Sibilence & Bright Cymbals

[guinsu]

I've been using AKG 414XL-IIs for my main vocal mic and for overheads. They work great on my setup, I specifically chose cymbals that weren't too bright. Now I am running into a problem with a very sibilent singer and a drum kit with a lot of bright cymbals. None of it sounds awful, but I'd like it to sound better. I was thinking a different mic choice might be in order, perhaps a ribbon mic? I'd like something with a more flattering high end. I love the 414 with other musicians but I think I can do better with this band.

[My Name]

Before you splash out on the new mics, experiment with your mic placement first. The unflattering high end on the cymbals may be due to the hight of the symbals, compared to what you have recorded before, and reflections of walls and sielings etc.

[Innovations]

Originally Posted by guinsu

I've been using AKG 414XL-IIs for my main vocal mic and for overheads. They work great on my setup, I specifically chose cymbals that weren't too bright. Now I am running into a problem with a very sibilent singer and a drum kit with a lot of bright cymbals. None of it sounds awful, but I'd like it to sound better. I was thinking a different mic choice might be in order, perhaps a ribbon mic? I'd like something with a more flattering high end. I love the 414 with other musicians but I think I can do better with this band.

Why not first see what you can get by just EQing down the primary frequencies of the sibialence and cymbals? I know it may seem like heresy around here, but not everything has to require another gear purchase.

[guinsu]

Originally Posted by Innovations

Why not first see what you can get by just EQing down the primary frequencies of the sibialence and cymbals? I know it may seem like heresy around here, but not everything has to require another gear purchase.

Lol you are absolutely right, I will defintiely experiment with the EQ option, I always just try my best to make things sound right in the room and as I record then mixing mostly takes care of itself. I just wanted to make sure I was using the right tool for the job, since the 414 is my only nice vocal mic.

[mrface2112]

i'd see if the drummer wouldn't be averse to using your cymbals--tell him that he'd get an overall better finished project using different cymbals. some cymbals are better suited for live gigs and some are better suited for recording. for instance, i prefer zildjian a's for gigs and k's for recording....and avoid Z's like the plague.

as for the singer, experiment with placement--maybe have the singer sing off axis (more across the mic rather than straight-on). or it could just not be the right mic for the singer--not all mics work on all voices.


cheers,
wade