Small Diaphram Vocal Mic Suggestions

Bob's Mods said:
The Behringer mic, well I don't know. That one is really cheap and there is always something wanting in Behringer gear...
Click to expand...
I'd stay away from it. A friend of mine whose opinion I trust highly, said it wasn't any good and was very difficult to take apart for modifications.
 
The reviewer on Har-Cent didn't say anything about a noise problem. He did talk about how sensitive they are. This doesn't seem to be a very popular mic as there is really nothing on the web about it.

As far as dynamic mics are concerned, I'm always open to having my mind changed when facts dictate. So far, I'm not convinced that dynamics can compete with the clarity of a decent condenser. Are there any that can?
 
Bob's Mods said:
I do remember trying the MC012 in the past as I did own one. The poping on it was real bad. If I remember correctly, it sounded kinda boxy. Its been some time though with that one as I was not really thinking to use it as a vocal mic. A friend I know has one. Maybe I'll borrow his and give it another go.
The 4033 suggestion looks real interesting to me. Medium diaphram would be fine too.
The Behringer mic, well I don't know. That one is really cheap and there is always something wanting in Behringer gear. Their stuff never quite goes all the way.
I'm looking for an open, defined, but not overly bright vocal mic that doesn't sound boxy and accurately captures my voice. Many of the ones I have tried can sound boxy and a little fuzzy in the high end (lack of definition, maybe premature high end roll off). Even with the mods I do to improve quality, I just can't seem to make a great high end studio mic (a silk purse) out of audiophile gear (a sow's ear). The M9 is my best modded mic to date. It's on the edge of greatness.
I can record intruments and amps well but when it comes to vocals, they seem to be more of a pain to get them to sound open and natural like those recorded in good studios with expensive gear.
Exploring the rehlm of pencil mics/small/medium diaphrams opens a new avenue. Maybe the right one, tweeked the right way, will deliver performance thats many times more than the time and money invested.
Click to expand...

If you like the M9, perhaps try the CAD VSM, or better yet, check out the CAD VX2. Both are higher grade CAD mics, particularly the VX2, their (now unfortunatley discontinued) flagship mic. The VX2 is certainly "open, defined, but not overly bright vocal mic that doesn't sound boxy", among other positive attributes.
 
I borrowed an Octava MC012 from a friend and tried a vocal demo with it. Its one of the best vocal demos I've done so far. For such an inexpensive mic it does seem to record vocals quite respectably. Its still a little fuzzy in the high end but the detail and accuracy of my voice more than makes up for that short coming. I expected it to have the tunnel effect (which may be off axis colorization) - but it did not. The vocal seems to stand out in the mix with better clarity.
Although the focus is not on using small diaphrams for vocals, I think they could be real contenders.
 
The demo was so good that I have to rethink this. I've never opened one and I know there is limited room inside for anything but the smallest components.
Swapping the ceramic for a polystyrene is similar to selling your Chevette for a Corvette in the car world.
 
Here's a crazy thought. I'm wondering if you are comparing the sound you are getting to commercial releases. AFAIK, most commercial releases you'll be hearing have the vocal compressed pretty solidly. I'd take the microphone you think gets closest to what you are wanting, and try some different compressors and eq to see if that's what you are looking for to produce the final sheen.

Another microphone option is the Neumann 103. This may capture closer to what you are looking for.

-lee-
 
i have had some jazz clients select the AKG C391b as a vocal mic. seems they use those on stage a lot, and are very familiar with it. it was surprisingly strong and clean. i have also used a km184 very effectively as a vocal mic -huge sounding due to its somewhat pronounced proximity effect.
 
As I research small diaphram condensor mics I get the impression that there is much more bang for the buck than with LDCs. I am only guessing at this early stage that a 500 buck small diaphram seems to be eqivalent to a 1000 buck LDC. Roughly guessing that is. You can have a well regarded studio standard AKG C451B for 320 on ebay. Another quality studio mic, the Shure SM81 sells for 300+ on ebay. I think a comparable LDC would sell for more than two times that amount. Small diaphrams can do a lot of the same work at LDCs except maybe mic a bass.
I'm just figureing this out. If you're thinking of picking up a LDC you may want to look at high grade small diaphrams for comparison.

Bob
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top