Good Mic for Vocals?

  • Thread starter Thread starter andymc
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andymc

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hi everyone!

i was thinking of getting a new mic, mainly for recording vocals. the interface i have right now is a small MXL Mic Mate which takes it to USB into the computer.

i was just wondering what mic would work well, when i don't have a real recording studio that deadens all the actual sound. i usually get the annoying "hiss" in the backround with white noise when there is nothing going on...no fan, ac, or anything like that.

thanks!
 
try looking at a figure 8 mic (but probs not ribbon for vocals - don't take that as gospel!) they have good sound on there own without an ambient. they tend to be a bit expensive i think but you could research that.

also i saw that neumann have brought out a new mic called the tlm 102 which is pretty good for it's price (about £400 i think) and that should be great for vocals.

u really need some more info on here. price, purpose (demo/pro/rough rec) that sort of thing to let us know what kind of region were in. at the mo u could have a £100 or £4000 budget and we couldn't be sure.
the £400 was just an assumption regarding your other kit and the fact u wanted little noise.

hope that helps

if you are looking in the hundreds then u may want to look at this neumann mic finder. neumann have a good reputation but they are pretty expensive. you should look wider for a mic than here but it may give u an idea of what kinds of mics would be good eg lrg diaphagm/small diaphragm/tube/condenser etc.
 
thank you for your response!
i guess it would be considered demo recording. but we want it to sound professional.
i dont want to spend too much on the mic, maybe $100-150, or a little more.
 
hmmm - that's a pretty tall order for a $100-$150 mic. to sound profesional you will at least have to have a pretty amazing room and a really decent interface. BUT there have been some very famous recordings with low budget mics so i would say the important thing for u is a mic that suits your voice.

consider:
do you have a low voice?
a gravelly voice
a breathy voice
a raw voice
a smooth voice
a shrill voice (pardon me but obvsly i have no idea)

if u have a shrill voice u may want to balance it with a mellow-ish mic. if u have a slightly lazy speech tendency then u need a mic with good definition. if it's quite sssy then a nice smooth mic would be good. if it is low/gravelly u need a mic with a good low frequency definition.

u may not find anything that specific for that money but if u can find that then great!

also when recording bare in mind that:

the nicer the room the further u can stand from the mic (but probs no more than 2/3 feet really) usually u will be about a foot in a studio.

if u are standing close u need a pop shield. (advisable anyway really)

u can minimize pop and increase tone a bit by having the mic facing slightly to the side of your mouth and just below your nose. (this is only if your looking for a really intimate sound and standing very close - like 2-4 inches)

the closer u are to the mic the closer u will sound. very basic but not so obvious to some.

u can't remove room sound... u can add it in the mix...
natural room sound is nicer than artificial (depending on the room). if u stand a bit closer - like a foot away - u will minimize that kind of problem without sounding too close. usually u will want a bit of space in the sound

good luck and don't be afraid to do a few test recordings with different mic placements before u do a take.

i don't have the mic general knowledge to tell about different mics really but read reviews of mics and see what they're recommended for and what they are like etc...

hope this was at all helpful :)
 
Also, with the hissing thing, maybe try singing facing a wall or make your own little iso booth out of blankets or something... sleeping bags work well. :)
hope i helped you out.
//
 
andymc said:
i usually get the annoying "hiss" in the backround with white noise when there is nothing going on...no fan, ac, or anything like that.
Click to expand...


You need to get a real audio interface.

Those usb mic converters are generally for podcasting, and not really high quality.

Here's a good guide and tested suggestions: http://www.tweakheadz.com/soundcards_for_the_home_studio.htm

(you'll want to bookmark and read through all of Tweak's Guide while you're there...)
 
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