Looking to finally upgrade my own Mic Locker...

MrWrenchey

MrWrenchey

New member
I'm finally going to drop a decent chunk of change on a nice vocal microphone. For the last year or so, I've just been snagging ones from Studio A's mic locker, but it's time for me to get something so I can operate independently.

Now, I say "vocal microphone," but obviously, I'm looking for something that does more. It's going to get it's primary use on vocals though, because I've got mics for all my other needs currently.

I'm looking at several microphone, all in the $1,000-2,500 range. I'll list off what I'm personally looking at in order of cheapest to most expensive, and if anyone else on here happens to have any suggestions as well, I'd love to hear them!

Mojave MA-300 ($1300) - Pretty decent tube microphone. A buddy of mine won the MA-200 and loves it. Only difference between that and this one is variable polar patterns.

Mojave Audio MA-300 | Sweetwater.com

Miktek CV4 ($1500) - This is the mic I've been taking down from Studio A from time to time to record with (also a TLM103 on occasion, but not as often). Love how this one sounds because I've used it, but I'd like to have a different flavor I think.

Miktek CV4 | Sweetwater.com

Lauten Atlantis/Oceanus ($1500-1800) - Highly recommended by Fab Dupont. Curious if anyone here has tried it?

Lauten Audio Atlantis FC-387 | Sweetwater.com
Lauten Audio Oceanus LT-381 | Sweetwater.com

Telefunken AK47 ($1900) - It's a Telefunken tube mic. Need I say more?

Telefunken AK-47 MKII | Sweetwater.com

AKG C414 XL II stereo pair ($2300) - My primary idea with this was to have both a great vocal mic, as well as a nice stereo pair of LDCs for overheads or acoustic guitar tracking.

Neumann U87, used vintage ($1600-2500, depending on the day on eBay) - It's a U87, so it seems obvious. However, I HAVE heard from a few people that these sound harsh unless you're running it through several pieces of nice analog gear (high end pres, compressors, EQs, etc). Anyone know if this holds any merit?

Would love to hear any opinions/testimonials from using any of these mics, as well as any recommendations/samples of your own that you have!

TL;DR I'm looking for a nice vocal microphone (primary use, not only use) for around $1,200-2,500, and looking for opinions.
 
Last edited:
The only mic, outside of the Neumann that I have an objective opinion on is the Lauten Oceanus. My first band got recorded with the U87 so long ago that I don't remember the signal path enough to remember why I didn't care for it that much. The Oceanus, OTOH, I just witnessed in action right before Christmas at Sweetwater. They were recording through a Manley preamp though, so not sure how well it would translate through other pres. It's a beast of a mic though, larger diaphragm than the average LDC, and the track sounded amazing. Again, that could've been due, in part, to the pre they were using. Regrardless, the Oceanus is on my list of adding.
 
out of all of them the most versitile by far would be the AKG 414 XL II pair, you can do so much with just those two mics, the Neumann U87 is a classic mic though, it works well on a lot of different singers male or female, but it has higher self noise and really does require high end preamps and convertors e.t.c so there is some truth behind what other people have told you, not to mention the price.
 
Btyre2013 said:
out of all of them the most versitile by far would be the AKG 414 XL II pair, you can do so much with just those two mics, the Neumann U87 is a classic mic though, it works well on a lot of different singers male or female, but it has higher self noise and really does require high end preamps and convertors e.t.c so there is some truth behind what other people have told you, not to mention the price.
Click to expand...

That's what's really leaning me towards the 414s is how versatile they are. I had one rapper in a long time ago, and he brought in his own AKG 414 XL II to track vocals on, and it's honestly been one of my favorite tracks I've recorded since then. The fact that I'd be getting a pair would be great for stereo options too. Especially because of all the different polar pattern options.

For what it's worth, I'm currently using a Liquid Saffire 56. When tracking vocals with an SM7b (normally used for metal/rap guys), I've been able to crank it to 10 without noise being an issue, so I THINK I'd be alright there. I might just stay on the safe side and get the 414s though until I invest in either the Vintech 273 or a UA 4-710d later this year.
 
We use an AKG XLS II it is beefy and super accurate through the ISA 2 pre Mike has. The other model I think is brighter mainly for vocals.
 
ido1957 said:
We use an AKG XLS II it is beefy and super accurate through the ISA 2 pre Mike has. The other model I think is brighter mainly for vocals.
Click to expand...

Haha, I remember seeing that when I was in college. That thing has a damn FLAT frequency response.

I saw that the XLS was brighter, which I figured would make it a great fit for acoustic guitars and vocals, and maybe even some overhead mics, depending on the source.

What all have you been using the XLS on?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top