Time for a new mic?

andrushkiwt

Well-known member
If you guys heard my music, then all the better. I have new monitors, which I'm loving, and I think the weak link now is my $99 condenser mic. I believe I've made good use of it, and I usually get comp's on my vocals, but I wonder if a better mic would make it all the better.

I'm thinking SM7B...? Untreated room, though I use heavy padding in my walk-in closet...lots of blankets/comforters, pillows, and stuffing things into corners and on walls, when I sing in there.

Thoughts?
 
You can probably just get a nicer capsule for that $99 mic and mod it. It will depend to some degree on the basket type. Which model is it? If it has a nice open basket then just mod the capsule. They are almost always the weak link in the cheap Chinese mics. Sometimes if the basket isn't an open design (i.e. if it has a lot of mesh wiring trapping/bouncing the waves around) that can be an issue, too.

I do believe a better capsule will help with the high end/brittleness of the Chinese mic.
 
I have a 55 and for my vocals it stays in the pouch. I purchased a Rhodes, NT2-A and really like it. I bought the 2A for its flexibility. But if you don't need the options, the 1A would be a good choice.
 
Jesus Christ, it's even cheaper now.

Sterling Audio ST51 Large Diaphragm FET Condenser Microphone | Guitar Center

I don't know anything about that. That's all new to me. I'll check that out.

That basket looks a bit congested but not awful, so I think capsule replacement might be the cheapest and best option. You should be able to find one for $50-100 and the mic will be transformed. I like more open baskets b/c you don't get standing waves bouncing around in them as much. Yeah just google it and you will see how to replace a capsule and where to buy high quality replacements. China skimps on capsules but the rest of the mic is almost always fine.
 
Dude you're just suffering from GAS :eek: Gear Acquisition Syndrome...

You are a bad ass songwriter, musician and singer and a new mic may give you something but it ain't something you need IMO ..You're Vocals are REALLY good, You're tunes are REALLY good...maybe someone that really knows their shit doing a final mix and mastering on them might make them sound "better" but you are putting out a pro product already...You don't "NEED" a better mic...You need an fricking agent and a record deal damnit!
 
Dude you're just suffering from GAS :eek: Gear Acquisition Syndrome...

You are a bad ass songwriter, musician and singer and a new mic may give you something but it ain't something you need IMO ..You're Vocals are REALLY good, You're tunes are REALLY good...maybe someone that really knows their shit doing a final mix and mastering on them might make them sound "better" but you are putting out a pro product already...You don't "NEED" a better mic...You need an fricking agent and a record deal damnit!

I have to agree with this one 100%.

Only way for him to improve is to take it to the next level, and that is more than just a mic can do :)
 
Dude you're just suffering from GAS :eek: Gear Acquisition Syndrome...

Damnit. No, I just imagine them being a particular way, and the amount of editing/processing I have to do to get it close is time consuming and a PITA. It's a de-esser before the first compressor, one after, and another on the bus, and two EQ's, etc... It's more to get the sound I want from the start (or close to it) rather than spending an entire day on vocal editing and processing. And then there's the stuff a better mic can give me that I can't get with this one. Warmth. Real clarity.

I appreciate the kind words though, that means a lot.
 
If you’ve got the money or credit limit, order a few and return what you don’t like, maybe all of them. It’s really the only way to decide.

I was looking at the SM7b but because it needed a preamp in most uses I shied away from it. But, I ended up with a preamp anyway, and between that and a new mic I do save a lot of time. YMMV of course, but an analog preamp that maybe does a minuscule amount of compression, coupled with a mic that has a smoother response curve can help. (And a dynamic might let you out of the closet.)

I ended up with a Miktek MK300. I think I’d want to try a RØDE NT-1 these days and you should include the Shure and maybe RE-20 if you’ve got the budget for a preamp. At least having made the tests, ideally side-by-side in your space, you’ll understand what makes a difference and what doesn’t.
 
I appreciate perfectionism and I get that maybe a "better" mic might make it a little easier to get the sound you are shooting for... I guess I'd look at professional singers that you think you sound like / want to sound like and research what they most commonly use...Based on that study you can narrow down your options that fit within your budget.

TBH I have found my 30 year old sm57's to be quite nice for my liking and made the choice to use them many years ago because knuckleheads like John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix often liked them for vocals over pricier mics.. Of course a nice pre-amp goes a looooong way to...

Here's a recent article touting the sm57 Two Critically-Acclaimed Albums That Were Recorded On a $100
Microphone


Here's a fun thread at HR.com on the SM57 and 58

and

one at Gearslutz
 
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If you are going to use a dynamic or a ribbon, the 2i2 may not have enough gain or may get noisy when cranked all the way. A cheaper solution would be to buy a Cloudlifter CL-1 (about $150), which is a phantom powered preamp that goes between the mike and your current preamp and gives you another 20 db of ultra-clean gain so you won't have to replace your current preamp. I would second the idea of getting a RØDE NT-1. It is a very quiet and neutral microphone that comes with shockmount and pop-filter.
 
take a look at a CAD GXL2200 ...they are "inexpensive " and cost not much more than a new capsule 120.00 US dollars give or take... i actually own one and have used it it on vocals, acoustic and on electric guitar amps... vocal response on it is very warm,full bodied with a mild upper mid/high presence not unsimilar to a U87 ... can ya tell difference between a 120 and a 3000 mic? most assuredly ...however who has the beans to fork out every day for a neuman... both these songs all vocals were done with the GXL2200 preamped from my Mackie 24x8 console ( very little eq ) into Windows 7 sonar 8.5 via my Motu 828mk3 ... from an open room on the vocals ...mind you i'm not the greatest singer but this came out very clean with the CAD mic...:listeningmusic: :guitar:

THE PEARL by KevHenderson | Kev Henderson | Free Listening on SoundCloud
FALLING OUT OF FEAR WITH YOU by KevHenderson | Kev Henderson | Free Listening on SoundCloud
 
Fetheads are better than cloudlifters and they're cheaper, if you do go that route.
 
I know I've mentioned this to you before, but the Slate Virtual Microphone System (VMS) is sick. Watch a few videos on it if you haven't yet. It's $999, and I'm not sure what you're looking to dish out, but you get an awesome, super high quality condenser, and a killer mic pre with it. You also get the software, which allows you to choose between 5 or 6 awesome mic simulations of the most famous mics out there; a 47, a C-12, an SMB7, etc... and most importantly, it just sounds fantastic. Just run the mic pre through your 2i2, with the 2i2's pre's turned almost all the way down.

Cool thing too is you can record a vocal track, and audition the different mic settings; meaning you're not stuck with the setting you recorded with. Watch a few vids on it on YouTube to check it out, there's quite a few. I bought it 6 months ago, one of the best purchases I've made in a long time.
 
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