Comparing Mics

  • Thread starter Thread starter noisedude
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noisedude

noisedude

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Ignoring the obvious limitations for a second, is there any reason why you shouldn't set two mics up next to each other, in near-as-makes-no-odds identical positions, to make comparison recordings? So making a singer sing 'down the middle' of a pair so they get pretty equal incoming signals?

Obviously to get the best from a mic you need to work out the best position for it, but would this be a fair way of hearing its basic 'sound'?
 
Sounds like what you're testing is off axis response. The best positioning for mics varies a lot, especially with vocals. The only valid comparison of vocal mics is on separate takes with each mic placed in the best place for that mic. Aside from that, you're testing "the basic sound" of that singer with that mic. You'd have to use a bunch of singers to make a useful comparison. Every singer I know has at least one perfectly good vocal mic that makes them sound like hell.- Richie
 
What about if you angled each mic at your mouth (or wherever you do) hence it would be on-axis response. Unless you sing with half your mouth closed. However, I think one mic would be great from 6" but another would be pants, so its best to find the best for each mic methinks.
 
I'm only talking about me, my guitars, amps, etc. Can I line two mics up next to each other, equidistant from the source, and get enough of an idea how they sound to know which I'm gonna prefer? I'm talking about saving time because I'm doing a session with an old friend, we have one week 24/7 to try put down ten songs, mix and be more or less done. We're gonna be crazy short of time and he has some mics I'm not familiar with and vice versa.
 
No Canopus- the sound that comes out os the mouth is directional, generating a narrow column of air. The human voice isn't a speaker. The sinuses resonate, and a mic aimed up from below and one aimed down from above are totally different propositions. Off axis from the side is just wrong, because it puts both the chest resonance and the sinus resonance off axis. Noisedude- just put up the mics one at a time and sing into them. The mic shootout shouldn't take you more than an hour. When recording "Reunion", I had 2 weekends, that's 4 days, to do a mic shootout with 2 singers, work out the backing vox on 10 songs, and track them. You've got plenty of time to do what you need to do, and the vocal mic shootout is one of the most critical steps. Don't cut your corners there.-Richie
 
Ok, thanks :) You da man!

He's got some EV dynamics I've not seen before ... 767s I think he said, although they're new so he doesn't have much of an opinion on them yet. Then he's got a load of oddments I'm gonna have to trawl through to try find a gem. And I'm gonna have to try all my stuff on his voice and drums ... oh damn, I forgot he was bringing drums ... WHERE IS ALL THIS GONNA FIT IN MY HOUSE????? :D
 
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