Microphone and Synthesizer Catalog

Comprehensive hardware catalog covering microphone polar patterns, dynamic / condenser / ribbon mic classifications with major models from Shure, Neumann, AKG, Sennheiser, DPA, Schoeps, Royer, and others; USB and wireless variants for podcasting and live; and the synthesizer landscape — vintage analog classics, modern analog hardware reissues, digital synths, wavetable, FM, Eurorack modular ecosystems, drum machines/grooveboxes, clonewheel organs, and modern stage/workstation flagships.

1. Microphone Polar Patterns

Omnidirectional — picks up equally from all directions; no proximity effect; common in measurement mics, omni small-diaphragm condensers
Cardioid — heart-shaped pickup, rejects rear; most common pattern for live vocals and studio
Supercardioid — tighter front pattern, small rear lobe; popular for live vocals in high-bleed environments
Hypercardioid — even tighter, larger rear lobe; often paired with shotgun designs
Figure-8 (bidirectional) — front and rear equal pickup with deep side null; ribbons natively figure-8; large-diaphragm condensers via dual capsule
Shotgun (lobar) — interference-tube design; long narrow pickup for film/broadcast
Switchable — large-diaphragm dual-diaphragm condensers (U 87, C414) selectable omni/cardioid/figure-8/wide cardioid/hypercardioid

2. Dynamic Microphones

Vocal dynamic

Shure SM58 USD 99 — the live-vocal industry standard since 1966; cardioid; spherical wind/pop filter; pneumatic shock mount; ~3M+ units lifetime production estimate
Shure SM7B USD 399 — broadcast/podcast/radio standard; flat extended frequency response; popular in modern vocal recording (Michael Jackson “Thriller” tracks); cardioid
Shure SM7dB (2023) — SM7B variant with built-in 28 dB preamp (eliminates need for separate inline boost like Cloudlifter); USD 499
Shure Beta 58A — supercardioid live vocal alternative
Shure KSM8 Dualdyne — dual diaphragm dynamic; reduced proximity effect; USD 499
Shure MV7+ USD 279 — USB+XLR hybrid; podcast/streaming
Sennheiser MD 445 — supercardioid vocal dynamic
Sennheiser MD 421-II USD 449 — versatile dynamic for instruments + voice; 5-position low-frequency switch; “421” classic on toms/guitar amps/voice
Sennheiser MD 441 USD 1,000 — supercardioid; highly directional; broadcaster/announcer favorite; uniformly flat response
Beyerdynamic M88 TG — hypercardioid vocal dynamic
Beyerdynamic M201 TG — versatile dynamic
Electro-Voice RE20 USD 449 — broadcast/voiceover standard; Variable-D minimizes proximity effect; “Wayne Vinnie Vincent” radio sound; cardioid
Electro-Voice RE320 — RE20-derived for instruments + vocals; lower cost
Heil PR40 — broadcast/voiceover; popular ham radio
Rode PodMic USD 99 — affordable broadcast dynamic; cardioid

Instrument dynamic

Shure SM57 USD 99 — industry standard for snare drum + guitar amps; cardioid; ~3M+ units; on every US Presidential podium since Lyndon Johnson
Shure Beta 57A — supercardioid SM57 alternative
Sennheiser e609 + Sennheiser e906 — flat-profile guitar amp mics
Audix D6 — kick drum cardioid; characteristic “pre-EQ” boost
Yamaha SubKick — kick drum sub-frequency mic (uses speaker as transducer)
AKG D112 MkII — kick drum dynamic; “egg” shape
Sennheiser e602 II — kick drum
Audix i5 — snare/guitar amp; SM57 competitor
Audix ADX51 + D2 + D4 — toms / instrumentation
Beyerdynamic M88 TG — kick drum / vocal hybrid

3. Condenser Microphones

Large-diaphragm condensers (LDC)

