Do I need a different mic?

  • Thread starter Thread starter lttoler
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lttoler

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I've been playing around recording some friends and am having troubles getting the vocals to sound like I want. I am using a PG58. The vocals are way to shrill and to take this away I either have to EQ/compress it a ton or get the singer to hold the mic really far back and sing a lot softer. Would a mic with less high end be better? Any suggestions would be great. I added an unmixed clip of the vocals with the mic held away. On my monitors a lot of notes seem to be way too shrill.

Thanks in advance!
 

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Yeah something flat - that PG has a presence boost.
 
Do you have any suggestions in the budget range, preferably not over $250? I added another clip that better describes the problem I'm having.
 
Those two clips the vocal's flat?
The first one sound's like it's got way more than just the mic's rise. If not let's start there.
The second one's not too far off- has a short dynamic peak in a spot or two that's both sticking out (volume) and sharp in tone. Maybe a bit closer to the mic would give it some fullnes to balance it out and/or try a little eq dip there- IDK 3-5khz? Try fairly narrow and boost pretty hard and rock the frequency around in there until it rings with the same tone as the sharpness, then dip 3 or 4db there.
 
The "sample" clip was recorded with the mic held in normal range, and I already EQ'd that track a few times in the range trying to dip out the harsh frequencies in that range with a narrow band. That's what makes me wonder if a different mic would be a better option.

Any more suggestions?
 
What other microphones have you used in the past that you liked?
 
On this particular singer I have tried the PG58, Audio Technica AT4040, and a Rode K2. The Rode was by far the best at smoothing things out, but that was a year ago and I was forced to sell. It is out of my price range now and I'm looking for something more affordable that will smooth out the harshness.
 
But now I have to ask what your using for preamps now.
 
Thanks for the suggestion! More would be great too. Does this mic have a flatter EQ curve?

I am not using a preamp, just going straight into the interface which is a Tascam US-1800. It has worked great this way for other singers I have recorded.
 
yeah it will work, that is your preamp/interface, not bad of a one either.
 
lttoler said:
The "sample" clip was recorded with the mic held in normal range, and I already EQ'd that track a few times in the range trying to dip out the harsh frequencies in that range with a narrow band. That's what makes me wonder if a different mic would be a better option.

Any more suggestions?
Click to expand...
Not that that mic can't be bettered, but with unknown processing already on the clips- pretty tough to proceed then.
 
I will repost a clip tomorrow with the EQ taken off. thanks for all of the suggestions so far!
 
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