need the perfect mic for male vocals. details within...

[avedic123]

i need a good condensor mic. something that will be used first and foremost for male vocals.

i could describe my voice as a tenor/alto/soprano, etc, but as i'm not familiar with those ranges i'll just post an example of vocals similar to my own. the following link is to the silverchair song "across the night." for those who only know silverchair as the teen grunge band from down under, you might be pleased to hear how they've changed.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=h7dGlFgw12I

anyway, my own voice is quite similar in tone, texture, and range to what you just heard. sort of a full broadway-esque delivery with plenty of falsetto and moments of smooth distortion.

my budget is no more than $400. slightly more might be ok. anything less is fine. but $400 is what i'm aiming for.

what i don't want:

a boxy boomy sound
vocals that sound "honky" for lack of a better word
a sucked out hollow sound
something that's so bright it sounds metallic

what i do want:

silky smooth high end. sparkly tone...but not harsh
even natural tone throughout the mids
enough bass for organic warmth, but not so much that it sounds boomy

i've looked into the following mics:

Audio Technica AT4050
Rode NT-1a
MXL V67G
CAD M179
CAD e300
AT4033
AKG Perception 200

given the audio i posted above, could anyone offer some suggestions. i'm a bit burnt out from looking up reviews for all these mics, as i'll read how one mic is too harsh in the high end, and then another review of the same mic will say it's too muddy. how do i know who's more accurate?

help......

thanks!

 

[Robert D]

Of the mics you mentioned, I'd guess that the 4050 is most likely to meet your needs. Regarding the conflicting reviews, there's no substitute for trying a mic out yourself, but short of that the best you can do is suffer through all those reviews, both pro and user, and forum posts, and distil your own best guess of the truth as it applies to your situation. Even then, you'd be lucky to nail it on the first try. It's just the nature of the beast.

 

[avedic123]

what makes you suggest the AT4050 above the others? other that it being the most expensive.

i have read many reviews of the AT4050 and people seem to be quite smitten with it overall, so i'm leaning heavily towards it.

 

[dementedchord]

of those you mentioned the 4050 is definately the better mic... plus you'll use it on way more than voice.... the 4047 is actually tailored more specificly to voice... you might also find a used akg414 for not much more...

 

[avedic]

what about the Rode NT2A? im seeing alot of good things about it.

 

[nuemes]

I really like the AT4033 for many male vocals. A lot of low buget albums have recorded vocals with them very successfully.

That said, I haven't tried the AT4050 which I gather might be a little too neutral for vocals unless you've got a great voice to begin with.

I've not heard the AT4047 but it's on my wish list for vocals.

It's pretty understood around the forums that you can't go wrong with the AT40xx series. Buy used on Ebay and if it doesn't suit you switch to the next model up. This is a great way to try mics out on a limited budget.

 

[mwthompson]

given the audio i posted above, could anyone offer some suggestions. i'm a bit burnt out from looking up reviews for all these mics, as i'll read how one mic is too harsh in the high end, and then another review of the same mic will say it's too muddy. how do i know who's more accurate?

help......

thanks!

Isn't that sorta like asking "what will I like better, vanilla or chocolate ice cream?"

Unfortunately, I think this process requires a lot of trial and error until you hear what you like. Places like musiciansfriend has a 45 day return policy if you're not satisfied with a product, that might be the way to go. Try some mics out, if they don't sound good send them back.