Behringer B-1

I bought Behringer B1 because there was no time to borrow a microphone and I was in a hurry since I had to finish album recording. So according to the positive reviews and recommendations from friends, I decided to give it a go (with no expectations, just with hopes that everything would go well, and it did).

It's unbelievable how good this microphone is. I didn't expect that something that cheap can work that well. Of course you need to tweak it up a little bit so you get the colour you want but overall, it's awesome for the price. And not only for the price. It's awesome overall, maybe (in some cases) even brighter than Neumann's U87. It also picks up quiet breathing and other quiet actions in the room.

I recorded vocals, acoustic guitars and electric guitars with it. Everything went super. For example - this microphone picks up the most beautiful clean sound on Fender amps I've ever recorded! When it comes to distortion is fine, but I didn't tweak around with it, so I didn't get exactly what I wanted and this is the reason why I am staying with SM57 for OD guitars.

You will need 48V phantom power to run it and pop up filter is also useful (well pop-up filter is always a must have in the vocal microphone kit). And it also comes in a nice case, so you don't worry about carrying microphones in those bags and expecting that something will break.

Overall, I would say that this product deserves 5/5 because it's great for low-budget studios and if you're looking for some specific sound it may be also used in the professional ones. It's just about personal preference.

This mike works a treat, and it’s cheap. It comes in a nice carry case, well protected with a spider mount and a wind sock included, which is a nice bonus for such a ‘cheap’ mike. I’ve used it in my small home studio connected via a Focusrite solo, for vocals and acoustic guitar (picked and strummed) and its very good, both guitar and vocals were clear with no distinguishable balance issues getting a fairly flat response. I like this as i can add colour through FX when editing. You will need a 48 volt phantom power supply to run this mike.
Unless i was in a professional studio competing against other professionals, which I’m not, i would have to consider paying for premium gear to attract customers. However those of us in small studios will need good reliable mikes at a reasonable price that doesn’t cost the same as one that’s been manufactured at midnight by elves on the third quarter of a full moon whilst there’s a soft breeze from the west and covered in pixie dust, then you would be pushed to find better than the B-1

I replaced a mic that came as a bundle with a Focusrite Solo package with this B1 so I have direct comparison.

To me Behringer kit has a quite clinical sound - like it doesn't flavour the sound and this mic is exactly like that. The previous mic had a warmer sound, but actually, i prefer to have it as it is, you can do more with a pure sound. What i have found tho (this is for podcasting) is you need to add a touch of warmth in the mid lows and the upper mid highs to get that intimate close voice sound. But now i've sorted that, its perfect!

The bass roll of is really useful, and, it comes with a mic mount and 'over mic' pop shield which i love! When podcasting you spend a lot of time with your mic and the separate screen type popshileds really annoy me as they obscure some vision and i find it hard to gauge where i am from the actual mic hidden behind. It also filters pops really well, i think better than the the separate shield i was using before.

Overall, for its price range it's a very good, clear and practical mic for podcasting, having a case for it included is icing on the cake!