Spec me a £1000 Mic & Pre...

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eddieboz

New member
Hello people.

This is my first post here and I'd appreciate some advice from fellow music-makers on potential options for a decent minimalist setup. My current "situation" is as follows:

Blue Bluebird -> Focusrite VMP w/ ADC Card -> M-Audio FTP s/pdif in -> iMac using Logic.

Without getting too much into it, I hate my setup. I got the VMP, frankly, because I was dazzled by all the fancy knobs and buttons... It was only afterwards I began to realise all the bells and whistles were completely unnecessary and I could have had a much better dedicated single channel mic preamp for my money. Hindsight's a b***h.

With regards to the Bluebird & FTP ultimately I feel they are safe & reliable, nothing more, nothing less. Again with the Bluebird, I feel like I'm missing out on something special and instead have this fancy mic that looks cool...

I like the idea of having a really minimalist stripped back setup - mic -> single channel pre -> computer. I'll also soon be replacing my iMac with the new Macbook Pro for more portability... I must confess I had a brief moment of madness in considering the new Blue Yeti Pro, but I of course I'd be sacrificing far too much on quality. I used to own the EV RE20 going into the FTP, and loved the mic, but I remember I always had to crank up the Gain a lot which created noise, so replaced it with the Bluebird.

So, the obvious noob-style question is, what are your recommendations? I'm getting rid of the Bluebird, VMP & FTP for a fresh start. My budget is anything up to £1000 for a mic & pre... The only potential drawback I can see is that the mic pre would need a USB/Firewire connection, and I'd prefer it not to be rack-sized! The only things I've considered so far is the Apogee Duet which seems appealing because of how portable it is, and the rave reviews it seems to constantly get. Mic-wise I've been thinking again about the RE20 or the newer RE27, and the Shure SM7B... However, I'm open to all suggestions as the market is full of goodies that I'm not even aware of ;)

Thought it would be good to share an mp3 so you know what kind of vox I'm doing. It's a sample of something I've been working on - files.me.com/lo.we/vrdloz.mp3

Look forward to hearing back ;)
 
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vox

dude it sounds really nice really rich
personally i would have maybe used a differant reverb with perhaps a little less early reflections but thats just my ears on my monitoring system
as for mics i've never really had that kind of budget so i've never researched it sorry cant help you there but theres plenty more here with experiance of that kind of budget for mics so your bound to get some good advice good luck and keep up the good work
 
Thank you, sir.
Yeah the track is pretty much all over the place at the minute it's very much a rough sketch (reverbing is such a delicate procedure!) - I often worry I'm not hearing my work how the rest of the world will because my only monitoring method is some Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80s plugged into the FTP, which I don't 100% trust...
 
I personally would go back to the EV RE20.

As for the micpre you have ... you don't have to use all of the bells and whistles, just set them to 0 and perhaps you may find a use for them in the future works that you encounter.
 
Your mics probably are NOT the issue. You might look at preamps so you can run your RE-20 fairly hot without the noise floor. Or as much of it at least. Lots of options in that price range. Otherwise change your monitoring setup to something more trustworthy.

Sounds good to me. You might try reverb on SOME, not ALL of the tracks before you mix them together. It was a bit of a distraction IMO. Voice and Boom Boom fine, finger snaps, was it really necessary?
 
Finger snaps are far out man. Groovie, and out of sight.

That's it on my beatnik lingo.
 
Hah! To be fair it really was a quick-snap decision (Heyyyy!) - It's a very rough sketch and I more than likely will eventually refine the reverb and replace the snaps with something... Better. I only shared the track to give you guys an idea of my vox so it may help with any recommendations. Shadow_7 man you are a tough cookie! I kid, I kid.

The environment I'm recording in probably isn't doing any favours, I work from my bedroom which has no form of acoustic treatment, apart from my carpet, and I have a couple of other electrical devices running which are audible...

