Studio vocal microphone, Shure vs Blue vs EV???

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arman1002

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I just started producing a short time ago and i came to a full halt at mic-ing up vocals. (i've done mostly guitars and winds up till now)

Ive been using the classic SM57 and have had some fun with a few other Shure mics that a friend of mine has been able to loan me but now i have come across a few mics that i either cant test in front of me or cant choose between.

my budget is approximately $200 but i figure i could stretch a little and i was thinking at first:
Shure SM48 as well as the Blue enCORE 200 to get both spoken and singing nicely

I realy wanted a large diaphragm mic but i realize that is not possible given my budget, if i want to sustain quality(?)

but now i'm unsure about considering these:
EV Cardinal (sounds very good?)
MXl V67G
EV RE510
Shure 565SD (i'm really leaning away from this one)

the Shure 55SH has been brought up (and put down quite a bit by nearly everyone)

I figure my best bet, if my first consideration of the SM48 and enCORE 200 isint good, is a combination of a cardiod and supercardiod. (one of each)

I want to record a wide range of singing, both male and female and probably not lower than a middle baritone/ low tenor. I also, and it is crucial that i do this well, want to capture spoken vocals but keep them harmonically appealing, like a professional reader (which is exactly what i will be recording)

All of my rock vocals that are harsh can be done with the SM57 and often the screamers i work with don't need anything except that and a digital EQ.

I am also going to get a Behringer FBQ6200 EQ to link between my microphone and interface, is this a good equalizer?

Thank you to all that help :)
 
im sure this will raise a few eyebrows, but from experience i can strongly advocate for the Audio Technica 2020. it is under $100 (you could get two!) it is a large diaphragm side address condenser (+48v phantom req'd) and it sounds killer on anything you put it in front of. ive used it on vocals, on the top of the snare drum, on acoustic guitar, on the 4x12 cab of metal guitarist, on flute, it is great bang for the buck, and with a limited mic budget will give you great value. sometimes they (A/T) package this mic with another mic as a bonus for retail.

if you want ONE great mic, spend more ($300-400) for a Shure KSM-32..the black ones (#KSM32CG) are cheaper because they dont come with a shock mount or fancy case. the champagne colored 32's are a little more $$ cause they are packaged in a sturdy metal case and come with the shockmount.

i have 2 of both, i have more expensive Nuemanns too, but it is no lie, the 2020 is pretty amazing for $99...and sees plenty of action, even in the presence of higher quality mics.
 
AFAIK the 55SH is made with a SM48 capsule.

The SM48 is a "in production" vocal sleeper mic. It doesn't have an impedance matching transformer (SM57 does). Therefore it tends to "load" better with budget pre's/mixers ala
Behringer/Mackie VLZ's (Onyx series are nice pre's for a SM57 BTW). Net result is that the
48 sounds clearer on these prosumer pre's vs. a 57.

But the sound is still very much like your SM57.

IMHO score either a Electro-Voice EV RE15 (tough to get lately cheap in ebay),
or their EV 635a. The 635a was used occasionally on Motown lead or BGV's.

The RE15 was Elvis's main studio vocal mic at RCA from the mid 60's onward.

Chris
 
Big Kenny said:
https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=53878
read this and call me in the morning.... oh yeah and....why do you want an eq for an interface?
Click to expand...

I read it through and it definitely had a lot of analogies as well as i understand what you mean. Its just that ive been through so many threads and looked at so many microphones that i resorted to posting one of my own. All i really want is personal opinions or recommendations.

The EQ will act, for me, as a sort of pre amp EQ since my interface has a built in preamp that i cant bypass (sadly) without a physical EQ as well as i was thinking of using the second channel for random creative/ personal uses.

Brumus and chessparov, i looked up the mics you prescribed and i must say that both the recommendations and explanations are very in dept. The ksms are too expensive for me sadly and the RE15 is a bit out there for me considering that despite its price, its a rather high end mic historically. The 635a doesnt look right for me either.

the AT2020 looks perfect though :D
 
Brumus said:
im sure this will raise a few eyebrows, but from experience i can strongly advocate for the Audio Technica 2020. it is under $100 (you could get two!) it is a large diaphragm side address condenser (+48v phantom req'd) and it sounds killer on anything you put it in front of. ive used it on vocals, on the top of the snare drum, on acoustic guitar, on the 4x12 cab of metal guitarist, on flute, it is great bang for the buck, and with a limited mic budget will give you great value. sometimes they (A/T) package this mic with another mic as a bonus for retail.

if you want ONE great mic, spend more ($300-400) for a Shure KSM-32..the black ones (#KSM32CG) are cheaper because they dont come with a shock mount or fancy case. the champagne colored 32's are a little more $$ cause they are packaged in a sturdy metal case and come with the shockmount.

i have 2 of both, i have more expensive Nuemanns too, but it is no lie, the 2020 is pretty amazing for $99...and sees plenty of action, even in the presence of higher quality mics.
Click to expand...