Neumann U 87 Ai USD 3,699 — the studio vocal standard since 1967; switchable omni/cardioid/figure-8; high-pass filter and -10 dB pad
Neumann U 47 — vintage > USD 20,000 (1949–1965 production); Neumann U 47 fet reissue USD 5,000 (FET version); Telefunken U47 reissue ~USD 12,000 (tube version); the Beatles Abbey Road favorite
Neumann U 67 reissue USD 6,795 (2018 reissue of 1960 classic) — tube; switchable patterns
Neumann TLM 102 USD 749 — entry-level LDC; cardioid only
Neumann TLM 103 USD 1,300 — single-pattern cardioid; popular voice-over
Neumann TLM 107 — multipattern transformerless
Neumann KMS 105 — stage condenser for live vocal
AKG C414 XLII USD 1,099 — 9 selectable patterns; “XLII” brighter than XLS; the AKG flagship
AKG C414 XLS USD 1,099 — flatter response variant
AKG C12 (vintage) — > USD 10,000; multipattern tube; classic on strings/vocals
Telefunken ELA M 251 — vintage > USD 30,000; tube; Telefunken reissue ~USD 8,000
Neumann M 49 + M 50 — vintage tubes; reissue M 49 V (2020)
Sony C-800G USD 11,000 — Japanese tube; favored by modern hip-hop/R&B vocalists (Jay-Z, Drake, Kanye, Travis Scott)
Brauner VM1 + VMA + VMX — German tube; ~USD 6,500
Brauner Phantom USD 3,800 — FET large-diaphragm
Manley Reference Cardioid + Reference Gold + Reference C — Manley Labs Mojave-area; ~USD 4,000–6,000
Schoeps M222 + V4U — German precision LDC
Mojave Audio MA-200 + MA-300 — David Royer designs; budget tube LDCs; USD 1,000–1,300
Royer R-122V — tube ribbon (covered in ribbon section)
sE Electronics sE2200 USD 299 — budget cardioid LDC
Lewitt LCT 540 SUBZERO + LCT 940 — Austrian; “subzero” noise floor; USD 800–2,000
Rode K2 USD 749 — tube; budget tube LDC
Rode NT2-A USD 399 — switchable pattern budget
Rode NT1 5th Gen USD 249 — extremely low self-noise (~4 dBA); USB-C + XLR dual output (2023)
Aston Spirit USD 449 — multipattern UK-made
Aston Origin USD 269 — cardioid UK-made

Small-diaphragm condensers (SDC) — “pencil” mics

Schoeps CMC641 USD 1,895 — broadcast/orchestral standard; CMC6 amplifier + MK4 cardioid capsule (modular)
Schoeps CMIT 5U — shotgun
Neumann KM 184 USD 825 — cardioid SDC; flat response; orchestral pair
Neumann KM 84 (vintage) — predecessor to KM 184
DPA 4011 USD 2,300 — Danish precision; cardioid
DPA 4006 USD 2,300 — omni SDC; orchestral standard
AKG C451 B USD 449 — modern reissue of C451 EB legacy
Earthworks SR40V + QTC50 — extended-frequency, low-noise; vocal + measurement applications
Sennheiser MKH 8040 — RF-condenser cardioid; modular series
Sennheiser MKH 50 — supercardioid RF
Sennheiser MKH 30 — figure-8 RF
Shure SM81 USD 349 — cardioid SDC; popular on hi-hat / acoustic guitar
Shure KSM141 USD 798 — switchable omni/cardioid pencil
Sanken CO-100K + COS-11D — Japanese high-end (COS-11D popular lavalier)
Audio-Technica AT4053b + AT4022 + AT4029 — AT mid-priced SDC

Shotgun condensers (for film + broadcast boom + interference-tube)

Sennheiser MKH 416 USD 1,099 — film/boom standard since 1975; supercardioid shotgun; RF condenser
Sennheiser MKH 8060 + MKH 8050 — modular MKH 8000 series RF condenser
Sennheiser MKE 600 USD 379 — camera-mounted shotgun
Sanken CS-3e/M + CS-M1 + CS-1e — Japanese super-shotguns for film/dialog
RØDE NTG3 USD 749 + NTG5 USD 499 — boom shotguns
Schoeps CMIT 5U USD 2,395 — high-end shotgun
Audio-Technica BP4071L + BP4073 — Audio-Technica long shotguns
DPA 4017B + 4018B — DPA shotguns
Sony ECM-VG1 — Sony shotgun

