Studio Projects B1

My car stereo

I have been really impressed and satisfied with the results of this really inexpensive well made mic.. I have been using it for over 2 years now on recording lead & background vocals and it has really delivered every single time. I definitely recommend this microphone

I have been recording local bands since late 1999. I have been recording a lot of different stuff but mostly hard rock and heavy metal. I record using a Presonus Firepod into my PC

The B1 is a pretty decent all-around condensor mic that will usually work on most stuff in a pinch (if you need to record 3 or 4 guys sitting in a room with acoustic guitars and have ran out of other mics, these work well).

I've had two of these mics for a few years now, and I now use them primarily to mic toms on a drum kit. Since it's a condensor, it does obviously pick up tons of bleed from the other drums and cymbals, but it captures a really good natural tom sound, and with some editing you can remove any bleed you may not want when a tom isn't being hit. It's great to use one mic between two rack toms (it doesn't have to be directly overtop of one drum to sound great), and one over a floor tom (or between two still sounds good).

I recommend this for sure if you are recording a drummer with a pretty balanced sound, though I've found a few drummers that I can't use this mic on their toms because their snare drums are so loud, it ends up louder than the toms in the tom track.

I have been playing guitar for 12 years, bass for 5 or 6. I am technically a certified engineer (for what is worth) although I have not spent nearly enough time in a studio. During my schooling, I worked with both digital and analog formats, using ADAT and Hi-8. Nice Tascam digital and Mackie analog boards, plenty of quality outboard gear. Currently, I am using a very archaic collection of gear that I have acrued over the years. Its a recording set up that most would laugh at, myself included if it weren't mine. I have a Roland Cube 30, a Johnson J-Station, a Boss DR-670 all into a Mackie 408M powered mixer for EQ, EFX, and preamps. I record on (hold on to you hats) a early to mid 90's model Tascam Porta 03 MKII, I dump down to a Technics tape deck and monitor on a set of Edifier (I've never heard of them either) computer speakers that I picked up at Radio Shack for $30. The fact that I can get any kind of quality from this rig is astounding in itself I know, but it works for me, and its actually quite effective. But, i digress, the Studio Projects B1 is awesome. Awesome. I chose the B1 based on Reviews I read on here, and they were wrong. This mic is immensely nicer than what everyone was saying.

If your reading this you probably already know, the B1 is a large-diaghram condensor mic. And a cheap on at that. I had previously been using EV 167's, which I have decided sound like garbage, and a pair of Shure PG 81's which are suprisingly decent. However, I purchased a Studio Projects B1 last Sunday, it just arrived last night, and I'm already looking forward to getting another. I plugged it in, and said "CHECK" and was immediately blown away. With no EQ it sounds fantastic. Furthermore, you can't EQ it to make is sound bad. I put it in front of my Martin D-35 with no EQ at all, and its a completely natural, usable sound. Use the EQ for a little color and your set. This mic is fantastic

I have been recording for the last few years, have used home studios all the way to 'proper' studios, and all the accompanying range of mics and gear from 'budget' like this, up to neumanns, beyerdynamics etc.

This is an addition to my home studio setup and I record mostly to cubase sx 3 and/or nuendo.

You know all the specs from previous reviews and from the internet, chances are if you're reading this then you're already clued-up on the features of the B1.

Okay - down to the main thing - the sound. I am very very impressed with this brilliant microphone - it is exceptionally clear and mix-friendly on vocals, it is great on acoustic guitars and captures plenty of detail and importantly, richness of tone. I find that it is bright without being harsh - 'contemporary' in voicing, if you will, and this makes it deliver in terms of what a good condenser mic should.

I look forward to trying it on a number of other sources, it has a 'good-all-rounder' quality to it that makes me think it is a mic for multiple uses.

This mic, and indeed a lot of SP gear, has got attention from the pro audio community, Paul White of SOS reviewed it favourably, and really, from my experience so far, I have not found a sub ??100.00 condesner to beat it. I have some mics that I am slightly nonplussed with, but this is most certainly not one of them.

