Do small diaphragm(sp?) condensors work well for vocals?

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agentpenguin185

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Would an Audix ADX-50 (sm. dia. cond.) work well as a vocal mic? Any experiences? Any thoughts and comments would be appreciated, tell me if this should be in the newb. forum.....I didn't think it should, since it's not like "what's a microphone?" or anything like that, anyway, thanks for your time.
 
oooooo, ok, thanks for the speedy reply. Not many people have been replying to my questions, which kinda ticks me off, but oh well, I'm just happy to be a member and be able to ask at all. Thanks.
 
agent, in general SD condensers are more prone to popping,
which can be a concern when you're close miking vocals.
Not familiar with the Audix though.

Chris
 
???????

So what makes them work so well for overhaeds and acoustic guits....? Well, yeah, never mind, youre not gonna get a b or p sound out of cymbals or acoustic guits....huh? Hehe. Thinking out loud
 
For what it's worth I tend to like my own voice better recorded with SD-condensers. I've tried a few LD's but I often have a harder time fitting my voice in the mix with them. I've found micing voices to be very individual, and even depending on the music. As I understand it choirs is often recorded with them even by the pro's, so they seem to be "ok" to use for "voice".
 
Small diaphragm condensers work rather well for a very small number of vocalists. A very good singer with impeccable mic technique might do OK with one. It's usually not the best choice. Small diaphragm mics react very well ro fast transients, rapid changes in output or pitch. They also tend to have better off-axis response. Think of the little window in the hotel door to see who's at the door. It's small, and it sees a bigger picture, like a fish eye lens. Sometimes these features can bring out all that's bad in a singer's performance. If the performance is perfect (it generally isn't) a SD mic can work pretty well.
Going back to that fish eye thing, it's common to use small diaphragms to mic big sources, and large diaphragms to mic small sources. Most of vocals are fairly concentrated at the mouth and nose. These are just tendencies, not laws.
As a rule of thumb, LD's are used for vocals and often, guitar cabs. SD's are used for acoustic instruments and drum overheads. Plenty of people have reversed this conventional wisdom with good results, however. There are also mid-size diaphragm mics, around 3/4", and they can be some of the most versatile all-around mics, such as AKG C2000B and Audio Technica 4033.
 
It is funny that you mention the AKG C2000B. I have two of those and they are indeed extremely versatile.

I like them very much on vocals but also on guitar cabinets, acoustic guitar and other acoustic instruments.

I’ve got a lot of mics, including NTK, and TLM103 and several small diagrams so I have the possibility to A/B them constantly.

The C2000B has an incredible high output for a small diaphragm mic and the sound character comes very close to my TLM103.

The biggest difference is that with the TLM103 I can’t mic a cabinet because It doesn’t have a –10dB switch like the C2000B

At the price level of the C2000B I can recommend this mic to any home recording artist as the best all-round entry level condenser mic.

Buy two and you will be able to handle almost any instrumental recording (stereo) situation. It serves very well on vocals to.
 
Jan, I agree with you totally. I also have an NTK and a B.L.U.E. KIWI, arguably a kickass pair of mics. I'm selling off some gear to raise money for a better preamp, but I won't sell my C2000B! I think that the C3000B is an overpriced, overhyped mic, and a lot of people who have never really worked with 2000's just assumed
it must be a lesser version of the same thing, and wrote it off. It has consistently been one of my best overall mic purchases. I find it just a little bit noisy, but otherwise one of the best bang for buck condensers I've ever heard. On a number of cuts, it has simply blown NTK out of the water as a vocal mic. Also, it really isn't a small diaphragm mic. As I said above, it is most properly a "mid size" diaphragm mic, falling neatly between SD and LD. I got mine for $99 from GC, and it's most definitely a keeper.-Richie
 
SD for vocal?

No experience with the Audix specifically. But I have used SDs from Audio Technica and Shure with some success. Individual results do vary.
The SDs tend to be more accurate. So the news (be it good or bad, depending on the source) is that it will sound like the vocalist. I like for my recordings to sound like I'm playing my acoustic guitar and singing in the room with the listener, so for me it works. But if you want the polished, studio sound, probably LD is the way to go.
 
anything can work....just depends on the vibe of the song and where the magic is.

forget about the science man, it's all voodoo.

some of the best vocal tracks i've ever done were with a Rode NT3...I also have an SP C1 and an NTK...

so what cause this be? performance? just that day and time....my voice...

fuck it, who cares. record it...and if it is a good sounding take, then keep it.
 
Richard Monroe said:
Jan, I agree with you totally. I also have an NTK and a B.L.U.E. KIWI, arguably a kickass pair of mics. I'm selling off some gear to raise money for a better preamp, but I won't sell my C2000B! I think that the C3000B is an overpriced, overhyped mic, and a lot of people who have never really worked with 2000's just assumed
it must be a lesser version of the same thing, and wrote it off. It has consistently been one of my best overall mic purchases. I find it just a little bit noisy, but otherwise one of the best bang for buck condensers I've ever heard. On a number of cuts, it has simply blown NTK out of the water as a vocal mic. Also, it really isn't a small diaphragm mic. As I said above, it is most properly a "mid size" diaphragm mic, falling neatly between SD and LD. I got mine for $99 from GC, and it's most definitely a keeper.-Richie
Click to expand...

The AKG 2000B is probbably in the Rodney Dangerfield catagory of mics...(No Respect)
I have one and have used it a few times, but I have not really given it that many chances. What do you like it best on?
 
Frankly, I like C2000B for just the same things you would use an AT4033 for. Especially vocals, when you want to really cut through a mix. Not smooth, laid back MK319 or NTK cocals, but up front, in your face vocals. It also works very well on acoustic guitar as a single mic, or for cabs, especially cleaner, quieter stuff. It's great for voiceover work as well.-Richie
 
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