4. Ribbon Microphones

Royer R-121 USD 1,495 — modern ribbon standard since 1998 (Royer Labs introduced under David Royer); figure-8; flat response; popular on guitar cabs
Royer R-122 USD 1,895 — active R-121 (phantom-powered head amp); higher output, better impedance match
Royer R-122V USD 2,995 — tube ribbon
Royer R-10 USD 549 — budget Royer ribbon
Royer R-101 USD 895 — figure-8 with slightly extended high-end
AEA R44C + R44CXE USD 4,000+ — reissue of RCA 44 (originally 1932); large frame, vintage character
AEA R88 + R84 — modern AEA ribbons
Coles 4038 USD 1,895 — BBC orchestral standard since 1953; figure-8; ribbon; smoother high end than RCA 44
Shure KSM313/NE USD 1,299 — dual-voice ribbon (different voice front vs back)
sE Electronics RNR1 + sE Voodoo VR1 + VR2 — active ribbons; budget high-end ribbon
Beyerdynamic M 130 (figure-8) + M 160 (hypercardioid ribbon) — German classics
Cloud Microphones JRS-34 — Joe Rogan signature active ribbon
Audio-Technica AT4080 + AT4081 — active ribbons

5. Lavalier and Headworn Microphones

Sennheiser MKE 1 + MKE 2 + ME 2 — broadcast/theater lavaliers
DPA 4060 + 4061 + 6060 + 6061 — Danish reference lavaliers; ~USD 700–800
Sanken COS-11D USD 615 — film/broadcast lavalier; near-ubiquitous on set
Countryman B6 + B3 — discreet small lavalier
Shure WL93 + WL183 + DuraPlex DH5 — broadcast lavaliers + headworn
Sennheiser HSP 4 + HSP 2 — theater headset
DPA 4066 + 4088 + 6066 — DPA headworn (4066 omni, 4088 directional, 6066 most recent)
Voice Technologies VT500 — broadcast lavalier

6. USB and Podcasting Microphones

Shure MV7 + MV7X + MV7+ + MV6 — USB/XLR hybrid podcast mics
Shure SM7dB — see above (built-in preamp variant of SM7B)
Rode PodMic + PodMic USB — affordable broadcast dynamic
Rode NT-USB + NT-USB+ — cardioid USB studio
Rode Procaster + Podcaster — broadcast dynamic (XLR + USB versions)
Blue Yeti + Yeti X (Logitech, formerly Blue Microphones) — popular consumer USB
Audio-Technica AT2020USB-XP + AT2040USB + ATR2100x-USB — budget USB
Apogee MiC Plus + HypeMiC — premium USB
Elgato Wave:1 + Wave:3 + Wave DX — Elgato (gaming/streaming) condensers and dynamic
Universal Audio Volt 1/2/4/176/276/476 — UA’s first audio interface line + bundled mic options

7. Wireless Systems

Shure tiers:
- Axient Digital (AD) — top professional digital wireless (broadcast, A-list touring)
- ULX-D — professional digital
- QLX-D — mid-pro digital
- SLX-D — entry pro digital
- BLX — entry analog/digital
Sennheiser:
- EW-DX — current pro digital (replaced 9000 series for many uses)
- EW-D — entry-pro digital
- EW100/300/500 G4 — legacy analog/digital
- Digital 6000 — broadcast film high-end
Lectrosonics (Rio Rancho NM) — film/broadcast specialist:
- DSR4 + DSR5P + DCHR + DCHT — newer hybrid receivers
- SSM + SMQV + SMDB transmitter packs — body packs
Audio-Technica System 10 + 3000 Series + Engineered Sound Wireless ATW-1502 — Audio-Technica wireless
Wisycom MTH400 transmitter + MCR42 receiver — Italian high-end film wireless

