It's hard to get a better large-diaphragm condenser mic for the price than the Audio-Technica AT4050. This multipattern mic offers up three polar patterns: omnidirectional, cardioid, and figure-of-eight. Along with a polar pattern switch, the AT4050 sports both an 80 Hz high-pass filter and a 10dB pad. Thanks to its transformerless circuitry, low-frequency distortion is all but eliminated and high-speed transients are reproduced faithfully and without clipping. The AT4050 boasts extremely clear and transparent highs and mids, balanced out by a rich, thick low-end to give you an all-around fantastic tonal quality, making this mic ideal for both studio and live circumstances, mic'ing vocals, amps, strings, drum overheads, and more.