Pre-Amps Again

[Weasel9992]

I started using silver solder, but it really doesn't taste as good.

Keep the finger paste away from that guy.

Frank

 

[FoulPhil]

There are a lot of mics that sound just as good as a U87, they just dont sound like a U87.

 

[Supercreep]

U87 isn't a magic bullet. It's not my favorite for my voice - the $400 RE-20 takes it.

Since I don't have clients, I just need to worry about what works for me.

 

[dintymoore]

U87 isn't a magic bullet. It's not my favorite for my voice - the $400 RE-20 takes it.

Since I don't have clients, I just need to worry about what works for me.

That's it. It doesn't matter what mic it is as long as you know it's right, then it's right. Some of Tom Petty's stuff sounds like it might be an SM57.

For me, it was a U87, but who knows, maybe you'll be like Phil Collins - I read once he was using a cheaper mic, I think a Beyer M88. I kinda suspect that for most people it's a U87, but in reality, who cares. Wasn't Hendrix using one of those Unidyne crappers at Woodstock?

In a way it's like asking someone what shoes you should wear - all they're going to tell you is what they like to wear. What else do they really know?

 

[FoulPhil]

How did you find the right mic for you? Did you just buy a bunch of different mics until you found one you liked? Could it be possible there are mics out there that would work as well as a U87? I mean I doubt very few people have the chance to try using every mic available.

I'm not really sure how to find out what mic would be the perfect one for me. I have a limited budget. I could spend 500 - 1000, probably more.

I can't do $3,429.00 it's just too much money.

I think I can get something pretty reasonable though. The problem is there are too many choices.

 

[dintymoore]

How did you find the right mic for you? Did you just buy a bunch of different mics until you found one you liked? Could it be possible there are mics out there that would work as well as a U87? I mean I doubt very few people have the chance to try using every mic available.

I'm not really sure how to find out what mic would be the perfect one for me. I have a limited budget. I could spend 500 - 1000, probably more.

I can't do $3,429.00 it's just too much money.

I think I can get something pretty reasonable though. The problem is there are too many choices.

I was lucky to have access to a high end studio to try different mics. Plus I talked to a lot of people I trusted, and the path that led up to the U87 took years and I went through at least a dozen mics to get there.

You only have to find a mic that is right for you. For some people it really is an $80 SM57 so don't rule anything out.

My main point of all of this was: make sure you like your mic before you spend more on your pre. From what I can tell, mic pre's do not drastically change the sound of mics compared to switching from one mic to another.

There's a million mics out there, a lot of people here recommended the Shure KSM32 and SM7's and I know the latter can for sure sound good.

But don't think the reason you don't like a mic is because of the pre, it probably isn't. It should sound mostly there with any working pre.

Lots of people have got great results with stuff you wouldn't think they could get great results with because the songs and performances were so strong.

 

[FoulPhil]

Yeah I've tried everything just for the sake of experimenting, but I just can't get a SM57 to sound good. It may sound good to others, I don't really know, but I don't like the way it sounds.

I've used a Behringer C-1, akg c1000, akg c3000, akg perception 220, SM58, PG58, SM57, and the MXL 990.

Out of those the best one was the AKG C3000, but I would like to see if I can find something a little better. I may end up just sticking with that mic...

Should I book a few hours at a studio that has a ton of mics just to see which one works for me the best?

 

[dintymoore]

I'm no Bill O'Reilly, I'm not a conservative compared to most people, but when it comes to some things, like mics, I'd go for what I'd call "standard classic vocal mics". I'd start there. The SM57 is and I own two and still can't figure out what to use them for except singing Creedence at gigs.

You know some studio classic don't cost an arm and a leg. The Sennheiser 421 (used on my 1st 2 releases, found it hard sounding), 441's (I have two 441's and find them hard sounding too, not for me for recording, but I use it for live gigs and love it) are standards. The RE20 and SM7 are classics. Those are both large diaphragm dynamics. You probably want a large diaphragm condenser though for the high end.
The AKG 414 is a classic too. Lots more. For whatever reason, AKG's never connected with me, but they did with lots of people.
That's playing-it-safe me, I'd start with the cheapest classics and go from there. I don't know much about the new $49 Neumanns from Hyundai (sorry for the sarcasim) but even those I wouldn't rule out because I've bought a lot of cars and I'm never turned off by a low price - it could be a deal.

But spending $800 on a pre if you're using $300 mics is bonkers to me. That's too much money towards a U87. There were two that went for $1600 recently and one here for $1400:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...64722&_sacat=See-All-Categories&_fvi=1&_rdc=1
If you got the $800, save another $600 for a $1600 Neumann. My Neumanns are worth WAY more than what I paid for them so actually they are, in the end, the cheapest mics if you can believe it.

I'll bet could've bought that U87 for $1600, used it for a year and sold it on this forum and made a few hundred.

You really can do almost anything, even with no money, if you figure out the angle.

 

[dintymoore]

As far as booking a studio, myself I wouldn't. I have never paid a cent for studio time yet. My philosophy is that they pay me! Hey, what good is a drummer without ego?

You've got to live with a mic for at least a few days in your room. A lot of times there's stuff I end up liking I might not like at first.

Myself, I'd probably buy a mic second hand for a real good deal so that if I didn't like it I could at the very least (hopefully) break even, sell it and have tried it for free.

I can't afford to buy anything but toilet paper new, even that I use both sides!

 

[FoulPhil]

Maybe I'll get lucky and score a U87. If I can find one for around $1500 it's a dont deal.

You know I've tried using the SM57 on everything I can think of. Because everyone says you can get professional results with them. And you can, it just may not be the results you wanted.