I agree with both your mic choices. The 2020 is a great mic considering it cost me like $50 used. It sounds quite good on everything but for vocals you will need a good pop filter.

I also just got a Shure KSM32 and am loving it. I haven't tried it on vocals yet but I bet it will be nice.

As for the Shure 55s, I think it sounds nice and deep on vocals and is actually one of my favorite all around mics. It was good enough for Elvis! Plus it looks killer!
 
You might want to check the diaphragm size on the 2020 - the ones I've seen are actually small diaphragm (albeit in a package that would appear to accommodate a larger one) - but if it's a good match to a voice, the diaphragm size should be secondary anyway.
 
FWIW the 'ol 55 that Elvis used had a different capsule than the "modern" one today.

While the 2020 is a nice vocal mic, the EV 635a thankfully is still in production.

Otherwise I'd be somewhat reticent to ballyhoo it's virtues, lest the ebay price zoom up-like the RE15. For one thing, if you run the 635a through a premium mic pre, it'd typically WAY outperform the AT 2020 on vocals (yeah I used to have that AT).

IF I was starting out all over again, without testing extensively, would get these three;

1) SM57 (or SM58)
2) EV 635a
3) Beyer M88

Before buying any LDC's...

Chris
 
chessparov said:
FWIW the 'ol 55 that Elvis used had a different capsule than the "modern" one today.

While the 2020 is a nice vocal mic, the EV 635a thankfully is still in production.

Otherwise I'd be somewhat reticent to ballyhoo it's virtues, lest the ebay price zoom up-like the RE15. For one thing, if you run the 635a through a premium mic pre, it'd typically WAY outperform the AT 2020 on vocals (yeah I used to have that AT).

IF I was starting out all over again, without testing extensively, would get these three;

1) SM57 (or SM58)
2) EV 635a
3) Beyer M88

Before buying any LDC's...

Chris
Click to expand...

Do i need a pre amp though? and if i do, the premium (assuming you're talking about SPL Premium mic pre) is way out of my price capabilities.

But yeah, if i get any of the listed mics, or perhaps if i end up with another model of another make, do i really need a preamp, like NEED one? If so what should i be looking at? Ive seen $20 ones that are recommended "not for professional studio use" and $1000 ones that are highly recommended.

Obviously i would have to look at a studio quality one, and Im hoping to achieve professional studio quality, not mediocre studio quality but then would that be in my price range?? If not then... can i wait... and save up?
 
So what happened to your thoughts of purchasing the V67g?







:cool:
 
Sorry, by "premium" simply meant something well above the Behringer or Mackie VLZ kind of thing. At least a Studio Projects VTB-1, M-Audio DMP3, or Mackie Onyx, which all have a good sound.

Chris
 
Brumus said:
im sure this will raise a few eyebrows, but from experience i can strongly advocate for the Audio Technica 2020. it is under $100 (you could get two!) it is a large diaphragm side address condenser (+48v phantom req'd) and it sounds killer on anything you put it in front of. ive used it on vocals, on the top of the snare drum, on acoustic guitar, on the 4x12 cab of metal guitarist, on flute, it is great bang for the buck, and with a limited mic budget will give you great value. sometimes they (A/T) package this mic with another mic as a bonus for retail.

if you want ONE great mic, spend more ($300-400) for a Shure KSM-32..the black ones (#KSM32CG) are cheaper because they dont come with a shock mount or fancy case. the champagne colored 32's are a little more $$ cause they are packaged in a sturdy metal case and come with the shockmount.

i have 2 of both, i have more expensive Nuemanns too, but it is no lie, the 2020 is pretty amazing for $99...and sees plenty of action, even in the presence of higher quality mics.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up, just got one, 45 dollars on amazon. Can't go wrong there mate.
 
hey everyone,
sorry for not replying sooner but i encountered a gymnastics accident and was recently in the OR.

i believe that i am going to go with the AT2020. Seems versatile enough. I am also, over a small period of time, get the Behringer FBQ3102 (i dont need the limiter since its in~) and the MDX2600.

I guess this is the best way to start out, as i get better then ill get more stuff... (?)

sounds right orr am i missing something?

BTW thanks for all your help ^_^
 
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