Mic recommendation needed

camman595

New member
My son is in his senior year studying Vocal Performance in Opera. Due to COVID restrictions, several of his practice performances have to be done electronically rather than in person. He needs a microphone that will allow him to record his singing on the computer. Sometimes he will do this in his dorm and sometimes he will do it in practice rooms on campus, so a simpler setup would be ideal. I doubt that he would be willing to haul and set up a mixing board. But, if that is what has to happen, so be it. He uses a Macbook Pro laptop.

What microphone setup would you recommend? This does not have to be the best of the best, but it needs to be an improvement over the mic on his computer. We can go up to $200, but I would like to keep it closer to $125 if possible. Thanks for your help with this.
 
I'd buy a zoom - far simpler to operate and will do what is needed. Opera with a mic and a laptop is rarely going ti cut the mustard - so you'd need an outboard interface adding to the complexity. The smaller zooms are much simpler - you can connect them to the computer or take the card out and give to to somebody.
 
Two models you might check out. Zoom H4n ~$220 and Tascam DR-40x ~$180. Both are portable recorders with built in microphones that are decent, but you can also add 2 external microphones for better quality. They both record to SD cards. You can do multitrack recordings if the need arises. They can act as an audio interface with the Mac as well.

I personally have the H4n and its very handy, easy to use and gives you a very nice recording.

While you can use the internal mics, a good external mic can really improve the sound if needed. For an external microphone, I would recommend looking at the SE Electronics X1, AT2020, or AKG P120 each of which is $100 which is about the lowest point for a reasonably good microphone.
 
If he would rather go directly into the mac I can recommend the Citronics CCU3 USB capacitor microphone which at around £50 here leaves him plenty for a decent boom stand and wind gag (although the mic seems very immune to 'popping' naked)

You can find samples of yours truly waffling into one (NOT singing!) and a brief track of son on acoustic guitar in User Contributions.

There is also a Mackie large D capacitor that gets a good rep in Sound on Sound. I have one back ordered atmo, going to son in France. Will give details as and when. well under £100 and comes with an XLR cable! But of course, a 'regular' mic requires he buys an Audio Interface as well and perhaps better to K.I.S.Sir?

Dave.
 
My son is in his senior year studying Vocal Performance in Opera. Due to COVID restrictions, several of his practice performances have to be done electronically rather than in person. He needs a microphone that will allow him to record his singing on the computer. Sometimes he will do this in his dorm and sometimes he will do it in practice rooms on campus, so a simpler setup would be ideal. I doubt that he would be willing to haul and set up a mixing board. But, if that is what has to happen, so be it. He uses a Macbook Pro laptop.

What microphone setup would you recommend? This does not have to be the best of the best, but it needs to be an improvement over the mic on his computer. We can go up to $200, but I would like to keep it closer to $125 if possible. Thanks for your help with this.
Is he expecting to record video with the computer's built-in webcam at the same time, e.g., for other technical feedback from an instructor? If that's the case, then a USB microphone is probably best, but if it's audio-only, then I would agree that a digital recorder might be better, or easier to pack around and set up. You can put those things anywhere, like lay it on top of the studio-upright piano that's in every practice room. They usually have a 1/4" threaded option for mounting on a small camera tripod, which is more packable than a microphone stand.
 
For opera, a pad is VERY useful as they can be extremely loud - worth keeping in mind.
Does an input gain control help in the case of a digital recorder? My H6 had PAD switches, but the H2n, for instance, only has the mic gain control. (It does have an auto gain setting for loud sources, called "concert" though.)

If a PAD is required, then that pretty well points to a USB microphone in OP's (@camman595) price range.
 
Is he expecting to record video with the computer's built-in webcam at the same time, e.g., for other technical feedback from an instructor? If that's the case, then a USB microphone is probably best, but if it's audio-only, then I would agree that a digital recorder might be better, or easier to pack around and set up. You can put those things anywhere, like lay it on top of the studio-upright piano that's in every practice room. They usually have a 1/4" threaded option for mounting on a small camera tripod, which is more packable than a microphone stand.

I just spoke with him , and yes, he would like to do both. Thanks for the tip.
 
If he would rather go directly into the mac I can recommend the Citronics CCU3 USB capacitor microphone which at around £50 here leaves him plenty for a decent boom stand and wind gag (although the mic seems very immune to 'popping' naked)

Thanks for the suggestion. I don't see that I can get this in the USA.
 
Do you all have any experience with either of these items?

Shure X2U XLR To USB Microphone Adapter

Roland Black Series XLR to USB Cable


If they work well, I am thinking of pairing it with a Shure SM58 mic. I don't know much about mics, and I have heard that this one has a good reputation. Comments welcome.
 
Thanks for the suggestion. I don't see that I can get this in the USA.

AVSL : Brands : Citronic

That ^ is the parent company and so you might be able to find a US based supplier. The microphone is available from many sources as far as I can see. I bought mine from Studiospares (uk) and it cost £40 without our VAT. I feel I have been had a bit because Amazon have it at 17quid! Mind you, virtually nobody else has their buying power and it could be on special offer. Have you tried dear old Zon?

I think the mic is worth the trouble to find. I was staggered to see it offered at less then half the price I paid. The build quality is really first class.

