With the established studio grandees in many cases doing a great job without any problem, alternatives can get overlooked. Before reaching for the usual suspects, here are five alternatives that we would consider using and our reasons for trying them.

Using a tried and trusted choice for anything extends far beyond the studio, and when budgets and time constraints set in, the professional leaning on familiar tools is not something unique to our industry. Of course mic choice involves other factors to consider, namely that small consideration of the sound, and with so many variables to get wrong, sticking to a formula is attractive.

Hopefully, there are those occasions when there is time to try an alternative in a given role. Most reading this will concur that the end result can only be predicted when all factors are already known; getting to try and know some new studio voicings ensures the engineer isn’t missing out on something different and possibly better for any given source.

Here is our rundown of five mics to take on the established favourites for any engineer who has the inclination to keep things fresh…

1 - For Kick*ass Kicks - Shure Beta 91A - $310/£250

For many years, the closest the industry had to a choice of ‘standard’ kick mics boiled down to a very small pool including suspects such as the ElectroVoice RE20, Neumann FET47, AKG D12, and D112 after it. With almost anything that wouldn’t break under high SPL’s getting the gig, the modern engineer has further options.

Shure’s Beta 91, and current 91A model shook up the idea that kick mics need to be big, or even mounted on a stand. This pillow-hugging condenser mic has a switchable low mid contour, keyhole mounts (for that piano lid or kick that’s crying out to be drilled into!), and a grille so strong you can stand on it without bending it (I’ve tried) in high heels (I’ve not tried). Although an entirely different beast, it is also more affordable than the (improved MkII) D112. Capable of very fast, solid results.

2 - For Run And Gun - Rode NTG5 - $499.00/£400

The popular choice for voiceover, location sound, and foley, Sennheiser’s MKH416 also offers RF condenser topology, making it especially suitable for indoor or outdoor work where moisture or humidity can bring conventional AF designs to their knees.

RODE mics are known by many for their well engineered, silver condenser mics inspired by conventional studio tools, however the company has more recently made huge inroads into the film and broadcast industries with a range of studio and field mics for all budgets. Sporting all of the features that could make your MKH break a sweat, including RF operation, low noise, and natural speech reproduction, this little tube also manages side rejection that could give its longer siblings a run for their money… Above is Curtis Judd’s excellent comparison with the MKH416.

3 - The Case For A Pencil - sE Electronics sE8 - $260/£210

The unassuming pencil condenser makes a great choice where simplicity and/or stealth are an asset. Their size also makes putting a couple on a bar for stereo a natural choice, having the added bonus of not threatening to end up in the drummer’s lap on those long-reach jobs. In the studio AKG’s ubiquitous C451 was a stalwart (in Europe at least) for many years.

sE Electronics have been offering small diaphragm solutions for a while now, with their first offering (the sE1A) arriving the best part of twenty years ago, and sharing the same signature brightness as the C451. With a different sonic character (ie, improved neutrality), this latest pencil from Team sE brings the same pad and rolloff conditioning, but offers a lower price and noise floor than its legendary muse…

4 - The Utility Dynamic - Beyerdynamic M 201 TG $270/£220

The SM57 holds a special place in audio engineering, as it’s one of the few tools that successfully straddles the environments of studio warmth and stage mayhem. For some, its well defined edge and presence is the quintessence of the close mic cab or snare sound, with extra bonus points for its nuclear-bomb proof construction. Like any ‘character’ mic though, it runs the risk of being typecast.

For those unfamiliar, Beyerdynamic’s M 201 TG does not pretend to be the ‘SM57-Killer’, but it does offer a different dynamic flavour for those times when 4kHz is already in abundance! Thanks to its flatter response, and tighter pick up pattern, its usefulness extends into voice and acoustic instruments for anyone with enough spare gain at the other end of the lead. Indeed it is as valued for dynamic audio fidelity as the SM57 is for its refusal to die…

5 - The Studio Big Gun - Lewitt LCT 441 FLEX - $399/£320

For many, the prize for Ultimate Big Studio Mic Archetype has to go to Neumann's U87, however, their smaller derivative TLM103 is perhaps now just as common a sight in broadcast and music. Ever since studio owners had regained consciousness after learning they could get a transformerless ‘U87’ stuck in cardioid for less than half the price of a big one, this mic has been the one to beat for obtainable quality.

Lewitt are the mic marque that have been making slow inroads into a place once inhabited by products that were cheap enough to buy, but only OK enough to use. Using modern production and design, including logic-controlled pattern-selection (that’s right TLM103, other patterns are available. Seven, other ones in fact) the LCT 441 FLEX means that smaller facilities can buy another mic for the guest, or one for those who will insist on recording in stereo…

How About You?

Are there any different mics that you use or would like to try in a familiar role that could give the Big Beasts an existential crisis? Let us know in the comments.