mic preamp upgrade

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ryanwoollerton

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hi there,

I want to improve my vocal recording (I make dance/house music). I have currently a shure sm86 condensor vocal microphone which people tell me is ok for vocals....is this right?

and i have an m audio fast track pro.

Now im thinking that if i upgrade the interface/preamp, i would yield better results than say me upgrading my microphone and continue using the fast track pro.

Does this sound right to you guys?
 
ryanwoollerton said:
hi there,

I want to improve my vocal recording (I make dance/house music). I have currently a shure sm86 condensor vocal microphone which people tell me is ok for vocals....is this right?

and i have an m audio fast track pro.

Now im thinking that if i upgrade the interface/preamp, i would yield better results than say me upgrading my microphone and continue using the fast track pro.

Does this sound right to you guys?
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What's the problem with your recordings now? What are they missing that you're hoping to gain with new gear? IMO you would benefit more from a condenser mic with a larger diaphragm then a pre-amp in this situation, but it's hard to point you in the right direction without knowing whats lacking first.
 
There's nothing terrible about the pres in the m-audio unit you mention.
I'd suggest you really learn the mic and positioning, proper mic technique when recording vocals (working the mic) first. Once you've done that and really have a handle on the sound you have, the sound you want and what is preventing you from getting it then consider a preamp.

Sticking a high end pre in before you have a handle on good micing technique will not help.

also make sure you have the room sounding right and that the mic is right for what you want to do before sinking money into a new preamp
 
There is a time and a place for high end preamps. If you don't know whether or not the microphone you are using is good for your vocals, then the time to upgrade preamps is niether here nor now.
 
Assuming you have a tight budget to work with, I would suggest Getting a better vocal mic to start with. You don't want to start with a weak signal and try to beef it up. You want to start with a better signal and tweak it DOWN as needed.
I use a BLUE "Bluebird" ($300) and a cheap pre ART Tubepac ($75) and get fantastic vocals with it.

Good luck.
 
matttheaxe said:
Assuming you have a tight budget to work with, I would suggest Getting a better vocal mic to start with. You don't want to start with a weak signal and try to beef it up. You want to start with a better signal and tweak it DOWN as needed.
I use a BLUE "Bluebird" ($300) and a cheap pre ART Tubepac ($75) and get fantastic vocals with it.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

thanks for your reply mate!

are you able to tell me the exact mic model that you have?

also do you have somewhere where i can hear some vocals that you have recorded with this mic?
 
also...another question regarding recording vocals, does it matter which program i record the vocals in? i.e. i have ableton live 6, logic pro 8 and audacity, will i get better quality vocals recording in one of those programs compared to the others?

thanks
 
ryanwoollerton said:
also...another question regarding recording vocals, does it matter which program i record the vocals in? i.e. i have ableton live 6, logic pro 8 and audacity, will i get better quality vocals recording in one of those programs compared to the others?

thanks
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Any one of those programs can get great audio. There is some alleged snobbery about "digital summing" that programs use to algorithmically aggregate multiple tracks into mixes, but even that is far beyond most of us hobby recordists.
 
Todzilla said:
Any one of those programs can get great audio. There is some alleged snobbery about "digital summing" that programs use to algorithmically aggregate multiple tracks into mixes, but even that is far beyond most of us hobby recordists.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your answer!
 
ryanwoollerton said:
thanks for your reply mate!

are you able to tell me the exact mic model that you have?

also do you have somewhere where i can hear some vocals that you have recorded with this mic?
Click to expand...

He *did* tell you the exact model. It's B.L.U.E. (Baltic Latvian Universal Electronics) "Bluebird". No model numbers with B.L.U.E.

Vocal mics are like shoes. They either fit or they don't. Trying to tell you what vocal mic to use is like looking at your face, and then trying to tell you what size shoes you need. They also have to suit the job. The greatest ballet toe shoes in the world suck for playing rugby.
I own a Bluebird, and it is a pretty transparent mic. That means it is a good mic for recording a singer with a very good voice, and one that is clear and clean. In other words, it would sound pretty good in front of Celine Dion, but I don't think I'd put it in front of Meatloaf. Because you say "mate", I presume you are in the UK, Australia, or South Africa, in other words, in the British Commonwealth. Tariff situations would probably make the Rode NT1-A, an Australian made mic, a bit more affordable for you. It sounds a lot like the Bluebird, which I would more likely recommend to someone in the EU.-Richie
 
Richard Monroe said:
He *did* tell you the exact model. It's B.L.U.E. (Baltic Latvian Universal Electronics) "Bluebird". No model numbers with B.L.U.E.

Vocal mics are like shoes. They either fit or they don't. Trying to tell you what vocal mic to use is like looking at your face, and then trying to tell you what size shoes you need. They also have to suit the job. The greatest ballet toe shoes in the world suck for playing rugby.
I own a Bluebird, and it is a pretty transparent mic. That means it is a good mic for recording a singer with a very good voice, and one that is clear and clean. In other words, it would sound pretty good in front of Celine Dion, but I don't think I'd put it in front of Meatloaf. Because you say "mate", I presume you are in the UK, Australia, or South Africa, in other words, in the British Commonwealth. Tariff situations would probably make the Rode NT1-A, an Australian made mic, a bit more affordable for you. It sounds a lot like the Bluebird, which I would more likely recommend to someone in the EU.-Richie
Click to expand...

Thanks heaps for your reply with your good advice! and yes well done on the location - I am from New Zealand haha well picked up!

Cheers :-)
 
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