B3 or V67G and MXL 603?

B

bluesmouse

New member
Wow, that looked like an algebra equation!
I want to get my first condenser(s) for my modest home recording studio but after reading the posts I can't decide between these two setups. I already have a Shure SM57 but I want a condenser for vocals and acoustic guitar. I am not a trained vocalist and my voice sounds quite weak and young (I am 23 and male), a bit like Brian Molko of Placebo, so I want something that is forgiving and that will give it more depth and bass I guess? If anyone has the time to listen you can hear me sing here: http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/9/stikkelbrix.html
(it would be appreciated in order to hear what I need, but I appreciate everybody's busy and the songs aren't that great anyway ;) ). Anyway, these days the vocals I am trying to do are rock (Anything from Aerosmith to Foo Fighters/Placebo etc.) with occasional ballads and blues.

Should I get a Marshall MXL V67G for the vocals and a MKL 603 for the acoustic guitar OR:
just a Studio Projects B3 for both functions?

Also, will either of the first two mics be good at capturing room ambience? I aim to record some vocals in the bathroom and I also want to mic my guitar amp with a dynamic and then put a condenser in the background to record the room sound of the amp. I just wasn't sure if they would be suitable because I thought you'd need an omni for that sort of thing.

Thanks (apologies for the length- first time I've had to apologise about that though...),
Bluesmouse.
 
Bluesmouse!

I gave a listen to some of your stuff and liked it.
After hearing your voice I'm not sure if the B3 is the best for you.
I have a B-3 and really love it,however it is a more neutral sounding mic (which is why I need it) so if you want to hype your voice a little you may want a mic with more character.
Having said that the B-3 is a wonderful all around mic and having the multipatterns is fabulous. I have found more uses for the one mic just because it is neutral and multipattern. When tracking background vocals it sounds really nice to put it in omni mode. It kind of thins it out and gives it a lot of air with no bass build up. The mic sounds good on drums / percussion and guitar amps. I have yet to use it on acoustic yet.

I understand the MXL combo will give you 2 mics to use simultaneously, so you may want to go that route.
 
Thanks Tmix, I appreciate the compliment :)
Maybe I should go for an MXL 603 for the acoustic guitar and a B3 for the vocals - that way I have a versatile large condenser. It all hinges on the trade-off between the MXL V67G and the B3 when condsidering vocals though- what does everybody think when comparing those two for vocals, is there much difference? Could I get away with using a B3?

Thanks,
Bluesmouse.
 
the v67 will give you more of what you are looking for (in my opinion) for vocals.......

it will work on acoustic also, but the 603 will be better.....
 
Blues, the quality of your performance and the room in which you record is a much bigger factor than which microphone you choose.
Have you tried any of these microphones out in person for the
various applications you want to use them for?

Also, what mic pre are you using?
If you get a good enough pre, the SM57 can be better used for
vocals too. Be sure to use a pop screen on any vocal recording.

Chris
 
Well, the room is pretty small and I can't do much to it as we also use it as a study, I plan to experiment with the bathroom too (lots of tiles). I wouldn't class myself as a very good vocalist, more of a guide track for the guitar!, I can keep in tune (I think..) and sound pleasant enough (ditto) but there's not much oomph! to my voice which I think I need for rock and blues.

I haven't tried any of the mics, it's just what I've researched from this board, but I don't have any good shops around here to try them. I'll definately invest in a pop screen.

My preamp? Well don't beat me up on this but it's a Behringer UB 1002 and is all I can afford right now until I get the hang of all this. But please, by all means, recommend a good preamp/mixer that I should buy when I have the opportunity to upgrade.

Thanks,
Bluesmouse.
 
bluesmouse,

any decision you make based on what you've read is roughly like a crapshoot. Without hearing your own voice through them, you aren't going to know in advance which one is perfect, or if neither of them are. Using your ears, you could find that a Radio Shack dynamic is the perfect mic for you, after extensive auditioning.

The good news is that neither mic sucks. That seems to be pretty universal, as both mics have a great reputation around here. It's just going to be impossible for you to know, in advance, which one is best, without hearing them first.

I don't have a B3, so I can't offer any comments there. I have the MXL V67G, and I can tell you from my experience that it's one of the first mics that I've actually enjoyed singing in to. I don't have a lot to go by, but I just plain like the way my voice sounds through it. Until you hear yours, you may love it, or you may hate it.

YMMV. good luck.

-mg
 
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