Sterling P10 Instrument Mic Review / Test (vs. SM57, TG I51, M201, SM7b, U87 Ai)

Today I review a budget microphone from Sterling made for instrument, the P10. This mic offers a controlled low end which helps avoid muddiness, a very mid forward sound, and then a tame treble and air section. In my tests I found that it did really well on electric guitar, and was workable on acoustic and singing (in a controlled space). I don't necessarily think it's an effective spoken word microphone though but it's not designed to be.

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00:00 - Intro / Price / Disclaimer
00:39 - Setup
01:02 - What’s in the Box
01:22 - Build Quality / Walkthrough
01:48 - Specifications
02:06 - Polar Pattern Test (Tone / Rotation)
02:26 - Plosive Test
02:37 - Distance Test / Proximity Effect Test
02:58 - Background Noise Test
03:18 - Untreated Room Test
03:38 - Shock Rejection Test
04:00 - Mic Resonance Tap Test
04:15 - Handling Noise Test
04:33 - Intro to Comparison
05:02 - Sterling P20 Comparison
05:31 - Shure SM57 Comparison
05:57 - Beyerdynamic TG I51 Comparison
06:24 - Beyerdynamic M201 TG Comparison
06:48 - Shure SM7b Comparison
07:27 - Neumann U87 Ai Comparison
07:53 - Music Test
09:26 - Pros & Cons
11:02 - Overall Thoughts
13:28 - Recommendation
14:22 - Outro

#BudgetMic #SterlingAudio #MicReview

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Check Out This Stuff TOO:

[ThatLazyyGuy]

I love the image of someone watching this thinking “Man I was torn between the P10 and the SM57 but I think I’ll just buy the U87 instead.”

I wonder if for instrument microphone reviews like this one, if a guitar sample for the comparisons would make more sense than a vocal sample? Idk if that would be a pain to setup and make the video way too long (especially if you wanted to do electric and acoustic) but just a thought I had. Anyways, as always, great review Bandrew!

[kartanosaka]

The "four feet away from the microphone" made me chuckle more than I'm willing to admit.

[metooblueshoes]

A rep @ guitar center tried his best to sell me a Sterling microphone a few years ago and stood by it's quality. I just haven't heard enough about the brand. Ended up getting a at2020. Which, ironically enough, is how I found this channel. Looking forward to this review..

[micahcottrell]

Pretty nice! I’ve used some Sterling audio mics before and I like there stuff! Especially for bang for the buck value! I’d love to see more sterling mic reviews! Love the video👍👍

[kryptoniterazor]

Wow, this was really nice sounding on electric guitar and vocals. A lot of singers prefer that sm57 sound, as nasal voices work better sometimes without the air and presence boost (tom petty comes to mind). Not mentioned is the quite nice looking grille, don't think I've seen that design on anything before.

[ZeroGoofs]

I would love to see you review the zen Q Synergy pro interface. I feel like it’s perfect for your guitar/vocals related comparisons plus it comes with a modeling mic and dsp

[DavidKhoirul]

Thanks for the review, Bandrew. Wondering if you can review the instrument version of your favorite mic: sE Electronics v7x.

[WillCarterTech]

A really great video idea that would be super great for your database at your building on this channel. Simply talk about your 5 favorite mics for acoustic guitars. Then compare them to your 5 least favorite mics for acoustic guitar in the test.

[cunjoz]

I've always admired your guitar tone. As far as I recall, you're using an Orange amp, right?

[JamieHitt]

Could you please do a video on alternative microphone look-alikes? Once EQ’d, a great many microphones can be made to sound better than they are. And to be perfectly honest (on behalf of thousands of videocasters) many people would be happy with some thing that just “looks” like an SM7B, but costs much less. Especially when starting out. They want to “look” professional.

[PilotCooking]

Thanks for the great videos. Have you campared the GLS series of 57's and 58's to the Shure versions?

[lidor]

hey thanks for the great content!
do you intend to review portable recorders such as tascam dr 40x?

[tricogustrico]

It makes your voice easy to understand compared to the other mics.

[xivix]

I love grey hair, I wish I had one, you look awesome with it man!

[nobodyhaslogin]

Good old Mic Reviews with Old Man Bandrew. XD
Quite a nice mic though.

[jesusislord]

Sterling mics are vary underrated...I have quite a few as well as much higher priced mics as well. They hold there own very well and for the money you can't beat them! I like them better then the Sure 57's!

[DonutYourself]

You talk about off axis coloration... I love the sound of old crystal microphones and other "Lo-Fi" mics. Is there a microphone where the off axis coloration is so bad that it sounds like one of these "Lo-Fi" mics? What mic has the worst off axis coloration. I'm interested in using this "worst off axis coloration" mic as a "character" microphone. Any recommendations? Sorry if this question is in the wrong place...

[Zladiums]

Are you gonna review the new Beacn Mic? :)

[SoloSabbath]

They were introduced at $60, bumped to $80, "on sale" for $60, and now on sale again for $35. I bought mine at $60 but I could have had 2 for that price. And the vocal P20 is now $40, might grab one of those as well.

[Tarkov.]

This might be a good alternative to the SM57 if you find it to be too bright.