Mic or Preamp: Which Should You Upgrade First?
Which came first: The chicken or the egg? Nobody seems to know the answer to this age-old question. Likewise, many recordists wonder which gear... Read more »
AT4050 News
Jul 25, 2026, 2:49 PM
May 27, 2026, 2:32 PM
10 Best Vocal Mics Under $1,000
There has never been a better time to start recording than now. The amount of affordable, incredible-sounding gear available is staggering, and... Read more »
Apr 2, 2026, 1:07 PM
Best Condenser Mics Under $1,000
The number of high-quality condenser microphones under $1,000 has exploded over the last several years, with new manufacturers and legacy... Read more »
May 1, 2025, 8:18 AM
Choosing the Best Microphone for Acoustic Guitar – 32 Mic Shootout
When Don Carr and I went into the studio back in 2017 to record sound clips for the article “Best Small-diaphragm Condenser Mics for Acoustic... Read more »
Feb 6, 2024, 8:00 AM
The Greatest Microphones You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of
Both professional and project studios are replete with Neumann U 87s, AKG C414s, Shure SM7Bs, and all the other standard, well-known mics. Those... Read more »
Aug 14, 2023, 8:00 AM
Best Live Sound Mic Placement Techniques
Getting great live sound is as much an art as it is a science, and much of that has to do with basic engineering techniques. Mic placement is... Read more »
Aug 28, 2022, 6:00 AM
Best Microphones for Vocals
Whether you’re recording vocals in the studio or taking the stage with your band, you obviously want your voice to sound great. To that end, we... Read more »
Aug 2, 2022, 2:49 PM
Best Mics for Flugelhorn – Take a Listen
The flugelhorn. For those who were listening to radio in the ’70s, it may bring back memories of the biggest flugelhorn hit in recent memory:... Read more »
Apr 18, 2022, 3:30 PM
Recording the Banjo
Quite a number of people (some of whom aren’t even banjo players) consider the banjo to be the only truly American instrument. Though the roots... Read more »
Apr 5, 2022, 12:00 PM
Best Mics for Piccolo Trumpet — Take a Listen
The piccolo trumpet — what an iconic sound! Mention it, and most musicians alive today think of one song: “Penny Lane.” That trumpet solo... Read more »