Recording deep male vocals: RE20 or SM7?

J

jeak

New member
I've decided to take the plunge on one of these classics. Is one clearly better than the other for deep, Leonard Cohen-like vocals?

Is it worth ordering both and picking my favorite? I can't afford to keep both now. I've heard that the SM7 is kind of the "Barry White" mic, but I've also heard that the RE20 might be easier to use. I would use the mic primarily for recording.

I know there are tons of condensers out there too, but I have opted to start with a high-end dynamic rather than a cheap or midpriced condenser.

Thanks for any opinions.
 
I own the SM7, SM58, Rode NT1-a, and I'm getting the V67i (actually shipping).

I use the RE-20 at work... IMO it's not that good. It's a forgiving mic but if you are look for quality I'd go with a condensor. I find the SM7 to be way better than the EV, in fact the SM58 to me sounds better, just a little EQing. I like the sm7 for female vocals or high pitch voices.

My Rode is very warm. I used to own an AT3035 and I liked it for my Voiceovers, but I got rid of it cause I hated how it sounded with female vocals. The rode is great, much better than the AT3035 and I bought the v67i cause I got a good price.

Also look into the SP B1, plenty of folks lke that mic.
 
Hey, BigRay, I think we just met over at Gearslutz. Those Shinyboxes are definitely on my to-try list. Thanks again for that suggestion. Paul, that Rode looks nice, thanks. As I said above, my thinking is to start with a really good dynamic rather than a cheaper condenser. I'm just thinking ahead. Something like an RE20 or SM7 seems like a mic I would keep forever and not want to trade in like a cheaper condenser. I could be wrong, but that's just what I'm thinking right now. Eventually I'd like to have the best of both, but for now I'm looking for a solid, versatile mic to start with. I've been recording synths and guitars for years, but this is my first serious venture into vocal recording.
 
Maybe it's just I hate the RE-20, but this is what I'd get before that one:

SM7
SM58
senheiser 835

some like the sm57 they said it's like a screwdrive, you need one in your tool box. I've never used one, but I might be getting one soon.
 
pmdiaz23 said:
some like the sm57 they said it's like a screwdrive, you need one in your tool box. I've never used one, but I might be getting one soon.
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I don't have any 57s anymore, I still have a bunch of Beta 57s, but if I didn't need them for live work I'd sell those too.

For studio use, I can't think of anything a 57 or Beta 57 does that a Beyer M201 doesn't do better.
 
treymonfauntre said:
is it just me or does every mic thread have bigray saying "buy a ribbon!"
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Its just you sweetheart. Last time I checked I wasnt checking for your seal of approval before I posted. Dont think thatll change anytime soon. I reccomend what works for me and gets me work. I use what was reccomended to me by others, more often than not professional "others". I guess I dont reccomend a lot of 20 dollar mics and M-Audio pres like other folks here do.... That isnt changing either. Life sucks sometimes. Hell, I think the RE20 and MXL Mics suck(generally) , but I dont criticize for people reccomending them. It isnt my place to do so. Just as it isnt your place to yap your fucking trap about what the fuck I do. now get me a beer bitch.
 
BigRay said:
Its just you sweetheart. Last time I checked I wasnt checking for your seal of approval before I posted. Dont think thatll change anytime soon. I reccomend what works for me and gets me work. I use what was reccomended to me by others, more often than not professional "others". I guess I dont reccomend a lot of 20 dollar mics and M-Audio pres like other folks here do.... That isnt changing either. Life sucks sometimes. Hell, I think the RE20 and MXL Mics suck(generally) , but I dont criticize for people reccomending them. It isnt my place to do so. Just as it isnt your place to yap your fucking trap about what the fuck I do. now get me a beer bitch.
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I agree the RE-20 sucks... I just ordered a V67i, first MXL I will listen to. I got it for $115 so I decided I'd give it a try.

Anyone that has this mic, I'd like to know what you think.
 
I have the sm 57 and 58, both are not that good for my vocals, they are too low on input levels to begin with ( I dont have a preamp) and second they seem really dead when mixed with the other instruments...

I would recomend a condener, for better quality, I like the Apex 460, its pretty good for non screaming vocals.
 
pmdiaz23 said:
Jeak,

i was looking for this, check it out:

http://www.transom.org/tools/recording_interviewing/200508.mic_shootout.html#
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Holy Toledo. Paul, you have no idea. I'm just recovering from my hardest laugh in a long time. Did you take the whole "blind taste test" yourself?

First I should say that I know John Diliberto's voice well from listening to his show "Echoes." His speaking voice is in the same range as mine, though his is smoother. Mine has more gravel and less consistency. When I sing, my voice goes lower than when I speak and gets more gravely. Still, this is a good test, as Diliberto does have a bit of gravel if you listen closely.

So I played each clip two or three times. I took notes. Some mics I disliked right away. Some I thought were OK. A few grabbed me instantly.

In the end I narrowed it down to two or three that were hard to decide on. You guys are gonna kick me off the board now. It was nice knowing you all. Thanks for all the help. Paul, I think you might have saved me $300 or so. I don't drink, but if you do, I'll buy you a beer someday.

