this mic works wonders on the clarity of it. In the mix there is much more control on dialing in to get the sound you want. This little Big Dog is now my Go to mic for Vocals out of my collection which includes: a. (1) ST-79 -Sterling Audio – Condenser b. (1) ST-55 – Sterling Audio – Condenser c. (1) MXL 990 and (1) 991 – MXL – Condensers d. (2) Fathead I – Cascade – Ribbon e. (1) TLM-102 – Neumann – Condenser (these are just my Vocal specific mics) All in all I love the mic and the mixing flexablity, its smaller size, and its versatility in use. Sure there is not a bass roll-off, or pad switch so it may not be best for SOME RANDOM VERY SPECIFIC NEED. But for the typical use of a microphone this thing has become my best friend.Chris

I play acoustic fingerstyle guitar and I was looking at some mics options to do some recordings… this mic is absolutely brilliant ! It captures amazingly the sounds of an acoustic guitar, very detailed and all nuances can be heard. Very rich and natural sound and exactly what I was looking for acoustic guitar recordings. Furthermore the look is stunning and the quality amazing. Love it! I am now considering getting another one so I could pair it nicely with the one I owe. Highly recommended!! Here is a recoding I've made with this mic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIThVYPlJ5MReviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Overall: I just bought Neumann TLM 102 for a few sessions on my vocals and nylon & acoustic guitar. I do noticed, TLM 102 does have a little more presence and somewhat compressed on the bass. If you want to tame the bass, then you'll be happy with TLM 102 (note: There’s no cut low/high filter switch). If you're asking a flat sound, it's not here. Presence is strong? "yes." A lot more than mine Oktava MK 319. Treble? a little less than mine. If you want a little more treble for your vocals, you might want TLM 103. But remember, 103 is two times for you to pay. Do you want something "warm'ish" in your vocals? It's all right. It's not the best for a warm warm sound. BUT it is good though. You may have to turn up the mid a little more when you mixed. On my vocals and nylon & acoustic, I had to decrease -10 db on the bass. After my recording and testing, I decided to return mine TLM 102. For me, It's just not worth it –especially it’s 8x than my MK319. I really expected a lot more, but I know there are a lot of people that they love it. They say, they would pay 10 times. For the rest of my sessions, I went back to my MK 319. RECOMMENDATION?? Well, if you have a budget….sure. It would be nice recording a few acoustic rhythms. But, I know there are few more mics that are a lot cheaper than TLM 102 with the same quality sound.Xylor

I bought to of these to run as a stereo pair for guitar amplifiers in a live environment. They are terrific! They handle whatever two 100 watt amps can throw at them and do not color the sound in any sort of negative manner. They definitely let the amps tone shine right through. I went from two classic Sm57s to these and I just notice more clarity and detail than I did with the 57s. Mic placement is a breeze. I spent all of 5 minutes with a pre-recorded loop figuring out the most natural sound and its very easy to find the large sweetspot with these mics. Again, the 57 does not have a huge sweet spot.Blakemore

These mics came highly recommended by another sound engineer I know and, having owned the lesser e609 mics, I decided to take the plunge when I found these at a fantastic price. Pros: Excellent sound quality. Have used it in front of a few different types of bands guitar amps and found it did a fine job whether they played the blues or rock. The filter suggestions in the manual worked and I look forward to trying it with a heavier band to see how it does. Cons: None so far, but if the quality of the 609's that I own, one for over 20 years, is any indication, then this mic will provide years of quality sound reproduction. Brand new, these come with a soft cloth mic bag, mic clip, mic stand euro-adapter and manual.yankeemuso

I have a Demeter Silent Speaker Iso Box that I have been using a 57 and a 58 in with semi-satisfying results. I built a second box to put the Demeter in to even further cut down on the sound levels in my studio. I have taken the door off of the Demeter to let it breath and it takes away all the boxiness of the sound. The only thing missing was this mic! It sounds so much better I can't even believe it! It's so much more balanced and it has smoothed out the mids that have a tendency to build up in a small space like this. Blending the 58 in brings back a little of the "mid scoop" present in the 906. The super cardioid polar pattern of this mic is perfect for this application. From clean to crunch to distortion, my iso rig now sounds like a mic'd up cab in a dead room. All of my stomp boxes and guitars are now in play as they sound like real guitars and not mid range and nasally toys. I am blown away! Buy this mic and follow this recipe if you want an iso box to sound like an isolation room. I'm sure it sounds great in a room as well but the iso box is a more critical situation that only this mic works in. Buy it!radguitars