If you're considering getting a B1, take the leap - I think you will be glad that you did.

Been making music for 21 years now

Recorded in big studios and have been in the home studio arena for only 7 years

My DAW is just a VS1880, with some nice instruments, amps, budget pres, and budget mics

My mixes are currently monitored with Roland DS 90A monitors

This is a no frills condenser mic. I use this mic for various applications???from vocals, to acoustic guitars, to drum overhead. As with any mic placement is crucial. However, for what this mic is (a $99 Chinese manufactured condenser) it???s not difficult to get good placement.

Look, if you have $1,000 expectations for a mic that cost less than $100 then you???re just being realistic. That being said this mic delivers way beyond its price point. It has nice proximity effect???not too much???and it???s not as over-hyped as most Chinese condensers that I???ve heard and owned. In fact, it has a relatively flat frequency response, and although it???s slightly colored it???s relatively transparent compared to every other Chinese LDC I???ve come across to date.

Bottom line: I???d recommend this mic to anyone who was looking for a good workhorse condenser. It???s versatile and sounds great. In fact, I???ve personally recommended this mic to musician buddies of mine who were on a tight budget and needed an expensive condenser mic that gets the job done. . . Let me also reiterate the fact that this mic does not sound ???cheap.??? It is inexpensive, but again for its price point it???s unsurpassed in my opinion.

I've been playing drums since I was 9 yrs old (going on 37). My first recordings are of my drumkit using headphones as mics on a old tube taperecorder with reals. My specialism is probably recording drums. If have recorded hours and hours of music (tape-cassette quality) in the 90' with a friend to get through highschool. Then came the 4-track and later the 8-track cassette recorders I used extensively. After that I joined a band and have been in and out of studio's on several occasions and observing their techniques. The first thing I knew I had to upgrade were the mics.
My standard gear is a rig build around a MOTU 828 mkII. To have more then just two mic pre-amps I hooked a behringer ADA8000 up on the Adat-opticals (i/o), a ART DPS-II on the S/PDIF inputs and to be able to work with more musicians at once I got Samson S-Phone headphone amp. I use MOTU DP 4.6 on a 1 gigHz powerbook (with a replaced hard-drive for more tracks) as my DAW. Monitoring : Alesis One (active) and Beyer Dynamics DT770 headphones.

Cardioid 1" large single diaphragm Condenser, no switable patterns.

I used it next to my C1 from the same manufacturer, a sm57 (shure) and a EV ND468 to record a guitar-cabinet. I tell you I tossed the SM & EV tracks immediately. What a GREAT mic for a tube amp & cabinet ! ! I also used it for backing vocals and again with just a little less crispness in the higher regions it sounded great. I recommended it to my guitarist and he recommending it to everybody, now. Next to the C1 it's like having two pick-ups to chose from in your mix when I use this winning duo on cabinets. For a warm, true and rich sound: B1 only, for crispy and cutting trough the mix kinda sound (solo's) go C1. For ultra-fat sound combine them both. I stopped using EQ; I just mute the channels according to the function in the mix or combine them. Sounds brilliant !!

Okay, I have not used it on anything else since I do not own one myself yet. But that's going to change one day. For around 90 euro's (even cheaper than the Behringer B1!) this is the starters-mic to have.

Been recording professionally since 1981; have produced and performed on records, CD's and film projects distributed in 10 countries. Formerly had an analog multitrack studio also running Cakewalk sequencing; have scaled down now to an Athlon 64 powered PC running Cubase and using the Lexicon Omega interface, just like Roger McGuinn. Usually mixing between vintage set of Ohm C2 speakers, Tannoy 6.5 monitors and Koss Pro 4AAA headphones.

Cardioid Condenser, used for Vocals, acoustic gutiar and resonator guitar so far. Superb quality & versatility would make ideal for almost any sound source. I've logged many hours with Neumann U47's, U87's, AKG 414's, EV RE20's, Rodes, Sennheisers, Audio-Technicas, etc....

