I thought I'd post my essential mic collection which is something I do somewhat yearly.

There are no real priorities. If you were to ask me to pick one mic as a starting point, then I'd probably pick the AT4047 or the AT4040. I'm not a fan of cheaper made in the Orient bright condenser mics. What would I pick next... I'd probably pick the Audix i5 or the SM57.

Anyway, here is my list...

1 large diaphragm condenser. If you don't have lots of budget then the AT4040 remains my top pick. If you've got a little flexibilty, then I prefer the AT4047. On the more price accessible yet more expensive mics I tend to like the Microtech Gefell mics.

2 workhorse dynamic mics. Audix i5 should go here as it is crisp and bright on snare and amps. Shure SM57 should go here as well. It doesn't have the high end which is refreshing many times.

1 ribbon. I really like the AEA R92 and the sE R1 Ribbon. The R92 is super awesome on guitar amps and vocals. The sE R1 Ribbon is just a versatile ribbon mic.

1 vocal dynamic. Take your pick between the Shure SM7, the EV RE20 or even going hunting for an old Beyer Soundstar MKII. The RE20 can double on kick drum.

2 instrument condensers. I like the Avenson mics. I also like the Shure KSM 141 mics, which are very agressive mics that are more Rock oriented. I've not found huge differences in instrument condensers that are the lower price offerings. While you can make a decent recording with the MXL 991 or the MXL604, you'll not find a signficant improvement in quality until you get to the $400 per mic price point (with the exception of the Avensons).

I saw someone recently suggest on another forum a set of two mics that most songwriters could get by with for home recording: the SM7 and the SM81. Hard to fault that set, as they are solid and reliable mics, and between the two you can record most sources at least adequately, if not quite well. You might change the dynamic mic to the particular voice or add a caveat about wanting a good mic pre to properly match the SM7, but it's really hard to argue with this. Paul Stamler in an old magazine article had suggested a similar setup of one Beyer M-88 and a pair of SM81's. I guess there's an advantage if you actually need to do stereo recording.

In those setups, part of the wisdom is the mic choices, but part is the approach. Nothing too specialized or particular, but gear that is good and flexible. Once you have your bases covered, you can expand out either to have variations on the basics (like omni condensors) or to get more particular stuff going, like ribbons or other "color" mics.

Bear

I'd say go for four mics that can mic a drum kit and yet do just about anything else. For example, you could mic a kit with an AT4040, a 991, an i5 and an RE20. If you can't make a good recording with just those four mics, then you suck. I pick the 991 as you can get extra caps for it. The SM81 is an alternate choice and a better mic. The KSM141 has switchable patterns and is an alternate choice but much more expensive. If you need to do stereo recording then get a second 991, SM81 or KSM141.

Of course, what is essential sort of depends on what you record. If you record small string groupings, then I could see going with a pair of AEA 84 or sE R1 ribbon mics, If you record pipe organ, then you'd probably want a pair of omni instrument condensers. But, if you're recording pop, rock or country, then the above will get 80 percent of the people out there.

One thing that people don't talk about a lot is reach. Some mics have a decent reach so they can capture a better picture of the sound coming off of the source versus just getting a small portion of it. For overheads on a drum kit, the Blue Dragonfly (I'm talking about the all made in Latvia version that preexisted the Blue versus Violet dispute as I have not used the newer ones) and the AEA R84 have incredible reaches that give you an image of a drum kit that will make people envy your drum recordings.

nice necessity selection ozraves, one could do a lot with these choices.
here is a few i really like.
a good condenser, i as well am not a Orient condenser mic fan ( and yes, i have a few ), i like a lot of the BLUE mics.
as a dynamic mic freak, or a old EV mic freak i should say, i think you can never have enough great dynamic mics.
the RE-20 is most defiantly at the top of the heap.
i love Audix mics and for me a all time favorite is the OM-2, get used on any and every thing.
not really in love with ribbon mics but i have a few, so far the BLUE WOODPECKER tops the list, somewhat condenser like but no edge, lots of gain, EQs very well.
i

I basically agree with Steve's categories for most home project studios.

I'm personally down to:

Brauner PhantomC (revoiced by Dirk Brauner)
AEA R84
2x Octava MC012 (Dorsey mod)
Sennheiser 421
2x EV 635a

I do still have an SM58 but I never touch it. After what seems like an endless period of mic shifting, the above list has emerged as a collection that I would be happy with for a long time. Yeah, there is stuff I would like if I had an endless budget but overall these work great. The only mics I've had and regret getting rid of are those Gefell M300's.


Jason A.

Topic is too vague, I think...even as a home studio doing just a few odds and ends, I would not be able to survive without ribbons mics,

In order for me NOT to go further off the edge into the abyss, I maintain the following, and even if I closed today to become purely "my own stuff" would have to keeop these:

- SM7
- pair RE16 or RE11
- Pair Josephson C42
- Pair Cascade Fatheads
- Modded Oktava 319
- REDDI DI (why don't people think of these as transucers like mics?)

Of course, the preamp situation would have to be pretty varied, but I could work with just these...