Advice on Buying a vocal condenser Mic

J

jpb123

New member
Hi , I make backing tracks in my studio for lots of singers . Recently however I keep getting asked if it's possible if these artists can come and record there vocals at my studio to put on a cd to sell at gigs.

I'm fine with the recording bit.......it's just the mic , I really need a mic that will give decent results for various different styles of singers !!

I know that you should match the mic to the singer but what if you don't know who the singer is ???

I really only want to buy 1 decent " Budget " LDC at the moment untill I know if this business sideline will pay off ,

Can anyone give me any clues as which mics to look at that will give me a decent sound on lots of different vocalsits I have no-one near that sells these and I dont want a super bright NT1A !!!

John
 
Thanks Moresound , I bought an ISK BM700 from Mics Direct here in the UK , the guy there recommended a few but this was the chapest,

It's great, much better than a NT1A no harshness and plenty of gain.

Plus at £79 by tommorrow when I record the 2nd singer it will have paid for itself 4 times over:thumbs up:
 
....I forgot to mention that , whether your comment was in jest or sarcastic you still make a very valid point , with the amount of " Cheap " gear around these days you can spend forever weighing up pro's and cons and which is best etc , I find it best to just jump in and get your feet wet at least I'll be recording and making money !!

I know far too many people who have way way better gear than me but can't even play me any of there recordings because they are waiting to buy a new pre-amp that will totally transform there sound before they will even record anything................Very Sad !!:confused:
 
No ..... The SM7b will be one of the vocal microphones that you'll have to have on your locker as well as about a half a dozen others.





;)
 
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I've always been intrigued by the ISK and RoXdon mics on said site but never known anyone who's used them. After reading this and then going through their websites and various other threads i'm even more intrigued.

Let us know how you get on with it/post some clips if you can :)
 
I don't own 414s but I've used them quite a bit.
I have to admit they'd be on my shopping list if I wasn't always broke.
 
I'm gonna go with the AKG perception 220 or if you have the cash the 820, two lovely mics, the 220 has a darker quality than the NT1-A I find :)
 
Just one man's experience, but I have a 414, a Peluso 47 clone, a U87, RE-20's, Sm7b and a Blue Kiwi in the locker at the office. Moresound is right, I need and use them all depending on the voice. I do have to say that the one budget type mic that seemed to work well on everything for me is a Blue Baby Bottle. Highly recommend checking it out. In fact, I did a complete acoustic record with just that mic. Acoustic guitar, mando, male and female vocals. More recently I did a demo with a client just using that mic. Here it is. Run Honey Run by Elton Clifton on SoundCloud - Hear the world
 
Hey Elton 123 that sounds great , I like the sound of the vox when I'm upgrading I'll have a look at the baby bottle !!

Justsomeguy , I can post clips but they are covers and I'm not sure of the copyright laws on here !!
As far as the BM700 is concerned I think it's great and , if you're after a budget mic it's really worth checking, where I got mine from the guy was great , he tested it before sending it and really gave an honest description , it comes with a shiny case , a clamp ,a foam windshield ( not a screen ) and an xlr lead , the lead is useable.....not neutrik connectors but still worth having.

Incidently ISK do a bottle copy that the guy raved about called an RM he said it would really be a keeper , I will get one of these next !!

If you want clips let me know !!

John
 
It's so hard. If your clients are rockers then I would agree with SM7b. If they're Irish folk singers, probably not. I also like the Baby Bottle. For guys, I've had my best luck with AKG C2000b (good on most stuff- an under-appreciated gem) and MXL V67g. For girls- hands down- Oktava Mk319. Another unappreciated vocal gem is AKG C535, a handheld dynamic intended for stage use.
 
Richard Monroe said:
I confess I'm not a big fan of the 3000B. I think there are better choices in that price range. The 2000B is a whole different ball game. It's a keeper.
Click to expand...

This has caught my eye. I'm the first to admit that i'm also not a huge fan of the C3000b (they're ok but in the price range there are much better mics imo), and this is about the millionth time i've heard that the C2000 is awesome. I've usually been "yeah yeah, i don't like the C1000 or the C3000 so why should the C2000 be any good?", but to hear it from the mouth of someone who seems to have my taste in mic's I'm much more intrigued than i was by the C2000.
 
Ask Moresound. I turned him onto this underappreciated Swiss-army mic, and he agrees with me. It's ruler flat, with just a little bit of color, like an Oktava MC012, but without the pop and good for vocals, as well as a ton of other stuff. Good on acoustic and percussion, it shines on cabs. For the record, I don't think 3000B is a "bad" mic, it just wouldn't be my first choice in that price range (or my second, for that matter). As far as the C1000S goes, I'm sure it makes a fine marital aid, nightstick, doorstopper, or paperweight.
 
lol, yeah i've seen moresound recommend C2000's on more than one occasion :) I'm gonna see if i can find someone locally who has one i can try whilst keeping an eye on evilbay just in case one should pop up.

Oh, and don't get me wrong, the C3000b is far from being a "bad" mic. We have 3 at work (i think we had four but one gone nicked or broken before i started. the box is there, the mic is not) and for about five years we used them alot, especially for acoustic guitars, bass amps, and drum overheads (although rarely for vocals) Then, i think mainly to stop me moaning about not having any at work, work finally picked up an sEZ3300a for about the same price as the C3000b and people's opinion of the C3000's dropped a lot. Since then we added a pair of sE2200a's and the C3000's now mainly just gather dust, although one sometimes makes an appearance for bass amps and the occasional electric guitar room mic.

And, although i'm pretty sure i've had this conversation with yourself involved before on another thread a while back, we still haven't found a job the C1000's are good for. As a door stop they won't wedge and aren't heavy enough to keep a door open. As a paperweight they just roll off. Even as a nightstick they aren't as effective as an SM58. They made an ok rounders bat, but only if the ball was a tennis ball and your aim was very, very good :D
 
Justsomeguy said:
And, although i'm pretty sure i've had this conversation with yourself involved before on another thread a while back, we still haven't found a job the C1000's are good for. As a door stop they won't wedge and aren't heavy enough to keep a door open. As a paperweight they just roll off. Even as a nightstick they aren't as effective as an SM58. They made an ok rounders bat, but only if the ball was a tennis ball and your aim was very, very good :D
Click to expand...

The "failure to wedge" is a known fault with the C1000s but, if you do some Googling, you'll find there's a known modification you can do (involving a sledge hammer at the capsule end that really improves the wedgeability performance.

More seriously, I note you mention a couple of my favourite sE electronics mics. I'll +1 both of these. Frankly, more and more of the mics in my kit are becoming sE brand and I've been impressed by the performance-for-the-money of most of them. If anyone lives in a place where they can take advantage of the one week free trial policy sE has I suggest they try a few.
 
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