The perfect Mic for Vocals - Page 2

rblake80 · #16 (**permalink**) 24th July 2008 , 11:14 AM

Have a SE 5600 and can vouch for its adaptability in the studio.
Another mic that I own is a CAD Trion 8000. Probably also worth considering... a great mic for the money! Even better when you get rid of the dodgy supplied chinese tube and replace it with a vintage mullard! A great vintage sounding mic... well worth checking out!

Cruiserman · #17 (**permalink**) 24th July 2008 , 11:20 AM

The Rode is a great suggestion but if you can just find a little extra cash I can recommend the Neuman TLM103 - a fabulous all round mic and wonderful for vocals and acoustic instruments.

dickiefunk · #18 (**permalink**) 25th July 2008 , 03:50 PM

What preamp are you using?
The Shure SM7b and EV RE20 need a LOT of gain. If your preamp isn't up to scratch then you may be better off with a condenser mic.

I noticed that the CAD M177 is only £79 on the DV websie which is a bargain! This is quite a neutral sounding mic - not overly bright or dark and is good on a wide range of sources! I wouldn't get the Rode NT-1a because this is a very bright sounding mic and I've found can sound harsh and piercing on certain vocalists. I was able to cure some of that with mic position but I wouldn't recommend it as a go to vocal mic.

Others I like for vocals are :-

Audio Technica 4033 , 4040, 4047, 4050
SE2200a, Z3300a
Rode K2
M-Audio Sputnik
Oktava MK319 with Joly Mod

One major factor to be aware of is the room you're recording in! A decent mic in a poor room will sound poor. If you don't have acoustic treatment then I'd invest in this first.

Out of the mics I mentioned the Audio Technica 4050, Rode K2 and Oktava MK319 modded are my favorites for all round applications.

saxman · #19 (**permalink**) 25th July 2008 , 04:21 PM

I use a T.bone SC900 large diaphragm studio condenser to record my silky smooth and powerful baritone vocals

The T.bone was recommended to by Howard Turner of Studio Wizard - Browser Redirect
He said that for vocals the Neumann was the best and that the T.bone was a damn good Chinese copy of the Neumann. Good for those on a limited budget.

T-Bone SCT2000 & Retro Tube

the t.bone SCT800 | Dancetech

dickiefunk · #20 (**permalink**) 25th July 2008 , 04:36 PM

Some of the T.Bone mics are ok but I still prefer AT 4050 as an all round mic.

Tonymiro · #21 (**permalink**) 28th July 2008 , 11:23 AM

Neuman TLM103.

There was an interesting article in SoS recently in their Q&A section - sorry can't remember which issue. It considered if/why mics cost different amounts of money. From what I recall one of the conclusions was that an expensive mic provides neutrality from which you can then add your 'sound'. As they are neutral they are engineered to sound good with as wide a range a material as possible. (Or if not good at least true to source.) Mid-range mics have a more clearly defined 'personal characteristic' which may work really well for some material and not for others. Because of that I'd go with the 2nd hand Neuman.

Malius · #22 (**permalink**) 30th July 2008 , 02:15 PM

I have both a Z560IIa and a C214, I've yet to do a comparative recording, but once I do I will post my feelings on these mics. I've used the Z560 on vocal recordings before and it does the job, but the AKG is legendary (well the 414 it is derived from)

TrevCircleStudios · #23 (**permalink**) 11th November 2008 , 09:32 PM

Ooh. How did I miss this one first time...! Quite a bit of good info on the post already but also some misinformation. If I'm necro-posting please ignore. Right first off, as I've said elsewhere, it's pretty difficult to find a budget microphone that will work with a wide range of voices so it's worth thinking a little more about what you want. If you had a higher budget then you might go for something that's known to work reasonably well on most things (the Neumann U87 for example fits right in this category - it's downside is it isn't really brilliant on anything). A low budget means working harder to find something that will work more often.

Do you tend to record women vocalists more often than men for example? If so a clone of a 251 of some sortmight work for you. The Peluso 2251 for example often pops up on evil bay or over on GS around the £500 mark. If you can't stretch to this the Rode NT2a and the M-Audio Solaris are both very good budget options but it is worth getting a hold of both and trying them if you possibly can. It might even be worth buying one of each on evil bay and then flogging on the one that doesn't work for you.

As mentioned above the king of the budget mic is probably the Shure SM7. The only problem with this sweet little mic is that you really do need a good pre with lots of clean gain to run it. An RNP is really at the bottom end of what will work with this baby. And while it's a lovely warm mic and handles screamers with aplomb (obviously a pop shiled is important here), it isn't an airy mic. As as additional pluss though, if you don't have a decent sounding room, a dynamic such as the SM7 will pick up less room sound.

Hope this all makes sense and, as ever, YMMV.

modz1 · #24 (**permalink**) 12th November 2008 , 09:41 AM

Thanks for topping this up Trev - will be able to try a few of these options out soon no doubt

TrevCircleStudios · #25 (**permalink**) 12th November 2008 , 09:26 PM

Just tell me when you wanna book the time and we'll spend the day testing em!

