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  • Thread starter Thread starter Ion White
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Ion White

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Does anyone have any recommendations for a quality microphone that produces warm, lush tones with a little grit or distortion? My vocals are usually lower in tone..no screaming or singing very loudly. Right now I've got a baby bottle running through a tube pre amp but I don't feel the vocals come off warm enough and I tend to spend a lot of time tweaking to get the proper tone...any input is welcomed and appreciated..thank you
 
I can't recommend a specific brand as there are a lot of options and good brands to choose. But I recommend using:

a.) Vocal condenser microphone.
b.) With good low end frequency response (typically those that do not roll off the bass frequencies). You can check this with the frequency response of the microphone which is provided by the manufacturer specifications.

Start with that and if you are using analog gear in your recording (preamps, mixers, etc), it would naturally adds the warmth sound in your vocals.
 
Tilt the microphone up (toward the forehead) for more projection and head tone, straight on at the mouth for maximum brightness and intelligibility, or down toward the chest for more robust full lows and smoother highs.

preamps - you can investigate the various pres available out there. Some will add "color" (including that elusive "warmth" factor). Try a few out at the store if you can. Or just read, read, read and ask about them here.

The baby bottle is a very good mic for the price so I would pair it up with a decent pre.

If you want distortion you will need to add that either from the pre, compressor (or a pedal), before the recording step or after the fact using a plug in. Say an amp plug in or pedal plug in to distort it. This mic is not designed to distort on its own, rather it is designed to give you clean sounds.
 
Thanks for the tips! I'm planning on starting to record my new project in the middle of the month and am going to be trying some new things
 
I've got an MXL V57m and love it for it's warmth and grit. It's my goto vocal mic. If you can find it on ebay, it might just be what you're looking for.
 
Every mic will sound different with different voices.
My suggestion is to spend some time at your local music store doing a shoot out with different mics.
I'm sure they'll have a protools or logic set-up and your can track a line or two with the different mics.
 
I would recommend trying out a few and seeing what they do to your voice man!
 
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