Been saving..now need help!!

S

shAkEz_gk

New member
I have $4,000 exactly to spend on mics, and only mics.
I am planning on having a small studio, where I will record only vocals, and want to have a mic locker, that will cover vocals well.
So, I need suggestions as what to get, for $4,000 that will hold me down for most all vocals, male/female, that would do R&B, some Hip Hop, and Rap.

Please help!
 
shAkEz_gk said:
I have $4,000 exactly to spend on mics, and only mics.
I am planning on having a small studio, where I will record only vocals, and want to have a mic locker, that will cover vocals well.
So, I need suggestions as what to get, for $4,000 that will hold me down for most all vocals, male/female, that would do R&B, some Hip Hop, and Rap.

Please help!
Click to expand...

Soundelux U195 .................... $1150.00
AT 4050 .............................. $ 500.00
AT 4060 .............................. $ 850.00
Neumann TLM103 ...................$1000.00
EV RE20 .............................. $ 400.00
Shure SM57 ......................... $ 75.00

Total .................................. $3975.00

The above is based on you already have decent mic pre's. If not start with a good mic pre first then choose your mics. Some may think adding the TLM103 to the list is duplicating the U195 although these mics do sound different but the main reason for adding the TLM is for the customers who want to know you have a Neumann in your mic cabinet. You can buy all of the above mics off of ebay for less money so shop around. Good luck.
 
Soundelux U99 (multipattern tube) - $2500
AEA R84 (ribbon) - $1000
EV Re20 or Shure SM7 (dynamic) - $400-600ish?

That would be a high quality start that at least covers the Gamut for now:)
 
ljmaxx said:
Neumann TLM103 ...................$1000.00
Click to expand...

Have you heard the TLM193? If anyone goes Neumann in this price range and for vocals especially, I'd go 193. The 193 has a silky high end to it, the 103 is brighter and seems better suited to instrument / acoustic mic'ing than vocals but maybe that's just me.

R84 is a great choice, don't discount good dynamics like the RE20 and SM7 to have around. The AT4060 is a great tube mic. The Beyer M160 gets loads of vocals done at tons of studios, and isn't talked about much as a vocal mic.

Lots of stuff out there.

War
 
Warhead said:
Have you heard the TLM193? If anyone goes Neumann in this price range and for vocals especially, I'd go 193. The 193 has a silky high end to it, the 103 is brighter and seems better suited to instrument / acoustic mic'ing than vocals but maybe that's just me.

War
Click to expand...

You are right. The TLM193 would fit better than the TLM103 and I agree the TLM103 is a brighter mic. It's strange I didn't think of that as I much prefer the 193 over the 103. I guess I'm just getting old. :-)
 
shAkEz_gk, I think if you've got four grand to drop on mics and you're serious, you should get the industry standard mics that have been used on vocals on more recordings than any other mics.

Neumann U87
AKG 414

All serious mic cabinets start with some version of these two LDC mics, and you'll hardly find a high-end studio on the planet that doesn't have them in their mic locker.

A good deal on a U87Ai will run about $2K, and then there's the shockmount which runs a few hundred dollars depending on where you get it.

On the 414, a lot of people like the older EB, but it really doesn't matter, IMO. All models of 414 are in heavy use in studios. The B-ULS or TLII that have been discontinued but are still available go for about $700 or so. The newer AKG C 414 B-XL II and C 414 B-XLS go for right around $1K.

And after you get those mics – depending on the kind of deals you get – you'll have something like $500 - $1K remaining. And with that I recommend getting a large dynamic – either an Electro Voice RE20 or a Shure SM7. Again, both industry standard mics. And you'll probably have a few bucks left over – get a Shure SM57 dynamic mic which runs about $79 and is another industry standard.

With those in your mic collection – there won't be any vocalist or rapper coming in your studio that you won't be able to get a great sound on. You'll also be ready if someone comes in with an amp or acoustic guitar. Having those mics in your collection with put your studio in another league.

My 2¢.
 
hmmm... so Dot your reasoning for getting the 414 and a u87 is cause nearly everyone has them?

not saying they're not good mics (I realy like 414's) but that just seemed like a bad reason to get them
 
usernamebob said:
hmmm... so Dot your reasoning for getting the 414 and a u87 is cause nearly everyone has them?

not saying they're not good mics (I realy like 414's) but that just seemed like a bad reason to get them
Click to expand...


I don't think that he meant to get it because everyone has one so you should too. I think he meant it as a marketing tool. People who don't know anything about recording, will most likely know of those two mic over any other. So by having them, people will trust that you have good gear.
 
usernamebob said:
hmmm... so Dot your reasoning for getting the 414 and a u87 is cause nearly everyone has them?

not saying they're not good mics (I realy like 414's) but that just seemed like a bad reason to get them
Click to expand...
No, that's your reasoning, Bob. BTW, I don't see you've many any suggestions.

My reasoning is based on experience and because they're great tools. And both mics are complementary to each other. The 87 is colored and sexy with that Neumann "sheen", and the 414 is more neutral with a bright sparkly top. Those along with something like an RE20 or SM7 and a 57 are going to be a much smarter choice to get a mic cabinet started for a serious Hip-Hop/R&B studio, IMO, than a whole batch of these mid-level and budget mics many are listing here. The studio will be on a different level sonically and professionally as a business with an 87 and a 414. They're professional tools and there's a reason they've been industry standards for decades.
 
Don't bother, Dot. It's all wasted effort now anyway. The user who started this thread is just another joke character anyway.
 
sorry, I just re-read my post and realised I did a good job of comming across as having a go at you.
actualy.. re reading that post I'm not exactly sure how I meant it.. anyway

yeah I'd agree with you that getting a couple of very high quality mics is going to be alot better for him than a whole collection of mid level mics.

I realy don't know anything about recording hip-hop but if I were to set up a studio that was just doing vocals with a 4 grand budget for mics, I'd probably be saying sm7, 414 and a nice neumann.
 
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