damn, i'm stuck again

  • Thread starter Thread starter thehook
  • Start date Start date
T

thehook

New member
alright here is the deal. I have been floating around for a while now and am going to record roots music. I had almost decided on using one mic which I am still almost for sure going to do but before it was the v67, later on I think I will want a few for adding stuff like banjo, harmonica and mandolin...but for now I was set with a v67 and a dmp3. Now I am running into problems.

I read some about the sm7 and the at3035 and was wondering for a mainly vocals and or acoustic guitar either seperately or together which do you guys suggest. I want a rich, smooth, full bodied sound while not sounding over done and still some sparseness throughout...I am thinking mxl 603 for banjo, maybe a bulllet for harp even though it will not be amped but as far as a acoustic and vocal mic goes I am stuck again...please help!!
thanks
matt
 
What's your budget? If it's low, you will have to prioritize your needs. What's most important? Voice and acoustic Guitar, grab a B1 or two. Banjo's do well with a 57. A full bodied mix with sparseness, ummmmmmm call Brian Wilson.
Mandolin and vox will do well with a 67. The harp can be caught with a 57
 
vocals and acoustic are important mostly for now. I thank you for your suggestions on the other stuff too. I was wondering though what everyone else thinks I have read the v67 is better than the c1 for vocals from some and am also wondering about the sm7 and at3035 in comparison from those with experience with any to the v67...thanks everyone in advance that helps out
 
The V67, the C1, and the SM-7 are all good vocal mics - for certain voices. For other voices, a different mic may work better, but you can get "good" vocals out of any of these mics.
 
Big Kenny said:
What's your budget? If it's low, you will have to prioritize your needs. What's most important? Voice and acoustic Guitar, grab a B1 or two. Banjo's do well with a 57. A full bodied mix with sparseness, ummmmmmm call Brian Wilson.
Mandolin and vox will do well with a 67. The harp can be caught with a 57


brian wilson,...

my stepdad knows him. He is SOO OUT OF IT! Hes a really nice guy though.
 
wow, for some reason the streams on that website are playing about 4X faster than they should be, so you sound like a chipmunk yoddeling over a casio keyboard
 
try the low fi stream, I just noticed the same thing with the hi fi stream
 
if you want my honest advice, and assuming you can't get out somewhere to TRY a few mics and find one that works well on your voice and that you have to buy sight-unseen......it would be to get a V67 and an MXL 603.

the V67 is a decent mic for the money--it doesn't have that harsh hyped highend that a lot of "modern" chinese mics have. i've found it quite good on some voices and bad on most acoustic guitars. due to the lack of highend hype, it sounds "darker" than most cheaper mics these days--which can be good for taming things that are overly bright, or rooms with nasty wall reflections. when recording a vocalist for the first time, the v67 is among the mics that i'll reach for when trying out mics (the others include a BLUE dragonfly and an MXL V77), so it's in pretty decent company.

the 603 is really hard to beat on acoustic guitar, mandolin, percussion, and a whole list of other things. in contrast to the v67, it's got a high-end bump that while makes it kinda sizzly on some cymbals, imparts a nice sheen to most acoustic guitars. i've got a pair of them and i LOVE them on acoustic.

both of these mics tend to be a little on the "colored" side. if you want a neutral mic in the same price range, it's hard to beat the SP B1. what goes in is what comes out. doesn't work well on many vocalists (and some it works excellently on), and i've found it to be a very solid acoustic mic (as well as percussion, mandolin, etc).


the sm7 is in a totally different league than the AT and MXL mics. it's apples to donuts, really. usually excellent on a lot of vocals (among other things) and prolly not what i'd reach for when recording an acoustic guitar.

if you want a true "pro studio level tool" which you will likely never "outgrow", then i'd reach for the sm7. you'll always find a use for it, and it'll retain its value over the years. you go into any high-dollar studio, you'll see the sm7....whereas you likely won't see the V67, 603 or B1.


cheers,
wade
 
ok so last question....I want to know out of the mics mentioned here which would be the best all out vocal and guitar mic...I want to do both at the same time...or is there one in the price range of any mentioned here that would do the trick making the guitar and vocals shine and warm up...thanks
matt
 
I haven't compared it to the others, but the C1 gives excelent results tracking both vocals and guitar at the same time...relatively speaking of course...

