Some advice on mic's

N

neogardguitar

New member
hey all

Thinking of getting a new vocal mic. I use on my BR1600. Right now I use a Studio Projects C1 Microphone. Also have a Studio Projects VTB1 preamp.

Trying to record male vocals. Tenor with a bit of rough edge.

Finding the C1 just not right.

Wondered what others are using? Thoughts for what might fit my needs.

Budget: less than $1,000, probably closer to $500.

Thanks
N
 
Well, to go in a different direction than the C1, which is pretty bright, you may want to consider a dynamic, like the Shure SM7B or Electrovoice RE20. Both are world-class mics under $400. A ribbon mic would be another option. They have a smooth top end that would, again, be quite different from the C1. In addition to the budget options from Shinybox, Nady, Cascade & others, Beyerdynamic, AEA, and Crowley & Tripp make ribbons under $1000.
 
Yeah, the C1 does have a little "fizz" on it, more suited to a baritone or bass voice IMO.

In addition to Scrubs's list of dynamics, I'll add:

Beyerdynamic M260, M500
Sennheiser MD421, MD441
Neumann KMS105
 
neogardguitar said:
hey all

Thinking of getting a new vocal mic. I use on my BR1600. Right now I use a Studio Projects C1 Microphone. Also have a Studio Projects VTB1 preamp.

Trying to record male vocals. Tenor with a bit of rough edge.

Finding the C1 just not right.

Wondered what others are using? Thoughts for what might fit my needs.

Budget: less than $1,000, probably closer to $500.

Thanks
N
Click to expand...

I would look for a used U195 on ebay. You can pick them up for a little over $600. The AT4047 is another good bet. Something to think about.
 
I'd second the recommendation of the Sennheiser MD-421. Good sounding large diaphragm dynamic. Sounds good on bass, tenor and alto vocals IMHO. Sounds good on kicks, toms, amps and lots of other sources too.
 
I find the Hamburg to sound at best so-so on tenors. The mids sound really scooped, resulting in almost a brittle, weak sound. The mids probably aren't really scooped---there's probably just a presence peak in an inconvenient spot, but it took a lot of EQ work to make it sound even moderately acceptable to my ears.

The mic I've found to really work well on tenor voices is a Nady RSM-2 modded with a Lundahl transformer. If you don't feel like hacking hardware yourself, you should get one of the Shinybox ribbons pre-modded with the Lundahl. The ribbons offer a very pleasant change from the relative harshness of many condensers.
 
dgatwood said:
If you don't feel like hacking hardware yourself, you should get one of the Shinybox ribbons pre-modded with the Lundahl.
Click to expand...


Isn't every mic "pre-modded" ... when you really think about it?

:D

Just throwing that out there. Carry on.
 
AKG C414, would be your best bet. I am using a pari of TLM 107 at work for VO work they sound good, but my 414 sounds a little better in the mid range. 414 is by far my Favorite mic.
 
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