Mic choice for baritone?

  • Thread starter Thread starter nuemes
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nuemes

nuemes

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So... have you also found that baritones are harder to mic than tenors for male vocals?

I'm starting to get the idea that an AT4033 on a tenor for rock/pop/country is a pretty safe bet to start with, but baritones are difficult; at least in regard to the mics I have to record with.

Is it a lack of a proper baritone mic based on the list below - or have I missed something?

I feel like there's no need to look into another mic given my (lack of) buget and what I'm already working with - which has always worked out great for female vocals and higher register male vocals - maybe you guys can shine some light? Would you feel comfortable with one of these mics on a baritone? If not take a low budget stab? :rolleyes:

I have the following mics:
SM7
Baby Bottle
AT4033
C414ULS (not good for lead vocals in my experience anyways)
MXL V67 (too muddy for baritone)
 
this is not a personal endorsement as i've never tried it...

but word on the street is sm7 is a great go-to mic for this precise situation...

ev re-20 as well...

even double micing with the 7 or 20 to get the rich low end sound...and then having a ldc (watch for phasing issues) to pick up some of the crispys...


you should be able to work something out with what you have...again, ive never dealt with it...but everyone seems to say the 7 is a good guy...

try some shit out buddy!!! plug in some mics...plug in a few together!! see what works :D
 
dont know about baritone, but for my very low Basso voice, I use the AT4050, and a Royer Ribbon with fantastic results....
 
orksnork said:
even double micing with the 7 or 20 to get the rich low end sound...and then having a ldc (watch for phasing issues) to pick up some of the crispys...
Click to expand...

...this is an excellent recommendation...I've used an SM7 and an sE 2200A in combo on a baritone-voiced singer with superb results...dial in the crisper "high end" (LDC) to compliment the smooth bottom of the SM7 (dynamic)...the 4033 would probably do something similar...just add the second mic arm (only $13 shipped as below) to your mic stand to get convenient mounting options and record two simultaneous tracks (I prefer mono tracks)...later, in the mixdown process, adjust phasing and use your DAW mixer to dial in the blend that best compliments the vocalist's sound...well worth a shot since you already own the mics...

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BoomSide/

Here's a pic of a dual-micing setup I'm using right now (with the boom arm from Sweetwater) combining the SM7 with a Rode K2 for a similar purpose:
 

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A low-budget stab: Studio Project C1 .
I tend to like it on baritone singers, but I mainly have experience with it in a rock/metal context.
 
nuemes said:
Would you feel comfortable with one of these mics on a baritone? If not take a low budget stab? :rolleyes:

I have the following mics:
SM7
Baby Bottle
AT4033
C414ULS (not good for lead vocals in my experience anyways)
MXL V67 (too muddy for baritone)
Click to expand...

V67 is too muddy. Okay. The formant on baritone is lower and probably less pronounced, so you might try emphasizing it with a small boost from 1.5k-3k and see if that helps. Or, if it is too emphasized by the mic, cut it a bit.

IIRC, it's a bit of a dark mic, so you might also brighten up the high end with a 1dB (or so) shelving boost from... oh, I don't know... 8k up... maybe higher, maybe lower.... Experiment. Worth a shot; EQ is free.

BTW, I'm pulling numbers mostly out of my @$$ here, so YMMV widely....

AT4033 is pretty neutral, I think. You know what? Take everything I said about EQing the V67, but start with this mic instead. You'd probably find that more workable.

If you want to try a different mic, though, it sounds like what you really want is a bit of a hyped mic, but with hyping that starts at a bit lower frequency than your typical LDC. I have a feeling an unmodified Apex 435 with the stock capsule might be just what you're looking for, as IIRC, its presence peak is a fair bit lower in frequency than most LDCs.

I got one for $35 on eBay a few weeks ago, so you ought to be able to get one for... say $50 without too much trouble. They're only about $60-70 on eBay in buy-it-now sales. That said, I don't have a baritone nearby to try it with, so I can't say for sure. Too bad you're not in the Bay Area. I'd let you try mine before I replace the capsule. :)
 
Baritone?

I'm a Newbie to mics and all, but the range of the singer is only a small part of the tonality and resonance that they create.

When I think baritone, I think Bing, like a crooning style, but I can imagine someone with the same range having more breathiness, lower or higher resonant frequencies, or what have you...

My wife's a Mezzo, but she's explained to me that there are a bunch of different "kinds" of mezzo from Lyric to Dramatic to whatever.

Seems to me that people's advice to experiment makes the most sense for anyone's voice.
 
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