OK guys.... here we go again: which LDC?

eyema_believer

eyema_believer

Bondservant
I know this is asked all the time.....
But will you please recommend to me a cheap LDC vocal mic for recording?
I own an AT 4033, from the mid 90s. It sounds good, but I think something a little more warm and round would be nice.
So, what mic would you recommend, and why??

Thanks very much!!

~Shawn
 
I would highly recommend The Studio Projects CS5.....warm and round with a nice refined top end sheen.....
Just my 2 cents....

David B
 
I bought a used Studio Projects T-3 for around $250, put in a NOS GE 5 Star tube, and it is a very nice mic. I have tried to upgrade this mic with some well known brand name mic's costing much more, but have found this is a solid mic. Sold the expensive mics, kept the T-3. You can buy these mic's very cheap over at GS.

Good luck in your search.
 
eyema_believer said:
I know this is asked all the time.....
But will you please recommend to me a cheap LDC vocal mic for recording?
I own an AT 4033, from the mid 90s. It sounds good, but I think something a little more warm and round would be nice.
So, what mic would you recommend, and why??

Thanks very much!!

~Shawn
Click to expand...

the 4033 is a $400 mic, new these days. what do you mean by "cheap"?
 
drossfile said:
the 4033 is a $400 mic, new these days. what do you mean by "cheap"?
Click to expand...

Well, the cheaper the better, I always say.
Yeah.... I paid more for the 4033 in the 90s than they cost new now. :o
I love spending $100 and sounding like $1,000,000. What really torques me is when I spend $1000 based on marketing hype and the product sounds like $10 worth of poo. That's happened to me too much.

Peace!

~Shawn
 
eyema_believer said:
Well, the cheaper the better, I always say.
Yeah.... I paid more for the 4033 in the 90s than they cost new now. :o
I love spending $100 and sounding like $1,000,000. What really torques me is when I spend $1000 based on marketing hype and the product sounds like $10 worth of poo. That's happened to me too much.

Peace!

~Shawn
Click to expand...

best bang for the buck, imo, is the m-audio sputnik. $600 new, sounds incredible. really creamy. i used one once about a year ago, and if i didn't have so much other crap to buy, i would've had one for myself then.
 
Thanks for the replies guys.... looks as if most of you are tired of chatting about this particular subject. I certainly don't blame you!

Peace!

~Shawn
 
Sometimes it's best to do a little digging. Use the search. Tons and tons of threads here with useful advise. Just try different combinations of what you think you're looking for, price, sound, etc.

You'll find your answer.;)
 
PhilGood said:
Sometimes it's best to do a little digging. Use the search. Tons and tons of threads here with useful advise. Just try different combinations of what you think you're looking for, price, sound, etc.

You'll find your answer.;)
Click to expand...
You'd better listen to him Flounder. He's Pre-Med
 
If you like the At4033, why not trying the AT4040, it has a very nice low-end and its very transparent on the highs.
 
I'll throw out a suggestion for a Blue Bluebird -- excellent multi-purpose mic, that. And, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the MXL 960. With a tube swap, that's a stupid-good mic for the price.
 
I'm trying to swear off giving vocal mic advice, because I don't know squat, I can't sing at all, and my experience recording other people singing is very limited. But I do have a few inexpensive ones that I've played around with and used some, so it's difficult for me to resist the impulse to post.

But with that out of the way, if you're a fan of the AT mics, the 4040 fits your description IMO, and visually is a nice complement to (that is, barely distinguishable from) the 4033 :) - I've got both - haven't use the 4040 too much yet, but I think they go nicely together in a sonic way, also. Be sure to read up on the virtues of the 4050, as well (good search term here), even though it's spendier.

To complete the thought, I also like the Oktavamod FDPE MK-319, I have a used AKG C414B-ULS that is very nice (primarily use it on not vocal stuff, but works well for some voices (edit: OK, it beats the Oktavamod on one of the small number of voices I've recorded) and is way more forgiving of poor mic technique than my other ones), and if you ordered an ACM-6802T in the group buy, hang tight for it to get here. And if you and yours are aggressive singers, I have to give the obligatory plug for the Shure SM7x (where x=b most of the time) - large diaphragm dynamic. I'm parroting that that recommendation. I've got two of them and I've used them for spoken word (very nice) but not for aggressive singing. I know they're not the best for wussy singing. There, I feel better now.
 
