Following are JamKazam's gear recommendations for microphones. To be clear:
- Your choice of microphone won't impact your latency in sessions, so your choice of microphone is really up to you.
- JamKazam isn't selling these microphones to you, and we don't have an interest in which microphone you buy, so we don't have any conflict of interest or ulterior motive to push you in a particular direction. We are making recommendations to be helpful to our user community - because we've spent a good deal of time messing around with different microphones, and we'd like you to be able to benefit from our experience. Our hope is that we can help you spend less time conducting product research, save money on your purchases by getting a product with great performance combined with a lower price, and also get a good quality product that will last.
- In the interest of full disclosure, JamKazam has set up an Amazon affiliate account, and the links to the products below use our affiliate code. This means that if you use the links in the tables below and buy any of these products, JamKazam will get a small % of the Amazon sale. The does not cost you anything, and it can help contribute a little money to helping us keep JamKazam running and improving.
OK, so on to the actual microphones. In the two tables below, we list some of our favorite microphones - separated into tables for vocal mics and instrument mics.
Instrument Microphones
| Microphone | Approx. Cost | Comments |
| GLS ES-57 | USD$30 Amazon Link | This dynamic mic is basically a knock-off of the Shure SM-57 instrument mic, and we mean this in the nicest possible way. The Shure SM-57 is considered one of the best instrument mics out there, we feel it's honestly hard to tell the difference between this product and the Shure product. Amazing quality and performance for the price. |
| Shure SM-57 | USD$100 Amazon Link | This dynamic mic is a classic, well-regarded, high-quality instrument microphone, especially good for handling high-volume instruments like drums, guitar amps, trumpets, saxophones, and the like. |
| Audio-Technica Pro 37 | USD$170 Amazon Link | This condenser mic is a really good mic, a bit more expensive, but really good for pianos, stringed instruments like violins, and quieter instruments like flutes. It requires the use of phantom power on your audio interface (available feature on most audio interfaces). |
Vocal Microphones
| Microphone | Approx. Cost | Comments |
| GLS ES-58-S | USD$25 Amazon Link | This dynamic mic is basically a knock-off of the Shure SM-58S instrument mic (below in table), and we mean this in the nicest possible way. The Shure SM-58 is considered one of the best vocal mics out there. We feel it's honestly hard to tell the difference between this product and the Shure product. Amazing quality and performance for the price. This is the version of the mic with an on/off switch. The switch can be handy in JamKazam sessions if you want to make noise and not have it come through the mic, but you can also mute your mic through the JamKazam app. This is really a matter of personal preference. |
| GLS ES-58 | USD$25 Amazon Link | This dynamic mic is basically a knock-off of the Shure SM-58-LC instrument mic (below in table), and we mean this in the nicest possible way. The Shure SM-58 is considered one of the best vocal mics out there. We feel it's honestly hard to tell the difference between this product and the Shure product. Amazing quality and performance for the price. This is the version of the mic without an on/off switch. Some singers prefer this model because they can't accidentally turn off the volume to the mic while handling it. |
| AmazonBasics Vocal Microphone | USD$22 Amazon Link | This dynamic mic is a good option if you're looking for a very inexpensive option for talking with other musicians in your session, and perhaps singing backing vocals. For about $20, you get both the microphone and the cable to connect the mic to your audio interface, which is a darned good deal. And the quality is actually surprisingly good on this mic. |
| Shure SM-58-LC | USD$100 Amazon Link | This dynamic mic is a classic, well-regarded, high-quality vocal microphone. You'll find this microphone in use in clubs and venues around the world more often than any other mic. This is the version of the mic without an on/off switch. Some singers prefer this model because they can't accidentally turn off the volume to the mic while handling it. |
| Shure SM-58S | USD$100 Amazon Link | This dynamic mic is a classic, well-regarded, high-quality vocal microphone. You'll find this microphone in use in clubs and venues around the world more often than any other mic. This is the version of the mic with an on/off switch. The switch can be handy in JamKazam sessions if you want to make noise and not have it come through the mic, but you can also mute your mic through the JamKazam app. This is really a matter of personal preference. |