What would be the best microphone to record opera?

alyvia

New member
Hi there,

I'm a 19 year old mezzo-soprano/ possibly dramatic soprano and I want to start putting covers of songs on YouTube.

The only problem is that when I record myself singing, whenever I go high and/ or loud the sounds cuts off and is sort of replaced by a buzzing. I have an extremely loud voice, especially when I sing high notes (I am not an opera singer, since I stopped training, but in terms of how loud I can be its very similar. My singing teacher thought I could have trained to be a Wagnerian singer, which is someone who sings above an orchestra without a microphone. No longer a possibility, but it does illustrate the problem I'm having). I have 2 microphones. The better one picks up more colour and texture in the voice, but it struggles to record high and loud frequencies, and so I can only use it when I am singing songs that require a very soft voice, and even then I have to be careful.

The other microphone was much cheaper, but can handle louder singing. However I still cannot sing my heart out as there is a point where it too starts making a buzzing noise. Furthermore, because it is less sensitive to sound, the resulting recording is duller and much less rich than the recording of the other microphone. I want to put up the best covers I can, which would involve my loudest singing, but I think I need a better microphone that is able to cope with the size of my voice.

I've tried putting the microphone further away from me, but it just makes the lower notes less audible and means that the tone and colour cannot be picked up very well. I have a rich but not very loud lower register and I'd like to be able to show the richness when I record.

Are there any microphones out there that would be able to do this? Also I'd prefer it if they weren't very expensive, since I am a student.

Side note: I am also using audacity to record. I don't believe the fault lies with this, but it may be partly to blame, so any advice on other applications I could use to record would be more than welcome. :)

Thanks for the help x

Edit: Just discovered the buzzing sound is called clipping, and the general suggestion is to have the microphone further away. This doesn't work for me as it still clips at a large distance, and it doesn't pick up the low notes. I'm starting to worry there isn't a solution
 
Last edited:
I suspect your thought process leads you to blame the mic, but in practice, microphones are rarely annoyed by loud voices. After all, they can cope with much louder sound sources than even Wagnerian Opera can produce.

You mention mics, and Audacity - but you missed the vital part. What goes between them? My best guess is that you do not have a proper audio interface with gain controls, feeding into your computer's USB socket - and you're just plugging in the mic to the computer. If this is the case, I'm not surprised you are having issues - computer 3.5mm sockets are to all intents and purposes only good for very basic audio. Audacity, will be fine.

What are your two mics? Condenser mics need 48V power, but a few work averagely from the 5V that comes out the 3.5mm socket - BUT - this can impact on their internal electronics and maybe cause the issues you have where it buzzes and bottoms out.

Your quality though, will be determined by the microphone AND the room. If the room sounds good, so will your voice, but if it doesn't - having maybe lots of hard surfaces and noises, then nothing much can be done without sorting that too. You'll also find that you have other things to sort out.

If you post us a link to 30 seconds or so, we will spot things very easily for you.

Let us know EXACTLY what you have and how it is connected.
 
...
Edit: Just discovered the buzzing sound is called clipping, and the general suggestion is to have the microphone further away. This doesn't work for me as it still clips at a large distance, and it doesn't pick up the low notes. I'm starting to worry there isn't a solution
What [MENTION=178786]rob aylestone[/MENTION] said. We need to know the complete hardware chain and type of cabling used. Extremely unlikely to be the microphone introducing the clipping.

For a very dynamic source that requires close micing, I'd probably want a good dynamic microphone (but probably not for a soprano!), or a condenser with a pad switch, if you really are on the verge of overloading it, though that's really a matter of microphone technique to even out what it is picking up, IMO.
 
Don't sing directly into the mic diaphragm.
Use proper mic techniques (closer for soft, back off a bit for loud, further for real loud)
use proper gain staging, It might be that your distortion is not mic related but to hot of signal in your chain somewhere causing clipping (distortion)
if you have a lot of very soft to very loud volume changes you might want to break up the phrases and sing the loud parts separately from the soft parts, then mix them together. That way you can set the gain stage up for all the soft parts, then turn the gain down and sing all the loud parts.
 
Don't sing directly into the mic diaphragm.
Use proper mic techniques (closer for soft, back off a bit for loud, further for real loud)
use proper gain staging, It might be that your distortion is not mic related but to hot of signal in your chain somewhere causing clipping (distortion)
if you have a lot of very soft to very loud volume changes you might want to break up the phrases and sing the loud parts separately from the soft parts, then mix them together. That way you can set the gain stage up for all the soft parts, then turn the gain down and sing all the loud parts.

For a rock production I'd agree, but I think opera needs a different approach. I don't think working the mic or breaking up the takes is appropriate. I do think the performance should be made with the same settings and with the same positioning from start to finish.

I do think that the acoustic environment needs to be either very dead with the reverb added artificially or have completely natural reverb with very minimal dynamics processing.
 
