In my home studio, I’ve refined my vocal and instrument recording setup down to a few key pieces of equipment. I'm a producer who leans more toward an in-the-box workflow, prioritising setup speed and portability. I use a laptop rather than a fixed desktop computer setup, as I often work in different places. I love spending time in recording studios that have lots of gear and customised room setups, but the reality for me is that about half of my work is done away from home, so the backpack studio approach fits well with my particular lifestyle.
That being said, most of the recording I do does happen at my home studio, and it's usually vocal recording. Here's why I own two mics… but generally only use one of them.
The Mic That Lives in Its Case
For years, I've owned a nice tube condenser microphone. I think it's useful to have a decent condenser mic available in your toolkit for when you need access to a sensitive mic that picks up a high level of detail, right up into the top end of the audible frequency spectrum. This mic sounds great; when I've used it in a well-treated room, it captures every detail and nuance of a vocal performance. But there's a problem: my home studio isn't a single-use, acoustically treated space. It has some features that help to control and disperse sound (carpet, furniture, bookshelf), but it's still a small, rectangular room with predictably average reverberation characteristics.
The sensitivity that makes the tube condenser sound great in a proper studio is its biggest downfall here; it picks up too much room sound. On top of that, it's a bit cumbersome to set up, with a chunky external power supply box and specific cables that I don't want to leave in place. It just doesn't work for my space, so it sits in its nice metallic case, taking up space in my cupboard.
The Go-To: Shure SM7B
So, what do I use instead? The Shure SM7B. Once you recognise this mic, you'll see it everywhere, from podcasts to live sessions at professional recording studios, and there's a good reason for its popularity. It's a dynamic microphone that is much less sensitive than a condenser, and it excels at rejecting background noise, making it a great option for less-than-ideal acoustic environments. At the same time, I find I can still get clean, professional-sounding vocal recordings with it.
It's also got a built-in pop shield, so it's really easy to use. I leave mine set up on a stand beside my desk, and literally just swing it toward me when I need it, then shove it out of the way when I don't. It's always plugged into my interface, ready to go.
One thing to note about the SM7B is its low output. It requires a significant amount of gain from a preamp to get a usable signal, and some cheaper preamps don't have enough headroom, so you can end up with an unusably high noise floor without an in-line FetHead or Cloudlifter (devices that use phantom power to add clean gain). My UAD interface has enough gain, but it's still noisy, and I work around the issue using UAD's noise-reduction software. If I were buying a mic today, I'd definitely go for the newer SM7dB model, which solves this issue by including a built-in clean gain boost. No fuss, no extra gear needed.
On My Wish List: The Universal Audio SC-1
While the SM7B is my workhorse, there are times when a dynamic mic just isn't the right choice. My next purchase will likely be the Universal Audio SC-1 Condenser Microphone. The SC-1 is an extremely versatile, modern approach to microphone design. It's got a fairly flat response by dedault, but is designed to be used with Universal Audio's Hemisphere Modelling software, allowing it to emulate a range of iconic condenser microphones to a high degree of accuracy. It's compact, and doesn't need a power supply box, so will fit into my backpack, making it a better choice for me compared to that tube mic living the quiet life on my shelf.
Between my dynamic mic (the SM7B) and a versatile condenser (the SC-1), I’d have my options covered for almost all single-mic recording scenarios. For anything more substantial such as drum recording, I hire a professional recording studio anyway, which comes with its own collection of microphones and the expertise of a great in-house engineer.
For me, the key to a good setup isn't about having a huge collection of gear, but about having access to the right tools for the job. When it comes to my home studio, two mics are all I need. Well, two mics with one of them getting dusty in the cupboard.
💬What microphones do you like to use, and why? Are there any mics on your wishlist?
