rogerwilco said:
...it seemed like I got most of the presence of the C1 by cranking up the high frequencies a bit...
Cranking up the highs on a C1 thru a Mackie!!!!
Yeesh!!
I don't wish to be rude, but I the one thing a C1 doesn't need is more highs.... especially through a Mackie! I've used a C1 through a Mackie and even with the EQ set flat it was the most 'edgy' out of several pres I ran it through, including a Neve, Sytek and some custom built pres... which, to be fair, is to be expected as these all cost a lot more than my entire 1402 VLZ PRO! Over eq'd highs can give the impression of more clarity, but more often than not, can lead to listening fatigue. Be careful boosting high eq... especially on already bright sounding mics.
...And what is more important to a vocal mic--good mids or good highs? Thanks.
It depends entirely on the characteristics of the source material you are recording. For instance I wouldn't want to record Kate Bush with a C1 through a Mackie with the hi-end eq boosted.
It depends of course how many different sounding mics you have a your disposal. If your source is particularly dark then maybe try a bright sounding mic to give it some presence. If the opposite is true, al-la Kate Bush singing 'Wuthering Heights', then a smoother less 'hyped' sounding mic could be the ticket.
It depends what you mic will predominantly used for. While male vocals are generally easier to record than female vocals even they can vary substantially in their characteristics. If the mic is mainly just for yourself then, by all means, be self indulgent a choose something that suits YOU. However if you plan on recording a wide variety of singers, and can't afford an arsenal of mics for all occassions, then I'd be looking for a good quality fairly neutral sounding mic that can be adapted to the situation with judicious use of a little EQ.
The C1 can sound excellent on the right material but like any mic with a particular type of coloration, that can also be it's downfall on the wrong kind of material. This is NOT a criticism... it's just the nature of every bit of gear in the recording signal chain... horses for courses!
I haven't had experience with the Rode so I can't comment on that.
YMMV.
Cheers
P.S. The Studio Projects B3 or the more expensive C3 are both multi-pattern versions and are some what less colored than the C1. The B3 especially is quite neutral but still is an excellent mic for the money. If you purchased a LD multi-pattern mic, and a smaller capsule cardioid mic, you could cover a wide variety of recording situations, including MS (mid-side) recording which is an excellent technique for recording acoustic guitars. A smaller capsule mic is generally more suitable for acoustics than a LD mic.