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#16 (permalink) 24th July 2008 , 11:14 AM
rblake80 Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1	Throwing something else in Have a SE 5600 and can vouch for its adaptability in the studio. Another mic that I own is a CAD Trion 8000. Probably also worth considering... a great mic for the money! Even better when you get rid of the dodgy supplied chinese tube and replace it with a vintage mullard! A great vintage sounding mic... well worth checking out!
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#17 (permalink) 24th July 2008 , 11:20 AM
Cruiserman Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Truro Posts: 4	The Rode is a great suggestion but if you can just find a little extra cash I can recommend the Neuman TLM103 - a fabulous all round mic and wonderful for vocals and acoustic instruments. ______________________________ Check out the new CD Booboo
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#18 (permalink) 25th July 2008 , 03:50 PM
dickiefunk Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 60	http://forums.dv247.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=1659 What preamp are you using? The Shure SM7b and EV RE20 need a LOT of gain. If your preamp isn't up to scratch then you may be better off with a condenser mic. I noticed that the CAD M177 is only £79 on the DV websie which is a bargain! This is quite a neutral sounding mic - not overly bright or dark and is good on a wide range of sources! I wouldn't get the Rode NT-1a because this is a very bright sounding mic and I've found can sound harsh and piercing on certain vocalists. I was able to cure some of that with mic position but I wouldn't recommend it as a go to vocal mic. Others I like for vocals are :- Audio Technica 4033 , 4040, 4047, 4050 SE2200a, Z3300a Rode K2 M-Audio Sputnik Oktava MK319 with Joly Mod One major factor to be aware of is the room you're recording in! A decent mic in a poor room will sound poor. If you don't have acoustic treatment then I'd invest in this first. Out of the mics I mentioned the Audio Technica 4050, Rode K2 and Oktava MK319 modded are my favorites for all round applications.
Offline

#23 (permalink) 11th November 2008 , 09:32 PM
TrevCircleStudios Mic Check 1! Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: England Posts: 830	Ooh. How did I miss this one first time...! Quite a bit of good info on the post already but also some misinformation. If I'm necro-posting please ignore. Right first off, as I've said elsewhere, it's pretty difficult to find a budget microphone that will work with a wide range of voices so it's worth thinking a little more about what you want. If you had a higher budget then you might go for something that's known to work reasonably well on most things (the Neumann U87 for example fits right in this category - it's downside is it isn't really brilliant on anything). A low budget means working harder to find something that will work more often. Do you tend to record women vocalists more often than men for example? If so a clone of a 251 of some sortmight work for you. The Peluso 2251 for example often pops up on evil bay or over on GS around the £500 mark. If you can't stretch to this the Rode NT2a and the M-Audio Solaris are both very good budget options but it is worth getting a hold of both and trying them if you possibly can. It might even be worth buying one of each on evil bay and then flogging on the one that doesn't work for you. As mentioned above the king of the budget mic is probably the Shure SM7. The only problem with this sweet little mic is that you really do need a good pre with lots of clean gain to run it. An RNP is really at the bottom end of what will work with this baby. And while it's a lovely warm mic and handles screamers with aplomb (obviously a pop shiled is important here), it isn't an airy mic. As as additional pluss though, if you don't have a decent sounding room, a dynamic such as the SM7 will pick up less room sound. Hope this all makes sense and, as ever, YMMV. ______________________________ You can't polish a turd! (unless it's a jettsetty and urbane one!)
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#19 (permalink) 25th July 2008 , 04:21 PM
saxman Round The Horn Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Morden, Surrey Posts: 576	I use a T.bone SC900 large diaphragm studio condenser to record my silky smooth and powerful baritone vocals The T.bone was recommended to by Howard Turner of Studio Wizard - Browser Redirect He said that for vocals the Neumann was the best and that the T.bone was a damn good Chinese copy of the Neumann. Good for those on a limited budget. T-Bone SCT2000 & Retro Tube the t.bone SCT800 \| Dancetech
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#20 (permalink) 25th July 2008 , 04:36 PM
dickiefunk Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 60	Some of the T.Bone mics are ok but I still prefer AT 4050 as an all round mic.
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#21 (permalink) 28th July 2008 , 11:23 AM
Tonymiro Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 12	Neuman TLM103. There was an interesting article in SoS recently in their Q&A section - sorry can't remember which issue. It considered if/why mics cost different amounts of money. From what I recall one of the conclusions was that an expensive mic provides neutrality from which you can then add your 'sound'. As they are neutral they are engineered to sound good with as wide a range a material as possible. (Or if not good at least true to source.) Mid-range mics have a more clearly defined 'personal characteristic' which may work really well for some material and not for others. Because of that I'd go with the 2nd hand Neuman.
Offline

#22 (permalink) 30th July 2008 , 02:15 PM
Malius Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: London Posts: 56	I have both a Z560IIa and a C214, I've yet to do a comparative recording, but once I do I will post my feelings on these mics. I've used the Z560 on vocal recordings before and it does the job, but the AKG is legendary (well the 414 it is derived from)
Offline

#24 (permalink) 12th November 2008 , 09:41 AM
modz1 Administrator Join Date: May 2008 Location: London Posts: 836	Thanks for topping this up Trev - will be able to try a few of these options out soon no doubt ______________________________ *"The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long.."*
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#25 (permalink) 12th November 2008 , 09:26 PM
TrevCircleStudios Mic Check 1! Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: England Posts: 830	Just tell me when you wanna book the time and we'll spend the day testing em! ______________________________ You can't polish a turd! (unless it's a jettsetty and urbane one!)
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