Are you sure that running your 4033 through a nice compressor wouldnt do what you want it to?

I have used this mic for years and for so many things and it has never failed to produce the sound I asked it to produce. I really like it as a background vocal mic and I'm sure if it was the only mic in my collection I could get it to sound perfect on most singers.

A little soft-knee compression through a decent circuit, DBX, Joe Meek, Symetrix, Valley People, and youre golden.
 
Thanks everyone, for your suggestions, indeed!

I hate to even ask this, but is there anyone willing to solo up a track of a vocal take with a mic you have recorded, and post a naked mix of it so I could hear the sound you all are getting with these mics? That would be awesome!!!

Any takers???

~Shawn
 
The problem is that the right vocal mic is highly specific to the singer. You really have to try a mic to know for sure how it is going to interact with your voice.

That said, maybe a CAD M9.... Depends on which frequencies are boosted causing your current mic to seem too bright. It starts being boosted at a lower frequency, which may make it seem less bright by bringing out some of the lower highs and upper mids. It also has somewhat scooped mids.

at4033cl_freq.jpg

CAD M9 Frequency Response​
M9.gif
 
dgatwood said:
The problem is that the right vocal mic is highly specific to the singer. You really have to try a mic to know for sure how it is going to interact with your voice.

That said, maybe a CAD M9.... Depends on which frequencies are boosted causing your current mic to seem too bright. It starts being boosted at a lower frequency, which may make it seem less bright by bringing out some of the lower highs and upper mids. It also has somewhat scooped mids.
Click to expand...

That's certainly very interesting, thanks for putting that together! Do you won an M9? I'd be ever so interested in what a vocal track sounds like through it.

Peace!

~Shawn
 
eyema_believer said:
That's certainly very interesting, thanks for putting that together! Do you won an M9? I'd be ever so interested in what a vocal track sounds like through it.
Click to expand...

Like I keep saying in threads about vocal mics, what matters is what it sounds like on your voice, so unless your voice sounds just like mine, comparison would be difficult. Do you have any music stores near you where you might be able to audition some mics? Say a GC?
 
dgatwood said:
Like I keep saying in threads about vocal mics, what matters is what it sounds like on your voice, so unless your voice sounds just like mine, comparison would be difficult. Do you have any music stores near you where you might be able to audition some mics? Say a GC?
Click to expand...

I hear what you're saying, and yes, I do have a GC about 30 miles from home....
I do have some news to report. I went out in the studio today, and tried a few things with my at4033. First, I turned the low cut off. That in and of itself made a pretty drastic difference in the sound of my vocal. I always just left it on thinking I wanted to keep rumble out from vibrations and such. Second, I hooked up my little Art Tube MP that I bought when I bought my AT4033 way back in the day and paid $100.00 for :o I played with the MP and the compressor on my digital mixer until my fingers hurt, but I found a really big sound I didn't think I could get out of that mic! That's always a plus.

I also found some sweet links with clips of a ton of mics and pres.... from a post on this very site in 2004... http://www.thelisteningsessions.com/sessions.htm
http://testing.holmerup.biz/mic_pretest/MP3index.html

Peace!

~Shawn
 
eyema_believer said:
I played with the MP and the compressor on my digital mixer until my fingers hurt
Click to expand...
was that the summer of '69?

edit:
eyema_believer said:
I hate to even ask this, but is there anyone willing to solo up a track of a vocal take with a mic you have recorded, and post a naked mix of it so I could hear the sound you all are getting with these mics? That would be awesome!!!
Click to expand...
I put up an mp3 using an AT4040 for vocals (and 4033 for guitar) in the mp3 clinic ("Hey Good Lookin'" by Hank Williams) - if you listen to it and, um, still want a dry track, PM me, so others won't have to be exposed. :D
 
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