Mid Priced ($300-$500) Microphone To Thicken a Thin Voice?

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gvdv

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Hi,
I have a pretty thin sounding voice which I don't like (although I quite like my performances and the way that I sing); it kind of sounds almost rasping at times, and grates on me.

When I first began recording on my Tascam 424MKII way back when, and couldn't afford outboard gear, I (sin of sins) plugged my SM58 and audiotechnica SM57 copy into my guitar effects unit, and found that my voice benefitted from the thickening that came when I chose a distortion option at minimum settings (of course the disadvantage with this was that the second I sang loudly, even with the compressor on, I would hear distortion).

So, now that I'm a bit more serious about recording and have (in theory, at least) a bit more money, I'm wondering if buying a low end condenser would 'warm' up my voice. Am I chasing my tail here, in the sense that would I have to spend a huge amount of money on a super-duper tube mic to achieve the effect that I'm looking for?

Thanks for your input,

GV in Toronto
 
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Hi,
Me again.

I should also have said that I want my voice to be clearly defined, i.e. don't want the 'warmth' to muddy up, or make the sound lose definition and crispness.

GV in Toronto
 
The "low end condenser" you mention may have the opposite effect you are looking for. Most tend to get a little squeaky at the high end.
Definitley try an ADK Hamburg. It's has a warming and smoothig character that vocalist like.
You should also try one of the Heil PR series dynamic mics. You may get hooked on the versatility of the PR-40. It's a really full sounding mic.
 
In that price range you will get alot of suggestions for all kinds of condensor mics, most of which are very good. Most likely none of them will "muddy up" your voice or lose definition or crispness, except maybe the cheapest ones.

I will not try to repeat all the recommends you will get for good condensors, but I would suggest that you not overlook the ribbon mics. I sorted thru a ton of different condensors over the years, and I have not been disappointed with the ribbon mic I have. For $500 bucks you can get a Beyer M130, but for $165 you can get an Apex 210 which is not a bad ribbon sound at all for the money, it's quiet and clean and comes with an aluminum carry case. For the money it beats all the cheap budget condensors hands down, imo....

Just make sure you check into the ribbons along with the condensors before you decide which mic you want. And rest assured that the ADK Hamburg gets a ton of great recommends, and the large diaphragm dynamics like the RE20, SM7, and the PR40 will most certainly live up to your expectations as well!
 
So far there have been some great recomendations. The ADK Hamburg is possibly the best bang for the buck under $300 IMHO. Don't discount checking the SM7, RE20, or Heil PR40.

A great way to thicken vocals is to record more than one track. Try putting the lead vox on three tracks panning two of the tracks left and right with a slight touch of delay and the other track right down the middle with no delay.

Another option is to pick up a Digitech Vocalist which will also thicken up the vox. You can find them used on ebay for around $200 or so. Good luck.
 
gvdv said:
Hi,
I have a pretty thin sounding voice which I don't like (although I quite like my performances and the way that I sing); it kind of sounds almost rasping at times, and grates on me.
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How about pulling a bit of those ouch frequencies out, have you tried that? Somtimes warm is just less a less cutting tone.
 
Hi everybody,
Many, many thanks for all of the enthusiastic, and quick and conscientious replies.

Even what has been written in the last couple of hours since I posted will keep me busy researching for quite a while.

Thanks again,
GV in Toronto
 
rode NT-2A

this mic has always sounded very "thick" & "rich" to me, even though i hadn't really compared it to anything else...then i tried the NT-2A out on some vocals the other day against an A-T 4033 and shure ksm-27, and it totally confirmed my suspicions
 
Remember also that any given mic can sound completely different just by using a different preamp. I have a couple of dynamics that are pretty dull thru a solid state preamp, but they come alive thru a tube preamp.....

You are dealing with an entire "signal chain" here, and each component can effect the sound you hear coming from your mic. A great preamp can make a cheap mic sound better, but a great mic will not make a cheap preamp sound good.
 
soundchaser59 said:
Remember also that any given mic can sound completely different just by using a different preamp. I have a couple of dynamics that are pretty dull thru a solid state preamp, but they come alive thru a tube preamp.....

You are dealing with an entire "signal chain" here, and each component can effect the sound you hear coming from your mic. A great preamp can make a cheap mic sound better, but a great mic will not make a cheap preamp sound good.
Click to expand...

Def agree with this (though not to discount the importance of mics in the equation). You can also "thicken" the sound with eq outboard or itb and/or compression. I guess my lame answer is that it's all important :rolleyes:
Also "thicken" means different things to different people. Some people might say that a ribbon mic would thicken your sound and be a good place to spend that money, others might say that something like a FMR RNLA would do that via compression/limiting.
 
Get a real tube pre amp, it'll honestly do wonders. Pair it with a good dynamic (sm7 or maybe an audix OM1 or beyerdynamic Soundstar) and go from there. A good tube pre does wonders, if you're short on money, get an old one with the metal tubes in it. All point to point and sounds like nothing in this world and you get real input transformers which helps with vocal "bloom." Noisy? A bit? Usable vocals at a next to nothing price and a unit you'll never want to part with? You betcha.
 
Check your vocal range, as singing in a range that is too high will make a vocal sound thin.

Transformer based pres like Neve tend to fatten up a sound source, so you might want to start there. Tube comps can also thicken a vocal up, provided you don't over-compress. These type of tools cost money, but if you are planning a professional career as a vocalist, it might be worthwhile investing in better tools.
 
I always thought an Electrovoice RE20 can impart a very subtle heft / weight to a vocal.

But in answer to your question ... I think you'll be mostly disappointed. In general, the cheaper condensers you're talking about are not going to perform any miracles on a thin-sounding vocal track. That kind of thing has much more to do with vocal technique and timbre ... along with the working of proximity effect. Not to mention just the overall match a particular mic will have with a given voice -- a mic that sounds thin on my voice might sound thick on yours and vice-versa.

If you like how your voice sounds with a distortion plugin, then more than likely you could benefit from a good compressor and/or some added harmonics you might get with a good tube mic and/or pre.
.
 
soundchaser59 said:
Remember also that any given mic can sound completely different just by using a different preamp. I have a couple of dynamics that are pretty dull thru a solid state preamp, but they come alive thru a tube preamp.....

You are dealing with an entire "signal chain" here, and each component can effect the sound you hear coming from your mic. A great preamp can make a cheap mic sound better, but a great mic will not make a cheap preamp sound good.
Click to expand...
Hi Everyone,
Thanks for the responses.

Soundchaser, I'm planning on getting an RME Fireface 400 and using the preamps in there for vocal mic.. I agree with what you - and others - have said about the importance of the components in the entire signal chain, and would love to spend, spend, spend, but my budget does know limits, as my bank manager can well point out.

Cheers for the post,

Geert
 
Try a Beyer M88 as well. Lots of proximity effect, but a really good full range dynamic mic.
 
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