Good Vocal mic

Have you tried out a ribbon mic? I have an Avantone CR14. The big thing is that it rolls off the high end a lot more than either a condenser or dynamic mic. But the response of the ribbon mic is so smooth that it doesn't sound like you are losing a lot of top end. And if you do try to EQ it the smooth response makes it so that any EQ doesn't sound like extreme treatment. The CRF 14 with a good pop filter in front of it night reduce the sibilance quite a bit.

MXL has several ribbon mics below $150. There are other inexpensive ones like Nady, CAD, and a couple others.
 
It's a little on the spendy side, at $695 but it's totally worth every penny I paid for it. The Mojave 201 Fet. It's a character mic so putting it thru a character preamp will mostly make it sound muddy. But put it thru a preamp with no character of it's own and, that thing is a thing of beauty. It's become my go to mic for almost everything you would use a large diaphragm condenser mic for.

My song writing partner, who is the vocalist in our little duo, has dentures. He sings just fine with them, but his S sounds can get a little out of control. I used to have to De-SS him almost to the point that it made the track sound like he had a lisp. The Mojave and a good windscreen, seems to have cured that problem. I still have to use a De-SSer on his vocals but, the problem is SO MUCH less severe than before. It's night and day how much better his vocals sound thru that Mojave. As a bonus, it sounds absolutely amazing on acoustic guitars and guitar amps as well. It shines on them actually. It pretty much shines on just about anything I throw at it. It's warm and and depth to everything you put it on.

My second recommendation would be as Robert above me said a ribbon mic, pretty much for all the reasons he stated. I have a Royer R101 that is just as amazing as my Mojave. It probably should be, as they are both Royer made mics. I tend to use that ribbon for things that the Mojave doesn't quite sound right on and vice versa.
 
Man, I just suggest you think about getting past the condenser mic thing. Sm7b and forget about most of the issues you are having.

Vocals are actually easy really. Your room that the vocal is recorded in is the biggest thing to deal with. Going with a mic that does not make the room the obvious issue is your best bet. Condenser mics will work for some vocalist, and sometimes present the issue you have now with another. It just depends on the singer. Well, and how you place a condenser mic with a 'essy' singer. Off axis can work, but unless the singer whispers regularly, I have had the best results with a dynamic mic.

In my experience, it (SM7b) just works for both male and female vocals without the sibilance and need to quiet the neighbors dogs. Especially if you do not have a ton of well placed acoustic treatment. I have a well treated studio space and have used many mics in the $100 to $700 range. The SM7b just works every time.

I have a a Rode NT1a that I found well placed once for vocals. Only once in 5 years. It was for a 5' 2" wonderful female singer that had a voice with no more power than a whisper. Was perfect for that situation. Loud rock males or even pop girls, that was in no way the right mic. Other than that, it has only been used for acoustic guitars since.

Oh and drum 'room' mic. Good for that track I rarely place in a mix. But sometimes it is the one that makes everything gel... Always different with each situation.
 
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Have you tried out a ribbon mic? I have an Avantone CR14. The big thing is that it rolls off the high end a lot more than either a condenser or dynamic mic. But the response of the ribbon mic is so smooth that it doesn't sound like you are losing a lot of top end. And if you do try to EQ it the smooth response makes it so that any EQ doesn't sound like extreme treatment. The CRF 14 with a good pop filter in front of it night reduce the sibilance quite a bit.

MXL has several ribbon mics below $150. There are other inexpensive ones like Nady, CAD, and a couple others.


I have never tried a ribbon on vocals myself. Ribbon mics IME are sensitive to air being pushed into them so not sure I would use mine for vocals without a couple of pop filter screens between the mic and mouth.

I may have to try that in the future for kicks, but if it ain't broke, why break it. Worth a try tho. :)

I use a ribbon mic mostly for distant (3' or so out) room mic of guitars when the room sound is warranted.

Just a note: be careful with the cheaper-hell all ribbon mics, not to send phantom power to them. That has been known to destroy some of them. Especially the cheaper ones. Just hearsay tho.


None of us or anyone can tell you what mic will work perfectly for any given situation. That is for you to decide with what you have. We can only give insight from our personal experience.

Best!
 
Yes the last song I recorded had a ton of words beginning with s, I was ripping my ears off with them . Never been a problem with me before to this extent. I am experimenting with mic placement which seems like it may help however I also am more conscience of my s words now so that may be helping more than anything. Thanks for the tips, Mics { even the most expensive} have their own personality so I understand why it is hard for people to recommend them What one person loves another may hate. Problem is a guy can go broke buying mic as they are not easy to demo or return. I cannot tell a whole lot buy going into a store and testing one in a room full of people.

How do you track? Is there an instrument, e.g a guitar, recorded at the same time? Do the vocals spill into that mic? Trying to create a bright guitar sound with lots of highs and exciters, the leak/spill might build more sses then you like on the guitar track.
If you track just your vocals try Shure sm 7b. A little bit more expensive, but...
 
I'm sure you've figured it out by now. But....This is a case of mic placement. rotating the mic is a great idea. I would be more into moving the mic DOWN rather than up...capture more chest tone....Esses come out of your nose and sinus area than the chest.
 
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