I'm starting to convince myself that the Apogee Duet may be a good starting point, from what I've read it seems to strike a great balance between quality and portability... Mic-wise, I'm debating either seeing how well my Bluebird works with the Duet, or getting rid of it and purchasing the RE20, which I miss... Or the RE27... Or the SM7B... Aaarrrgghh!! The only debate that seems to go on with regards to the RE27, is that is requires less gain which is good, but it has a higher top-end, which may or may not be a good thing for me... I only refer to the SM7B because it seems to sit on the same level as the RE20/27.

Finger snaps are far out man. Groovie, and out of sight.

That's it on my beatnik lingo.
Click to expand...

- Quote of the day.
;)
 
eddieboz said:
Hah! To be fair it really was a quick-snap decision (Heyyyy!) - It's a very rough sketch and I more than likely will eventually refine the reverb and replace the snaps with something... Better. I only shared the track to give you guys an idea of my vox so it may help with any recommendations. Shadow_7 man you are a tough cookie! I kid, I kid.

The environment I'm recording in probably isn't doing any favours, I work from my bedroom which has no form of acoustic treatment, apart from my carpet, and I have a couple of other electrical devices running which are audible...

I'm starting to convince myself that the Apogee Duet may be a good starting point, from what I've read it seems to strike a great balance between quality and portability... Mic-wise, I'm debating either seeing how well my Bluebird works with the Duet, or getting rid of it and purchasing the RE20, which I miss... Or the RE27... Or the SM7B... Aaarrrgghh!! The only debate that seems to go on with regards to the RE27, is that is requires less gain which is good, but it has a higher top-end, which may or may not be a good thing for me... I only refer to the SM7B because it seems to sit on the same level as the RE20/27.

- Quote of the day.
;)
Click to expand...





This should be self evident ... go with the RE20!

Crazy man .......... <i forgot that one>
 
Yesssssss!!! Apogee Duet & RE20 it is then... I think your red font colour pushed me over the edge.

I think I may also keep the Bluebird for the time being and see how it plays out with the Duet... Who knows it may be a match made in heaven.

... It's just a shame microphones aren't covered under cooling off periods... Aah germs.
 
The snaps were fine. Cool even. The reverb on the snaps was just kind of out of place IMO. Like a good band performing in a bad cafeteria.
 
eddieboz said:
Yesssssss!!! Apogee Duet & RE20 it is then... I think your red font colour pushed me over the edge.

I think I may also keep the Bluebird for the time being and see how it plays out with the Duet... Who knows it may be a match made in heaven.

... It's just a shame microphones aren't covered under cooling off periods... Aah germs.
Click to expand...

You can always sell it here in the free ads!
 
moresound said:
You can always sell it here in the free ads!
Click to expand...

You make a good point.

Err............ Sennheiser MD 441-U??? I wasn't even aware of this mic before this morning. I could kind of, sort of, possibly stretch to it if it would be worth the bump up from the RE20...
 
Yo Eddieboz! I don't think the MD441 is a step up from the RE20- more of a sideways move. It's different, not better. To me, the 441 sounds more like a condenser than any other dynamic. It requires a little less gain than the RE20, and isn't quite as *huge*. I can't offer too many alternatives to the Duet, due to size requirements. Portability is often at odds with quality, and you are building a pretty high end portable setup, as they go. My first thought was to use a separate A-D converter, such as Lucid AD2496, and a clean high-gain preamp, such as Grace 101 (which can definitely feed that RE20), but that combo is much bulkier, and draws more power. Let us know how the Duet works out. I looked at pictures, and it says it has XLR inputs, but I don't see them. So where are they? I also didn't see where you turn the phantom power on and off. So where's the switch? Just curious.Good luck-Richie
 
Hey Richard. Thanks for getting involved here ;)

The Apogee Duet has a breakout cable connector - the cable itself splits into all the different connectors, which I'm not loving the sound of because for the most part I'll be exclusively using only one XLR input, so all the other connectors will just be left hanging. Messy! The phantom power is operated by software drivers on the mac, and from what I gather the wheel on the device can do different things when moved in different ways or pressed. Ultimately though I'm excited to check out the preamps in it as they seem to get consistent rave reviews for being incredibly quiet, clean, and 75 dB gain - it almost seems too good to be true for something so compact! Will definitely let you know how it works out...

