opera singer in search of mic

[silva2285]

Hello,
I am studying to be an opera singer, but I also sing more of a popular style, similar to Christina Aguilera, or Whitney. Therefore my voice is big, and loud and I bought a mic, but whenever I hit a high note, or just a loud one it gets fuzzy and can't handle it. I believe it was an AKG studio B mic, what mic should I look at that is at a moderate price level- I know that if i was willing to drop 15 grand on a mic then I would be fine but I just don't have that kind of money. Thank you!
-j

 

[Herr Joachim]

If you could mention what other equipment, preamp, soundcard etc., it'll be easier to make suggestions. Also, if you have some recordings of your voice that you can make available for listening, i'm sure some of the knowledgeable people around here can help you out.

 

[The Engineer]

Do you mean the AKG C3000B? or AKG C4000B? Both of those microphones have a large diaphram, so they should have no problem handling your strong/powerful voice. Have you perhaps tried talking into the mic? If you get a fuzzy sound when talking or singing at low levels, then there is something faulty in your signal chain. If you could provide a voice sample, that would enable more people to help you with your problem.

- The Engineer -

 

[PhilGood]

You would probably do well to find a mic that handles high SPL's, like a tube mic that is a cathode follower circuit, or a Solid State mic that is a source follower. These mics don't overload the way a standard mic will. You could also buy a mic with a -10db pad or greater.

Another option that would be perfect for opera would be a ribbon mic. These handle very high SPL's and have a wonderful mellow sound, but require a really good preamp. One with at least 60dB of gain. You will also need a good pop filter. Ribbons are very delicate! Nady makes a pretty good one that is fairly inexpensive.

 

[AGCurry]

Another option that would be perfect for opera would be a ribbon mic. These handle very high SPL's and have a wonderful mellow sound, but require a really good preamp. One with at least 60dB of gain. You will also need a good pop filter. Ribbons are very delicate! Nady makes a pretty good one that is fairly inexpensive.

I'm not an opera singer, but I am a cantor, with a large voice.

I've not found anything better than the AEA R84 ribbon mic for my voice, live or in the studio. I don't use a pop filter, because you can get a rich glorious sound from 1 to 2 feet away (past the pops). I can get sufficient gain for it from most preamps/mixers.

 

[scrubs]

I think Christina Aguilera is a fan of the Telefunken ELAM 251 (not moderately priced by any means). There are plenty of mics that have tried to copy this design (and the similar AKG C12). What is your budget?

 

[chessrock]

First, I'd check to make sure that you're not exceeding the headroom of the mic pre's inputs, or that of your audio interface.

Most large diaphragm condensers made in the last 60 years can easily take the db levels of a loud guitar amp or even a kick drum, close up, so I don't think it would even break a sweat on a loud voice.

If nothing else is distorting, then it's more likely that you're hitting a resonant frequency somewhere. It's entirely possible, and you might just want to try another mic. Doesn't necessarily have to be a $15K vintage tube condenser ... just something else that has better damping (?) Something that's designed more like a stage mic would come to mind as having less chance for stray resonances.

 

[bubbagump]

Not to be too much of a fan boy, but I really like the Shure SM7 on operatic vocals. Granted, it will not work in an ensemble well (two Schoeps from the ceiling sort of setup) but for multitracking, I find it to be great on operatic stuff. But listen to the fellers. Unless there is something wrong or you are crazy loud, the mic should not be clipping internally.