Recommended mics for vocals

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I'm about to record an R&B/Rap project. Does anyone know what the best mics to use are please?

My intention is to record vocals in a proper stdio as I don't have the acoustics at home, and then bring back home to mixdown. I've been checking out studios and there's this long list of mics which leads me to the question.
 
any mic that makes the singer sound good... try some of them and decide on the spot, there's no "one size fits all" solution.
 
I'm in London, so I don't know the comparables with the US (presume you're in Atlanta?), but i'm looking at going into a studio that costs about 250 GBP ($400-ish) for an 8 hour session. The aim is to cut a record from this.
 
so you aren't really gonna keep this mic long or use it a lot...
maybe a C3...Studio projects C3..
another good mic for recording r&b/hip hop that may fall in that price range.. Shure Ksm32
about $400 you have some mics to pick from...
 
If your in London I'd recomand an SP C1 or C3.

The C3 has come down to £130 over here now and its meant to be pretty close to the U87. Apparantly.
 
i dont think he's askin which 1 to buy just which 1 to select out there cabinet
 
YO:

In addition, a double Laphroig neat will help solve the mic problems.

Green Hornet :p :D :p
 
I've always been a big fan of the AKG mics. For $160 US you can get your hands on an AKG C1000 S condenser mic. I was at a recording school for awhile and we swore by those things as our swiss army knife of recording mics.

I currently use one for vocals on my recordings and have been happy with it. Also, get a mic that suits your vocalist. One time, I was in the studio with my old vocalist, and we tried a TON of mics...everything from a $1000 Seinheiser on down. We wound up going with a $100 AKG mic, mainly because it sounded better with HIS voice. Now that's not going to happen everytime, but if you have the budget to try a few different mics, by all means it may be worth it in the long run.

~Vince
Guitarist / Songwriter
http://www.castofshadows.com
 
Cast of Shadows said:
I've always been a big fan of the AKG mics. For $160 US you can get your hands on an AKG C1000 S condenser mic. I was at a recording school for awhile and we swore by those things as our swiss army knife of recording mics.

I currently use one for vocals on my recordings and have been happy with it. Also, get a mic that suits your vocalist. One time, I was in the studio with my old vocalist, and we tried a TON of mics...everything from a $1000 Seinheiser on down. We wound up going with a $100 AKG mic, mainly because it sounded better with HIS voice. Now that's not going to happen everytime, but if you have the budget to try a few different mics, by all means it may be worth it in the long run.
Click to expand...

ALERT! ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!

Vince's recommendation of the C1000 as a great all purpose mic and a useful vocal mic are in direct contradiction to the opinions of at least 95% of the professional audio engineers in the world. A general description of its sound would have to include adjectives like harsh and ugly.

Obviously the other 5% all teach at Vince's recording school. :rolleyes:
 
after listening to ANY vocal recorded with a c-1000 i'm gonna need for you to make the scotch a triple.....and keep em comin...
 
Once again, I agree with littledog... The first few years in this, I had a pair and did everything with them; this was when they were the only "budget" condenser at nearly $300 (more?, can't remember) a piece... When we were all too cheap to spring for the MUCH better and a tad more expensive SM81. Oh how I we all quickly found-out that was a huge mistake! You guys know what I'm talking about! Mine have been gone for about 5 years now, but sonusman stills has his for miking rides when not on the floor as a door stop.
 
Cast of Shadows said:
I've always been a big fan of the AKG mics. For $160 US you can get your hands on an AKG C1000 S condenser mic. I was at a recording school for awhile and we swore by those things as our swiss army knife of recording mics.
Click to expand...

..ooh I knew he was in trouble and I got this queasy feeling in my stomach while I was reading this.

Alright guys, take it easy, he just didn't know any better. I'm sure there are plenty of mics that the C1000 can blow away. umm... I bought this Beyerdynamic thing that clips on a drum, man what a piece of crap!
 
To each his own I guess. I've been happy with the AKG mics. The point of my message remains, try everything, not just stuff labeled "high end". Sometimes a low budget mic sounds the best depending on your vocalist and/or application. You don't always get what you pay for, and trust your ears, not just what some stuffy music snob says :)

BTW in all my music, the vocals were recorded with the AKG C 1000, and I've been quite happy with it. For my budget, my project, and my singer, they are quite useful mics.

~Vince
Guitarist / Songwriter
http://www.castofshadows.com
 
Nothing personal, C.O.S. (even though in the space of 24 hours you've recommended both the C1000 and aural exciters:eek: :eek: ).

Anyway, i DO admire that you're doing exactly the right thing: Trying out different options and then going with what your ears tell you is working the best, regardless of what anyone else thinks. A lot of times people "love" inferior gear because they've never had the opportunity to try anything better. From what you have said though, this scenario doesn't seem to apply here.

It's just that when you make certain recommendations about gear that is almost universally despised to beginners that don't know any better, it's only fair if others point out that yours is a somewhat idiosyncratic opinion. (And admittedly it makes it even more bizarre when you say this is what you were taught in school...)

Now, can I interest you in buying a barely used Alesis 3630? I think you'd really love the sound...
 
well, first off I didn't recommend an aural exciter. I said that in some circumstances, the BBE unit was useful. It made the Rocktron Pirahna preamp a lot better. I'd probably never use one in a studio however, only in a live guitar rig. As for my rig right now, I do not use one. I use Rocktron, TC Electronics, and Mesa Boogie equipment in my rack.

As for the AKGs, I wasn't "taught" to use them in school, most of the student engineers had them because they were cheap, versatile and have a great sound, which I know to you is debateable ;)

Why don't you check out my music and see if my ideas still suck. Thanks.

~Vince
Guitarist / Songwriter
http://www.castofshadows.com
 
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