Looking for mic with darker, silky tone...

blue4u

blue4u

well that's just like you
I'm looking for a mic for lead vocals with presence and clarity but with a darker tone to it. Could be condenser or dynamic. I have a couple of mics which are very "honest" but there are applications when I want a mic to be smoother or, darker on a vocal track. In other words, the mic is deliberately coloring the sound in a way that smooths the high end somewhat without completely killing the dynamics and sibilance. "Silky" might be a good word to describe the tone I'm looking for. This is for a male rock vocal. Any ideas for starting points? I realize it depends on the voice so, I'm just looking for a ballpark to get started in here...

Thanks!
Rich
 
Shure SM7 is the obvious answer. Also try the Beyer M88 which I like a lot.

Out in left field would be the Blue Baby Bottle.
 
Like mentioned above, an sm7 or an RE20 both offer that darker vibe, probably do partly to their being dynamic microphones. The down side is that they require quite a bit more gain than most mics out there. An active ribbon mic would also be a good choice, but unless you spend a pretty decent amount of money you will have to settle for one of the cehapies. A passive ribbon mic would also work well, but then you will run into the same gain issues you do with the sm7 and RE20.

On the condensor side, anything based on the U47 style of sound should also have a richer and darker vibe to it. Typically this means that it is once agian going to cost a bit more. The most affordable ones I can think of in this case are the Red mic bodies with an R7 capsule, and the Peluso 2247, but there are others out there in a similar price range. The nice thing about the condensor route is that it will typically add a little more flexibility, and there won't be gain issues.
 
Beyer Soundstar MK II is a nice and cheaper alternative in the dynamic mic category.
I've never used them, but the Kel Audio condensers are reported to be relatively dark (or rather not as hyped in the high end as many other condensers in that price range).
 
If you have an Oktava MK-319 (or 219, I suppose), get it modded by Michael Joly at Oktavamod and it will fit your description pretty well, I think.
 
if you are looking for something cheap, the mxl v67 might work out for you alright. it has a characteristic dark sound that works great on some sources, and not so great on others.
 
If the v67 is the same as the green MXL mics, dark is not what I would use as a description. I have a pair of the green ones, which I beleive are the v67g's, they are very shrill and harsh.
 
xstatic said:
If the v67 is the same as the green MXL mics, dark is not what I would use as a description. I have a pair of the green ones, which I beleive are the v67g's, they are very shrill and harsh.
Click to expand...
Interesting; that hasn't been my experience with the V67g. What's the rest of the signal chain?
 
I agree...

Harvey Gerst said:
Interesting; that hasn't been my experience with the V67g. What's the rest of the signal chain?
Click to expand...

That also has not been my experience with the v67g - I'm also interested in what might be causing that (in order to avoid it). I actually really like that particular mic for several applications.

Jay
 
It's not that there isn't any low end, but more that the top end has a harsh and tinny sound to it. Basicall not to pleasing on the ears. Thats why I kicked the v67's out of the studio and threw them into my live packs where that may not be as much of an issue. Signal chain wise, I have run them through my D&R console, OSA C's, Chandler TG2, Millenia Origin, Pendulum Quartet, and live through Yamaha 01v, M7CL, Allen Heath ML5000, GL3000, Midas Verona and Midas Venice. As far as the converters, I have used them through my Universal Audio 2192, and a Mackie SDR24 clcoked to the UA2192. Speaker wise, I monitor on Dynaudio BM15's and have heard them through numerous PA's and headphones.

I have not even regretted buying them since they are so cheap, although I did have to return one for a manufacturing defect and the MXL service department has definately been less than stellar. I still, after more than 2 years now, have not received all the stuff I was supposed to.
 
My two favorites for that application-Oktava MK319 and AKG Solid Tube. The Oktava is cheap and very useful. The Solid Tube is a very misunderstood mic. It started out as an overated $1000 mic, then worked its way down to an underated $500 mic, and it's been working its way back up. Two things about it- First, it comes with a silly foam internal wind screen that dulls its sound. Just rip it out, and the mic cleans right up. Two- it really needs a loud source to work its magic, because it was built to withstand high SPL's. It wouldn't be my first choice for a "thin" voice. For a belter, it rocks.-Richie
 
While the Oktava MK-319 is often described as being a dark mic, I hear it as being flat. I've gotten so used to the spectral balance shown below that when I hear other brands of mics with high frequency boost I generally find them unnaturally bright. But that's just me I guess ;)

Here's an actual plot (not averaged) of a stock MK-319 tested in Oktava's larger anechoic chamber in Tula, Russa. The vertical divisions are 2 dB. The top plot is on-axis, 90 degree and 180 degree off-axis also shown as well as the effect of the bass roll-off switch.

MK_319_response.jpg



This plot is fairly representative of the "219" capsule used in the MK-219, 319, 101 and MKL-2500 mics. The amplitude bobbles in the 3kHz - 7kHz range are artifacts of the high frequency resonator disc, the frequency response becomes smoother in this region when these discs are removed.

So compared to a typical LDC with a very pronounced resonant spike up around 10kHz - 12kHz the MK-319 will sound dark, but its accurate phase response and clean transient response (contributors to its "silky" sound) allow it to take EQ almost as well as ribbon mic so a brighter sound can easily be achieved if desired.
 
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