Best Microphones for Rap Vocals – Tested by a Vocalist!

Unlike the C414, it doesn't offer switchable pickup patterns. But since you're going to be using the C214 as a vocal mic, this should hardly matter.

One of the standout qualities that I noticed in the C214 is its exceptional dynamic range. This condenser mic delivers the classic large-diaphragm sound that AKG is famous for. I found that it highlights transients quite well and doesn't overly compress the recordings.

If your style of rapping is aggressive and punchy, this large-diaphragm condenser will have no problems handling it. Even when you go extremely crazy with your vocals, this mic doesn't disappoint. Plosives weren't an issue in my experience, and I was blown away by the low-end captured by this mic (a big win for male rappers with a naturally deep voice!).

In my experience, it took some amount of EQ'ing to get rap vocals to sound perfect. It works great for capturing crisp, yet harsh rap vocals, but isn't the best for recording smoother, deeper RnB vocals. Although its drool worthy low-end is to die for if you're a male rapper, it's no slouch even for our female counterparts.

Even if you upgrade to a more premium rap vocal mic in future, you can still choose to keep this one as a decent secondary option. When compared to cheaper mics like the Audio-Technica AT2020 (which I'll also discuss below), the overall sound just seemed more detailed and 'real' to me.

Trust me, you can put this up against a Neumann that's 10x costlier and you won't notice any perceivable difference half the time (okay, maybe not only if you're my first guitar teacher whose ears were something else, haha!).

Coming to the quality of construction, I personally find the C214 to be pretty sturdy. You'll find highly robust materials all around. The integrated capsule suspension is one example of this.

To give you an idea of how capable this mic is, you can find one of these at the disposal of the legendary Grammy-winning producer Mike Dean, who worked with folks like Jay-Z and Travis Scott.

For recording on the go, AKG has included several useful accessories with the C214. These include a high-quality shockmount, a windscreen, and a metal carrying case.

The frequency response of the TLM 102 is ideal for recording rap vocals. I found that it focuses on the expression of the performer’s vocal style quite successfully. For such a high-quality mic, it is also surprisingly compact.

The high SPL tolerance allows you to not compromise on the aggressiveness of your rapping thinking that it might affect the sound quality.

One of the most important aspects of recording crisp rapping is avoiding or minimizing plosives. These sounds are caused by air pressure and can mar a recording. Thankfully, Neumann has included a high-end pop filter with the TLM 102 to combat this common issue.

For home studios without the best sound insulation, this mic might even be an overkill, since it picks. up. everything. period. That means all the good, and (especially) the bad. So, that's something you should definitely keep in mind if you were looking for a mic for home recording. 

It's not the cheapest option out there, but if you want to capture the tiniest of details in your rapping, the TLM 102 is definitely worth its price in my opinion. If you consider the fact that it's versatile enough to double up as an instrument mic for anything ranging from guitar amps to drums (as overheads), the price seems justified.

The natural tone of the voice is preserved without being colored by the microphone. With its high SPL handling ability, the NT1 is well suited to a range of recording purposes. You can use it for recording loud transients like drums and percussion, or for capturing the subtle details of an acoustic guitar.

Despite its multi-faceted performance, the NT1 is a vocal mic first and foremost. Due to its wide frequency range, no matter the timbre and pitch of your rapping, this mic will capture all of it.

I used this mic (older generation) for the first time at a professional studio while recording the first EP of our band. That was quite a few years ago, so it felt incredible as soon as I heard the quality of my recorded vocals, as I was mainly used to SM57's and SM58's prior to that recording session.

Later on, with more exposure to lots of comparable mics, I found that it goes toe to toe with the most renowned vocal mics (the likes of the U87) and sits extremely well in the mix. As I already mentioned, it doesn't color your voice at all, so you're going to get an extremely true representation of your actual vocals with this mic.

Rode includes all of the necessary add-ons required for recording rap vocals. The microphone comes with a shock mount, pop shield, XLR cable, and a microphone dust cover (here's how you can clean them).

I found the internal shock mount system ensures that slight movements won't diminish the quality of your rap recordings. The microphone is finished with heavy-duty satin nickel coating for added durability.

Due to its versatility (primarily due to the high dynamic range), it has the qualities to be a budget swiss army knife in your arsenal. The AT2035 features a switchable high-pass filter which is great for certain applications such as recording falsetto backing vocals.

It's easy to be deceived by the small size of this model. I found that it is capable of capturing rap vocals with surprising clarity.

Rap vocals captured through this mic retain the intricate details and cut through the mix without any problem. I found the captured audio to be crystal clear and had enough warmth, which rivaled the audio quality of mics that were triple the price.

In my experience, it effectively reduces background noise by quite a bit, so you don't need to eliminate it in post production. This is directly in contrast to something more expensive like the Neumann TLM 102 that I talked about above.

Apart from capturing vocals, as a low-budget mic, you can use it for streaming (Twitch, anyone?), podcasting or just as an all-purpose crystal clear mic for meetings and video calls.

To be honest, because I already had much more expensive microphones (even for backup), I gifted it to my girlfriend soon after purchasing the unit for reviewing. She's no tech wizard, and I asked her how the setup process was.

In her own words, she had zero difficulties in setting it up (she uses FL Studio) and it was a fairly quick and easy process. Also, both of us are quite happy with how it's capturing her voice. So, as a female rapper, you can definitely go for this one, especially if you're on a budget.

