HELP!! Which mike for recording vocals in home studio?

[alba359]

I am new to recording and am bombarded with info on inexpensive large dipharam condenser mikes. I am looking for a large condensor mike to record vocals through an Alesis board to an ADAT recorder. I want something that sounds good and will not fall apart. Recomendations by salesmen have been the Studio Projects C1 for $225, Oktava312 for150, AT3525 for $150. I am a drummer and all mikes sound the same to me. How do I seperate the fact from fiction? Which of the above mikes are good or do you have another suggestion for under $250? Should I just use my Shure 57's for vocals? Would the condensors above make much of a difference over the 57's? I will be recording in a home studio making demos. Most of the recordings of my rock and roll band will be recorded at once with vocal and instrument overdubs for embilishment. Thanks, Don

 

[Gidge]

The C1 and the Marshall MXLv67 and tops in that range......if you go with one of these, you better be recording in a good sounding room or be prepared to build a makeshift isolation booth......

I just stepped up from a 57 to the v67 a few weeks ago and was horrified at my first recording....having hung around here for awhile, I quickly figured out the reason...went into the closet, arranged a few things here and there, brought in the mic and viola....im now trying to get a cheap booth setup, because I hate to keep saying I came out of the closet.....since you have the 57 already, double mic your vocal with the 57 up close a little off angle and the condenser about 6 inches? away......

a nice pre helps out also.....you can score the Marshall for around $180 and get an Art Tube pre for $99 and only kill your budget by $30......

 

[darrin_h2000]

And what a small metaphoric closet that must have been Gidge As you know we all support you.

You should build 2 gobos and treat a corner of the room so you can put up and take down this booth so you dont have a booth up in your bedroon all the time.

 

[TaxMan88]

Gidge, I could have written that story myself. But my situation was a little worse. I was first recording vocals with an AKG dynamic mic run straight into my sound card with NO PREAMP. You can imagine the crisp, clean signal I was getting out of that setup. Suddenly, I have a Spirit Mixer with Ultra Mic Preamps and a MXL V67G. I didn't even think twice about it because I was just used to plugging up a mic and recording, so I did that with the V67. SURPRISE. I listen to the track, and I can hear EVERYTHING . . . and I mean EVERYTHING. It sounded like I was singing in a wooden box and I could even hear the fabric on my pants moving as I moved.

Needless to say, I now have a myriad of blankets hung from the ceiling in my bedroom. I tried Harvey's "blankets in a V configuration" technique, but that didn't even give enough isolation, so I now have "the tent" as I have come to call it.

Gidge, if you find a cost effective way to get some isolation, let me know . . . I'd like to take these blankets down. lol

 

[chessparov]

I've seen a product called "max-wall" from Auralex-a while back
I saw it at www.zzounds.com/a--2676837 and it looked pretty good.

 

[Gidge]

TaxMan,

Being king of the cheapskates, Im sure Ill come up with something....now I need better headphones cause Im even picking that up....while Im at it Im going to re-wire everything with good wire.....

The funny thing is im starting to feel comfortable in the closet...its pretty decent size and I feel at peace in there.....

I think the heat really got to me today Tax....it musta been about 100 degrees today....

 

[TaxMan88]

Damn you're not kidding about the heat. I didn't even bother to try and record anything today. You see, when I try to record vocals, I have to turn the A/C off and I would have simply passed out if I'd have done that.

I walked outside for five minutes and I was completely soaked.

And just think, it's not even AUGUST YET!!!

--Tax

 

[Queue]

Headphone leakage

Anyone got a good (and hopefully not too expensive) choice for headphones that would address this problem? Also, I tend to sing flat when I wear both sides of the phones...

Queue

 

[TaxMan88]

By the way . . .

To keep this little chat that Gidge and I just had about our Louisiana weather relevant to the mic forum, the reason that I have to turn off the a/c when I'm doing vox is because the condenser mic picks up the noise.

--Tax

 

[TaxMan88]

Queue . . .

What kind of headphone distribution are you using??

I used to have the same problem you are having. I would sing flat with both sides of the cans on. Since I got a headphone amp, I can pump up my vox to a level that keeps me accurate in relation to the music. Also, a good signal from the mic is a HUGE plus (i.e. a decent preamp).

