It’s really hard to pick a microphone when your budget is tight — I know firsthand. If you have $1,000 to blow on a new mic, almost anything you choose will sound great. But if you’re looking to spend $100-200, you have to be much more careful.

The first factor to think about is obvious: the quality of the mic.

This is the trickiest thing when you’re choosing a budget mic. It has to sound as good as it can while staying under what you can spend. That’s what this post will help you figure out.

The other consideration is if the mic is meant for home recording use.

Any company who makes budget-friendly microphones is most likely trying to target home Producers. But you have to think about each mic’s sensitivity, especially if you’re in a room that’s not soundproofed or treated properly.

If the mic is too sensitive, it will pick up unwanted reverberations and even the next-door neighbors.

Before you buy a mic, it’s important to know about the three different types: condenser, dynamic, and ribbon.

A condenser microphone is typically pretty sensitive and captures clear recordings. These are definitely meant for recording studios as opposed to the stage¹.

Dynamic mics, however, do well in both the studio and on stage, mainly because of their durability. They’re not as sensitive to sound, so they work well on louder instruments and need to be closer to quieter instruments.²

This makes them a great choice for recording at home because they won’t pick up as much noise from outside or from your neighbors.

Ribbon microphones are probably the most fragile out of the three. They’re known for being super detailed in what they capture without being too sensitive. This means they can do well recording closely to an instrument while not picking up too much room sound.³

These mics are known for their warm bass response. They’re also not too sharp in the high frequencies. Many Audio Engineers use these to track guitars (along with a Shure SM57 to catch those high-mid frequencies). For these reasons, I don’t recommend you get a ribbon mic unless your home recording studio is soundproofed and acoustically treated.

For a more detailed look at condenser and dynamic microphones, check out this guide we put together.

If you have just one microphone in your home studio, that’s totally fine. You can record an entire album with one mic. But at some point, if you want to improve the quality of your recordings, you may want to get a second or third microphone. This gives you more options to use the best mic possible for whatever instrument you’re tracking in different spaces.

Plus, you can get a nice stereo recording by using two microphones. For example, stereo miking is common when recording acoustic guitar.

With these condenser mics, I chose the best in the $100-200 range. You can use these on any source that’s not ridiculously loud (like an electric guitar amp or drums), so they’re best for vocals, acoustic guitar, and percussion.

This is one of the mics I own, and I highly recommend it if you’re a home Producer. The Audio-Technica AT2035⁴ is both budget-friendly and high quality.

It has low self-noise, a low-cut roll-off switch to reduce the low-end rumblings, and a -10 dB switch for use on louder instruments and singers. The high-end is surprisingly smooth and the mid-range is warm and compressed.

All these things make it a great first mic for recording at home.

Features:

• Cardioid pickup pattern
• -10 dB pad
• 80Hz high‑pass/low-cut filter
• Phantom powered

The sE7⁵ is what they call a “pencil microphone,” meaning it’s shaped like a pencil. This is a common design for small-diaphragm mics.

It has a low-cut filter and a switchable -20 dB pad to help prevent overpowering. Also, it runs on phantom power, which can give you an extra 28 dB of gain.

sE Electronics calls it “the quietest pencil mic in its class” because of its short signal path. It seems to deliver decent sound quality that’s clear and full, making this an ideal mic for acoustic guitar, piano, and even drums.

Features:

• Cardioid pickup pattern
• -20 dB pad
• 80Hz high‑pass/low-cut filter
• Phantom powered

The AKG P170⁶ is also a pencil microphone with a small diaphragm. This makes it good for acoustic instruments, but, thanks to its -20 dB switchable pad, it can also handle loud instruments like drums and percussion.

In general, this is a good mic, especially when used close to the sound source. Typically, it captures an airiness and balanced high-end sounds.

However, it’s not as quiet as some others in this price range. But for a home studio, this mic is a solid choice.

Features:

• Cardioid pickup pattern
• -20 dB pad
• No phantom power

Dynamic microphones are just that — dynamic. It’s very common to use them on stage, but they also work very well in the studio. Plus, they’re very durable, so you can drop them and they’ll be fine. None of these mics require phantom power.