It has a reputation, because it is that good. Takes any vocal and places it at a higher level. Clarity, warmth, presence, yep. If you could only buy 1 piece of gear and youre doing vocals, forget everything else and get this microphone. Run through any interface with a daw, and youll see the difference. Its expensive, yep, but its an investment. Been doing more serious recording over the past 2 years, now I want to go back and re-record all the prior vocals.wdalgabbar_0

An ultimate aspirational mic for me. I have compared this with a vintage u87. For vocals, the vintage U 87 has a slightly more noticeable presence. By presence, I mean that you feel like the microphone is a noctilux-level macro lens focusing in on the singer's articulation and bringing them up close to your ear. All that, but it doesn't sound like it's trying. The new U 87 Ai is almost the same as the old U 87, but a bit more neutral. Less emphasis of sounds like ch (as in, chess), and the specs say less noise. That's my two cents, at least! The U 87 Ai is an amazing sounding mic and lives up to its name. I'd agree with so many reviewers who say that it's just plain good on anything.Peter

I own a lot of microphones for an individual (not a studio), from SM57-58 types, up to the AKG 414 XLII and a bunch in between. As I prepared to move to a greater focus on writing and recording, I decided it was time to purchase a couple of microphones that were the type I have used in a professional recording studio. The first of those that came to mind was the Neumann U87. It was one of two mics (the other being the AKG 414, mentioned above) that I have seen in literally every professional studio I have ever walked into. To say it is a recording industry standard is quite the understatement. Let's talk cost: yes, it costs more than many others. In the world of professional microphones, it's actually on the cheaper end of the spectrum when compared with tube microphones, and it costs many times less than vintage originals. But is it expensive? NO, IT IS NOT. Expensive is a relative term, and refers to the amount of money an item costs… relative to what it is. When what it is happens to be one of the most meticulously built, most heavily copied, and highest performing microphones out there (that is in the estimation of the top-tier professionals in the business, not Joe Equipment-reviewer on your local forum) , the cost is reasonable, and as mentioned, low in comparison to others in its peer group. And how does it sound? Clear and honest. If you sound bad or ameteurish, you will get a very clear rendition of a bad and ametuerish sound. Don't blame the mic. If you put great sound into it, you get incredibly great sound out, and you can hear every nuance. In testing at home, it was sometimes shocking how much more revealing the U87 was. I can only compare it to my experience with any other top of the line equipment. It just keeps surprising you with "oh yeah" moments. Ultimately, nothing is for everyone. And if you don't have the ears to hear the difference, don't waste your money. But if you're up to it, I promise you this mic is up to it as well.Rick In TX

This microphone is fantastic for recording vocals. It picks up everything in the room clearly including the air conditioner. This is no problem as the mic has a built in filter that can get rid of the noise from the air conditioner. The included manual has a description for all of the different pickup patterns and their uses. The manual also says the C414 XLII is recommended for vocals, whereas the C414 XLS is recommended for overheads.Jared

Not sure I even received the right mic. The box was not for this product. No owners manual or any mfg.'s materials included and the box was for a different mic. Overall mic condition was good at best!Terry