Another thing to try is to take most of the bass out of your mix when tracking vocals. Lots of bass in the cans tends to make you sing as much as a half step out of tune (usually flat).

Hope this helps
--Tax

 

[TaxMan88]

AND ANOTHER THING . . . .

LOL sorry that I keep posting, but I keep thinking of more things to say AFTER I've hit the post button. lol

About the headphone leakage . . . I don't find it that much of a problem. I mean, yes, my mic DOES pick up the headphones, but it's such a small signal that it's barely audible. Plus, when the vox are set into the mix, you can't hear it at all. (at least I can't) YMMV

I wouldn't fret about it now if I were you, but then again, I'm not.

--Tax

 

[Queue]

Tax,
I'm using an Aardvark DirectPro 24/96. I guess I've just got to fiddle with the headphone mix. I've had limited success panning the vox to one side and the mix to the other. I'll try your EQ trick, cutting the bass too.

I spoze you're right on the leakage not being an issue. Hell, if I can ignore the PC noise, I can also ignore the headphone noise.

-REALLY gotta fix that 'flatness' thing, tho.

Queue

 

[chessparov]

The Audio-Technica ATH-M2X have a street price of under $30.
They are medium rather than large size so they are more comfortable
to wear and easier at avoiding leakage when you leave one headphone
off while tracking. They offer me enough fidelity to track vocals with.
It takes some time (if ever) to have as good of a sense of pitch with
both cans on as one can off for most singers.

 

[Queue]

Thanks for the recommendation, chess. I'm going to stowe that model # away for a rainy day. I have some cheapo Sony cans, as well as a pair of Koss that my Father-in-law gave me.

I think I really need to experiment more with the levels, cuz a year or so back, before I went into a huge period of non-recording during a system overhaul/upgrade from 4-track casette to PC DAW recording, I didn't seem to have such pitch problems (even with the same headphones). Plus during occasional live jams (when I can hear the monitors) things are fine.

Queue

 

[Buffalo Bob]

There's a little vocal trick some people use for flat notes - when you sing the note you're going flat on.....smile. Sounds funny, but when you stretch the top lip in a smile, you can actually raise your pitch a bit. Try it, it works.
Taxman's right about cutting the bass in you phones - AND --------------watch the reverb level on the monitor mix- too much and you will sing flat! Good luck!

Bob

 

[robn]

Sold a couple of things on eBay so I've got a couple of bucks to spend on a new mic, around $200-$250. I'm debating between the following:

MXL-V67
C1
AT3035


My voice is kinda thin, sort of a Paul Simon / Don Henley type thing (minus their talent )

I usually use my Rode NT1 and it works OK, but I'd like to add another weapon to the 'ole arsenal. Any suggestions? I record mostly pop, jazz, not too twangy country....recording in a home studio.


Thanks!

 

[chessparov]

Re: AT3035

robn, if your homerecording environment is noisy like mine,
scratch the at3035 off your short list-I had an AKG C3000B
and sold it because it picked up too much room ambience.
Both the Audio-Technica and the AKG have almost the same
"oversensitivity" (at least for me).

 

[robn]

chessparov,

Yeah, it's pretty noisy...between a wife, 2 daughters, 2 dogs, and the computer noise....I was talking to one of the reps at Sweetwater Music today and he was telling me how great the AT3035 is....I haven't had a chance to listen to it, so I'm kinda having to go on specs and others opinions, both of which can be hard to draw any conclusions from. I really need to rig up some sort of isolation area...but that's another subject....

Do you have/have had any of the mics I mentioned, or an NT1?


Thanks...

 

[chessparov]

Re: Rode NT1 & Studio Projects C1

robn, I own a Studio Projects C1 and I like it better than the Rode NT1
I sold. The C1 is smoother and more transparent, at least on my vocals.
There are some good reviews of the C1 at www.studioprojectsusa.com.
It will pick up less noise than the NT1 you currently have.

 

[Rev E]

If you have a thin and nasaly voice AND you don't want to emphasize this, the AT3025 will not work out for you. AT mic are notorious for emphasizing the nasal qualities of thin voices.

Rev E