Now, mention was made of "pads" well the mic has none but its quoted max SPL is 138dB, cannot verify that of course but the lack of 'popping' suggests to me a decent headroom? In any case opera singers usually stand 3 or 4 times the distance away from the mic than your average 'crooner'!

I have another LDC the Sontronics STC-2 and that DOES have a 20dB pad and bass cut filter but would I think be $200 and you would also need an interface, cables and stand. The mic is very neutral though.

If you CAN find the Citronics on Amazon for around $20 I think you will get a good mic for very little and if you don't like it, put it on The Bay for 50 bucks and see who bites!

Dave.
 
Do you all have any experience with either of these items?

Shure X2U XLR To USB Microphone Adapter

Roland Black Series XLR to USB Cable


If they work well, I am thinking of pairing it with a Shure SM58 mic. I don't know much about mics, and I have heard that this one has a good reputation. Comments welcome.
The SM58 is a dynamic microphone that is designed to be held, and is primarily found on live stages, and not studios. It's a good mic for its purpose, but not one you would typically put in front of an opera singer. As [MENTION=89697]ecc83[/MENTION] notes, they typically are back from the microphone a few feet because of the volumes they might reach. A dynamic microphone might record that well enough, at least male vocals, but would likely lack the sensitivity to capture quiet parts from the same distance.

The adapters only work with a dynamic microphone, and would be my very last choice for this kind of application. There are just better options available now, as these were designed for people as a low cost way to use an existing microphone and get it into a computer. You don't have an existing microphone, and the condenser USB option these days is far better fidelity, if limited in that it cannot be upgraded or often used in any other manner.
 
I don't think that mic has a pad? But the zooms seem to handle loud sounds pretty well, I guess they designed the capabilities to match a wide range of spls. Opera folk make the pad on my AKG 414 essential as they can be crunched by opera singers.

Citronic have been pretty much 'a name' for years now. The USB mic in question is a very common product from China, but the name sticks in people's heads. They did a line array PA but despite it actually sounding quite good, their disco heritage presented it taking off. A shame really as it was a good idea, but just too small for the disco market.
 
Perhaps the attached clip will give you some idea of the mic's quality?

Not opera but a 'natural' acoustic instrument, a decent, £2000 'concert' classical guitar (new strings he tells me!) Son is playing in his flat in France.

Dave.
 

Attachments

  • USB MIC Fugue in 27 8 200Gminor(01.mp3
    3.8 MB · Views: 8
Rob, the 414 is a pretty hot ole mic at 23mV/Pa!

I think the clip show that the Citronics mic is not unduly sensitive? The recording is averaging under -20dBfs. (he is nearly 50 and MUST be listening to his old man at last! In his 20s I struggled to stop him slamming everything to neg 0.5! )

Dave.
 
I checked Citronics website, and they have no presence or dealers in the US. They only distribute in Europe, South Africa and Australia.

There are quite a few USB mics on Amazon's site, FiFine, Neewer, Zingyou. Knowing nothing about the companies or quality of the products I wouldn't go down that route. When you can buy a package with a mic, boom mount and headphones for $50, I question the quality.

If I was looking at a USB mic, I would instead look at either Audio Technica, Blue, or even the Samson C01U. A call to Sweetwater could probably give you a better chance of getting something that can handle an opera singer at full song. They have dealt with those singers before.
 
I checked Citronics website, and they have no presence or dealers in the US. They only distribute in Europe, South Africa and Australia.

There are quite a few USB mics on Amazon's site, FiFine, Neewer, Zingyou. Knowing nothing about the companies or quality of the products I wouldn't go down that route. When you can buy a package with a mic, boom mount and headphones for $50, I question the quality.

If I was looking at a USB mic, I would instead look at either Audio Technica, Blue, or even the Samson C01U. A call to Sweetwater could probably give you a better chance of getting something that can handle an opera singer at full song. They have dealt with those singers before.

I can only but agree with you Rich! I was actually looking for a replacement mic for son in France of comparable quality and price to the one he broke!* He already had the super cheap (but remarkably not bad!) BM-800 aka Neewr LDC and was not happy with the sound. He tends to loan stuff out (indefinitely!) and lose things, MOOsician you know, so dad was not going past a ton, preff a lot less and the Citronics looked promising. I really was staggered at how solidly it was built and the smooth sound it produced.

The mic does not come with a shock mount just a simple bracket but seems immune to stand borne rumble. Also USB A 2 B included but that is to be expected, just bought two spares at £1.99 each.

It is a shame the chap can't give one a go.

*To be fair the USB port came away from the PCB, very common in cheap kit, had same with a Evo controller. Fortunately dad was on hand, two eyed and sparky then to fix it! N very B chaps! Go nuts and fit a short cable on such things and cable tie it to the device.

Dave.
 
Thank you all for your help with this. I told my son that I was still investigating mic recommendations for him and he informed me that he no longer needs a microphone because his lessons are now going to be in person again. If things change he does need a mic, I will consider all your advice and report back to you with which one I choose.

Thanks again for your help.
 
Pro classical singer here. A Tascam, Zoom, or GoPro handy recorder would still be a good investment for recording accompaniments, lessons, performances, etc. They are durable, you can have quality video and audio at your fingertips without a computer, and at better quality than a phone app. Just some food for thought.

I've definitely used mine in the back of the hall to capture the combined sound of everything and mixed it into professional recordings where I also had up-close micing.
 
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