Deeply mired in mic-land here.

Dozens of comparison tests, lots of jargon (that I am starting to understand!), lots of A vs B vs C scenarios.

Take aways;

• No decent mic is the one answer (extreme solutions like the 441 Flex maybe, but nothing less and it can only be in one place). Every source and listening ear is different. My personal dislikes are compressed, flat, wooly and overly nasal sound with excessive sibilance, but we are all different.

• No decent mic is a poor choice, they all have a place. Avoid repetition of overt specialists and you should be ok.

• Know your limits. Output, input, audience, own tolerances. All have limits and like stills and video, they are likely lower than you think. Some test results were lost on me with a very decent set of headphones, so the rabbit hole goes deeper than I need. Mic choices can make a difference, but subtle differences are lost or can be processed out. Think Bass/Mid range/Treble, nothing more complicated.

• WATCH OUT FOR FAKES. I almost bought a super cheap SM57, but researched fakes and found it to be a common thing (apparently only missing serial numbers and lighter weight are the tell, something the provided photos conveniently did not show!). Ironically, I may never have known the difference being new here!

• Some things are constant. Most mics suffer from plosives and handling noise if used badly, some more than others, but all do.

• sE is apparently pronounced “Say”. Who knew?

My purchasas so far are;

• The sE V7 ($135au via Amazon ex Japan) as the best all-rounder when compared to the industry standard SM58. More open and detailed and prettier, it is the SM58 evolved. Personally I find the SM58 flat, nasally and compressed compared to most other options.

• The sE V3 ($130au locally, $111au on Amazon ex U.S.) as the brighter and more punchy alternative to the V7. A bit more like an instrument mic “lite”, the V3 is more about boosted presence (like the SM57), less about safety and neutrality.

• The Prodipe TT1 ($70 ex UK), a smoother, darker mic (I think/hope). Like the V3, this is a more open than the SM58 (hard to find comparisons, but an Eastern European singer had a good, clear sample video). We shall see. It was cheap and apparently punches well above its weight, so a decent filler anyway.

• A matched pair of Lewitt 040’s which are class leading overhead, acoustic condenser mics. Anything delicate, stereo, or light will be covered by these, with only low end underwhelming.

• A Lewitt MTP 440 for the bottom end that the matched pair do not cover. This can also do darker vocals.

My next purchase, as I possibly intend to end up with more mics;

• The Prodipe M85, which looks to be a good vocal specialist (San Lyon have some great clips). A rip-off of the SM58, comparisons are favourable, with the French mic offering lighter and more open sound.

• Another 440, V3 or V7 depending on what I hear. The main thinking here is if one shows superior handling and plosive rejection.

• The LCT 440 or 240 for a condenser option, but that still leaves me with the problem of only being able to run 2 of 3 condensers.

• The Lewitt dynamics (250 or 550) are a more versatile, open vocal option. In hindsight an all Lewitt kit* would have worked and has merit, but their Dynamics just failed to blip on the review radar before I committed to other options. The curse of being the new kid I guess (for both of us).

I will only bother with another mic if I can tell a difference between the ones coming and find one that either reinforces the best of them or adds something different/missing**.

Other cool purchases include a set of 4 Gravity flexible arms (2x 60cm, 2x 46cm), an elegant solution to my mic stand needs. These will screw into the top of regular light stands and bend as needed. They take plenty of weight, so mics will not be a problem. For $100 I have converted 4 light stands to mic stands.

I looked at dedicated mic stands but just ran out of care factor. I have several levels of Neewer stands from cheap and unused to super light, to medium and heavy weight. Can’t use them all for lights, all bought when things were cheaper, so some can be re-purposed.

A bag of coloured pop filter foams. You never know.

*2x 040 Match, MTP 440, MTP 550 and another vocal maybe like a LCT 240/440 Pure.

**Went with the MTP 440.