This microphone is the gold standard for vocal recording, and I can't believe that I used anything else before now. What's the secret to the sauce? While besides the decades of experience backed by the Shure name, this microphone features a VERY defined cardioid pickup pattern. What's a cardioid? Why do I care? If you're asking these questions, I'll simplify it by saying this: if you're recording in a situation where you want the least amount of background noise, this is the pattern for you. Especially vocal recordings, podcasters, and the like, will enjoy the dynamic range that won't clip or cut out at loud sounds like you do with condenser microphones. The pickup range is not directional, but you do need to be conscious of distance, as I'm sure you'll find once you start using it. I did use this microphone plugged into an audio interface into my computer, so that may have introduced a tiny bit of noise, but I was blown away by the results I got from recording. This is nothing like the lower cost and less dedicated microphones I have used in the past. Very well made, as you would expect from a microphone at this price point, and the frequency response modes are set by sliders on the back of the mic. The mounting and cable connector are set up for a boom arm or a stand. Because of the integrated pop filter cover for this microphone I toyed with the idea of using it without a pop filter, but I think i'm just too "spitty" for that, so I've shifted to using one. I highly recommend this microphone. If you're someone who records vocals, spoken word, etc, this will change your game.dronedad

The Shure brand is synonymous with quality microphones, and with the SM7B comes the top-notch build as well as the dynamic range appropriate for multiple applications. Its versatility, craftmanship, and overall reliability make the Shure SM7B a must-own for serious recording. Out of the box you'll notice the mic comes with only a few accessories (cover plate, large foam windscreen, thread adapter) and no XLR cable. You should be familiar with your own audio applications and interfaces to use this mic, as it is no joke. It is pretty weighty and should be mounted on a good microphone stand or hung firmly from a boom. The swiveling bracket adjusts easily for precise positioning. The SM7B feels great, slim and smooth, and its construction feels reliable and sturdy, though I personally limited my usage to studio and workspace recording. In my testing, the SM7B sounds amazing. It has just a very clean output for my instruments and vocals alike. It performs exceptionally well in my small, soundproofed studio affixed with foam wall fixtures. But I was more impressed with the sound quality in a non-optimal, unfixed bedroom environment. The flat, wide-range frequency response is unmatched; there is zero feedback and no static interference whatsoever, even around several operating laptops, two external monitors, and numerous electronic devices. The included windscreen makes up-close vocals and whispers move without the pops and crackles of lesser microphones. Bottom line, this is the microphone that provides the professional performance you need to be taken seriously in any recording environment. Shure's SM7B is everything you need in a dynamic microphone, with its rugged build, versatile application, and unparalleled quality. The brand you should trust with your recording needs did it again, and it isn't a surprise. This is the mic you want to have. Full disclosure, I received this product for my honest, unbiased review.NJRY

SUMMARY: As we dip our toes into the world of podcasting, we all start with an elementary setup that might be as simple as aiming your face into your cell-phone camera and talking into its microphone. But if you get serious, you will soon want a better audio/video setup. The Shure SM7B cardioid Dynamic Vocal Microphone will be a fine choice until you’re so famous that you have your own professional studio with a production crew and your name on the building. Honestly, most people’s hearing and their listening equipment can’t hear any improvements as you advance beyond this level of studio mic. FEATURES: • The switches under a cover at the back end allow you to set up the dynamic response of the mic. Shifting curves give you a visual indication of what frequencies you are pushing or reducing. • Excellent sound reproduction. • Fits standard mic mounts. • The Cardioid sound pick-up pattern is very direction and ignores sounds coming from anywhere in the room except the front making it a VERY quiet mic for studio use. • Two Year Limited Warranty. PROS: • Pop Filter, Air Suspension and Shock Isolation assure only the voice gets through without ambient studio noise. • Advance electromagnetic shielding prevents interference or hum from monitors and computers in the studio. CONS: • At this level of mic, it’s assumed you’re probably upgrading your system, so if you don’t already have certain other audio items like Mic Stand, Cable or Mic Activator, you’ll have to purchase them separately to begin using this mic. It won’t simply plug into your cell phone. CONCLUSION: The SM7B Cardioid Dynamic Vocal Microphone won’t hold you back in creating excellent sound quality.JimF

"Arturo Sandoval's Mic of choice! The Mic used most for High Quality Trumpet Recording! With a Life-Like realism to the sound as if you were hearing it played live. A warm outstanding Ribbon Professional Microphone.thevintagehorn