Yeah the 441 is a very slick-looking mic which is what initially caught my attention. Like I said in a previous post - this is what's so bloody difficult about buying mics blind! There seems to be this small group of dynamics (RE20/27, 441, SM7B, probably a few more I'm not aware of) in a similar price range, that only seem to differ based on personal preference rather than "quality"...

Aah decisions...
 
Well, that's the tough part Eddieboz-There aren't just good mics, bad mics, and better mics. There are right mics and wrong mics. They are like shoes. They either fit or they don't, and I can't look at you and tell you if the shoes will suit you. Furthermore, especially with vocal mics, we don't necessarily agree on what sounds good. That's why any serious studio has multiple options for a main vocal mic. You never know what mic will give you a sound that is acceptable to the engineer, the producer, *and* the voice talent. As far as dynamics go, the SM7, RE20, the MD421 and MD441 are pretty much the end of the line (excepting ribbon mics, which are really just another form of dynamic). If you don't like any of those, you probably just don't like the sound of dynamics on your voice. And yes, they need a ton of clean gain. Here's one other odd option- the discontinued AKG D3800 tripower. It used to be over $300, but they can now be found for $100 new, in the flight case. It sounds a lot like an MD421, (more like a condenser than most dynamics) but it just didn't sell. The downside- it's a sensitive and unforgiving SOB. The proximity field is abrupt and aggressive, and requires really good mic technique. I usually use it on live pianos and other things that don't move much. The output is *very* hot for a dynamic, so huge amounts of gain are not required. That's the good news. Good luck-Richie
 
Sorry to revive a practically post guys, but could really use some input...
I am now awaiting the delivery of my Macbook Pro & Apogee Duet. The big debate is still on microphones, as ever. The trouble I'm having is it simply isn't possible for me to demo any mics before I buy, and since I can't return whichever mic I purchase online, I'm having to base my decision purely on opinions!
I was set on the RE20, almost clicking 'checkout', but still with the lingering "what about the RE27" at the back of my head, so I went to the EV website for some much needed confirmation... BIG MISTAKE.
I stumbled upon the RE320 which looks like a beast, but from the lack of research I've been able to pull up on it, I'm guessing it's still too new to have formed a genereal opinion...
Add to all of that the SM7b... And then I found this on eBay - SENNHEISER MD441-N VINTAGE dynamic microphone MD 441 on eBay (end time 18-Apr-11 15:39:57 BST)

*****HEAD EXPLODES*****

I'm pretty much set on wanting a dynamic, and obviously I'm hovering at the top end of the dynamic selection, where it's a matter of personal preference and what works for the user, rather than one being "better" than the other...

If it helps with any advice you can give, I think it would be cool to be able to use one of these mics in a live setting...
 
Other than what you've already figured out, there isn't too much more to say about dynamics. You're looking at the best ones there are. I'll just add this, because you mentioned live use- the SM7b is my main live vocal mic. It isn't hand held, so it has to live on a mic stand, which is fine for me, as I'm a solo guitarist/singer-songwriter. The weird part is- I never use the mid-range boost switch in the studio, but for live use, I do, and it sounds*great*. It is also *very* feedback resistant. It has a gentle, progressive proximity field that makes it great for live use. In the studio, you have to have a clean preamp that you can really crank up without a lot of noise. Fortunately, I do, but it requires me to pretty much max out an Avalon AD2022, which is +65db.-Richie
 
Base your opinion on samples of the mics in use, not just OTHERs opinions. Trust YOUR ears most. If you can't find samples of a mic in use, it's probably a clear indication that you're not good at searching, or no one liked the mic enough to post a sample of it. In either case, it'd probably be hard to sell, so avoid it.
 
Thanks for all the help - I discovered a reputable European online store (thomann.de) that allows returns on microphones, so I ordered the SM7b! If I don't love it I'll just swap it for an RE20...

Yesssss!
 
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