#mic comparison

Definitely check this out if you’re a creator and/or pass it along to the creators you know...I’ll be doing a real review of both of these microphones after I’ve had them for a while and put them through some real life recording situations.

Mic effects...Which do you prefer?

However, I can tell you that in my ridiculous number of mic tests, I was thoroughly impressed with the $29 Pearl mic from ISK—to my ear, it sounded extremely similar to the Shure Beta 87A (which makes sense, as I think they’re essentially the same idea) but possibly a little richer and with a little less self-noise. I would feel totally comfortable using it to record pro audio and voiceover! There also may be easy steps you can take in your recording environment to reduce reverb even more, e.g. grab a spare comforter or change your distance from the mic, but you’ll have to play around with it because it’s different for every room and voice, in my experience.It’s easy to get stressed and confused with so many mic options, but honestly, probably 99% of people’s ears won’t hear these minute differences, especially once you add in compression (and once you reduce the quality and upload it, in the case of podcasts and whatnot). There’s no point IMO in spending a ton on a mic unless you’re starting a professional studio for multiple people.Honestly, here’s my best advice: just try to find a mic you can afford that sounds good enough to you. Ideally there will be no harsh sibilance or whistling S noises, no excessively buzzy self noise, no weird electronic sounds, etc. Like I said, most people won’t be able to hear any difference whatsoever between something like the $29 Pearl and a Neumann. The two main things you MUST have in a mic are A) it doesn’t sound so bad it repels listeners and B) it’s fairly easy to hit whatever levels you need (e.g., ACX noise floor). OH, and if you have multiple actors who are supposed to sound like they’re all in the same room together, TRY TO GET THEM ALL THE SAME MIC AND HAVE THEM RECORD IN SIMILAR ENVIRONMENTS!!! I’ve found the small and medium diaphragm condenser mics (ISK Pearl, Scarlett CM25) to be the sweet spot, but when James and I record like we’re “in the same room” I will definitely be using my Zoom recorder with the XY Stereo mic, because that’s what he uses.tl;dr both mics will probably be fine but they weren’t the best for me, I really like the Pearl, and at the end of the day it doesn’t matter too much so get whatever you prefer/works best for you.

The old microphone was given to me by Zaki/officialkeikoandgilly after I had won one of his contests. Thank you, Zaki. I'd have never gotten into voice acting at all if it weren't for you! Unfortunately, I have to retire the mic you gave me, but it'll stay safe in storage!