The Shure SM58⁷ is the standard in stage mics and is also commonly used in the studio. It can handle really loud noises and it’s nearly indestructible — two reasons people love it.

In fact, its durability has been tested — people have dropped it out of a helicopter, submerged it in beer, shot it with a shotgun, ran it over with a bus, and many other ridiculous antics. All to show you it would still work good as new⁸.

It captures clear sounds and cuts out background noise, and its metal grill helps keep out unwanted air. As far as dynamic mics go, it’s the industry standard.

Features:

• Cardioid pickup pattern
• Very durable
• Clear sound with little background noise

The Shure SM48-LC is a reliable mic that’s known for its durability, thanks to a sturdy metal construction that can withstand the demands of live performances. So you know it’ll do just fine in the studio.

In terms of sound quality, while it may not match the level of higher-end studio mics, the SM48-LC still delivers decent sound. It’s designed with vocals in mind, helping to bring out the tasty frequencies of most vocals while minimizing background noise.

The versatility of the SM48-LC is worth mentioning as well. While it shines with vocals, it can also capture good sound on other instruments like acoustic guitars and percussion.

Features:

• Cardioid pickup pattern
• Very durable
• Minimizing background noise

The E835⁹ is designed specifically for vocals, and Sennheiser’s website says it’s “intended for home recording” studios.

It seems to capture clear audio and provide a lot of presence. And like any good dynamic mic, it’s consistent, it can deal with high volumes, and it’s super tough.

It’s definitely a good choice if you’re looking for a dynamic mic.

Features:

• Cardioid pickup pattern
• On/Off switch
• Good feedback rejection

Like I mentioned earlier, ribbon mics are the most fragile of the three types. But they also record the most detailed sounds out of the three. They’re known for picking up highly detailed sounds, clear high frequencies, and decent low frequencies.

Again, I only recommend you get a ribbon mic if you’re recording in a quiet (preferably sound-proofed and acoustically treated) recording space.

The MXL R144¹⁰ does best on guitar amps, bowed string instruments, and vocals because it delivers a less harsh sound than other mics.

The sensitivity on it is low, so you’ll definitely need a mic preamp, but nearly all audio interfaces come with built-in preamps. And it will most likely need some EQ in post-production to help the sound.

Features:

• Figure-of-eight pickup pattern
• Clear high-end
• Can handle loud volumes

The APEX 205¹¹ uses a figure-of-eight pickup pattern and is sensitive enough to record gentle acoustic guitar, although it does have some self-noise that may show up in the recording. It sounds great when recording an electric guitar amp, and it works really well as an overhead mic for drums.

However, because it’s so sensitive, you’ll need to make sure your room is treated properly.

Features:

• Asymmetrical figure-of-eight pickup pattern
• Works well on loud instruments like drums and guitar amps

You’ll need some other accessories to use these microphones. This may be obvious, but just to be safe, let’s cover all our bases.

Assuming you already have a computer and an audio interface, you’ll also need a pop filter. This is a mesh or metal screen that goes between your mouth and the mic.

You’ll also need an XLR cable, which is the standard microphone cable that goes from the mic to the audio interface. All of the mics on this list use an XLR cable.

And lastly, you’ll need a mic stand, preferably a boom stand. They allow you to get the mic positioned exactly how you want.

Different mics are good for different things. Some mics work well on multiple instruments. But to help you narrow your choices, here are the best cheap microphones for each instrument you might record (pulled from the above list)…

• Vocals: Audio-Technica AT2035
• Acoustic guitar: sE Electronics sE7
• Overhead mic on drums: APEX 205 Ribbon Microphone
• Kick drum: Shure SM58
• Snare drum: AKG PERCEPTION 170
• Electric Guitar (amp): MXL R144
• Piano: Sennheiser E835 or sE Electronics sE7

Once you pick a microphone that you think would fit your needs and your home studio, I highly recommend finding these mics on Sweetwater, Musician’s Friend, or a reliable seller on Amazon. If you have a local music store, that’s also a safe bet.