Choosing the right mic for Hip Hop vocals

K

kin_jai

New member
Hey guys.. my saga in recording non-English hip hop continues,
and i've come into a problem..

What type of a mic would I need for more professional sounding vocals?

What i'm using right now is basically a pioneer uni-directional dynamic mic... originally used as a karaoke mic by my parents..
but it sounds really unprofessional..
how do i pick a mic that records more professional sounding hip hop vocals? and what are the approx. price ranges?

or am i completely mistaken, that the most important aspect of getting a professional sound is the mixing and the eq settings?

Right now, no matter what i rhyme, I'm soundin like aaron carter.. -_-;

Thanks!
kin
 
Hi Kin,

What is "hip hop" singing style? I'm aware of a type of dancing called hip-hop, but I don't know what distinguishes hip-hop music or the "hip-hop sound."

Perhaps asking for an answer in words is foolish. If it is, could someone point me towards an MP3 file that would typify the style? Is it recorded in a way that is different from other popular music?

Thanks,

Mark H.
 
I do mostly rap and r&b recordings. The mic choices I use vary from application to application. It depends on the sound I am looking for. I guess that theory is the same in all genres. You have to ask yourself a few questions.

Am I looking for a clean and crisp sound?
Am I looking for a more colored sound?
Do I want that grimey dirty sound?

These factors are not just limited to mic choice. The preamp is just as important to getting the right sound.

Most times I go for a warmish sound and my chain includes
Neumann U47 through a Drawmer 1960 precomp
or I might just go through the SSL console's preamp
That's a pretty damn expensive chain though that everyone might not have access to.

Another favorite combo I use is a Rode NTK through a Grace preamp and go straight to tape from that bypassing the console. With this I still get an upfront and warm sound but it is clear as hell.

For a really clean sound I can use an AT 4050 through the Grace pre and go to tape.

There are endless possibilities to get the sound you want. See if you can rent different combos and compare them until you get it right but I am finding that having the more choices the better as no recording I do is the same (though some are similar).

As others often say, YMMV
What I like for a sound, you might hate. All I can say is use your ears.

A place to start cheap is maybe the FMR RNMP when that drops teamed with a RODE NT1000 and/or NTK. Although I've never used the Studio Projects C1, I hear it's da shit too.

Holla
 
The 101 is a very clean pre which I like very much. I also use the 2 channel version the 201 which is also great. I recommend them because they offer great bang for your buck when compared to other pres.
 
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