I'm totally in awe of the SP B1. It lives up to the hype I've read on them, and then some. Very smooth response, to my ears, comparable to the AKG 414 and Audio technica AT4035 in its clarity but w/rich low end that sets it apart from the other China made condensers. Although it could probably handle it, I'd be reluctant to use it on a kick drum because of the SPL, but on any other acoustic source, not a problem.

I'm using these in a home studio, nothing high end.

Got it used on Ebay at that almost unbelievable price. I've stupidly used it on vocals quite a bit before realizing it totally doesn't work for my voice. I think the best use I've gotten from it was putting it about 2 feet in front of the bass drum at band practices, it manages to capture the whole room quite nicely. Overall its a nice mic and definitely isn't the weakest link in my chain!

Just as a FYI, I just recieved my B1 from Humbucker and it now includes in the box a very nice shockmount. I Was VERY surprised to see that the B1 is now has a 0db, 10db & 20db cut switch AND 0, 75 & 100 bass rolloff switch!!! serial is "322XX" so i asume anything a little before or after should also have these new features. oddly enough there is no info on the SP website about this? cant wait to hear this puppy later!

yes it is marked as a B1.

I'm currently in Abania working on recording projects. I just completed the first project and am very happy with the results. I brought the B1 with me because if I "lost" it in transport, it wouldn't be a huge loss. I'm using the B1 into a Presonnus Firepod into my laptop and Sonar 4 Producer. All I can say is WOW! This mic is so great sounding, I can't belive I paid $100 for it. The only thing I've not been totally pleased with is when I was recording hard stumming from my Taylor 815 acoustic guitar. The sound was just...not true. Almost sonded like it was overdriving thr mic. The levels were all good, and I tried multiple placements with the same effect. Picking and finger picking were incredible, even normal strumming was good, just the harder stuff seemed to effect it. The other issue is that the mic is particularly sensetive to moisture and cold. It developed a "wind" sound after about a month. When I put it into a warm very dry room for 24 hours, I could get about 3 hours of recording out of it before the "wind" was back. I contacted customer support adn talked with them about the problem. They were aware of the issue and said the capsule was defective and would need to be replaced. They are reparing it for me now under warranty. We will see if it happens again. Overall, I would still recommend this mic.

See The other reviews and Project Souns website for specs.
I read a review on this Mic in Sound on Sound Magazine.
It mentioned surprising good results on acoustic guitar.
So I thought for 99 Euro I might give it a try.

For a long time I have been searching for a good mic for my Gibson J-45 Acoustic Guitar.
I tried many mics (among them AKG C451/CK1 - Neumann TL - 103 - Rode NT2) but was never happy with the sound.
No mic could represent the body and presence of this great guitar.
Most of the time the results were too tinkly for my taste.
I think I have found the perfect mic for this guitar in the B1.
Finaly I get that forward, pushing Gibson sound that I've been looking for.
And that with a tenth of the price of my Neumann!
The Neumann TL-103 still is much better on vocals, I think.
But for my Gibson this is fantastic value for EURO 99,-
If you have a Gibson acoustic guitar try to record it with this mic!

I have been writing music and been recording professionaly for over 30 years.

purchased online from humbucker music.

just wanted to share some initial thoughts. someone said they didn't like it as an amp mic. I miked my selmer treble n bass mk II at low volume through a celestion G12H30 reissue speaker, using an old supro lexington (jazzmaster style) guitar (and an obscure Domino Californian vox phantom copy) and a reverend drivetrain II overdrive for one take, set at low and high gain, and also a clean take (no OD). I was amazed at how good it sounded. I have been searching for amazing tone for a while now, and I have finally found it. I'm sure a lot of this is my new rig, but the mic performs perfectly in concert with my guitar gear. for some reason, the recorded sound actually sounds better to me than the live sound. probably because you lose that treble detail in a room, standing away from and off axis from your speaker. also the celestion vintage 30 probably colors the room sound in a way i'm not too fond of (the infamous mid spike)(gonna replace this speaker soon with a weber 12A125S). I will just say that this mic made a beautiful recording. some flowery words for the tone: rich, warm, detailed, liquid