The demands of opera normally dictate more distant mic positions because the sound of the space is so important. An alternative is headset mics but they're still quite unusual for opera. Mic technique as decried above would be tricky for opera as they don't hand hold mics and most older opera folk are totally uninterested in mics. Their job being to just capture what they sing, with as much truthfulness as is possible.

We really need to hear the problem to move on.
 
A friend of mine used to do all the recording at Glyndebourne - he used a pair of omnis, widely spaced, slung below the lighting bar over the audience.

So an excellent pair of inexpensive omnis would be the Line Audio OM1 (anything better costs a lot more).
 
Last edited:
A froend of mine used to do all the recording at Glyndebourne - he used a pair of omnis, widely spaced, slung below the lighting bar over the audience.

So an excellent pair of inexpensice pmnis would be the Line Audio OM1 (anything better costs a lot more).
Well, yeah, if you're recording in an opera house, or big space that sounds good, perhaps. Then, honestly, almost any decent mics at a distance will yield usable if not very good results.

I think many of us were under the impression the OP was doing something at home; but since [MENTION=201360]alyvia[/MENTION] has not returned after post #1, we're all kind of pissing in the wind at this point IMO. (I really want to go on a Monday rant about how everyone just wants a quick "buy this" answer without actually having to spend a few minutes understanding *anything* anymore, but I'll save it for another day.)
 
when I went to uni, this is how it was done. I was in several vocal choirs and one opera. All the mics where hung down from the ceiling in a mid-size theatre. Depending on what they were recording would decide what mics. I was a sound geek at the time so I was always talking with the recording engineers. (UMKC white recital hall). None of the mics where within 15 feet of anyone and where overhead and slightly in front of us.

Edit: I believe they used DPA mics.
 
I've never done opera recording, I've done a couple choirs but, I just used two omni mics.

Opera is a bit different. I just read up some on the recording of Pavoratti and others. The room is the big factor, you need to get a good large hall or theater, church, or something along those lines. 2 good omni mics about and the placement will vary depending on the room. Usually the mics are 15 to 20 feet away sometimes more, sometimes less. The reason is because you are singing so open and powerful, at takes that distance to really pick up the full development of the voice (according to what I read ). 3 omni mics are often used. a center main, left and right tilted in. sometimes spot mics are also added in but, more often that is for orchestra and choir. If I was you i'd check at my closest hall, conservatory, church, theaters, to see what it would cost to rent the hall for the day/ several hours. Some will even have recording equipment and an engineer who already knows what he is doing.. imho this would be the best way to really capture your voice in this style.
 
Hi guys, I've been away the last few days so I couldn't answer what kind of mics I have.

I have a samsung meteor mic and a generic one which was very cheap and has a gold mesh top, and I'm plugging them directly into my computers USB

Hopefully this is helpful
 
Hi guys, I've been away the last few days so I couldn't answer what kind of mics I have.

I have a samsung meteor mic and a generic one which was very cheap and has a gold mesh top, and I'm plugging them directly into my computers USB

Hopefully this is helpful

Very! And welcome back. The Samsung mic is not bad but I fear still not up to very loud, very close operatic voices! The specification gives the maximum sound level as 120dB (sorry about the technicals but, "that's the job!") and even if we accept that as true, you could still be exceeding that level. The loudest female voice on record is 129dB SPL but very close to the microphone you could be clipping the internal electronics.

The solution is I am sorry to say not at all simple nor cheap. You must get an Audio Interface* and a standard "passive" microphone, let me deal with the mic choice first?

Easy out is a dynamic mic such as the ubiquitous Shure SM58. You will NEVER overload that mic and are unlikely to overload anything you plug it into. The downside is that it is a dynamic mic and does not have the wide frequency range of the capacitor (aka condenser) mics that are used in the USB jobs. The 58 IS a good vocal mic but more suited to Kylie than Kiri? But! Try one if you can, you might like it. They are so common that you can probably sweetalk a shop or a band into loaning you one for a weekend?

Capacitor microphones will give you all the quality you want but the overload issue could still be there for budget devices, say under $150. Many capacitor mics have built in attenuators and are thus just about un-overloadable but again can be pricey. Do look at second hand gear, AIs and mics tend to be pretty reliable.

However, the mic will be of no use to you without an interface. These turn the analogue signals from the microphone to a digital signal that talks to the PC via USB yes, like the Samsung but in a vastly better and more versatile way.

You mentioned Audacity, did you notice the meter scale at the top that moves as you sing? That scale need to sit at around half way for most of your performance, an indication of about -18dB and for the very loudest notes, no higher than -8dB or so. If you cannot keep the peaks below -8 drop the average level down, this will not impact the quality of the recording.

*They start at about $50 for one mic input but such cheap interfaces are really not up to your special requirements. Brands such as M-Audio, Tascam and Native Instruments are worth a look. You will see and be recommended Focusrite products. Excellent but not known for high input clipping levels.

Where in the world are you?

Dave.
 
Thanks, you've been really helpful! I'll have a look at all the equipment. It's crazy to realise how much I didn't know about recording. I was always under the impression that if you plugged the mic in you were good to go. And I'm in the UK.