8. Vintage Analog Synthesizers (1965–1985)

Moog Modular IIIc + IIIp (1965+) — Bob Moog modular; original ~USD 25,000 1968; reissues 2014+ Bob Moog Foundation
Moog Minimoog Model D (1970) — David Van Koevering popularized; integrated portable monosynth; ~USD 13,000 reissue 2016–2022 (production ended 2022)
Moog Polymoog (1975) — 71-voice paraphonic
ARP 2600 (1971) — semi-modular synthesizer; iconic; reissued 2020 by Korg
ARP Odyssey (1972) — duophonic synth; reissued 2015 by Korg
Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 (1978) — first fully programmable polyphonic analog synth; Dave Smith founder; reissue 2020 Sequential
Sequential Prophet-10 (1980) — 10-voice variant; reissued
Sequential Pro-One (1981) — monosynth
Oberheim OB-X + OBXa + OB-8 (1979–1983) — 8-voice classic
Oberheim Matrix-12 (1985) — pinnacle Oberheim
Roland Jupiter-8 (1981) — 8-voice flagship; ~USD 25,000+ vintage
Roland Jupiter-6 (1983) — 6-voice cousin
Roland Juno-6 / Juno-60 (1982–1984) — affordable 6-voice
Roland Juno-106 (1984) — DCO/VCF/chorus; iconic
Roland JX-3P + JX-8P + JX-10 — DCO-based polyphonic
Roland TB-303 Bass Line (1981) — 16-step sequencer + monosynth; later the acid house defining instrument
Yamaha CS-80 (1977) — 8-voice polyphonic with polyphonic aftertouch; Vangelis “Blade Runner”; ~USD 70,000+ vintage
Yamaha CS-50 + CS-60 + CS-15 + CS-30
Korg MS-20 (1978) — semi-modular monosynth; reissued MS-20 mini 2013, MS-20 FS 2014
Korg PolySix (1981) + Mono/Poly (1981) + Trident
Roland System 100 + System 100M + System 700 — modular systems
Korg PS-3100 + PS-3200 + PS-3300 — patch panel polyphonic

9. Modern Analog Hardware (2010s–2020s)

Moog

Moog One — 8 or 16-voice polyphonic flagship; USD 7,999–9,499 (2018)
Moog Voyager XL + Sub 37 + Subsequent 37 — Minimoog-lineage monosynths
Moog Grandmother USD 999 — semi-modular monosynth
Moog Matriarch USD 2,099 — paraphonic semi-modular
Moog Mother-32 USD 599 — semi-modular monosynth + sequencer
Moog DFAM USD 699 — drum analog synthesizer
Moog Subharmonicon USD 699 — polyrhythmic semi-modular
Moog Sub Phatty (discontinued)

Sequential (Dave Smith Instruments)

Prophet-5 Rev4 reissue USD 3,499 (2020)
Prophet-10 Rev4 USD 4,299
Prophet 6 USD 2,999 — 6-voice modern Prophet
Prophet Rev2 — DSI-era 16-voice
Take 5 USD 1,499 — 5-voice affordable Prophet
Pro 3 USD 1,499 — mono/paraphonic 3-osc
Trigon-6 USD 3,499 (2022) — ladder-filter 6-voice (Moog-style filter)
Tempest (discontinued) — Sequential drum machine

Oberheim

OB-X8 USD 4,999 (2022) — 8-voice modern reissue of OB-X/OB-Xa/OB-8 family by Tom Oberheim with Sequential
TEO-5 USD 1,499 (2024)

Korg

minilogue XD USD 649 — 4-voice analog + digital multi-engine
Prologue 8/16 USD 1,499/1,999 — flagship 8 or 16-voice analog/multi-engine
monologue USD 349 — monophonic
ARP Odyssey reissue + ARP 2600 FS reissue + MS-20 mini — vintage reissues
wavestate, opsix, modwave — digital reboots of Wavestation, FM, Wavetable Korg lines

Behringer (cloners; controversial)

DeepMind 12 USD 999 — 12-voice analog
Crave USD 219 — semi-modular monosynth
Model D USD 359 — Minimoog clone
Pro-1 USD 359 — Pro-One clone
Cat USD 299 — Octave Cat clone
BB512 + BB100 — synth clones
Wasp Deluxe USD 299 — EDP Wasp clone
2600 USD 599 — ARP 2600 clone
System 100 USD 399+ — Roland System 100 modular clones
TD-3 USD 199 — TB-303 clone (acid bass)
Behringer RD-8 + RD-9 — TR-808/909 clones

