Mic purchase. please help

[mad flows]

I know this question has been asked before, but i never really seen an answer, so here it is. I'm looking to by a shure sm58 to record rap vocals. i don't need it for live preformances at all, but i want to know if it's real good for recording in tha studio. i'm looking for a clear warm sound. and would this mic be good for someone who doen't have a high voice but not a deep voice just in da middle. thanxs

 

[mshilarious]

It's OK. The SM7 is a lot nicer.

 

[OneArmedScissor]

It's OK. The SM7 is a lot nicer.

It also requires a much "nicer" amount of money to throw around.

 

[Richard Monroe]

Is a Honda Civic real nice for drivin' on tha road? Well yeah, it starts in the morning, hardly ever breaks down, is good on gas, and it's cheap. Is it a Ferrari, a Viper, a Lincoln Continental? No. If it was "real good" in the studio, it wouldn't sell for $80. What it is, is a *great* cheap mic, as cheap mics go. And sometimes, a *great* cheap mic is just what you need. That's why any studio that is worth shit has a few of them. Besides, if I give a 14 year old a Ferrari, will he know what to do with it? Probably not. -Richie

 

[chessparov]

Look also into the following;

1) Electro-Voice RE-16 (or RE15)
These are among the easiest vocal mics to "place" with excellent sound.

2) Beyer Soundstar MKII aka M400 or Model 400 (comparable tone to SM7)
Little trickier to "place"-like any normal cardiod pattern.

BTW the Shure SM57, or 545 series, has clearer sound than the SM58
.
The Shure's (including SM7) are more finicky as to which pre is used compared to the two above though. Plus the SM7 needs a pre with stronger gain.

Chris

P.S. There are many singers (like me!) where a SM57 through a quality pre
ranks right up there with uber-expensive condensers/ribbons.

 

[wheelema]

Is a Honda Civic real nice for drivin' on tha road? Well yeah, it starts in the morning, hardly ever breaks down, is good on gas, and it's cheap. Is it a Ferrari, a Viper, a Lincoln Continental? No. If it was "real good" in the studio, it wouldn't sell for $80. What it is, is a *great* cheap mic, as cheap mics go. And sometimes, a *great* cheap mic is just what you need. That's why any studio that is worth shit has a few of them. Besides, if I give a 14 year old a Ferrari, will he know what to do with it? Probably not. -Richie

Are you saying that the SM7 is a Ferrari?

 

[Richard Monroe]

No, a Brauner Valvet is a Ferrari. An SM-7 if a Ford F350 super duty with dually.-Richie

 

[Han]

Ever driven a Ferrari Richie? Makes a whole lot of noise, goes extremely fast but is hardly comfortable.

I would say the Brauner/Neumann is more like the Aston Martin DB9 or Bently class.

 

[JohnnyMan]

Would the SM57 be the equivalent to a pickup truck? - - The workhorse of the studio.

 

[Big Kenny]

Nah, I like my pickup truck.

 

[mshilarious]

Well if I recall your total studio budget is 7 Gs, and you only need one or two mics, so they ought to be real good. The SM7 isn't absurdly expensive, nor are any of the other suggestions here. If you have two mics, one killer dynamic like the SM7 and RE20 (a little more than the SM7), and a decent large diaphragm condenser (AT40xx, Shure KSM32 or 44, etc.), then you can track nearly any rap vocal with a good sound and a serious look (impressions are pretty important sometimes).

I've nothing against the 58, I have 3 of them. But out of the 20 or so mics I have, they usually only get pulled to do live shows. Like tonight, I have a HS Japanese rock band. That ought to be interesting. Did I mention I never get paid for any of this? That's a good thing, trust me on that.

As for the SM7 and pres, I don't have much trouble because I usually am right up on the windscreen so I don't need gobs of gain. Now the ribbon mic I try to use from 1' away, that's causing me problems. But yeah, get two channels of a good pre.

 

[Richard Monroe]

Well, Han, I agree. Performance isn't about comfort level. Ever sat in the cockpit of a fighter jet? And yes, I have driven a Ferrari. I sold it, and the comission paid my bills for 2 months. I prefer the countach. That's my point- you don't use a sports car to pull stumps, and you don't use a pickup truck for the Grand Prix. The value of any tool can only be defined within the context of the job you have to do. An SM58 is the right tool for some jobs.- Richie