Help choosing a Recording Mic for make lead vocals

TheGuv

New member
Hey guys,I’m new on her.Solo singer of 26 years.Live performances only. I sing deep and high like a baratone on the cusp of a tennor. American Trilogy in C major to a basic soft ballad range.Rock,Blues,Country,Brit POP,Standard pop ect. Mixer is Yamaha EMX5 and I’ve just purchased to record a home studio album as a beginner a Tascam Model 12 Analogue recording mixer (new 2020) The mics I have are all for live perposes and they are :
Shure Beta 58
Shure Bets 87A
Sennheiser E865



What mics would you sugest to buy for recording at home with if the 3 above are not as good as live use.
I’ve been looking at the standards
Shure SM58
Shure SM7B
Sennheiser MD421
sE Electronics sE2200a II
Neumann TLM 102

I was also considering buying a shure SM55 or the SM55 deluxe Edition for trying recording basic rock n roll tracks like buddy holly,Elvis through to the Beatles and the stones ect. Different mics to try to achieve different types of feel n sound with abit of reverb n EQ through the pre amps

Sugestions ????
Thanks guys
 
Unfortunately, you've got more choices than you could ever need. (that's a good thing, tho)

Are you looking for mostly a vocal mic, or will it do more duty with guitar, piano, drums, etc?

Of the mics you mentioned, you probably can't go wrong with the TLM102. I know of people who use it, but its a pretty steep outlay. For a similar cost, you could pick up several mics, like a 421, plus the SE 2200. I went with the Rode NT1, and really like it. Its not overly hyped in the top end, like quite a few others. You could add an SM58 if you wanted to get a dynamic and still only be half way to the Neumann. The Warm 47jr has also gotten some good reviews. No it won't be exactly like a vintage U47 or a 47fet, but its $300, not $4000. The Lewitt 440 has gotten decent press, as has the Lauten LA220.

The Betas and Sennheisers are good mics. Its just a matter of choosing the right too. I would start with those, and try to see if you can try one of the others.

Also, you might check out the Sweetwater Mic comparison

Good luck and have fun!
 
I can't even imagine not having a SM7b.

There's one 3 feet to my right (and this is a mastering facility that barely ever records anything - but when a vocal take needs to be tweaked at the last minute or a bunch of VO's need to be cranked out, it's handy to have).

Not what I'd put several feet out in front of an opera singer. For that, yeah, I'll break out the U87 or something. Or both.

Want to play it safe for just about anything? 7b and the Warm 47jr. Put either one of those into a decent preamp and you aren't going to want for much.

I'd steer clear of the 55's and the like - although I haven't yet heard the newer (cardioid condenser?) version, the only decent ones I've ever heard were heavily modified units. You can make a 7b sound gritty and "vintage" -- It doesn't work the other way around. That said, they're pretty cheap and it doesn't suck to have more mics lying around. And it's certainly unique compared to most others.
 
i really like the Shure KSM 44.

well balanced.
multiple patterns.

for character,
i use a ADK Hamburg.
 
We do have loads of opinions on mics here - I'm totally underwhelmed by my SM7B, although so many respected people love them. I totally agree with the 55 suggestion - as in don't. The reason is simple - the 50s sound they produced was a deficiency in the mics performance that people exploited. You can do very much the same with eq, and retain the depth and clarity 55s just didn't have. Oddly - those copy 55s have a more modern capsule and can with care sound nicer!
 
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I was (live) mixing a (rockabilly?) band with 3 vocalists using 55's and (in my typical fashion) said "Are these props...? or can I talk you into 58's...?" or something like that and they said "No, these are fine - You'll love 'em."

And I did. Here they were, singing 3-part into these things, off-axis. They were the best sounding 55's ever. E.V.E.R.

Talked to the bandleader afterwards -- "Okay man, I'm just going to come out with it - How come these don't sound like [SELF-CENSORED]?"

And he told me that he had a buddy open them up, remove the capsules, replace them with capsules from SM58's and angled them up to the top corner so you could actually use them without covering your face. Bypassed the switches, swapped out some components and yep - they sounded like 58's.
 
The SM7B sounds like a wise choice. Also consider an AT4033 or a DPA d:facto 4018L (the linear version). Those would give you more flexibility for future recordings.
 
Something that I found very interesting this past weekend, was the new "At Home" version of American Idol. They're doing the show from each contestant's home. Interestingly, the rooms have little to no acoustic treatment. Each contestant has been given a mic, video recording and lighting equipment. The mic that has been sent to each is either the Sennheiser Evo 935 or 945. I'm guessing they are using the 945 to cut out room reflections.

You might think that the 965 would be the choice, being a condenser, they went dynamic. They have both male and female voices, with various vocal ranges. I thought that overall, the vocals sounded extremely good. a testament to how good the Sennheisers are.

I've got 3 e835s that use for live vocals, and those are dumped from the line outs of the Yamaha mixer to a Zoom R24. They always sound good.
 
I would invest in a large-diaphragm tube condenser mic (LDC) with a K77 capsule. Used it will probably cost you over $1000, but you will use it on everything - especially vocals. Mics are the most important part of your recording chain and you cannot beat a tube LDC with a true K77 capsule. The capsule usually costs the maker about $700, but it is worth it. New these mics are close to $2k, but if you wait and shop around you can find one for 1000 to 1200.

In addition, they tend to hold their value if you ever need to liquidate it. If you can't swing that - I would go with the Neumann TLM.
 
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