$400 LDC vs ribbon mic for female vocalist?

C

Chuck Fry

New member
I have an opportunity to record a lady friend who is a wonderful singer, but whose voice has a tendency to get strident at high volumes. I helped mix her recordings at another friend's studio using an LDC (some AKG, I don't recall which one) and we had to cut the 4KHz region to take the edge off. We also boosted the high end (above 7K, I think) to get some "air". The result was pretty good overall, IMHO.

I have a couple of Audio Technica AE3000 LDCs which I got used, and which I suspect would do the job, but I'm wondering if it makes sense to buy a mic specifically for this project. If so, would I be better off spending $400 or soon an LDC specifically for vocals, e.g. the Audix CX-112 or Shure KSM32, or on a ribbon mic like the ShinyBox 46MXL? Other suggestions are welcome. I looked at the AT 40xx mics but they all seem to have a minor peak in the response curve around 4K... I'd rather not add to that problem!

Thanks for any suggestions.
 
Chuck Fry said:
I have an opportunity to record a lady friend who is a wonderful singer, but whose voice has a tendency to get strident at high volumes. I helped mix her recordings at another friend's studio using an LDC (some AKG, I don't recall which one) and we had to cut the 4KHz region to take the edge off. We also boosted the high end (above 7K, I think) to get some "air". The result was pretty good overall, IMHO.

I have a couple of Audio Technica AE3000 LDCs which I got used, and which I suspect would do the job, but I'm wondering if it makes sense to buy a mic specifically for this project. If so, would I be better off spending $400 or soon an LDC specifically for vocals, e.g. the Audix CX-112 or Shure KSM32, or on a ribbon mic like the ShinyBox 46MXL? Other suggestions are welcome. I looked at the AT 40xx mics but they all seem to have a minor peak in the response curve around 4K... I'd rather not add to that problem!

Thanks for any suggestions.
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I wouldn't use any of the ribbons you suggested. I'm a HUGE fan of the Fat Head II ribbons, and I wouldn't use those either. I also don't think it makes sense to buy another LDC for this project; the KSM32 is a great mic though, I have to say. If you're just looking for a pretext to buy another mic :-)cool:), then I'd use this golden opportunity to get into a Shure SM7b...that's the mic I'd reach in this very instance, with a nice dark-ish pre like my Great River.

Frank
 
+1 for the SM7 in this situation. Works well with strident. if you really want an LDC, I'd possibly consider an AT-4047 given your description of her voice. If you want a ribbon, I'd consider a Beyer M-500. Best if you can try them out without committing to buy. BTW, where are you located?
 
Chuck Fry said:
I'm in the San Francisco Bay area, near San Jose.
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Well, if there's anything in my locker you'd like to try on her, shout. My gut says you'd probably do well with a ribbon mic with a long ribbon like the Shinybox 46MXL you mentioned. Enclosure/grille notwithstanding, I think that's pretty much identical to my pair of Nady RSM-2 (when I have the switch set to use the Lundahl transformer).

I doubt any of the tube LDCs I own would be right for her unless maybe the M9 since it is fairly flat-ish. My gut based on what you describe says that the ADK Generis GT-2 would be too scooped in the mids, and the K58 would probably be too strident. All of my FET LDCs would probably be harsh without adding EQ.

Of course, without knowing precisely what mic you used, all of this is pretty much guessing.
 
Thanks for the offer, dgatwood. I'll PM you if I decide to take you up on it. I'll try to find out exactly which mic my friend used on the earlier recordings.
 
Actually, the Marshall mxl v67 has kind of a hole in the upper midrange, right around the 4-6K region ... along with a bump in the 10-12K area.

And it generally does pretty well in situations where you have a female vocal who can be a little strident in those areas.
 
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