MXL v67g vs MXL V57M

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thehook

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I had decided on the v67 for vocals because I talked to lots of folks about it and read a review saying it was really nice for warm country vocals. I'm talking country in the true form like when it was first recorded by poor folks that lived in the country in the 30s. But I noticed the v57m is on sale from $250 down to $60 does anyone have any experience with it? Or know anything about it? I will also be singing blues songs. I sing real low and such somewhere in the range of Johnny cash and Muddy Waters.
thanks for your time.
 
Ignore that "price drop" on the V57. It always sells for $60 or less.

I thinks the 67 would work well for your application, though it might be a little too smooth and "warm" for true porch music. :) It does have a noteable proximity effect to accentuate the bass register.

I've never used the V57 so can't comment.
 
thehook said:
do you have any better ideas for this kind of music?
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Pick up a vintage Shure 55 or 520. Even the modern 520DX sounds old-timey. Or get the Nady ribbon.
 
Well that guy could record his voice with anything 'cause it's pure gravel. If your voice needs a little 'graveling' then the 520 (green bullet) will add a lo-fi sound that might help a bit. I am a big green bullet fan though, so I'm very biased.

His guitar wasn't lo-fi though, it was warm and broad. Maybe that v67 you were thinking about.

I take back what I said about the ribbon. Ribbons are smooth and I don't know if you want smooth.
 
I'm not quite as gravel orientated but drop it by about 35% and that is me. I just want something loud powerfull and in your face. I realize that my voice is most important for this sparse is still the sound I'm looking for. Recording wise. Maybe i'll just get a green bullet and v67g cause I was pointed to the v67g for vox but as it is warm it could work for guitar plus I'd get to here the vocals on both mics and decide which I liked better. I also need to record some harmonica tracks so I think this sounds good. I am doing computer recording so I'll need a preamp think i'll get a M-Audio DMP3 because I have heard lots of good about it.

what do ya think?
 
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The DMP3 is a good preamp with plenty of gain. For a more "up-front" vocal sound, you might want to look at the Studio Projects VTB-1. I have both and gravitate toward the DMP3 for guitar (because it's clean) and the VTB-1 for vox (because it is more flattering).
 
ok but I still want it to sound sparse and earthy. old time country style. would this suggested preamp still acomplish that? what about the mic choices am I on the right track?
 
thehook said:
ok but I still want it to sound sparse and earthy. old time country style. would this suggested preamp still acomplish that? what about the mic choices am I on the right track?
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I have no idea what all these adjectives really mean. :confused: Sparse, earthy, warm, brittle, taco-flavored, etc. :rolleyes:

I think the V67g will give you nice sounding vocals through either pre.

You may still want to look into a ribbon mic, as was already suggested. Plenty of classic country recordings were done with them. They are often described as "smooth" and "warm," however.

The best thing would be for you to try them out on your voice to determine if that is the sound you are looking for. Without hearing your voice, we are all just guessing here. If "try before you buy" isn't an option, then e-bay is your friend. Get a couple and, if they don't work, sell them. You can dump like-new mics for like-new prices, often enough. Good luck.
 
Just saw Sandbox - the new DVD of Mark Sandman/Morphine. He used the the Green Bullet to good effect on stage switching between that and a dynamic (likely SM58). Sounded great to me.
 
thehook said:
I had decided on the v67 for vocals because I talked to lots of folks about it and read a review saying it was really nice for warm country vocals. I'm talking country in the true form like when it was first recorded by poor folks that lived in the country in the 30s.
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Do you mean for Country vocals that sound warm before you record or for a mic that "produces" a warm sound (meaning not hyped).

I would not consider the v67 a warm mic, it has some low end for sure, but it does have a crisp upper end. I just got one and recorded some Older gentlemen doing some live Country swing for a demo.

You can hear it here:
http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=1955&alid=-1

the last entry "Western Reunion"
The vocals/announcing were done on the v67g .

Tom
 
well see if you listen to old recordings or even some newer folks like johnny cash they sound warm and alive. I want nothing like that nash trash sound that folks call country today. I want the guitar to sound something to the effect that the guy who's link I put here. So I think I will get the v67g for that. I am gonna get the bullet for vocals I think since it gives a real dirty low down gritty sound I hear. But real is what I'm looking for and my vocals aren't clean by any means. By warm I mean having something to it you know being able to feel what I feel or at least feel something. Not sound over produced or nash trashy but be able to communicate emotion better than I can on this shitty built in monitor mic.

Will the preamps really make a differecne? Do you think this is a wise choice for mics?
 
the frequency response of the v67 could deffinately aid in that "gravely" sound you're shooting for (prominent upper mids), as will the bullet, but its mostly going to depend on how you sing and what you do in post production. the people that you speak of didn't record into digital interfaces, mixing on protools or cubase. it was usually a barebones setup going on to tape, sometimes even right to lacquer. theres a lot you can do with eq for creating a less polished sound, you'll just have to experiment as i don't know your setup. for an acoustic guitar sound like that, you may even want to try a dynamic mic, like an sm57.
 
I'm responding because I have both of the mics you mention. I also have an Oktava MK319 and AT4033 for comparison. My V57M sounds very big as in a very full bottom end and hyped high-end at about 12khz. In this regard it is the fullest sounding mic I own. I like it for some Pop-Rock vocals. My V67 is somewaht similar but with less hype on either end of the spectrum, pretty safe for alot of male vocals. The Oktava 319 is the most in-your-face sounding of the bunch with lots of mids. The AT4033 sounds natural and pretty traditional when I use it on my D-18 and my father-in-law's mastertone. For what you describe I would start with the 319 for vocals and 4033 for guitar if I was using my arsenal of mics. One other consideration would be if you want to record guitar in stereo with something like a pair of mxl-603's. Most of these mics sound profoundly different and a perfect decision can't really be made without setting them up and trying them out and even then it takes time to know your mics. At least they are inexpensive. Good luck with your search.
 
bump...hopefully Mr. Gerst will have time to reply
thanks
matt
 
Roybot said:
For what you describe I would start with the 319 for vocals and 4033 for guitar if I was using my arsenal of mics. QUOTE]


As I was reading this thread the 319 came to mind for me also. It is somewhat traditional sounding in the sense that it doesn't have the hype in the highs that most inexpensive modern mics do. For this reason, it is often described as "dark" sounding on these forums. One man's dark is another man's un-hyped. The MXL V57 is not a very good vocal mic. It is hyped on both ends of the register (as Roybot said) but does, however, do a pretty good job on acoustic guitar. I have also used the 4033 on guitar, and it is good too.

Another un-hyped sounding mic for acoustic, is the Shure SM81. And if you try one of these, put up a good pop filter and try it on vocals. It can be surprisingly good.
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if I was to get one mic for guitar for that full sound found on the above recording what would you recomend in the $100-200 range?
 
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