How to choose what's best for my voice?

[greenfeld69]

Hey all

I am in a tough position whereby I almost exclusively have to rely on internet purchases for my gear.

Last year, I upgraded from a Behringer B1 to a Neumann TLM-103 for use on my vocals and sometimes acoustic guitar. I read a LOT of great reviews and it was rated well for voice. Sadly, I am seeing no huge improvement and there's a leap of £500 in price between the two! I am also now using a Metric Halo Mobile I/O rather than a £50 soundcard.

I guess it comes down to finding a mic that's right for my voice but, without going into a store and trying lots of different mics, is there any way to see which mic will work best on my voice (frequency response or whatever)?

Any ideas welcome!

Steve

[lasagne]

Can you find a place where you can rent mics ? Or alternatively, find a studio that has a good range of mics for you to try out. You'll need to pay for the priveledge, but if you're spending big bucks on a Neumann I think it would be a good investment.

On the other hand, I don't actually know anything, so my opinion is pretty much worthless

[elementary]

Where abouts are you recording your vocals? The room in which you record will usually affect the quality of your recordings more than the microphone.
Get some rigid fibreglass or rockwool and build some frames and stands and make yourself a sort of vocal booth in which to record and this should give you a more direct, precise sound. Try something like this maybe? http://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=242234

Even try hanging some thick blankets around you?

If your room is treated I apologise for the worthless post

[greenfeld69]

It's a small room, 7ft by 7ft pretty much. I've used some good acoustic foam in places, including some on the ceiling. I also have an SE Reflexion filter.

[Nate74]

What is it about the current results you're looking to change? That might get you/us pointed in the right direction as far as advice... maybe.

[chessrock]

Yes.

Buy used. Get a paypal account and register on ebay if you haven't already.

Buy 3 or 4 mics at a time. Try them all out ... keep the one you like best and sell the rest.

Repeat.

If you're smart, you might even make money on the deal. And at the very least, you won't lose a whole heck of a lot. Maybe 10 or 20 bucks.

.

[Robert D]

It's been my experience that there's no direct correlation between the price tag of a mic, and whether it will match a given voice. Also, I have never found a mic that matches any 1 singer on every song, unless they are doing very consistant style and arrangements, which is pretty boring. However, I have certainly seen mics, good ones, that are always wrong for a certain voice. I've sang through a 103 a couple of times. One time it was brilliant, the other time it was.... too brilliant.
I've long advocated a repository here for all the various mic shootouts that have been posted. I think they become valuable given enough cases to extrapolate trends. Try searching for them and listening for characteristics that match your particulars, and that may help to at least narrow it down. In the end though, it's pretty hard to impossible to nail it on the first try or two without getting to audition mics first.

[thajeremy]

Originally Posted by chessrock

Yes.

Buy used. Get a paypal account and register on ebay if you haven't already.

Buy 3 or 4 mics at a time. Try them all out ... keep the one you like best and sell the rest.

Repeat.

If you're smart, you might even make money on the deal. And at the very least, you won't lose a whole heck of a lot. Maybe 10 or 20 bucks.

.

This is my theory as well...the only problem is that I dont like to get rid of what I dont like....is that bad??? does that make me a mic slut? I dont really have any HIGH END mics....other than the Joly modded 319 that I purchased dirt cheap from Chessrock....

[thajeremy]

just to clear things up about the mic I purchased from Chessrock...it wasnt Joly modded when I got it from him.....is now though...

[warlock110]

the buy/resale is a very very risky idea, it might work but it might not, i personally have a hunch about buying used tech, not that i'm against it, but the feeling of buying used tech is alot of pressure, the most i would go for is refurbished, I have heard too many bad stories with ebay and such that it's very hard for me to buy something used unless i know the person myself. Maybe that's just paranoid and not everyone acts the same way. The conclusion is that it might be a bit hard to sell those stuff back after u tried them.

What i normally do is set a budget, and start doing group work of the good mics in the rage, then just close your eyes and take a pick.

[lapieuvre]

I tried the TLM-103 and was dissapointed too... I prefered the AT4040.

Once again, depends on the voice.