Jacob
 
There isn't any answer to your question. Except maybe, "it depends". Any of the mics mentioned should do an excellent job of capturing your music, as long as you position the mics correctly. And that's the hard part.

I can play a basic G chord on my guitar about 6 different ways. Add a 6th or a 9th, and the chord choices increase dramatically. Which G chord is best for a song? It depends.

That's what your asking about mics, and there's no real answer. I can take any of the mics you mentioned and give you a quality recording. Some people can do it intuitively; I can't. It took me years of learning how mics work and how instruments radiate sound. Now I can set up almost any mic, and figure out how to make it work for what I need it to do.

I ain't a genius; it took me 50 plus years to figure some of this stuff out.

Some people may be able to do it in a few months, but I ain't one of them. Trial and error is one of the best methods. If a mic doesn't sound good in one place, put it someplace else and try again.

The answer is technique, not equipment. With your V67, I could get a great vocal, guitar, or banjo recording, or an harmonica recording. Not because I'm so great, just because I understand how to use that mic.

Too much bottom end? Move the damn mic back. Too many highs? Twist the mic off axis a bit. Too much room? Use some baffles to cut down the room sound. Can't afford baffles? Bullshit, go down to Home Depot, pickup some 3/4" pvc and some elbows for a few bucks and make some frames. Drape towels, blankets, curtains over them and you have baffles.

Improvise - and learn from it.
 
Harvey Gerst said:
There isn't any answer to your question. Except maybe, "it depends". Any of the mics mentioned should do an excellent job of capturing your music, as long as you position the mics correctly. And that's the hard part.

I can play a basic G chord on my guitar about 6 different ways. Add a 6th or a 9th, and the chord choices increase dramatically. Which G chord is best for a song? It depends.

That's what your asking about mics, and there's no real answer. I can take any of the mics you mentioned and give you a quality recording. Some people can do it intuitively; I can't. It took me years of learning how mics work and how instruments radiate sound. Now I can set up almost any mic, and figure out how to make it work for what I need it to do.

I ain't a genius; it took me 50 plus years to figure some of this stuff out.

Some people may be able to do it in a few months, but I ain't one of them. Trial and error is one of the best methods. If a mic doesn't sound good in one place, put it someplace else and try again.

The answer is technique, not equipment. With your V67, I could get a great vocal, guitar, or banjo recording, or an harmonica recording. Not because I'm so great, just because I understand how to use that mic.

Too much bottom end? Move the damn mic back. Too many highs? Twist the mic off axis a bit. Too much room? Use some baffles to cut down the room sound. Can't afford baffles? Bullshit, go down to Home Depot, pickup some 3/4" pvc and some elbows for a few bucks and make some frames. Drape towels, blankets, curtains over them and you have baffles.

Improvise - and learn from it.

This could be pasted into every single thread on the internet about recording. Very well put, my man!

P.S. the Tapeop board is back in action!

-Joel
 
mrface2112 said:
the sm7 is in a totally different league than the AT and MXL mics. it's apples to donuts, really. usually excellent on a lot of vocals (among other things) and prolly not what i'd reach for when recording an acoustic guitar.


I totally agree there.

The SM-7 isn't always the ideal choice, but it rarely sucks ... and sometimes it's just unreal when it's a good match for the source.

The others mentioned are kinda' hit and miss. Any one of them at least has the potential of sucking in the wrong situation.

For accoustic guitar, I'd go with an Octava MC-012 if at all possible.
 
Back
Top