Hey. My last options left. Store bailed.

[PhilGood]

Good GRIEF, the poor OP'er has got to wade thru no less than FIVE off-topic post before he gets even one answer worth a damn. I am no huge Hip-hop fan, but come ON, guys, stay focused!

Yes, and we have to weed through AT LEAST 5 or more of the same damn ignorant questions per week that time and time again shows that the folks who record "hip hop and R&B" feel that their music requires something outside the norm of recording actual SOUND!!! Like R&B or RAP has some special quality that industry standard microphones are either not able to capture, or that only a select few microphones are suitable for recording the unbelievably amazing sensual sonic heaven that is R&B and RAPPPP! or that physics doesn't apply when recording "hip hop and R&B". My god! That should permanently be in my clip board so I don't have to type it so often.

Either that or there is some hidden signal that is "I record hip hop and R&B, ...know what I'm sayin'?" That I just don't connect to.

 

[second skin]

Yes, and we have to weed through AT LEAST 5 or more of the same damn ignorant questions per week that time and time again shows that the folks who record "hip hop and R&B" feel that their music requires something outside the norm of recording actual SOUND!!! Like R&B or RAP has some special quality that industry standard microphones are either not able to capture, or that only a select few microphones are suitable for recording the unbelievably amazing sensual sonic heaven that is R&B and RAPPPP! or that physics doesn't apply when recording "hip hop and R&B". My god! That should permanently be in my clip board so I don't have to type it so often.

Either that or there is some hidden signal that is "I record hip hop and R&B, ...know what I'm sayin'?" That I just don't connect to.

i whole heartedly agree with this. screw being pc about answering questions. i personally play "spacey indie rock" and the mics that i use actually do a pretty damn good job of recording many other styles also.

the other thing is USE THE DAMN SEARCH FUNCTION

 

[Supercreep]

I don't own either mic the OP mentions - and so I can't really say which one I'd reach for if I were recording rap/rnb vocals in a closet.

Audio Technica makes good mics, though. If I had to pick one sight unseen it would be the AT.

 

[brownplus]

here ya go man....some real decent advice...
get the at2020 with a good screen or foam pop filter....see these for $40 on the 'bay...

OR>>>because these sound great too!

get just about any dynamic handheld other than a shure...i mean they r OK but have found sennheiser, EV, peavey and especially beyerdynamic mics to outperform them and cost less (except the beyer)

plus...the dynamic handheld will withstand more abuse and dont be fooled...pro singers use condensers and dynamics and no one can tell me they can tell what mic he/she is using.....I DEFY YOU!!!!

a secret sleeper is the nady starpower mics...super cheap and great performers....

 

[stevieb]

/looks for mic recommendation in stevieb's post/

Your post is worth a damn how?

Ouch! Hoisted on my own pitard!

 

[Supercreep]

here ya go man....some real decent advice...
get the at2020 with a good screen or foam pop filter....see these for $40 on the 'bay...

OR>>>because these sound great too!

get just about any dynamic handheld other than a shure...i mean they r OK but have found sennheiser, EV, peavey and especially beyerdynamic mics to outperform them and cost less (except the beyer)

plus...the dynamic handheld will withstand more abuse and dont be fooled...pro singers use condensers and dynamics and no one can tell me they can tell what mic he/she is using.....I DEFY YOU!!!!

a secret sleeper is the nady starpower mics...super cheap and great performers....

The reasons you give to buy a cheap dynamic hand held is that they withstand abuse and that you suppose most people can't tell the difference between a dynamic and a condenser mic anyway? Those are not particularly compelling reasons to buy a mic for the studio, although durability is a plus.



I agree that a dynamic would be a good place for this fellow to start - but for reasons like:

It will be more flattering and less likely to expose problems with his room.

You can record in a control room with monitors at a reasonable level and avoid having to wear cans, which can be a pain in the ass.

It is useful on other sources, depending on the mic, and generally takes EQ well.

It doesn't require phantom power.


In particular, I think quality dynamics like the RE-20 have a very condenser like clarity and lack a pronounced proximity effect. This is an easy mic to record with and it doesn't require a lot of discipline. It does like gain though. I like the MD-421 as well, but more for guitar cabs and kit drum pieces than for vocals. It remains a popular vocal mic for certain styles of music, especially on loud sources.

A good condenser is a positive to have, too - but be ready to spend a little more. If I were starting out and planning to record any instruments besides voice I would be looking for a multi-pattern large diaphragm condenser with a mind to purchase another later to allow different stereo mic techniques. I'd suggest the AT 4050 or the Shure KSM44 as quality mics at an affordable price point.

Most importantly I think that the OP should buy a microphone he will always have a use for in his mic locker.




Caveat Emptor.

 

[dgatwood]

Of the two mics in the original list... I'm going to have to just go with "neither". The 415 is AFAIK a stock Chinese LDC with all the harshness that typically comes with them. The AT2020 is a small diaphragm condenser and is also pretty bright. Neither would be a good choice at its price point for vocal purposes, IMHO.

As for the question of a mic that won't record hip hop/R&B, we have those. They're called instrument mics.

 

[brownplus]

supercreep angry robot

supercreep angry robot....you stated....

The reasons you give to buy a cheap dynamic hand held is that they withstand abuse and that you suppose most people can't tell the difference between a dynamic and a condenser mic anyway? Those are not particularly compelling reasons to buy a mic for the studio, although durability is a plus.

Not sure I follow....you are saying that you doubt most people can't tell diff. between the two? ANd it's not compelling to buy one becuase of this?

confused

i find, with some excellent exceptions, that the cheap chinese crowd of mics are kind of limited and hard to get a really good sound from, and that a better choice would be a quality dynamic...maybe should have expanded this idea? SO many million-dollar artists sing through a dynamic in the studio it aint funny...course they have million dollar processing but I have found that the dyn. mics do more with less tweaking in the end...
and if you record a lot of diff. vocals, it seems to cover more bases.

I have had and still own many condensers but find the beyer opus69 dyn. and m500 ribbon always win out, even a cheapie sennheiser I own did more for a variety of vocals than a charter oak....amazing mic but Im thinking of his affordability to end results performance. If he's asking, he's done no research, and just wants a quick answer to start him on the path.....
and when you think that bryan ferry, bono, steve earle etc etc...only use dynamics when tracking...well...why spend more $$ for a mic that has a higher learning curve and if broken will set ya back so much?

 

[Supercreep]

....you are saying that you doubt most people can't tell diff. between the two? ANd it's not compelling to buy one becuase of this?

I think that most users would find there is a fairly big difference between a cheap dynamic hand held and a studio condenser microphone, yes. But mostly, I'm saying that there are many excellent reasons to choose a dynamic mic for studio vocals.

 

[second skin]

here ya go man....some real decent advice...

the concept of looking at mics as tools for capturing sound instead of working with a genre is real decent advice. as is learning about what makes each mic excel. there is lots of info on this site about mics and why and how they work and it only takes a good search to find it.

my stock answer to this is that you can't go wrong with the AT 40 series however.