I chose the SM57. :eek:

Not kidding.

Am I total dunce?

OK, so this means that whatever I do, even if I order a couple of $400 mics, I'm gonna have to buy a 57 too just to compare.

FWIW, my second choice was the Rode NT-1. I did like the SM7, but it seemed not as clear and open/breathy to me as the 57. My singing voice is breathy at times, so I'm drawn to that quality.

As I said, nice knowing you all. I'll begin dodging your tomatoes now ... :eek:
 
jeak said:
Holy Toledo. Paul, you have no idea. I'm just recovering from my hardest laugh in a long time. Did you take the whole "blind taste test" yourself?

First I should say that I know John Diliberto's voice well from listening to his show "Echoes." His speaking voice is in the same range as mine, though his is smoother. Mine has more gravel and less consistency. When I sing, my voice goes lower than when I speak and gets more gravely. Still, this is a good test, as Diliberto does have a bit of gravel if you listen closely.

So I played each clip two or three times. I took notes. Some mics I disliked right away. Some I thought were OK. A few grabbed me instantly.

In the end I narrowed it down to two or three that were hard to decide on. You guys are gonna kick me off the board now. It was nice knowing you all. Thanks for all the help. Paul, I think you might have saved me $300 or so. I don't drink, but if you do, I'll buy you a beer someday.

I chose the SM57. :eek:

Not kidding.

Am I total dunce?

OK, so this means that whatever I do, even if I order a couple of $400 mics, I'm gonna have to buy a 57 too just to compare.

FWIW, my second choice was the Rode NT-1. I did like the SM7, but it seemed not as clear and open/breathy to me as the 57. My singing voice is breathy at times, so I'm drawn to that quality.

As I said, nice knowing you all. I'll begin dodging your tomatoes now ... :eek:
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I agree about the SM7, I actually bought it for my wife. She does Voice-overs and she delivers very well. She has a high pitch voice so this mic works well for her.

I use the Rode for my VO's and i think I will pick up a sm57 so I can carry around in my laptop bag, in case i have to record a reference track on the go.

BTW my girl also sings and sounds great on the NT1-a.
 
treymonfauntre said:
i probably just noticed old threads with your name in there. its just kind of funny seeing "try a ribbon, go for a beyer m130 and m160" more than once a day.
:) :)
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Before the Chinese ribbons, that was a comment you'd see all the time, because Beyer was the only company making relatively affordable ribbons. I look for a used M130 for a long time before I bought a vintage Shure 315 instead.
 
I really find it hard to comprehend the emotional attachment to microphone committment. I cannot figure out why anyone would "hate" a mic.
If you can't find a use for it, fine. It's a mic, nothing more. I rarely use my sm57's but every once in a while they fit.
I use my RE20 with less regularity on anything but kick, but if run into a soprano or sibilant singer, I have that "shot in my bag"
There is a reason for having so many colors on your pallette, you can paint more accurate pictures.
That is one reason it is so difficult to tell somebody which one mic to buy, you need an arsenal to accomplish anything.
(But really, try a ribbon....)
 
Yep, and youll still see the beyers around because they are making a comeback, and well, just kick ass. I have a royer pair that doesnt get used as much as my beyers.
 
Big Kenny said:
I really find it hard to comprehend the emotional attachment to microphone committment. I cannot figure out why anyone would "hate" a mic.
If you can't find a use for it, fine. It's a mic, nothing more. I rarely use my sm57's but every once in a while they fit.
I use my RE20 with less regularity on anything but kick, but if run into a soprano or sibilant singer, I have that "shot in my bag"
There is a reason for having so many colors on your pallette, you can paint more accurate pictures.
That is one reason it is so difficult to tell somebody which one mic to buy, you need an arsenal to accomplish anything.
(But really, try a ribbon....)
Click to expand...

Although I hate the re20, I have to agree with you.
 
jeak said:
I've heard that the SM7 is kind of the "Barry White" mic, but I've also heard that the RE20 might be easier to use.
Click to expand...
Keep in mind that the type of preamplifier you use will have more to do with how a dynamic mic sounds than a condenser mic.

Condenser mics are active (the method of impedance conversion uses some type of built in current amplifier that runs on phantom power) whereas dynamic mics are passive (the method of impedance conversion is not powered).

The result of this is that a condenser mic does not care as much about the input impedance of the preamp it is connected to and tends to sound more the same between different preamps. On the other hand, a dynamic mic is very picky about the preamp's input impedance and as a result can sound very different from preamp to preamp. That’s one of the reasons someone will say “I love mic ‘A’ and hate mic ‘B’, and someone else will say I love mic ‘B’ and hate mic ‘A’.

One side note: Beware of just going by preamplifier input impedance specifications. Impedance is basically resistance applied to ac signals (like audio) and can vary over the audio frequency range. A preamplifier specification that reads “150 ohms @ 1KHz” doesn’t tell you what it’s going to be at other frequencies between 20-20Khz. You need a graph for that.

So, the moral of this story is that before you sink bucks into, say an SM7, better check one out with the preamplifier you plan to use or “Barry White” might end up sounding like “Mickey Mouse”. :eek:
 
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