I tried it at high volume though, and it was too hot a signal to use (even with gain turned all the way down on my aardvark Q10 card). I wonder if it would work without phantom power turned on? haven't tried that. the 10db pad on the B3 would be useful here. I haven't tried it on drum overheads yet, I wonder if it will work there (same volume issue I expect, and it's also a brighter mic than the AT3035 I use which already is quite bright as an overhead)

I use it on acoustic guitar all the time, and have gotten some pretty good tones with it about 8 inches out pointed just below the bridge. nothing that amazed me like my amp recording, but this could simply be that I'm fussing with my guitars trying to get rid of fret buzz and find the right strings, and trying to figure out how much of which compressor to use in mixing. but some good to very good sounds on a variety of acoustic guitars. I bet the studio projects C4 pair would sound amazing for stereo miking.

I tried it briefly on vocals, and I liked the less trebly sound of my audio technica 3035 more, which is a fabulous mic, but twice the price of the B1. I'm sure a lot of folks might prefer the brighter B1, but I like the smoother tone of the 3035. the 3035 works great as a room mic. using the 3035 as an overhead, some of the cymbals were too bright, but this could have just been the cymbals and not the mic. overall I love both mics and get a lot of good use out of them (3035 mainly on vocals, and B1 on guitars, acoustic and electric)

it's a great time to be alive and recording music, so many affordable options out there. I recommend the aardvark card, though you can get a similar card for several hundred dollars less (can't remember the brand name right now)

for the price, amazing

I've been a hobbyist recordist for about 15 years.

Wow! I wanted some cheap "utility" condensers for tom-toms and so forth, so I bought a pair of these plus a pair of Studio Projects B3's. The bottom line is, they paid for themselves when I sold my prior reference, a Shure KSM32. I simply could not believe how open and wonderful these Studio Projects mics sound.

I think a lot of it has to do with the 3-micron diaphragm, which to my ear sounds much more open than the 6-micron diaphragm designs.

I've just made the two best recordings I've ever made using these mics (with Millennia preamps). They're of course not the best out there, but I'm really thrilled with how well they perform for the price. I would recommend a B1 as anybody's *first* mic, and I'd recommend auditioning it if I were interested in any mic less expensive than, say, the new Rode NT2000.

If you buy a pair, be sure to get the same color dot on each package. This colored dot system is used for matching sensitivity.

You can't really hope for a true "matched pair" at these prices, but at least this will get you closer to the ballpark.

Okay, we all know that we're talking about a sub-$100 mic, so I'm not going to tell you that this will be the last mic you'll ever buy or that its sound beats out
every other mic ever invented. But this mic kicks ass. Seriously. Before I got this mic whenever anyone would ask me, "I'm new to recording, what mic should I
buy?" I would say "sm57." Now I say, "The sm57, and as soon as you can afford it buy an SP B1." That's how good this mic is. This mic is seriously killer.
Like the sm57, it sounds amazing on a couple of things, and good on just about everything else. I've used it to mic pianos and vocals and really liked it. I was
really floored by its work on acoustic guitar - not something large-diaphragm or cardioid mics are known to do well. I've tried it on everything and have gotten
very usable sounds every time.

The sound is fairly transparent, and tends toward brightness. Too be sure, it can be a little too bright - especially paired with a bright preamp. But for the most
part, the brightness is subtle, and lends itself well to tracks that need to "jump" just a little while remaining firmly in the mix.

The thing is built like a tank. It looks great, too.

I've used the other LDC's in this price range by other manufacturers, and some of them are great products. But I choose the B1 over the rest of those, and I
would still choose the B1 today with even more experience with those other products. It is truly a great little mic.

