Im tracking a female vocalist this weekend. She raps and sings, her voice is similar to Esthero. I normally record male hip hop vocals and the SM7 works great for that. I was wondering if anyone had experience using the SM7 on female vocals, or if I should pick up a Studio Projects C1 before the session. I plan on buying the C1 eventually anyway, but cash is limited this week, so I want to know if its necessary. Its my first time working with her, so I want to leave a good first impression and send her home with a nice sounding track.
SM7 for female rhyming and singing??
- Thread starter Chaotic
- Start date
Which works great? My question is can I get away with using the SM7 for female rapping and singing. When she rhymes its very laid back, kinda like Ladybug from Digable Planets, and when she sings its subtle and sultry, like Esthero, not loud and dynamic like an R&B/Soul singer. So Im not sure if a dynamic mic will get the job done.
Chaotic said:
Make it work, son!
If you can't, then you should probably consider another profession or hobby.
I'm just kiddin' with you.
Obviously, no one can tell without being there and hearing her on the mic. The good thing is that I generally think of the SM-7 as always sounding at least acceptable on just about any voice or any style. It's a fairly safe choice.
Rev E said:
Ive owned the Rode NT1000, it was pretty cool. Im at the point now where I wanna start stepping up to the pro level shit. So there arent many mics in the sub $1000 range that Im into buying for vocals. But the C1 gets sooo many great reviews that until I can buy a Neumann or Soundelux, I figure that will do, and its versatile, so once I do step up, Im sure I'll still use the C1 for many apps.
But if the SM7 will work for what Im doing this weekend, I'll hold off on the C1 till my next paycheck.
Since I got your attention now, what about the RNC for vocals?? Again Im gonna be stepping up to bigger and better gear. But Ive been in million dollar studios that use and love RNC's.
I don't know that you'll hear an appreciable difference between the C1 and the NT-1000. Honestly, they're both good large condensers for the money. The reason the C-1 gets touted so much is because of it's price relative to performance. Not necessarily because it sounds special.
I've got both the C1 and the SM7. I'm actually recording a woman and have tried both. With her vocals, which are very Gillian Welch-like, the SM7 works with her better.
That said, the C1 has been invaluable to me. It's perfect for my vocals and sounds great with my dobro and as a room mike for when I record kick drum or actually any instrument.
My next purchase will be the T3. And I hope soon!
That said, the C1 has been invaluable to me. It's perfect for my vocals and sounds great with my dobro and as a room mike for when I record kick drum or actually any instrument.
My next purchase will be the T3. And I hope soon!
Have her do fast sloppy takes on both mics and see which one you both like more.
The RNC is a fine compressor... not only for the money but purely as a compressor. The fact that it's less than $200 is a bigger reason to get it. If you just want pure compression, where the compressor is not being used to color the sound (as many higher end compressors are used), then the RNC is your ticket until you want to add to your rack.
Back to the mic--personally, I think you can make the SM7 work, but let's face facts... part of the 'sound' everyone is looking for when doing rythmn-oriented material is the pop, pop, fizzy fizz of a condenser. IF you were doing just a rap thing, I'd say save your money and just deal with the SM7. But since you're doing some singing and it's 'rythmn-oriented' (pop, dance, pop-rap, r&b) then everyone identifies the sound of that material with a condenser.
In its price range, the C1 is about as good as they come. If you're going to upgrade eventually to a Soundelux or a Neumann, you may want to cheap out and get an MXL V67. I've had one of those in the past, and it is a very decent mic in it's price range (less than $100). This way you can get by with decent vocals for the upcoming session, your mic will look like a more expensive mic, and you can put your hard-earned dollars towards the mic that you really want (and I want you to have--a Soundelux U195).
P.S. I've owned a C1 for several years and I like the mic... I did a lot of stuff on it. BUT, when my Soundelux U195 came into the studio, the C1 hasn't seen the light of day since. In fact, I just sold it on eBay. Go hard or not at all. Save your money and get by with a V67 ... or you could always just make due with the SM7.
Back to the mic--personally, I think you can make the SM7 work, but let's face facts... part of the 'sound' everyone is looking for when doing rythmn-oriented material is the pop, pop, fizzy fizz of a condenser. IF you were doing just a rap thing, I'd say save your money and just deal with the SM7. But since you're doing some singing and it's 'rythmn-oriented' (pop, dance, pop-rap, r&b) then everyone identifies the sound of that material with a condenser.
In its price range, the C1 is about as good as they come. If you're going to upgrade eventually to a Soundelux or a Neumann, you may want to cheap out and get an MXL V67. I've had one of those in the past, and it is a very decent mic in it's price range (less than $100). This way you can get by with decent vocals for the upcoming session, your mic will look like a more expensive mic, and you can put your hard-earned dollars towards the mic that you really want (and I want you to have--a Soundelux U195).
P.S. I've owned a C1 for several years and I like the mic... I did a lot of stuff on it. BUT, when my Soundelux U195 came into the studio, the C1 hasn't seen the light of day since. In fact, I just sold it on eBay. Go hard or not at all. Save your money and get by with a V67 ... or you could always just make due with the SM7.
noiseportrait
New member
The C1 is a great budget LDC, but I've never cared for it on most female vocals. It seems to accentuate the right frequency ranges on male vocals, but it gets a little shrill on some females, especially when they're belting out stuff in the higher vocal range. I'd try the sm7 first.