Audio-Technica has included a shock mount with this microphone, to absorb the inevitable impacts when recording vocals.

Exceptionally clear and accurate, the SM7B dynamic microphone is the leading choice for podcasting and other spoken word recordings (we even have an article on SM7B alternatives on our blog for those use cases, so you can see that it's almost like the default choice for those scenarios!). However, its capabilities are also great for recording rapping.

With dual tone controls, the SM7B can be tailored to suit any vocal style. It features a switchable passive EQ for instantly cutting out low frequencies, boosting the overall presence and mid-range.

Regardless of the pitch and timbre of your rap vocals, the SM7B will suffice. When the low cut is activated, it highlights the mid-range and treble frequencies of rap vocals. When the presence booster is engaged, it works seamlessly with high-end sound sources.

The SM7B is amongst the most versatile microphones on the market. With an SPL handling ability of up to 180dB, it excels when recording loud sounds, whether they are vocals, drums, or other amplified instruments.

In fact, once I jokingly told my friends that if I only had an SM7B at my disposal, I could record an entire album with it (vocals, instruments, everything).

Although the majority of microphones that are well suited to recording rapping are of the condenser variety, the SM7B is dynamic. Its unique cardioid polar pattern allows it to perform like a condenser, with the ruggedness of a dynamic vocal mic.

One thing I absolutely love about this mic is no matter how it's positioned, it always tends to get the job done pretty well. It almost feels like it's just impossible to get a bad recording out of it (as long as you have a decent preamp at your disposal!).

The transformer-less circuitry of this model also boosts the microphone's ability to reproduce high-speed transients. It can record the attack of even the sharpest sound sources, like snare drums or hi-hats.

I've personally used this mic not just for rap vocals, but also for capturing both male and female rock vocals (punk rock, alt rock, you name it) as well as jazz vocals. It basically shines in whatever situation you put it in (except when I once tried covering Rusty James by Green Day and it turned out embarrassingly bad, can't really blame the mic for such awkward situations, can we!).

Fun aside, at the heart of the AT4040 is its natural-sounding sonic character. Some condenser mics tend to add coloration to recordings or emphasis on certain frequencies, which is great if that's what you're looking for, but inconvenient if you want a clean sound. With its extra-thick diaphragm, the AT4040 reproduces rap vocals accurately without changing the inherent tonal qualities.

I found the top end to be extremely smooth, and there was no instances of unwanted sibilance or harshness of any kind. I personally haven't tried using it for recording guitars or other instruments, but as a rap vocal mic I can back its abilities without thinking twice.

The only real disadvantage when using this mic is its supremely high sensitivity. While it's beneficial for capturing even the slightest of nuances in your rapping, it's also extremely inconvenient unless you have a properly soundproofed recording room.

Lastly, this thing is still made in Japan. Overall, for its price, you're unlikely to get many better options that can capture the details of your rap vocals as well as this Audio-Technica.

The C01 does add a little color to recordings, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It has a fairly smooth, flat frequency response, so there’s plenty of room for processing your vocals retrospectively in your chosen DAW.

Having a fairly large diaphragm, it can comfortably handle loud vocal styles, and also can be used to record a range of instruments, although you're obviously not going to get the same results as using dedicated kick drum mics for recording your bass drum, for example. So, while it's important to manage your expectations, it's still a fairly decent choice for recording all kinds of vocals.

Included with the C01 is a swivel stand mount, a gold plated XLR connector, and a heavy gauge protective metal grill, and finally, a useful carry case.

My friend bought this for his budget bedroom recording setup. He upgraded from a Mojave (I know, you've probably never heard of them) mic, and the difference was immense. Compared to the Samson, the Mojave sounded quite artificial.

To be honest, I didn't even imagine this mic could offer what it does at its crazy low price point until I actually tested the one that my friend had bought. If you're on a super tight budget and just want a reliable mic for recording fairly crisp rap vocals, look no further.

It's a fairly capable mic for the money. The sound captured by the Origin is open, warm, and rich with harmonics. No matter what style of rap vocals you want to record, this pristine condenser mic will most likely do the job well enough. Despite the treble-heavy nature of this mic, it doesn’t sound harsh at all.

The instantly recognizable design of the Origin is largely a result of the unique mesh head with a built-in pop filter. This results in a classy, distinguished appearance, but also serves a practical function. The in-built pop filter eliminates plosives effectively in my experience.

The microphone is fairly compact, and the build quality is impressive for its price. It felt quite sturdy when I handled it, and 10 months down the line it's working just fine despite being dropped to the ground on a couple of occasions (me 1 - 1 my dog).

It's not the most common mic among rappers, but once you start using it you'll quickly realize that it does a decent job at recording rap vocals, among other forms of vocals. It's an extremely crisp sounding mic that can successfully compete against mics that cost twice the money.

I've had a few friends, who had only used established mics like the Rode NT1 by that point, ask me what exactly did I change in my setup which improved the quality of recording that much. They couldn't believe that it was nothing but just the addition the Aston Origin to my arsenal. 

One minor annoyance might be there if you have lots of facial hair, such as a long and dense beard. If you do, and get too close to the mic while recording, the built-in pop filter doesn't like it one bit. You'll get unwanted noise in your recordings in such situations.

The highly sensitive P420 is one of the best affordable rap vocal mics available. Its impressive attention to detail makes this microphone a great choice for capturing crisp sounding intricate rap lyrics.