Starting home recording need help with gear !

M

Mohamed Abbas

New member
Hello everyone !
My Wife birthday is at the end of November And I decided to buy some recording hardware And microphone For her !.
She is an opera singer "lyrical soprano" , am quite new to this recording world ,she have stage experience for past 15 years And never used microphones before So this is a new world to me And her .
I need some microphone And audio interface to record at home " I have a 5x5 meter room for that reason I will cover the walls later " .
So after searching for quite sometime I found out that I need audio interface , software , And large condenser microphone .
And after reading here a lot I found out this would be a good things to buy .. Which not super expensive gear "aside that right now I am working as choir master of library of Alexandria So buying things online will cost double due transportation to here at Alexandria Egypt "

For software I brought studio one with Melodyne built , sound like fair price compared to avid pro tools mad price .

Audio interface "focusrite scarlett 6i6" very nice with 2 headphones ports sound great to me .... And around 200 USD$ ..
Here is the problem WHAT MICROPHONE ...
I managed to make a list of microphone might be good for recording my self as "female opera singer"

MXL V67G .... Super cheap ! And many good ratings , not sure if it true ..

OR
Blue Microphones Spark Condenser Microphone, Cardioid .. Looks not that fancy but have a really good votes ..
MXL 2003A .... ? Any clue ?
Feel free to add any other microphone you recommend but keep in mind it should not go crazy in price I need overall price for interface + microphone around 400-450 USD MAX ... , So that keep microphone around 150-250 usd at MAX ... And that microphone also will need a pop filter And mount any recommendation on that too ? ... That more money , but feel free to point out any microphone you think its really worth every buck you pay for it "from opera singer Point of view please " :smileyhappy: .
 
You might also want to look at dynamic microphones instead of condensors as opera singers tend to be loud.
 
kip4 said:
You might also want to look at dynamic microphones instead of condensers as opera singers tend to be loud.
Click to expand...

i have 2 of them but they fail to get the low notes , i need condenser for picking a high range or notes .
so basicly i need a good studio starting microphone .
and it should be around $250 max for the microphone ..
my options which is NOT limited to this :
MXL V67G
MXL 2003A
Blue Microphones Spark
Name your microphone here !..........>>>>>
 
Gosh ... it's really hard to suggest a microphone without hearing your wife's voice first.
For there really isn't a *one microphone fits all*

Any clips on youtube or the likes of your wife's work?
 
here is a link for her with profissinal recording with a choir / live
youtubeDOTcom/watch?v=joWgEerEKxs
here is another record from my dslr with default camera mic
youtubeDOTcom/watch?v=YSzgKSfrfpw
youtubeDOTcom/watch?v=WoVmiOyitdU
you can also search around at youtube for Rodica Ocheseanu you will find hundreds of records by other guys who attend concerts or such .
change the DOT to . :) site policy -.-'
 
Nice!

Those recordings all had *The Room* in the recording. Is that how you wish to record or more of an isolated studio type of recording?
 
i will record in a room 6x5 meter with one wall fully covered with heavy curtains and wooden floor and rest of walls will be covered in next few days . i wish to record for more of an isolated studio type of recording . clean recorded in other word
 
Mohamed, this is a pretty important question. Most people in this style of music uses the room's sound. So, not only will the microphone be important, but more than other genres your recording room treatments will be important. You notice how far back she is from the microphone on a few of those recordings? That means, her voice and the room are being captured. You may want to not only focus on a good microphone, but if money is limited, go for a lesser microphone and use some of that money for room treatment. As room treatment in this case will have a bigger influence on the results than the microphone (talking a modest quality microphone).
 
i am planing for treating the room as much as possible , some came up with this eggs cartons what do you think about it ? i can get the entire room covered for less than $100 .. i am willing to buy even more than this to fix the room to be perfect , so room won't be a problem here .
for microphone i guess i will be forced to buy 2 of them , i will get Shure SM58S For sure , and another large condensers ...
list here of what i think it would be a choice ..
MXL 2003A
MXL CR30
MXL v67g
OR
add your recommendation here .
thanks a lot for reading my log posts :)
 
Welcome to the forum by the way. Sorry I forgot my manners.
You may want to look into a monitors as well as a headphones amp
 
I use a MXL V67 daily, best bargain microphone I've ever used. All the vox, harp and acoustic guitars on these recordings are MXL V67, Studiomaster Mixdown 16-8-16, Aardvark Pro Q10, SONAR Producer 8.5, recorded in my bedroom. No acoustic treatment to the room. Great mic. I have more expensive mics collecting dust since I bought it.https://soundcloud.com/david-odonnell/sets/demos-vol-1
 
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Hello, a use a Sennheiser MK4, you won't regret.....It's made in the same factory of Neumann in Germany, and it's in the range of $300 USD
Regards
 
Recoding Opera

Your wife has an amazing voice. You will come very close but never equal that operatic sound in a small room. If you want to record opera at home then add reverb in a daw such as Cubase, then you could invest in a small pre-amp and compressor, but don't skimp on the microphone. A good all rounder is the AKG 414, but at a premium price. I use those mics on nearly all female singers, and my Neuman U87 on the men. Not a rule though, just seems the best average. Maybe a cheaper option is to buy a Zoom recorder, such as the H4N. Zoom H4N Portable Recorder - Pro Audio Supplies
Then ask permission to borrow a large church or college music hall and record in that. Also set it to the highest sampling rate. It would also be interesting to sing beside the pyramids at night and get the echo of one of those, but I wonder what the authorities would think?
 
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