Arturia

MicroFreak USD 369 — paraphonic digital + analog filter hybrid
MiniBrute 2 USD 649 — semi-modular monosynth
MatrixBrute USD 2,499 — 3-osc paraphonic analog
PolyBrute USD 3,199 (2020) — 6-voice flagship; “Morph” feature for crossfade between two patches per voice

Novation

Bass Station II USD 499 — monosynth
Peak USD 1,499 — 8-voice virtual analog
Summit USD 2,499 — 16-voice flagship (two Peaks combined)

DSI / Sequential (other)

Pro 2 (discontinued) — paraphonic monosynth

Argon8 USD 999 — 8-voice wavetable
Cobalt8 USD 999 — 8-voice virtual analog
21M, 002R, 008R — flagship Modal
Skulpt + Craft Synth — entry-level
Argon8M / Cobalt8M — desktop variants

Waldorf

Iridium USD 2,599 — digital flagship
Iridium Core / Iridium Keyboard — desktop + keyboard variants
Quantum USD 4,000 (2018) — predecessor digital flagship
M — multi-timbral wavetable
Streichfett, Kyra, Blofeld — affordable Waldorf

10. Digital Synthesizers

Yamaha DX7 (1983) — first commercially successful FM synth; John Chowning invented FM at Stanford 1973, patent licensed to Yamaha 1975; 6-operator FM
Yamaha DX1, DX5, TX802, TX816, TX81Z — DX family
Yamaha SY77, SY99, SY85 — RCM synthesis (FM + sample)
Korg M1 (1988) — first workstation synth; massive sales
Korg Triton + Trinity — workstation legacy
Korg Wavestation (1990) — vector synthesis (Stanford Music + later Korg)
Roland D-50 (1987) — LA Linear Arithmetic synthesis (sample + virtual analog)
Roland JV-1080 + JV-2080 + XV-5080 — sample-based 90s/2000s workstations
Roland JD-800 (1991) — Roland 1990s flagship
Casio CZ-101 + CZ-1000 + CZ-1 — Phase Distortion synthesis (Casio FM-alternative)
Kawai K3 + K5 + K5000 — Kawai digital synths

Modern digital flagships

Korg Nautilus USD 3,000+ — workstation
Korg Krome EX — entry workstation
Korg Pa5X — arranger keyboard (live performance)
Korg Wavestate USD 1,029 — wavetable/vector
Korg opsix mk II USD 729 — FM digital
Roland Fantom 6/7/8 USD 2,800–4,300 — workstation; current Roland flagship
Roland Jupiter-X + Jupiter-Xm — modeling synth
Roland Jupiter-80 (legacy)
Roland System-8 — modeling (Jupiter-8, Juno-106, JX-3P plugins)
Roland FA-08 + FA-07 — entry workstation
Yamaha Montage M6/M7/M8 USD 3,200–4,500 — flagship workstation (M = 2023)
Yamaha MODX + MODX+ — entry Montage
Kurzweil PC4 + K2700 — Kurzweil workstation
ASM Hydrasynth Explorer + Desktop + Deluxe — Hydrasynth wavetable
Modal Argon8 / Cobalt8 / 21M / 008R + Skulpt — see above
Arturia AstroLab — stage version of V Collection
Synthstrom Audible Deluge — groovebox/sampler

11. Wavetable Synths

PPG Wave 2.2/2.3 (1981) — Wolfgang Palm; vintage
Waldorf Microwave (1989) + Microwave II/III + XT + Microwave 2.5
Waldorf Wave (1993) — flagship vintage
Waldorf Iridium 2020 — modern flagship
Modal Argon8 — 32-voice 8-osc wavetable
Hydrasynth wavetable mode
Korg Wavestate — vector + wavetable hybrid

12. FM Hardware Reborn

Korg opsix + opsix mk II — 6-op FM with modern interface (2020)
Korg drumlogue — FM/VPM analog/digital drum machine
Yamaha Reface DX USD 449 — mini FM
Yamaha Reface CS + CP + YC — virtual analog + CP piano + organ companions

