Microphones and voices

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Reilley

Reilley

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To what extent do certain mics favour certain voices? Are there any generalizations you can make, as in, 'Brand A favours such-and-such a type of voice?'

Thanks
 
Something with a lot of high freq boost may not be the best for a really high pitched voice, but there are always exceptions, and going by to many generalizations is bad way to go about things. Sure trust your gut when you go to your mic locker for a singer you are bringing in, but make sure you have a couple more flavors on hand if the first mic you tried is more or less a train wreck.

Of course if you are just starting out and recording just your voice, try if you can before you buy, or atleast buy a neutral mic before you buy anything labeled bright, or dark. Neutral mics like the Kel HM-1, CAD M179/177, spring to mind (note I have used neither, but they are two that come up a lot).

This is the point where you need to read the big thread at the top of this forum list that is about mics and why, when, where, how to use certain mics at certain times. BIG, HUGE, LONG, but informative thread.
 
Thanks.

I have to think about my voice before I sing, and maneuver it a bit. If I don't, my natural inclination is to be a bit thin and nasal.
 
Whoa!! I should read first. I see we already have a nasal-voiced-microphone thread happening here. What are the odds? Mind you, I'm more thin than nasal. I suppose you could be nasal and sound like a tuba.
 
Lot sof people say that the mad ein china mics that are so abundant tend to have a bump in the high ranges, so that might be to be avoided, but it is really hard to say, trying out various mics is the best option.

That said, mics people describe as "drak" might tend to add a bit of depth to a thin voice. In my experience, the oktava 319 and EV RE20/27 both are good with a "dark" flavor. These kinds of adjectives really come short of really expressing how things sound thought, so don't take it too literally.

Daav
 
No you really can't.

Certainly not by brand, not even by type (except maybe for ribbons). It really boils down to the individual mic model, and even then there will be a pretty big variation with the individual voice.
 
Worse yet is the fact that a mic might sound killer on your voice for one song, and not so good for another. It is nice to have a selection of mics with different characteristics to choose from. I agree with the idea of getting a fairly neutral mic if you are only going to get one, however.
 
I get pretty good mileage out of a Beyer M88 and a Rode NTK. There are very few voices that these two don't suit.
 
It seems KEL HM-1 is not a quiet condenser mic. In data specs it has 18 dB noise level whereas MXL 603 has 17 dB. Can I pressume that HM-1 can pickup more floor noise than 603?
 
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