What is the right mic for a soprano voice please?

C

cathryn1975

New member
Hiya. I've been searching on-line all day for a bloomin microphone and have read so many reviews i am none the wiser. Basically, i'm a soprano singer, who uses a laptop for amateur (youtube) recording, so ideally need a USB or 3.5mm jack mic i guess. I'm not loaded so money IS an object, but could really use something better than the £6er i have been using. I also live in the UK so what costs $70 in US will cost £115 over here sigh (aint called Rip-off Britain for nothing!!). I cant seem to find anything mid-priced. Its either cheap and nasty or way over my budget. Also, I'm using Windows 7 which from my readings today, seem to be a sticking point with mics also.

Also after some fair-priced fair-quality speakers - again, reading umpteen reviews has still left me ?????

Any help purrlleeeeease???

Thankyou all!
 
i agree..

to get above cheap and nasty, i'd guess you'd need at least a small usb interface (maudio or the likes) and a microphone of your choosing..(unless someone can vouch for usb mics?)

there are plenty of threads around to search for budget/entry level mics and interfaces...


my guess is you'd want to allocate roughtly £200 if possible?


get's you something like an maudio fastrack (interface) and an sm85 / mxl990 (cheap dynamic mic or condenser mic)




can anyone give reviews on the likes of a behringer c1 usb? as a samson q1 U usb?
they would cost closer to £50......


remember to leave the elitism out,,,,,like the girl says, it's for youtube
 
cathryn1975 said:
Any help purrlleeeeease???
Thankyou all!
Click to expand...
As you are in the UK, look at the sE Electronics USB 2200A.
http://www.seelectronics.com/USB2200a.html
http://www.dv247.com/microphones/se-electronics-usb2200a-usb2-microphone--37506
It may be a little more than what you want to spend but it's sort of a "do-all" piece of equipment and a good mic.

Lower-Cost Alternative? http://www.dv247.com/microphones/se-electronics-usb1000a-usb-condenser-microphone--62738
Not nearly as good but perhaps OK for what you are doing.
Try them both and you can make a determination from that.

If you want more details on the sE Mics: http://www.sonic-distribution.com/uk/contact.html
Speak with James Young or Ian Young.
Tell them Bob Gallagher from Illinois/USA (homestudioguy) sent you.

Monitors?
Check here! http://www.musictechmag.co.uk/mtm/studio-monitors
AND HERE http://www.dv247.com/search/2940/0/ProductQuantity/Descending/monitors/1/
I'd suggest nothing smaller than a 5" woofer if financially possible.
Hmmmmmmmmm? http://www.dv247.com/studio-equipme...itors-with-built-in-usb-soundcard-pair--46261
Bob G.
 
alll the advice so far ahs been pretty good but can i just point out that something that costs $70 in the US is £45 by todays currency conversion, its been like this for a long while, if you live in th UK its usually cheaper to buy from US if you dont get stuck with customs charges
 
nialldoran said:
$70 in the US is £45 by todays currency conversion, its been like this for a long while, if you live in the UK its usually cheaper to buy from US if you dont get stuck with customs charges
Click to expand...

Thanks.
Might try eBay for these items also!
Bob Gallagher
PS-My nephew is studying in Ireland this semester.
In fact, his Dad, my brother, is in Ireland now visiting with him.
Says the beer is quite good!
 
You could stick with brands that are more local to you, plus/minus an ocean or border or two. Sennheiser / Schoeps / Oktava / DPA / ...

As opposed to more US brands. Shure / Audix / Avenson / Audio Technica / Cascade / ... (not to imply that the components, at least in part, aren't made in the same places)

What do you think might meet your needs, but maybe not your budget? Perhaps there's something similar we could point you towards that's a lot cheaper. Or send you in the other direction if it doesn't make sense for your needs.

USB mics are not ideal, but can be made to work in simple / basic applications. On the cheap Radio Shack mics (Optimus) aren't too hideous. Perhaps not any better than your current mic though. Dynamic mics can be cheap too and don't require too many exotic things to make work. But if you're looking for a U87 or similar for $10, that's probably not going to happen. An interface is a good ideal, it opens up options as to what mics you can use. And takes that ADC and cable factor out of the component pricing.
 
Whatever mic you choose, make sure it is one that doesnt over-emphasize your soprano voice range.
A large majority of lower cost mics accentuate the high end and can make your voice sound raspy.
Unless, of course, that is the sound you are after.
What is your budget?
 
USB mics pretty much universally suck. I've never seen one that used more than about 40 cents worth of digital electronics. The resulting sound quality is about what you'd expect---negligibly better than the built-in audio hardware on a laptop....

Also, with the exception of the rare USB mics that have a headphone jack, they are basically impossible to use for vocal recording because you'd have to use two different audio interfaces at once on the same machine (really bad idea)---the internal audio output for playing back the backing tracks and the USB mic for recording. Generally speaking, that just doesn't work. It's really fun when you go to play back the recording and the end of your vocals have drifted so much that they're half a second off....

Finally, USB mics are an all-or-nothing deal. If the mic part sucks or the audio interface part sucks, you have to replace both as a pair. (Odds are, at least one is going to suck, and probably both, so this is probably a moot point, but....) Not to mention that if one part dies... you get the idea.

Bottom line: USB mics are for simple spoken text and podcasting. They are not intended for serious recording, and if you're even half serious, you'd be doing yourself a major disservice to even look at them twice. Ditto for anything that plugs in through a 1/8" (3.5mm) connector on a computer.

My advice would be to get yourself a low-end USB audio interface from a reputable manufacturer (e.g. Edirol, Tascam, MOTU---pretty much anything with an XLR jack except for the M-Audio MobilePre...) and a decent microphone (CAD M177 or M179, ADK Vienna, AT4040 or AT4050, Oktava MK319, etc.). Skip the cheap junk and put that money towards something usable. :)
 
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