This R-121 is incredibly versatile for a ribbon microphone – I never fear putting it in front of guitar cabs, raucous horn players, even drums. The sound is incredibly clear and true to what my ears are hearing (a little less abrasive top end). Without a doubt worth having in my microphone closet… or out of it which usually the case. A great microphone investment!Excellent microphone – I will be purchasing more. Worth every penny I paid for this – it is a go to microphone in most every session I do these days… which is to say it is paying for itself. My clients dig the sounds = my gear pays for itself.Fester Spunk

Great mic. works magic on guitars. however you do need a good mic and pre and a decent compressor to place in front of mic! If you can get this mic for a good price (less than $1300) I would buy it! make sure you read the manual before use! If you don't you can damage the ribbon and make the mic sound bad!!!surfgreen101

I think for the price this is a decent mic. It gives a clearer sound then what I had in my arsenal for my acoustic guitar. I've not tried it on anything else, so I haven't had a need to use the pad. I was trying large condensers on the acoustic and they were too muffled. This comes across much cleaner, maybe a little on the bright side but that's better than muddled. I'm using it to mic at the fingerboard and it gives a better, cleaner and more full bodied sound. I would note it's a little sensitive to being bumped. I found if I bump it I have to readjust the connection to get rid of a bit of hum it seems to pick up after the bump.Z

I used this product on a number of things. Timbale,Drums Overheads,Acoustic Guitars,String Quartets, Vocal Choirs,Steel Drums and well as room mic's. It comes with a 20db pad which is very helpful when recording loud percussion like Timbale,Steel Drums, and loud Drums. Make sure you have a low noise pre amp and you get really good results. I only wish it came with omni capsules or at least had that option. These mic's are great for the money.Joseph

I was reluctant to believe that I could make any type of Splash using this microphone to do my first ever voice over gig, but honestly it was all I could afford at the time. It came out smelling like a rose! Of course at that price point you're not going to get anything close to a u87ai. And the noise floor in my opinion leaves quite a bit to be desired, but with the little bit of offset compression and some other tweaking, this mic can sound as good as anything Shure has on the market, or possibly even the sm58 for voiceover work.RB

Sound: While the Blue Yeti may not be THE best sounding USB mic right out of the box, it does have good sound quality. With a little tweaking through a free audio mixer software like Voice Meeter Banana will result in a very professional sounding mic without spending the big bucks. Stock settings will give you more than sufficient sound quality though. With easy access to the knobs to control the gain and pic up pattern makes for easy adjusting on the fly. Due to the pic up patterns I would only recommend this mic for individual use and not for an interview setting. Price: Being priced at $130 isn't terrible, but should probably be closer to the $100.00 mic segment given it doesn't have XLR. Personally, I would opt to buy the Blue Yeticaster Broadcast Bundle which includes the mic (no desktop stand), boom arm, and shockmount for $180-$200 vs the stand alone Blue Yeti Mic for reasons below. Purchasing all three items individually would be in the $280 range Keep in Mind/Cons: I would highly, highly, highly recommend a boom arm for this mic. The desk stand for the mic is not very useful. I found myself slouching over due to having no height adjustment. Additionally, to get your mouth the appropriate distance from the mic for optimal sound quality (without cranking the gain) means the mic stand is sitting at an awkward spot in relation to your keyboard/mouse. I also found that with the desk stand no matter how I positioned the mic, set the pickup, gain or gate I could not eliminate picking up desk noise such as keyboard clicks, mouse clicks, or even setting my phone down on the desk due no shock dampening. Even setting the stand on a towel did not assist much. Mounting the mic to the Blue Boom Arm completely fixed the unwanted sound and positioning issues. If you are going to mount this mic to the Blue Boom Arm I would recommend installing it with the shock mount. The shock mount isn't much of an advantage sound quality wise, but definitely helps weight wise with the boom arm. While this mic is heavier than normal it's not quite heavy enough on it's on for the Blue Boom Arm. I found the boom arm wanting to "snap open" on the loosest tension settings due to there not being enough weight at the end of it. Adding the yeti shock mount to the mic and boom arm allowed for the proper weight to adjust the mic to my desired position without any sagging or raising. In conclusion, I would highly recommend this mic being purchased in the Yesticaster bundle due to the savings vs buying the individual components. While I still can recommend the mic being purchased individually, I believe you're going to be wanting a boom arm sooner rather than later due to the desk stand offering no dampening or height adjustment.Preston H

