BEHRINGER C-3

I've researched and researched on budget mics. My budget was about $100 for a decent studio mic for my music hobby. I originally opted for an AKG Perception 120 but then I came across the Behringers. I picked the C-3 because of the multi-pickup patterns, roll-off and filter switches which allows for wider sonic possibilities. I was reluctant to purchase because there hasn't been any reviews for it. But I eventually decided to give it a shot because one, the price difference between this and the AKG was about $40 which allowed me to buy a mic stand and an XLR cable. Not bad. Secondly, it was a hobby. All I needed is a much better mic than the one I had which was a cheap $9 mic. Physically, it's heavy, giving it that robust, hefty feel but I won't be too adventurous knocking it around. Didn't come with a manual but you can download one from their website. Comes with a foam padded case, which is nice. The mount is a bit flimsy, I think. You can only screw the mic in and position it on its swivel in such a way that the mic doesn't droop because of its weight but it's not a big deal and there are other ways to work around it. Testing the mic... so far so good. I've only recorded one song with it. It is indeed far better than the cheap old dynamic mic I had. And since I haven't used any other mic in its class I have no way of comparing it. But in my opinion, it provided a clear reproduction on vocals. The mic's directional patterns worked as it should. It was able to filter out my noisy PC which I thought was amazing. I still need to learn proper mic'ing techniques though. I believe I can get even better results from it as I learn how to work a small home studio. I will update this review as I get more familiar with the C-3. The reason why I give it four stars is because I really like it but I can't give it 5-stars until I'm able to compare it with other mics in its class and price range. I won't give it anything less because in my opinion, it sounded great and I'm happy with it so far. If you'd like to have a listen on the results, here's the link to my Reverbnation page: [...] The song using the C-3 is a cover on Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here. Excuse my singing though. I'm a bit rusty. The rest of the songs on the playlist were recorded on different mics which I plan to re-record using the C-3 as well. UPDATE 03/16/10: Oops. I guess Amazon doesn't allow active links. Well, go to[..] and search artist Mario Gozum. UPDATE 02/14/15 I upgraded my rating to 5-stars. Really happy with this mic. It's not a "magic mic" that will turn your music into grammy winners. You need to learn proper recording techniques and know the limits of your equipment and software to get good results. I'm not one to blame the equipment for bad results. This microphone does what it says it does and I'm happy and satisfied with my recordings so far, using this mic. I have two songs on Reverb Nation dot com. Just find artist Mario Gozum or Pill to hear how the mic sounds the way I recorded and processed it. I use a Line6 UX2, Reaper and free VST plugins.

First I will say that I am not a professional musician or sound engineer. I have never owned a really nice microphone before but I wanted to be able to record some interviews on a digital recorder. I was amazed at the frequency response and the low level of noise generated by this microphone. It has a switch that you can set to three different pickup patterns. For interviewing I used it in the bidirectional (figure 8) pattern. The two sides aren't exactly the same but for what I was doing, it worked great. Both my voice and that of the interviewee were crystal clear and the noise floor was far below anything I've used before. This mic does require phantom power to operate. I was using it with the Behringer MIC800 Modeling Preamp, which provided the phantom power and preamp interface to the digital recorder. I have some older microphones that I thought were OK until I used this one. One of the dynamic microphones I have doesn't have much noise but the frequency response leaves a lot to be desired. I have a short shotgun condenser mic that has good frequency response but the noise level on it is horrible.

