Decent mic for females

[artCROSS]

I just opened my recording abilities to the general public, and now I have people asking me to record them singing solo...most of them female. Now, I feel bad, having them entrust me with all their creative juices and representation and what not, to just stick a SP B1 or MXLv67 in front of them. Especially if they're paying me. So I think it's about time I upgraded.

I was thinking about getting a new preamp as well. Right now I'm just using the firepod (or will be soon). Would it be a good idea to upgrade both, or just the mic.

Looking to spend ~$500. I know its hard b/c every voice has their own characteristics and whatnot, so there's not just "one" mic...lets put it this way. If you were in my situation, what would you do? Thanks!

[scrubs]

Tough call. I would focus on getting some killer mics right now, and upgrade your pres later. $500 won't get you into the mic stratosphere, but will get you some nice stuff. Look for a used Shure KSM44. The Studio Projects T3 would be another to check out. Either of those would be a significant upgrade and would offer something different than what you have.

[boomtap]

I recorded a sweet chick vocal using a 57 and it rocked. It was at a studio that had everything I could possible want to use, and we just put it out there as a test, and wham it was sweet. Set into the mix perfect. Won't work all the time, but I love the 57.

[EVT]

Hi,
I've been looking for some mics that would be well suited for female vocals. Here are some:
ADK Hamburg or Vienna
Cad 179
MXL 69ME- mogami
Shure KSM32
Groove Tubes GT66
or
http://www.n2nproductions.com/produc...roducts_id=234
I have a safesound p1 preamp which sounds excellent on my vocal tracks.
evt

[Track Rat]

I've really liked an AT4047 on the ladies I've tried it on. It's in your price range.

[bluesguy]

I have a pretty decent mic locker - and I've found that my Audio Technica 4050 CM5 has been really good for female vocal.

Now, since I started working here at PMI, I picked up a T3 (got a pretty good deal!) and tend to pull it first when I'm working with the gals.

As stated above, there really is no "one mic for all voices".

I'd recommend taking your gal singer to a place you can hear several mics, setting 'em up and taking a listen. Then you can make an educated decision as to what sounds good to your ears.

Good luck!

[artCROSS]

Thanks for the replies...2 questions come to mind:

How is the Bluebird when it comes to female vox? I heard it's a very transparent mic, which i'm not sure if that's good for female vox.

Which brings me to my second question...what makes these mics more suitable for female vox than others? Do they emphasize certain freq, if so, which ones? do they sound fatter or thinner that others? It'd be great if i could find a new mic that would work well w/ potential female vox and my own. Thanks again.