So far so good, sounds excellent as expected. I will likely need to put it on a box to elevate it, or get a boom mount. Installation was removing from packaging and plugging in the usb cable. Done. This review is taking longer to write than the installation. What surprised me though is that it's about twice the size I expected. I figured it was maybe an inch and a half wide, subconsciously extrapolating from smaller hand held mikes I've had previously. It's 2-1/2 wide at the screen, 2-3/4 on the main body. 11-1/4 or so tall. I've seen complaints that the stand is flimsy, but it sure isn't, it's pretty weighty and metal, not plastic, which is good. You do need to tighten the side screws to firm positioning up, but that's done with fingers. There's a threaded hole on the bottom that's about 1/2 wide, apparently you can get a 1/4-20 adapter for it. I'm guessing it'll screw into a mike stand, but I don't have one to check. Nice rubber bottom, anti-skid and won't mark your desk up. I'm pretty happy with it, the build quality is good, no complaints there. Using with a Mac, just showed up in preferences as a selection for both input and output (has a headset amp built in, 1/8 jack). Recorded a test video screen capture with voice over, no problem. The multiple patterns are nice, I haven't tried them all yet, but I'll probably just use the Cardoid/single person pattern mostly. Ideal speaking distance seems to be around a foot, but you can easily use it from a yard or more away. Has gain control that I didn't even need to turn up at all. All in all, it seems like a no-brainer. I see why the major reviews are pretty unanimous in recommending it.Jay

White-out is gorgeous, nice to have software support but also physical buttons. Yeti mics used to not have any native software controls but now they are recognized inside Ghub so if you want to do things like equalizing via that, you can (or whatever other audio software you are using). The physical buttons are also great though because you can make adjustments on the fly without having to navigate to software. That makes it pretty versatile for a lot of different use cases. Some people are experts and doing some serious audio work, others just want a nice mic for their zoom meetings. I'm in the latter category. I do think there are better mics out there for audio experts but for the price, this is an awesome mic for someone who just wants to sound better than everyone else in their meeting or want some good controls for things like background nosie.Spacey

Firstly it comes in a really nice wooden storage box, very classy presentation I must say. For the prices I can't believe the sheer quality and crystal clear signal processing it contains. I find myself barely having to push my EQ or compression as I would normally with one of my old mics which found better use at a pawn shop! I've only had it about 4 months now, and since then every artist I work with including my own songs have been worlds easier to mix and also sound worlds better. I highly recommend it for any engineer or producer on a budget and need a great input source for their craft to have it's best foot forward.EZ Duzzit

I am more than pleased with the Bluebird SL. The upward curve in frequency response exactly meets my needs (recording a wind instrument whose character lies hidden in the overtones). I can easily imagine voices or instruments that this mic is unsuitable for but if you find yourself boosting the 5khz-8khz with eq to achieve a certain presence, do yourself a favor and let this mic do it for you.Mitchell

I love how clear my Bluebird SLs are on everything I've tried them on. Vocals pop in mixes without being too edgy. There's so much headroom there that I need less preamp gain, making for a much cleaner sound. They also sound nice and clean in various positions on my Guild D25 acoustic… even right up on the sound hole without being boomy. I find Bluebirds are brilliant on hand percussion, as well. I liked my first Bluebird so much, I got a second one for stereo. A pair of Bluebirds made my relatively mellow 7' Steinway B cut through an ensemble mix in much more the way a Yamaha does, so bonus… two grands in one! (For solo piano, I'm preferring a pair of Blue's Baby Bottle SLs due to their additional low end.) All in all, Bluebirds are good for just about anything you want to feature in a track, especially if you're going for a modern sound.Moogman