This is my first condenser microphone, and there were a lot of things I had to learn in the process... My goal with this review is to outline several things mostly that amateur buyers need to be aware of, but even a few things that experienced audio individuals may want to be aware of. ***** The #1 thing that caused me to give it only 4 stars instead of 5 is this calls itself a 48V phantom power microphone. This is NOT exactly true. This is not the result of a faulty product either, if you're wondering, because I DID think it was faulty and got a replacement. If you use a full 48V, you are going to get a bit of added noise in the signal, and 12V vs 48V does NOT reduce the sound quality any. I am aware that many many condensers calling themselves 48V don't use a full 48V, but if it allows added noise to come in because of the excess voltage, there is some negligence. Most preamps and mixers I am aware of that provide phantom power provide only a 48V phantom power. I am using a "Behringer PS400 Ultra-Compact Phantom Power Supply" and not the 48V my preamp provides BECAUSE this device has an option between 12V and 48V. The 12V option is PLENTY sufficient, and it cut down the noise from when using 48V from my preamp. For me I wish the microphone would have better technology to limit its intake of power to only what it needs or something. Kind of odd I haven't seen this come up in other reviews; but like I said, I did get a replacement mic, and this was the same for both. There is not EXCRUCIATING noise at 48V by any means when a preamp is used, but my level meter shows that the noise level at 12V is an obvious HALF of what it is at 48V. When a preamp is NOT used and only phantom power from this Behringer device is used (eliminating signal modification from the equation), 48V renders the raw output COMPLETELY unusable vs not so at 12V; this is eliminated with the use of a preamp, but that is still very telling. Any kind of noise reduction in the system is an improvement, and I would think the power technology here would be more streamlined. Note that this is not an issue of my mixing/amping, as the ONLY change between going to great lack-of-noise quality is using 12V from the phantom power box instead of 48V from the box or my preamp. I simply turn off the 48V on the preamp and run the line through the 12V phantom power with the result of cutting the noise in half and not losing any sound quality. I would be very interested if anyone else has any comments on this to share. THINGS FOR AMATEURS TO BE AWARE OF: - You DO need a preamp or a mixer with preamp capabilities (and not just because of phantom power needs). Apparently SOME condenser microphones are hot enough to already be at line level without pre-amplification. That is not the case with this product. AGC (Auto Gain Control) on your devices may up your gain without you realizing it so you'll have a normal level, but this brings up noise at a 1:1 SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) and possible distortion because you don't have legitimate preamp technology. If you do not need or desire a typical XLR version of the microphone, CONSIDER A C-1U. The C-1U obviously does not need anything added because it is a USB mic, even though the C-2 and C-3 are higher and better models with more functions. It is up to the buyer to weigh their needs and whether their needs are worth paying for the versatility of XLR, a preamp, cords, adapters, phantom power, USB interfaces or USB input, etc. - Every single device you use will have its own set of hidden audio settings. I am using the "AGPtek 3M USB" for cheap USB input until I can invest in a USB interface, and with Windows, by default, the microphone level is all the way down, and AGC is I think turned on. With my Canon Vixia camera, by default when I plug in a line microphone, the ATT setting is set to Auto. What this does is when nothing is coming into the microphone, the camera ups the gain to make the before-hand SLIGHT noise in the signal very prominent. Then when you speak or something, the ATT On kicks in and cuts it way down to make the sound level normal. Because of this, I have to video in Manual so I can set the ATT to "ATT On" (not Auto) where this doesn't happen. ** These things aren't the microphone's fault; you just need to be aware and always dig and find your audio settings on your devices. OVERALL, so far, I don't have much to say about quality or longevity etc yet, because I haven't had it long enough yet! I just felt the need to post this immediately to save others the headache of figuring these things out on their own! :) I will Edit this when I have more information. And anyone critical to my or others' lack of understanding and experience with audio can go better spend their time minding their own business. I personally am training to be an opera singer and voice teacher, and I wanted a condenser to capture the classical singing voice better than a dynamic would. I opted for the typical XLR instead of the specialty USB C-1U to be able to adapt to line output for my video camera, voice recording device, etc and so that in the future I will be able to add a mixer etc to my repertoire to mix with a keyboard and possibly other microphones for other instruments or voices. So far, I am satisfied with the quality AND MOST CERTAINLY THE PRICE of this product! I completely acknowledge that this is extremely low cost for the quality provided! I only wish the product information would quit only hyping the product up and be a little bit more informative about some of the more obscured points I've listed, because this product is more designed for amateur and home use in the first place!

I have had a Behringer B-1 since 2003 and it has served me very well. It has seen better days. I needed a reasonable priced mic that I could use in my tiny studio. This C-3 solved a lot of issues. It is not an extremely hot mic but is perfect for a room where fan and computer noise is always a fight. The C-3 picked up my guitar very clearly with good balance of tone and cut so far down on the room noise that my tracks sound great. The C-3 will pick up the room if the pre-amp is cranked but it works great at around 10 inches to three feet or so for good low noise recordings. Good mic, low cost, clean reproduction of sound. I can't complain.

sounds amazing. silly me didn't know this mic is powerful enough to require phantom power and an XLR cable (all the other mics I've owned in the past were USB) but now I have the right cable and a neat little sound mixer and now I feel ready for anything. very excited to do some songs and instrument recordings with this bad boy but lord knows I'll mostly end up just sounding absolutely pristine in the discord voice chat

Earlier on when I bought the mic, I was skeptical that it will perform the same job like a rode mic. Now I am excited about this mic. Is cheaper and record well without having outside sounds distracting recording..I will recommend it... After a month of purchase, this mic makes humming noise when recording through my presonous. I tried changing the slot and replacing it with an ordinary mic. The ordinary mic recorded just well and will not make any noise. My opinion about this cheap condenser has changed. The return day has also expired. I am back on the market for good condenser mics.

Finally got to hookup my new toy. My buddy and I are just started recording in his apt, and I believe we found The Missing Link. Whatta difference this Mic made towards putting our minature studio together. It made every instrument come alive. And with the three different settings for direct, omni, and figure eight, it gives great range for any type of recording if this is your only mic which it is for us. The $6 extra from the C1 to the C3 was well worth it. Lotsa a bang for the buck! billman1205

After the annoying problem of noise and poor volume, I learned that the he cables I used for years were not doing the job. I invested $23.00 into gold plated balanced cables and I am impressed. Excellent sound ,responsive etc.would buy again without hesitation.

趣味の範囲で使うには文句の付け所無し！もう1本欲しくなるかも。。。

Ho registrato con microfoni più blasonati con una qualità inferiore. Uso Cubase e una line 6. Se si sa usare bene i programmi si possono fare cose molto interessanti.

AWESOME CONDENSER ,PANTHOM POWERED MICROPHONE.EXCELLENT SOUND QUALITY.

This is a very good microphone. t is a condenser Microphone so also requires a Phantom power supply.or a few extra pounds it provides 3 different capture settings rather than the 1 of the C-1. In each mode the capture is excellent compared to a dynamic microphone. Many people compare this microphone to much more expensive microphones and rubbish it. I would agree, but price per performance is excellent. Comparing this microphone with others in its class it wins hands down.. It was good enough that I bought another for my home sound studio. I largely do voice recording with this mic, and for this task it performs amazingly well. In use it is well worth using a pop filter, and this really does improve its response. This microphone is designed to work on a stand only and a shock absorbing microphone stand does make the difference. If you want a fantastic microphone with a name then you have to pay the price. If you want a very good microphone at a budget price then this is the one to get started with.

Estou muito triste pois o produto veio com DEFEITO, neste momento ele encontra-se na assistência técnica autorizada. Darei ZERO estrela, para esse produto.