I've been recording for about 14 years, and playing for just a bit longer than that. I have a little home studio that serves me fine. I occasionally record punk and indie bands, but my set-up (Mac G4/LogicAudio/ancient Tascam mixer) is geared to record me and maybe a few friends.

First, we all know this is not some $800 mic. It is a budget mic for the home recording enthusiast, or maybe as a junker in a big studio. That being said, this LDC is an amazing value. It is bright without being brittle, and has nice definition in the mids. The low mids are maybe a bit smeared, but judicious mic placement really takes care of this. I really like this mic on acoustic guitar; it really lends itself to "sensitive" pieces. I've also used it on drums- both as an overhead and as a room mic- and have been very happy. The bass response is very nice, and it picks up the kick cleanly. But the most surprising use I've come across is as a vocal mic. I really didn't expect much of it in this category, but the mic proved me wrong. That being said, I tried it on a guitar amp once and promised I would never do that again. Uggh. I think this mic is brilliant, and should take a place alongside the sm57 as versatile cheap mics that everyone owns.

I've been recording for 35 years at home and in radio. Currently, I produce techno based and narration over music bed commercials and Public Service Announcements in my home studio.

I use a Fostex VF160 and various extras...

The Studio Projects is one fine microphone with a great company standing behind it. For male voice and recording acoustic instruments, there's probably no better deal out there. The self-noise is very low, and the sound has a nice neutrality to it.

I have been playing music (mainly drums) since I was born practically. I have been really into recording now for about 4 years, and I have recorded albums for several bands around my area. I currently use a MOTU 828mkII interface running into an Apple iMac DV SE w/ Audiodesk, and I mainly use a Soundcraft Spirit mixer. I use Behringer Truth monitors.

This is just a very simple large-diaphragm condenser mic. No switches, no boxes, just a nice smooth silver color and a great sound. I have 2 of these, and I mainly use them on acoustic guitar, guitar amps, and as overheads on drums. I haven't had the chance to really test them on vocals, but they shine on everything else. The first day I got these, I immediately set one up on an acoustic guitar. I ran it direct in to the preamps on my interface, and got a very nice clear and full sound. I then set up my Audio Technica 4033 (a $400 mic) in the exact same position and recorded the exact same song. I listened back to both, and there was no comparison. The AT sounded dull, harsh, and wimpy compared to the SP. I'm not saying that these are the best mics out, but for the price they cost(and a much higher price), I haven't seen anything that can beat them. You can't lose with these mics!

I've been involved in playing, writing, recording, producing and publishing music for well over 40 years. My first experience in a professional studio was in the late 60's; all analog gear, including 3M multitrack recorders and mastering decks. Today, I use a mixture of analog and digital recorders/storage devices, with lots of analog outboard effects and gear, as well as software-based editing workstations.

The Studio Projects B1 is a low cost but (IMHO) great sounding all purpose large diaphragm condenser mic. I've had a pair of them for 1-1/2 years, and they still amaze me at how good they sound. I've used them for drum overheads; acoustic and electric guitar, acoustic piano, vocals, windchimes, choir, classic pipe organ, leslie speakers, and as a "stereo pair" for recording live performances. AS with most LDCs, these are very sensitive, and I highly recommend using shock mounts with them. One of the nice things about this mic is it's smooth sonic character... it isn't overly bright-sounding, and it doesn't have a scooped mid or rolled-off low end like other reasonably priced mics available today. I originally bought my pair of B1s to do an informal recording of a choir; I also have a pair of Shure SM-81 SDCs, and wanted to see if a low cost LDC mic costing 1/5 as much as the SM-81 could capture the details as well. Not only did it capture the details as well, but it has become my favorite "go to" mic, much like the Shure SM-57 has been for so many years. If you want a good, smooth, detailed, non-hyped, "accurate" large diaphragm mic for a very low price, you need to check out a Studio Projects B1.