Which LDC for Vocals - for $270

I

iceyflame

New member
Hello,
I have (2) Shure SM81s, (1) Shure SM57, and (2) Behringer XM8500s.

They all have suitable situations, but none of them are giving me what I want for vocals.

So, I have $270, which Large Diaphragm Condenser mics would you recommend. I plan to record a number of different vocalists and may make use of the microphone in other applications as well, such as recording guitar amps, drum room mic etc. BUT the primary application will be vocals and I want a mic best suited for that.

I hope i've given all the information you need to recommend me. Tell me if you need further information.

PS: So far I've been looking at the Shure KSM27, it is $290 which is just out of my budget, but it seems worth it, so I may find the extra $20 from somewhere, but i'm not able to go any higher than that.

Chris
 
Are you definitely looking for a condensor? If not, I would highly recommend checking out a Shure SM7. Excellent for all types of vocals and is within reach of your budget.

Otherwise, as far as an LDC goes, I think the MXL v69 is decent for that price point.
 
+1 for the SM7 -- you'll have to go used to stay in budget (I think a new SM7b usually goes for $350). Not a condenser, but very good for vocals and spoken word.
 
There are a bunch of decent LDC's for voice in your budget. AT4040, AKG 3000b, Cad M179, Oktava 319, Bluebird, etc. Every mic company has one in that price range. Since you don't have one particular vocalist in mind, you want the mic that will be the most uncolored. I've heard this said about the Cad M179 and have had personal experience with a 3000b. Both are supposed to pretty much produce what you put in front of it.

The Oktava tends to be darker and is better for brighter voices while the Bluebird tends to be brighter, so is better for darker voices. Whittle your choice down to 2 and purchase them from a store that accepts returns. Return the one you don't like,

Juan

BTW, I've heard good things about the SM7b, but keep in mind that it needs alot of clean gain so you have to have a mic pre that will give you some good, clean gain.
 
Thing is, I live in the United Arab Emirates so theres no bigtime music shops like GuitarCentre etc. and alot of companies don't have dealers here and often they are not exactly sure of their own prices. I looked and called up the Audio Technica dealer and they said the AT4040 is $560, so... pass!

Just out of interest, how come no one is in favor of the Shure KSM27 I mentioned earlier? The Shure dealer here seem to be one of the only sane ones, so I'm interested.

And about the SM7b, I have a Yamaha MG10/2 and Presonus Inspire 1394 I use, do you think the preamps on these will have enough clean gain?
 
I live in England UK , I got my Audio tech 4040 for £165.00 UK pounds.

I am not sure how much that would be in US dollars.

I brought it from Digital Village.

A great warm sounding smooth mic in my opinion.

Dave
 
iceyflame said:
Thing is, I live in the United Arab Emirates so theres no bigtime music shops like GuitarCentre etc. and alot of companies don't have dealers here and often they are not exactly sure of their own prices. I looked and called up the Audio Technica dealer and they said the AT4040 is $560, so... pass!

Just out of interest, how come no one is in favor of the Shure KSM27 I mentioned earlier? The Shure dealer here seem to be one of the only sane ones, so I'm interested.

And about the SM7b, I have a Yamaha MG10/2 and Presonus Inspire 1394 I use, do you think the preamps on these will have enough clean gain?
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It's unfortunate that you can't try out the mics. With that said, just remember you will eventually buy other mics so you have other options.

There is nothing wrong with the KSM27. Use the search function here and at a bunch of other sites and you will find positive comments about the KSM27. I don't recall ever seeing anything bad written about them. If the dealer seems like someone you feel you can trust, and you can get a fair price on it, you could do far worse.

As far as whether or not you have enuff clean gain for an SM7b, hopefully an owner of one will chime in. All I know is, whenever it is suggested, there is usually a comment by the sm7 owner about making sure you have enough clean gain.

Juan
 
iceyflame said:
Thanks alot. Any other comments on the KSM27? Or anyone willing to do some chiming in!? :)
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I don't think that the KSM 27 Is good for Vocals (or all voices) i Sold Mine because it was very Dark ,was good with Female Vocals but with Male Vocals is too Mid/Low.Great with Acoustic Guitars,i done Killer Acoustic Gutar Trackas with it and a 737.I Recommend the SPB1 Better.
 
I've got a KSM-27, and it might be good for some voices, but I haven't found them. There are certainly worse mics out there, but I tend to use an Oktava MK-319, or a Shure SM7b, or AT4040, or a custom-ish tube mic that I have (or a host of dynamic mics, such as the EV 635, a modded SM57, etc.) for vocals first.

I bought mine broken and ordered a replacement circuit board from Shure for about $35 - and I then had to do the replacement myself. Service from Shure for the replacement wouldn't have been worth it. I mention this because it's not as simple/easy to work on as some mics, because it uses surface mount technology in a way that makes it impossible for a bozo like me to replace a particular resistor or capacitor. For the same reason, in case you were wondering, the KSM-27 is *not* a mic you'd buy and modify (whether for fun or to try and make an improvement).

I was very impressed with Shure's customer service, and if that's a factor for you (and it sounds like it might be), then that's a plus. I hear the KSM-44 is much better for vocals, and as I mentioned, the SM7b is great, too.


(ak! I fell for the re-animated thread thing! -- I was even one of the posters when the thread walked the earth! :o - I gotta take a vacation)
 
They dropped the KSM27 from the line...its an SM27 now.

I have the KSM44 and KSM32...both are great solutions...I wish I had one more KSM32...lol.

You should go for the SM7...I got mine from Guitar center for $280 by going there and telling them Id go accross town to the Musicians friend distribution center...then I proceeded to have them google the mic and chose the lowest online price...which Muscians friend matches everytime...and since that is local in Kansas City...they have to match the lowest deal on the net too.
 
I like the ADK Vienna in that price range for a condenser. SM7b otherwise if you're looking for an all around dynamic that works great on vocals.
 
Do you have a target voice in mind, or are you just looking for a general purpose mic?

I had an AT4033a. Great for mid to high voices. Pretty impressive on Bass too. But baritone / tenor voice it was a bit lacking. And LDCs tend to pick up more room, so if you don't have a good one, you might look elsewhere.

Given a choice between KSM44 and it's lowered number cousins I'd get the 44, but beyond your budget in most cases.

The AT4040 is supposed to the replacement for the 4033, in a more general sense. Different mics IMO. But related. Of the AT series, probably an AT4050 for me. I'm not sure I want the needs of a tube mic AT4060. I'm not sure where that sits in your budget either.

But then again, I'm not a vocalist, nor do I desire to be one. Generally speaking LDC for chicks, Dynamic for dudes. But to each their own.
 
My vote would be for the Rode NT1a. I use this for vocals and I think it works great. Plus it works well as a multi-purpose mic, you can use it for micing guitar cabs or room mics. I got mine for like $229 US.
 
darrin_h2000 said:
They dropped the KSM27 from the line...its an SM27 now.

I have the KSM44 and KSM32...both are great solutions...I wish I had one more KSM32...lol...
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I don't see much difference in frequency response between the SM27 and KSM32. Maybe 2db at 50 Hz, but I doubt that is very audible. Because they are single-diaphragm they are both prone to proximity hype in that region anyway. (The response of the 44 looks similar as well when set to Cardioid.)

So, what makes the 27 and 32 sound different from one another?
 
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