slight correction to above - the AT 4041 and 4051 are both cards - the 4051 is a considerable improvement over the 4041, btw.
of all the mics listed, the akg c480s are generally the flattest response, and therefore, generally the most useable in a variety of situations. many of hte mics listed have high-end lifts, which can flatter some sources, but can be devastating to others. it is far easier to add a bit of top end EQ to a flat mic than to round off the top on a mic that has given you a harsh top end recording. i have owned and used many of the mics listed, and would suggest that the little akg c391b's are a good starting point for anyone. a bit up the ladder are the neumann km184s and gefell m300s, both of which can be made to work on most sources, though they often must be used lisghtly off-axis to avoid being too bright. the little DPA 406x series are great for very close applications, somehat noisy at a distance or on soft sources. further up the food chain, the gefell 295s with nickel diaprhagms, the schoeps cmc641s, and DPA 4011s are all superb. my main mics at this time are DPA 4011s and akg c481s for almost everything, with pairs of AT 4051s when i need a little bit brighter mic, and dpa 4061s for very tight spot micing or direct mounting on an instrument. while i have also been through a number of LD mics, i have never liked the poor off-axis response of LDs, and often will use a good SD condenser even on vocals in the studio. i generally advise people to bite the bullet and invest in the most expensive mics and other gear that you can - way too many people fall into the trap of thinking they can get away with cheap gear, only to find themselves quickly dissatisfied, and losing money on every trade-up that they make. if you cannot afford to buy all high-end gear at once, buy at least one piece of pro-quality stuff (starting with mics, then preamps, etc down the signal chain), and upgrade the rest piece-by-piece. avoid intermediate steps. investing in good gear to begin with gives you good results from the get-go, and high-end gear will hold its value far better than cheap stuff when it comes time to sell it. good luck.
Topic: Summary of mics & their characteristics (Read 3223 times)