I spent a long time going through reviews and videos trying to decide between this microphone and a C414. Honestly, after buying this microphone I'm really glad I chose this one. Not only it is better on the wallet but the sound quality is insane for the price. Using the spirit I found no frequency gaps in my voice and acoustic guitars that I sometimes notice when using cheaper microphones. When I'm singing and have a live feed into my headphones. I can hear every single detail of my voice, it's actually crazy and as a result, it's helped me improve my singing performances whilst recording. This microphone really does show you what you put in and adds a little high-frequency sparkle to get that modern pop vocal sound. On the acoustic guitar, the spirit is natural and picks up a lot of the wood sound of the body, again no frequency gaps. It picks up my room beautifully as well even in cardioid mode. The microphone looks great and is very robust too. Personally, I cannot recommend trying the Aston brand and these microphones enough, and will definitely purchase more in the future. Watch the videos, do the research, and happy microphone hunting 🙂Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I might be slightly premature giving this mic such a high rating since I have only had it a relatively short time, but as of right now…this is a solid add to my studio. I have owned a mid sized studio for around 30+ years. I mainly record Acoustic based music up to about Medium Hard Rock styles. I have a decent Mic Locker that includes about 40 or so mics including some higher end Name Brands all the way down to the simplest of anything that works solid for my needs. I buy and only keep what works for me. I have Dynamics, Ribbons, Small and Large Diaphragm transformerless and transformered Condensers, as well as tubed versions. I had seen and heard many You-Tube reviews reviewing the Spirit and liked what I heard, but the quality of those reviews were all over the place, so I was a little skeptical. So far I have only did some preliminary vocal tracks and some Upright Bass tracks for a good friend of mine that is a Texas Singer Songwriter. On Voice the mic was clean, clear and weighty. The louder the singing the more weighty it got while staying clear and in control… no issues with overload or distorting. It also handled my soft Baritone Vocals with equal aplomb. I am predicting this is going to be a really good all-rounder in the studio and the Multi-Pattern option really are useful. I hope to write additionally once I get more time under my belt. the only nit I have… lol… is the shockmount. Looks great, the design is solid… but… the spring loaded pads,while extremely convenient, need to be slightly tighter while holding the Spirit as it allows it to lean a bit and not hold it upright solidly. If there is a way to tension up the springs a bit, it would be super excellent. Oh… and the Black finish is major cool!t_mix

This thing is such a huge improvement for my home studio. Arrived safe and in perfect condition. Packaging was done well. It has some versatility, which you can read about online in the electronic manual, but it works great right out of the box as a plug-n-wail upgrade. Worth every penny.Evan Vacek

I've been recording my music and vocals with my phone for a while now, and I bought an SM7B last summer to replace my basic earbud mic I've always used. I wasn't aware at the time that I'd need an interface to get it working with my phone. Looking for interface suggestions online turned into a ton of mixed results no matter which brand or product I read about. Scarlett, Presonus, Focusrite, etc. Pros of those products were all met with users commenting plenty of cons involving all sorts of different issues. So, I emailed Shure and asked if their MVi would for sure work my iPhone. They responded quickly and told me that it's exactly what I needed to get the mic working. It came in the mail three days later and it's perfect for what I do here at home. Simple to set up and use with my phone. It works with my recording app as well as with recording videos or voice notes. I know very little about recording music beyond the very basics, but the MVi has made it possible for me to finally get to use my actual studio mic to start recording and learning with.David K.

I bought Shure MVi thinking it would be 'ready to use out of the box' to use with an iPhone. Was I ever wrong! The older ones came with a 'micro usb to a lighting cable'. The newer ones do not. The cables are hard to find and in the $30 to $40 range. Shure don't tell you this. (The tech. support person at Shure said he didn't know this.) There is a work around to this. Get a 'usb C to a lighting adapter and a 2 input adapter for a second power input. This will supplement the power loss at the adapters. I know it sounds crazy, but it works! Come on, Shure, get with the program and send the correct cable!Joe S

