Customer Reviews

Behringer C-3 Dual-Diaphragm Studio Condenser Microphone

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

Time will tell how well this mic holds up to regular use, but thus far it has been wonderfully quiet and clean for vocals, acoustic guitars, and flutes. Horns are not as good, but it could be they are too close and are just over-driving the unit. (The sample trombone player has an big horn and likes to play rather loud.)

I am just a newbie when it comes to experience using different microphones, i have actually only used 3 different ones. i am a voice over artist by profession, so condenser mics are part of my stuff and so far purchasing this c-3 has been a superlative experience. it has a solid construction to it, heavy duty and firm to the grip if handheld. one great feature of it is its mutli pattern pick up. great for all types of set up, whether be it solo voice over or accoustic sessions. this is definitely worth my money on.

First of I want to say that this microphone exceeded my already high expectations!
The reason that I like this microphone is that it truly does record high quality audio. Also the C-3 has geat features that other microphones dont have. All in all, this is a great buy and I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in starting to record.

Like usual, Behringer products are the start of the pro audio brands but they are not the best. This mic would be good for the amatuer with a limited budget.
It has a -10dB cut off switch, which is handy for cutting out car noise and computer fans etc, if you aren't in a soundproof room. It also has a bass frequency cut off switch, which compensates for a bassy voice, speaking too close, or simply a bassy instrument (if desired).

However the response is not brilliant and you will hear some hiss, especially when miking an instrument where you'll have to turn the gain up.

Overall it's great for the amatuer wanting to learn and experiment more in recording techniques.

This is the first time I tried to buy online. I bought this mic together with Alesis IO2 USB Interface. I got this product for my 14yr old daughter as a birthday gift since she loves singing, and she's always been wishing to record and upload one of her songs in the youtube for other people to see, and hear but she doesn't have better equipment to use for recording. I have checked out some reviews in the internet regarding which studio or condenser mic to buy and I found this one review regarding China manufactured mic! And it went on to say that these mic's are as good as those originally brand made in Europe but yet only a fraction of the price. And luckily I found it here in Amazon. I am working abroad and when my daughter received this gift I was still away and I have to ask my brother to help her test the mic. My brother told me the quality was superb and that it has performed well in every way according as it has promise in its manual (every settings as per performance). And the only reason I didn't gave it a 5star is because I never heard its sound personally, I'm just relying on my daughter and my brother's notes.
And also I would like to add that I am very happy in the way Amazon handled this purchase, I live in the Philppines and I was surprise but very glad that the items (Behringer C-3, Alesis IO2, Mic stand, and Mic Cord) were delivered in my doorsteps within two days I have set the order online. Except for the one item that was not sold directly by Amazon (the Shock Mount for this mic).

This mic will not blow your socks off, and isn't as good as it's older brother the Behringer B-1, but it's a decent condenser mic for a musician on a budget. I use it for creating audio podcasts, and it picks up my voice very clearly and with little mixing necessary when recording to the PC.

I'm sending it back-
Going direct into Mac, I created a file in GarageBand using the same interface settings for all my dynamic mics (including cheap $50 variety and favorite Beyer). I then made tracks with the C-3, same interface settings, and every pattern, pad, and roll-off setting. Then I compared at 0db, no eq, no gate, etc. with headphones. The C-3's tone changed with every polar pattern and had underlying hiss ( which dynamics don't have). None of the dynamic mics sounded as muffled and the outputs were really close... so why pay extra for a power supply and extra cables when a cheap dynamic will get better quality? Just for pickup patterns and a studio look?

I did not enjoy receiving this microphone. The instructions were in some foreign language, and it did not come with a cable. It came with just a mic and some small little screw for adjusting the size of the hole. Plus, i threw out the package in rage, so now I'm stuck with this crappy ass microphone.