Mic locker/recording choice

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mo-Kay
  • Start date Start date
M

Mo-Kay

Dragon Soul Productions
Hey everybody.

I've recently aquired my second condenser mic (I have other mics, too), and I'm (ofcourse, why not/when not?! haha) planning to get even more mics...


I know different sources ask for different mics...but what I want to know is:
I'll have different mics, and
HOW TO PICK THE RIGHT MIC FOR THE JOB?


For instance if I have a mic that sounds a bit more agressive than the other one (say my Rode NT2 compared to my SP B1), what kind of voice would it be suitable for?

I mainly record rap vocals, and soulsingers...

Help a recordist out :D

thanks

Mo-Kay





PS: before you start, I'm not looking for advice on future purchases, although tips are always welcome... I'm mainly concerned about picking the right tool in the right situation.

PS2: any advice on how to choose preamps is also welcome :)
 
There's a lot of literature about which mikes suit which application. Figuring out which mike suits which voice is more tricky, and the best teacher is experience: when recording someone, try out a few mikes and see which gives the closest to the desired result. In time you will figure out the characteristics of the vocals you are recording, then match it to the mike. For example, a thin screecgy kind of voice may sound better when miked with a warmer, less brilliant mike . . . that kind of thing
 
okay...

still I find that my voice for instance (quite a warm, smooth one) sounds good through my b1, wich is warmer-sounding than the nt2...

or is this excactly your point...as far as exceptions and experimentation goes? :D
 
Put in the time and effort and figure that stuff out just by doing it. Grab a mic and record with it. Everything. From the sound of a turd falling into the bowl all the way to the sound of your neighbour's daughter having and orgasm.

Ok, that might be a little over the top, but you get the point ;) I wish I could give you an easier answer mate, I really do, but when your limited to a couple of mices, that's really all you can do. Ofcourse I could give you the advice to use a U87 on that voice, and an RCA ribbon mic on another voice, an RE20 for voice overs etc. but you already pointed out you don't wanna hear that.

If you get a couple of very different mikes, you can figure out the different the trail-and-error way. You can always sell one/many if you find out they are not that usefull to you.
 
I agree with the trial and error thing. You just need to try every mic you suspect may be useful on a singer and go from there. Sometimes the character you don't expect to want for a particular singer ends up being what makes it sound so good, so don't miss out on that magic by predetermining all of your processes. Experimentation always rules!
Anyway, unless you've got a rediculous mic locker, this isn't such a extreme endeavor. (2 condensors should be pretty easy to chose from! :D )
 
ok so I guess I'll roll with the compare-mic-and-vocalist-character, plus try some recording... won't always be able to do that since hip hop recording can be very on-the-spot-catching-the-vibe-having-no-time-to-dick-around :D so both methods will come in handy. I'll check out the article,too.


Thanks for the advice guys! (where are the girls at around here,anyway?)

Mo-Kay
 
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