Ok the mic makes GREAT reproductions. Especially for a usb mic! And the connectivity to iphones, and androids, and computers & tablets whooo buddy. I don't know of anything else on the market that can accomplish this laundry list. It's visually beautiful and a work horse to boot! This device solves so many problems for me! But there is one big draw back here… A draw back I can cope with due to this mics other strengths, but one wold really like to see redesigned on the next release of this mic. You can't adjust the mix between mic monitor signal – and audio that is being played back over USB. Nor can you adjust the monitor levels independently. You can accomplish this by altering settings in whatever app you're using, but the onboard controls leave something to be desired. I'd much rather have control over the monitor mix rather than all the DSP, compression & EQ features that they offer on board. MORE DETAILS BELOW ON WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE IN PRACTICE: V So let's say you're on a zoom call and you want to monitor your own voice in your headphones while you talk to a friend… The MV51's functionality allows you to monitor your self with no latency, fantastic!…. but to adjust the volume of your friend on the other end you have to do this via the output settings within the zoom app… and if your chosen app doesn't have out put settings, well you're out of luck because the MV51 is an audio interface – so you can't adjust the output volume via your system settings… at least on a mac, because the mv51 overrides these controls.Dan P

It has a reputation, because it is that good. Takes any vocal and places it at a higher level. Clarity, warmth, presence, yep. If you could only buy 1 piece of gear and youre doing vocals, forget everything else and get this microphone. Run through any interface with a daw, and youll see the difference. Its expensive, yep, but its an investment. Been doing more serious recording over the past 2 years, now I want to go back and re-record all the prior vocals.wdalgabbar_0

An ultimate aspirational mic for me. I have compared this with a vintage u87. For vocals, the vintage U 87 has a slightly more noticeable presence. By presence, I mean that you feel like the microphone is a noctilux-level macro lens focusing in on the singer's articulation and bringing them up close to your ear. All that, but it doesn't sound like it's trying. The new U 87 Ai is almost the same as the old U 87, but a bit more neutral. Less emphasis of sounds like ch (as in, chess), and the specs say less noise. That's my two cents, at least! The U 87 Ai is an amazing sounding mic and lives up to its name. I'd agree with so many reviewers who say that it's just plain good on anything.Peter

I own a lot of microphones for an individual (not a studio), from SM57-58 types, up to the AKG 414 XLII and a bunch in between. As I prepared to move to a greater focus on writing and recording, I decided it was time to purchase a couple of microphones that were the type I have used in a professional recording studio. The first of those that came to mind was the Neumann U87. It was one of two mics (the other being the AKG 414, mentioned above) that I have seen in literally every professional studio I have ever walked into. To say it is a recording industry standard is quite the understatement. Let's talk cost: yes, it costs more than many others. In the world of professional microphones, it's actually on the cheaper end of the spectrum when compared with tube microphones, and it costs many times less than vintage originals. But is it expensive? NO, IT IS NOT. Expensive is a relative term, and refers to the amount of money an item costs… relative to what it is. When what it is happens to be one of the most meticulously built, most heavily copied, and highest performing microphones out there (that is in the estimation of the top-tier professionals in the business, not Joe Equipment-reviewer on your local forum) , the cost is reasonable, and as mentioned, low in comparison to others in its peer group. And how does it sound? Clear and honest. If you sound bad or ameteurish, you will get a very clear rendition of a bad and ametuerish sound. Don't blame the mic. If you put great sound into it, you get incredibly great sound out, and you can hear every nuance. In testing at home, it was sometimes shocking how much more revealing the U87 was. I can only compare it to my experience with any other top of the line equipment. It just keeps surprising you with "oh yeah" moments. Ultimately, nothing is for everyone. And if you don't have the ears to hear the difference, don't waste your money. But if you're up to it, I promise you this mic is up to it as well.Rick In TX

Really I can not explain or compare this mic with any high end audio analyzer that tell us how good or bad it is. In my case I just use it direct into Audacity on my laptop using a Zoom H4s as phantom power and audio interface true my USB connection. Easy, ok yes it is, just plug and play in this configuration. Nice sound, yes very good and real for my taste. I like to set the input mic levels a little low and get around a meter or less with my instruments and amplify the recording level to -4.5 dB to have an standard volume level and no distortion or clipping. This mic help me record even strong sound instruments like the violin without any problem this way. If you want to talk it just record your voice with a very nice natural sound. For the price this mic is a real nice purchase.mriutort