Alyvia
 
UK good. Check out Cash Converter type stores and charity shops. We had a CG in Northampton that had AIs in one month in three and microphones all the time. I scored an excellent Focusrite 8i6 for £100.
You get a 7 day no quibble return period so snaffle quickly and report here and we can tell you if it is prize or pup. Microphones are unlikely to come with a cable so you will need an "XLR3 male to female XLR3" cable. 3mtrs is plenty but much longer will not hurt at all.

Dave.
 
when I went to uni, this is how it was done. I was in several vocal choirs and one opera. All the mics where hung down from the ceiling in a mid-size theatre. Depending on what they were recording would decide what mics. I was a sound geek at the time so I was always talking with the recording engineers. (UMKC white recital hall). None of the mics where within 15 feet of anyone and where overhead and slightly in front of us.

Edit: I believe they used DPA mics.

Right, that's how it's done in a venue. We don't yet know for sure what the acoustic environment is like for the OP, but it looks like it's in a home, which is different from a theatre.
 
Capacitor microphones will give you all the quality you want but the overload issue could still be there for budget devices, say under $150. Many capacitor mics have built in attenuators and are thus just about un-overloadable but again can be pricey.

I note that the new Rode NT1's maximum SPL is 132 dBSPL, so it is a condenser that ought to be up to the job.

ROEDE Microphones - NT1
 
I have been looking at some AIs and the Tascam US-2X2 looks very promising. At the £100 mark it has all the basics I would expect of a decent interface. The mic pre amps especially have a good level of gain at 57dB (60dB would be nice for dynamic mics and speech but 57 can be lived with and in any case not a factor here) More importantly the max input level is +8dBu or nearly 2 volts rms and that is excellent for a budget AI and would be good on a much more expensive pre amp.
The 2x2 is "bus powered" which means it draws all the juice it needs from the USB port but can also be powered from a separate 5V supply (not included) which means it can likely be used with a smart phone? Also comes with Cubase LE software which is more suited to home recording than Audacity but will take SOME study to learn to use.

The Rode NT1 gets good reports. I have a Sontronics STC-2 that is pretty neutral for a LDC mic and it has 20dB pad and bass cut switches. Around £150 when I bought it some years ago, probably quite a few about second hand now.

However, Alyvia, how at present do you make your recordings, or indeed envisage doing so once kitted out? I presume you have some sort of backing track?

Dave.
 
So many unanswered questions here. Some of the opera people I work with, and I do quite a lot of these things - 3 in the last month, are VERY difficult to keep happy. Lovely people, but so variable in their acceptance of new techniques - as in new to them!

I've had opera singers on theatre stages with thinned out orchestra and tracks, and they were close miked, but they arrived with rather nice Neumann hand held, which we used on stands. They used in-ears. I chatted with the younger of the two and she said the learning curve going from unamplified to this setup had been steep and the original male, and older singer had been replaced because he could not convert - but they needed tracks to be heard, and wedges were very poor for this. Spill and stage volume reasons. They'd spent a long time tweaking reverb in the IEMs because they needed to hear as close to what they would have heard sung live and unamplified. Once they got this right, they simply toured identical kit to every venue. The only variable was the sound the audience ambience mic picked up. The poorer venues vs the excellent sounding ones. Some of these shows use headsets like Countrymans, DPAs etc but some singers embrace them and others hate them. The sound teams like them because the distance to the capsule remains constant - until they poke them. This makes an on-stage A2 critical, so 2 sound people minimum.

For TV, then small condensers on long tubes extensions - 1m away seemed popular.

For recordings, then in a nice environment, 2-4m distance is nice. Less if the venue acoustics are dryer, or have strange reflections.

In the studio where you are re-creating the acoustics electronically, then you need probably just enough distance to stop the proximity effect changing the response, or of course use an omni closer in. You then need to re-create in their headphones as realistic ambiance as you can.

Our poster here wants to record at home with tracks providing the music. Clearly some kind of headphones are essential to stop the tracks getting into the mic. She may or may not have realised this. To me, this also could be a problem. My Tascam interface has nowhere near the volume on the headphone output to make this work, so I'd use a headphone amp (I have a Behringer rack mount). This lets me route and output to it at realistic level. You then need in the DAW to create some reverb to make it easier to sing, and trick your brain it's real. I just cannot imagine a beginner getting to grips with this quickly, or maybe from the technical point of view. I really don't think the mic is the critical element for success. It's a working system that works for somebody trained to sing loudly in real spaces. Headphones that seal. A good understanding of your DAW etc etc.

I note that she has a USB mic - this doesn't bode well for this recording as the cheap ones don't have any gain adjustment which is virtually certain to be the cause of the distortion.

All the usual concerns of USB mics are detailed in the review by Sound on Sound, who I trust as always good solid advice.

Samson Meteor |

I don't think this is good for opera - and the monitoring issues they detail about having to use asioforall drivers to get return audio to the microphone's headphone connector make me think it was a poor choice. They actually liked the sound though!
 
Back
Top