I've had these for about a year now but I had used them in studios in the past. I ended up buying a pair because they are cheap and are a great option to have for overheads, or miking individual cymbals. They have a great high end to them and are a great value for the price. Many times you can find them cheaper as a pair. I also have a pair of Rode NT5s that I use as another option for overheads. Compared to those I feel the C1000s are a little better suited for hi-hats or ride cymbals rather than general overheads like the NT5s or the Neumann KM184s. They are also great on vocals, especially on choirs or a group of singers. While these may not be my go to mics, I'm happy to have them in my arsenal as an option for things where the high end of it is important.

These mics are great as a stereo pair. While these aren't the Neumann KM184s, these little things are still great for drum overheads and acoustic instruments when you want that certain high end twang. I also have a pair of AKG C1000s and in my opinion these are a better bang for your buck. If I'm not mistaken, these have gone up a bit in price since I purchased them, which tells me that they are becoming more and more popular for a set of stereo small-diaphragm mics in project studios that maybe wouldn't be able to afford the Neumann KM184s. Compared to the KM184s, the price is outstanding and is a great bang for your buck. I believe I will hold on to these until I can afford a pair of KM184s.

I've had my Sennheiser e604 for about a year now. My favorite part about it is that it has a clip that you can easily mount on to a drum. Although if I had the money I would prefer to have another Sennesier 421, this really does the trick on tom drums, making for a very full sound at a pretty reasonable price. I would use this on a tom drum over a Shure SM57 just because it is easier to set up, but if I had extra 421s I would definitely use those, however, until I can afford to upgrade, the e604 definitely does the job I need it to.

I've had this mic for about 3 or 4 years now and although I don't use it as much as I used to but it is still a great option for recording guitar amps and I love having it in my arensel. Compared to a Shure SM57, it has a pretty similar sound to me, and I do prefer the Sennheiser 421 on guitar amps over the e609. However, for the price this is a great mic to have around. Although they say it is also great on toms, I could never get the right sound with this over a tom tom and it was a bit hard to place on it. Overall I would definitely recommend this mic to someone who is interested in having a new option for guitar amps, but I would also recommend having a Shure SM57 and a Sennheiser 421 to compare it with.

I've had the Rode NT1-A for about 3 and a half years now and it has always been good for me. It's got great sound quality and has great range - it really picks up everything in the room, which can work to your advantage if you use it the right way. I have tried a few other condenser microphones in its price range (Audio Technica, Shure) and I really preferred the Rode. The clarity is really outstanding. For the price, I don't think you can get a better microphone than this one. Even though I have a few higher end microphones, I continue to use this one when I need a few large-diaphragm mics at once (worked great on a trumpet in a horn section). I would definitely recommend this microphone to anyone looking for a single great microphone on the cheap side or anyone looking just to expand their microphone collection.

I've had my 421 for about a year, the thing I like most about it is its versatility. I have one of them and I always use it on the the floor tom as they capture the low end of that really well I feel. I also always use these on guitar amps, they are my mic of choice for that, along with an SM57/ I love having the roll off knob to adjust between musical and speech applications. To me, its one of the best dynamic mics out there and although it is a bit pricey for a dynamic mic, no serious studio should be without one. If I were to lose or break mine, I would certainly purchase another.

I've had the TLM103 about a year and a half and I have had nothing but good times with it. It's got such a clear and crisp sound. I've used a ton of different Neumann mics (U87, U67, etc) and although this isn't as great as those classic mics, it definitely holds its own. A friend of mine did a shootout between this mic and the U87 and said he really couldn't see much of a different, except of course for the $2000 extra the U87 will run you. Although it may be a bit pricey for a small studio setting, if you are looking for a real quality mic, this is about the cheapest you can get from a company who makes the best mics on earth. I wouldn't trade this mic for any other in its price range.