Sontronics STC-1 Small Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser Microphone - Black

I bought this for my hi-hat and also use it occasionally as an overhead. Brilliant little mic at a ridiculously low price. I also have the STC-! which I use mainly for violin/fiddle and musicians are very surprised that it cost so little.

I can't rate the STC-1 highly enough. My "thing" is acoustic classical recording, often including choir, orchestra, pipe organ, etc. Small diaphragm condensers are the best tool for this job and over the years I've dabbled with various mics used in various ways. I settled on using a spaced pair of omnidirectional mics and I had been using a pair of Behringer B-5. I felt I had outgrown them and looked for the next step up. I read a lot of reviews and eventually chose a pair of STC-1 with omni capsules. The difference was night and day - the performance of these microphones is insane given how affordable they are. The response is so smooth, they cope extremely well with the dynamic range of a choir and the noise characteristics are great.I recommend the STC-1 to anyone, beginner or seasoned pro.