13. Module and Eurorack Modular

Modular ecosystem

Doepfer A-100 — Dieter Doepfer founded Eurorack format 1995; ~200+ modules in A-100 base ecosystem
Make Noise (Asheville NC) — Shared System + Black + Gold + Skiff + Strega; semi-curated systems
Mutable Instruments (Olivier Gillet; defunct as commercial entity 2022 — opened all designs to public domain) — Plaits, Marbles, Tides, Rings, Beads, Stages; massively cloned by After Later Audio + Antumbra + Plum Audio + Northern Light Modular
Behringer Eurorack System 100/55/35 — Behringer modular clones (controversial)
Befaco + Erica Synths + Tiptop Audio + Hikari Instruments
Joranalogue + Frap Tools + Intellijel + Pittsburgh Modular + Random Source + Verbos Electronics
Roland Aira System-500 — Roland’s official Eurorack modular line
Macbeth + Vermona + Verbos + Pittsburgh Modular
Mannequins (Whimsical Raps) — Mangrove + Just Friends + Three Sisters + Cold Mac
Industrial Music Electronics + Cylonix — Tom Erbe / Synthesis Technology designs
ALM/Busy Circuits Pamela’s Pro Workout — clock/sequence module

Buchla 200e + Music Easel

Buchla & Associates continues Don Buchla’s West Coast modular synthesis tradition (1963); pricing very high (USD 10,000–50,000 systems); Music Easel reissue

14. Drum Machines and Grooveboxes

Vintage

Roland TR-808 (1980) — analog drum machine; foundational hip-hop/electro
Roland TR-909 (1983) — house/techno standard
Roland TR-606 + TR-707 + TR-727 + CR-78 + CR-8000
Linn LM-1 + LinnDrum + LM-2 + Linn 9000 (1980s) — Roger Linn; first commercially successful sample-based drum machine
Oberheim DMX + DX
Simmons SDS-V + SDS-7 — hexagonal pad electronic drums
Yamaha RX5 + RX7 + RX11 + RX21
Korg DDD-1

Modern

Roland TR-8S + TR-6S + TR-8 — modern reissue ACB (Analog Circuit Behavior) drum machines
Roland Mc-707 — groovebox
Arturia DrumBrute Impact + DrumBrute Original — analog drum machines
Behringer RD-8 + RD-9 — TR-808/909 clones
Elektron Analog Rytm MK II USD 1,949 — analog + sample drum machine + sequencer
Elektron Digitakt II (2024) USD 1,049
Elektron Digitone II (2024) USD 1,049
Akai MPC Live II + MPC X SE + MPC One+ + MPC Key 61 — standalone MPC family
Korg drumlogue USD 599 — analog/digital drum machine
Korg Volca Beats + Volca Drum USD 159–199 — entry analog
Polyend Tracker + Play + Polyend Synth — Polish tracker/synth
Pioneer DJ TORAIZ SP-16 — sampler/sequencer with Dave Smith analog filters
Pioneer DJ TORAIZ AS-1 — monosynth
Roland SP-404 MK2 USD 549 — sampler/groovebox; modern reissue
Roland SP-555 — vintage groovebox

15. Modeled and Clonewheel Organs

Hammond XK-5 + SK Pro Stage — modern Hammond modeling organs
Nord (Clavia, Sweden) — modern stage:
- Nord Electro 6 — split organ/piano/EP
- Nord Stage 4 — flagship 3-section stage
- Nord Wave 2 — sample/synth performance synth
- Nord Drum 3P — drum module
- Nord Lead 2X + 4 + A1 — Nord Lead synth line
Crumar Mojo + Mojo 61 — Italian clonewheel
Numa X Piano GT — Italian Studiologic piano + EP
Roland VR-09 + VR-730 + V-Combo — Roland stage keyboards
Korg Stage Vintage — organ + EP

Adjacent Notes

daw-and-plugin-catalog — companion catalog for software
recording-engineering — mic technique, signal chain, console flow
synthesis-fundamentals — subtractive, FM, additive, granular, wavetable, physical-modeling
electronic-music-history — synth history, drum machine impact on hip-hop and house
midi-and-mpe — MIDI 1.0, MIDI 2.0, MPE MIDI Polyphonic Expression
dsp-fundamentals — DSP and synthesis math
acoustics-and-transducers — microphone physics, capsule designs
live-sound-and-touring — wireless systems, in-ear monitor packs, FOH consoles

Compendium

Explorer

Microphone and Synthesizer Catalog — Tier 3 Family Index