I set up in my basement with it a few weeks ago and started messing around, have found nothing to be disliked. The overall sound is good, it has strong low end for my growls, and it doesn't have any problems with recording at any volume. I even put it in front of my drumset to see if it'd pick up okay, which it did surprisingly well with. I haven't been doing vocals for very long, but from what I can tell it easily competes with mics twice the price. 10/10 would recommend, worth it. P.s. get a pop filter toothe wheat man

I have one first generation version, which lacks the headphone jack, and this is my 2nd of the newer generation. If using this in an application where you want a shock mount, be sure to buy the Audio Technica shock mount that is made for this exact form factor. I have both of mine on boom arms. I like the side address form factor and the ability to get cheap pop filters that are semi-cylindrical. Compared to the much more expensive gold standard Shure SM7B, this sounds a bit brighter and has a wider, flatter frequency response. That makes the AT2020 better suited for instrumentals and other sound sources, whereas the SM7B tends to be very specifically suited to voices. I own USB and XLR versions of this mic, and the integrated analog-to-digital conversation seems very good, not introducing detectable noise.Matthew

This microphone looks nice and also sounds nice. However, I have purchased this microphone for the second time now and for the second time it has stopped working without reason. It is not due to any pc port, audio driver, or cable problem. All of these things are working just fine after checking. Supposedly this microphone has an issue with it's firmware that causes this problem for me and many other people. I think this microphone is way too expensive for it to just give out unannounced like that. While it may look and sound nice, I can't see myself recommending this microphone to others due to how faulty it is. I'd spend my money elsewhere.Kayla

I absolutely love this microphone. I have been using a Samson Meteor Microphone up until this purchase, so, yes this is quite the upgrade – even though in the right hands even the Samson Meteor can sound great. However, I am not a microphone expert; I am of above average microphone knowledge but not by much. Right off the bat I notice that the setup's ability to transfer from the included stationary stand to my boom swing-arm AND have the ability to change adapters which is incredibly convenient. Keep in mind, this is all without having to remove the shock mount that the quadcast comes with either. The microphone works well in any orientation whether in vertical or inversed position, to even sideways or offset. The microphone is painless to setup and easy to use, having a gain knob underneath, a touch-tap mute button on top, and a mode selector on the back. The ability to choose from four pre-programmed scenario-based settings (podcast vs. interview vs. chat etc..) without needing a complex software is great and it is all at your finger tips with the mode selector. Speaking of software, the accompanying downloadable application for your desktop allows you to customize your sound settings and, of course, the RGB colors, patterns, ambience, and reactiveness. I am always partial to my blues and greens and, boy, did I get them. The sound of the microphone is great even when using my typical chat services, Discord, Zoom, and Teams. I unfortunately do not have experience with recording with intent like as voice overs, but my friend does like to capture instances of us playing various videogames together. Even without a "boosted server" the quality is crystal clear with a wide range. The addition of a built-in pop filter allows for some better hands-off control, giving the user the optional freedom of no external pop filter mounts or covers should they choose to do so. Although, it is always recommended to consider getting one depending on your vocal habits. The material used in the construction is very reassuring and has a nice matte black. The stand itself is very solid and you would have to put in a little effort to knock this thing over. I don't see myself getting a new microphone anytime soon, and I hope that I never have to!Ryan Z

I got this mic to replace a cheaper one i got from amazon for streaming on twitch. The audio quality is stellar, and i would even argue that its on par with the higher end stuff from rhode and sure, except its much cheaper AND its made by what is essentially a gaming company. With just a noise gate and a noise supression filter through OBS it already sounds like a professional grade mic. The physical aspects of it leave a few things to be desired as it is quite large. There is a more important problem though, the USB C port is on the back which creates the need for a steep bend in the cable right at the connector. So far i havent had any problems and the cable it comes with is pretty sturdy so its not a deal breaker, but i feel like it could have definitely been designed better. Overall the lighting, sound quality and construction make this a very solid choice.spencingt0n