Sennheiser MK4

I'm fussy with mics, owned loads of high end and vintage but sold most of them now as I use the MK4 pretty much all the time now for vocals. Although you can of course use it for instruments, I have other choices. For me it stays on the high stand for vocals. It's got a fantastic resolution and detail, it's very robust. It's a heavy chunky cast body microphone. This must be for limiting resonances and it needs a decent stand so it won't fall over. The grill is top notch quality also. I've never used the suspension mount as I found that the supplied mount is sufficient and very easy to work with. I can't speak highly enough of the mic, in its price range I find it astounding value. I've been slowly over the years, turned into a Sennheiser kind of guy. I've had many other mics but Sennheiser are just no thrills quality. I'd buy the Mk8 but I really don't need it. However if you can live with just the cardioid pattern and use the desk for filters, this mic is a great choice. Since I bought it I've sold a few vintage large diaphragm mics as I no longer feel I can justify them when age risks failure.