mic for background vocals

[willovercome]

what mics have you guys been using for background vocals on rock/indie records?

i'll give you the list of mics available:

Shure Sm57's
Octava MK 319
Rode NTK
Rode NT5's
Shure Beta 52

i know a few of those won't work, i'm not sure if the others will, any suggestions or other mics would be appreciated. i'm also looking into getting an sm7 soon.

 

[chessrock]

Depends on what you want them to sound like, and how many you're recording at once.

 

[willovercome]

i'm only going to be doing one at a time (probably), and i don't really know what i want them to sound like. i just don't want them to be fighting with the lead vocals.

 

[chessparov]

Since you said "rock and indie records", you may also want to pose this question at www.prosoundweb.com and/or www.gearslutz.com
This is assuming you want to speak with those who have put out
professional "product".

From my amateur perspective, in the affordable catagory, be sure to consider the Studio Projects B3, which is a multi-pattern condenser. Another would be the Sennheiser 421 dynamic, which can record up to a vocal trio.

Standard operating precedure, for groups like The Beach Boys,
was to have a microphone set to "omni", and have the singers circle around it. You will tend to have better results getting the
singers together at one time since they will blend better.

Chris

P.S. I suggest either Harvey's or Fletcher's forum for this
question at prosoundweb-unless they spot it here first.

 

[chessrock]

i'm only going to be doing one at a time (probably), and i don't really know what i want them to sound like. i just don't want them to be fighting with the lead vocals.

If you're doing one at a time, keep in mind that as you layer them, the characteristics of that mic will be multiplied times the number of layers you're using.

If you want them to be fairly low-key, then I'd recommend something smoother and less hyped. Think ribbon mics or similar. I always use a Shure sm7, but I'm assuming a more neutral condenser might also do the trick -- think ksm32, AKG C414, etc. Out of the list you provided, I'd say the oktava, or the 57 or 58 would give you a more laid-back sound.

It's totally a matter of taste, but personally I can't stand using brighter condensers on background harmonies. Mutt Lange kind of made a name for himself by layering like 100 tracks of background vocal using a bright condenser, and it kind of gives this hyper-airy quality to it that can be kind of cool in the right situation -- just not my bag.

If that's the sound you're looking for, though (and it doesn't sound like it), then the NTK would be your mic for that.

With the kind of harmonies I do, all of the added polish kind of makes them sound way too "pop radio"-ish like I'm the freakin' Backstreet boys or something. The sm7 is just the opposite. I find backgrounds sit in their rightful place, and sound more natural.

I suppose you could get a similar type sound with an sm58 or 57 . . . maybe even your Oktava. That might be the one I'd start with.

 

[Richard Monroe]

We just did a mic shootout with my harmony puppies, both wonderful altos. Most of my lead vocals were tracked with a B.L.U.E. Kiwi into an Avalon AD2022. Some of the songs involve just one or the other of the singers, and several others all three of us. We put up the Kiwi, Rode NTK, Shure SM7B, Oktava MK319, AKG C414B-ULS, Studio Projects C-3, AKG C2000B, and AKG D690, a cheap dynamic I use in preference to Shure SM58. All mics were tracked through the Avalon, and a Joemeek twinQcs.
The results were surprising. The Kiwi through the Avalon sucked in all cases. It sounded like an argument over who was going to sing lead. For cuts where we all sing together, the clear winners were Oktava MK319 into the Joemeek, and SM7B into the Avalon.
When it was just one backing track, the results varied between the 2 singers. Carolyn has a more piercing higher register. You know the notes she's singing are low, but her EQ has the highs boosted, like Joni Mitchell. She consistently sounded good through the Oktava/Joemeek combo, which tames her bright voice. Mo Fleming was a different story. She has a more jazz chanteuse sort of deep rich alto voice with detailed lows. She sounded good through the SM7B, with the foam condom removed, and a pop filter added, and AKG C2000B, in both cases, through the Avalon. We did some scratch tracks with them singing into one mic, and the best compromises were the AKG D690 into the Avalon, and an X-Y pair of Oktava MC012's into the Joemeek, backed off about 4 feet, no pop filters were used (or needed) for these tracks.
What I got out of it is this- There isn't a *right* mic or pre for backing vocals, or lead vocals, or female vocals, or anything else like that. What there *is* is a mic and pre that are right for a particular singer, on a particular cut, in a particular room, in a particular mix. If you change the song, the key, the room, the mix, or the singer, the "right" mic and pre will often change.
In general though, I think there is a tendency for backing vocals to sound good through a mic and pre that are somewhat less detailed than those used for lead vocals. This seems to help keep the lead singer and the melody from getting lost in the mix.-Richie