I need a Condenser Microphone

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Mika

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Hello everyone, I'm new here..

I don't know much about microphones, or what to buy for a home studio..

But, the most important thing at the moment is to find a great condenser microphone. And honestly I don't know what to buy. Hopefully someone can help me here.

I don't know what is the difference between a small diaphragm and large diaphragm condenser microphones.. But I guess I'm going to need a large diaphragm condenser microphone. I'm female and I only want to record my voice over instrumental music. I don't want there to be any sound else than my voice, and there shouldn't be any kind of cracky sounds (it used to happen with my dynamic microphone when my voice was loud or when I hit the high notes) I want it to sound perfectly professional. I heard about AKG condenser microphones (like, AKG Perception 420) but I don't know anything about them.. So what's the best I can get? I appreciate all the help, thank you.
 
'Crackling suggests overload of some kind. This can happen with condenser, but very unlikely on a dynamic. And as the quality of your surroundings are the most important here -('don't want there to be any sound else than my voice'), and some decent gain settings in your recording setup will make it so there are there won't be any kind of crackly sound problems. . you can get very good recordings with even dynamic mics. Condensers can sound better -in a good setting, but some dynamics can actually be more forgiving by that fact that you can work them closer ('don’t want there to be any sound else than my voice'), and can have tighter patterns.

Now.. if all that gets out of the way, you move on to the finer touches (icing :)-- of what mic might sound a bit better than another.

Welcome to the fun by the way..
 
It depends!

there is no 'one mic fits all' (though a Nuemann U47 comes close, though in many circumstances might prefer a U67 or even vintage 87 on female vocals)

if you are actually interested in process of recording & how it relates to gear you might brave this thread. Then back and review the other stickies in the Mic forum.

After that you might be able to refine you question a bit. Generally speaking, particularly at the entry level there is no reason why a Dynamic will not perform, or out perform an entry level condenser. Condensers, particularly in the inexpensive range, will invariably have a higher noise floor then a decent dynamic. They also have worse off axis rejection (i.e. will pick up sounds from a broader arc). While a condensers proximity effect is not necessarily worse (a purely subjective consideration) then a dynamic, they weren't as a rule designed for a singer to stand on top of, press lips against the grill. The one area of your stated concern where a Condenser might be of use is that typically they perform 'better' with less pre amp gain.

But my first suggestion is that you try to diagnose your problems in relation to the specific mic and its signal chain rather then try to fix an undiagnosed problem with purchase of a new piece of gear. Unless you are eager to start acquiring mics for the sake of acquiring mics, a not unfamiliar malady on forums such as these
 
What's your price range? You get what you pay for in terms of microphones to an extent. If you are using it pretty much only for your voice, you can go to a place like guitar center or another local shop that you know has a good selection of pro audio gear and try out mics to find one that suits your voice. The differences are usually pretty subtle.

Theres such a huge selection of condenser mics in the $100-500 price range that you should definitely find one that works best on your voice. I'm fond of mics by Rode, AKG, and some MXLs in this price range (from experience). Though I have heard great things about other brands like Studio Projects from people on this forum.

As you go more expensive.. $700-3000+ you get mics that will give you a usable more "professional" recording that is more forgiving on what the source is. This has at least been my experience wen comparing things recorded with my Neumann U87 compared to say a Rode NT-1. The Neumann and other high end condensers are by no means going to be all purpose mics, but they do a better job at it than low end ones.

So what it comes down to is how many things you are going to use it for and finding the one that sounds best on your sources. It doesn't necessarily have to be an expensive one.
 
Well I can't go to a Guitar Center because I'm not in U.S. I'm in Turkey and here, these condenser microphones are much more expensive than It was in the states. I'm freaked out and I don't know what to do!

I don't think I can pay any more than $500 - $600. The only reason I can pay this much is because I want the sound quality to be great. Would I do a bad thing by buying a condenser microphone? I'm really confused. I'm trying to build a home - studio. I already have a M- Auido Fast Track USB device and I have a laptop and I have ProTools.. I have a Shure dynamic microphone but I forgot which one It was. The only reason I want to buy a condenser microphone is to get a much, much better sound quality. I was looking at AKG Perception 420 and it really looks great but I haven't tried it and don't know if that's suitable for me - a female voice. Maybe It's too much for me. I don't know.. Maybe I need a simpler thing..
 
its not a matter of 'simpler' but appropriate for your sound

the suggestion before you throw money at the problem is to diagnose why you are not getting the results you want

and it might be that for your voice, in your particular recording space, for your specific material and performance that a condenser of some type would be absolutely appropriate. Generally speaking, for female vocals I probably would not start with AKG Perception 420 (but that's purely my subjective opinion)

As simply a rough suggestion of a decent work horse mic at a US price below $500 (340 euro, less shipping tax etc.) you might look at Audio Technica AT4050, slightly less expensive is the AT4033(CL) which might work well with female vocals

But again figuring out what the problems are with current signal chain can only be beneficial . . . the big problem might not be the mic at all. . . knowing what model it is would help

posting a sample in the MP3 section might be useful as well
 
oretez said:
its not a matter of 'simpler' but appropriate for your sound

the suggestion before you throw money at the problem is to diagnose why you are not getting the results you want

and it might be that for your voice, in your particular recording space, for your specific material and performance that a condenser of some type would be absolutely appropriate. Generally speaking, for female vocals I probably would not start with AKG Perception 420 (but that's purely my subjective opinion)

As simply a rough suggestion of a decent work horse mic at a US price below $500 (340 euro, less shipping tax etc.) you might look at Audio Technica AT4050, slightly less expensive is the AT4033(CL) which might work well with female vocals

But again figuring out what the problems are with current signal chain can only be beneficial . . . the big problem might not be the mic at all. . . knowing what model it is would help

posting a sample in the MP3 section might be useful as well
Click to expand...

I have a myspace page, I put my recordings there. Oh and my microphone is Shure C606. But whenever I listen to a recording made by a condenser microphone sounds much more better than that..
 
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