Vocal mic comparison! VOTE NOW AND DISCUSS

[Richard Monroe]

Are you totally ruling out tube and ribbon microphones?

No- he did specify one of my favorites of the group- AT4060. But- I'm a fan of B.L.U.E., and the Kiwi is my personal go-to vocal mic. Oddly enough, I haven't found a female that likes it. I've never gotten to try out the Bottle Rocket (either one), but I sure would like to. I picked AT4060 because I like it, but KSM44 might win on overall versatility. I think companies can have sounds, what their design staff likes to hear, and the KSM44 has a "Shure" sound, like the SM57 of condensers. I may just prefer the Central European sound, and tend to feed on mics by Sennheiser, AKG, Neumann, Brauner and (old) B.L.U.E. The 4060 is the odd man out, being Japanese, and it's a lovely blues/cabaret mic. You know the nightclub sort of act with the sexy woman singer draped over the piano? The 4060 is what you put up for her in the studio. It also rocks on belters and gravelly voices, from Richie Havens to Linda Ronstadt. With vocal mics, you just never know. The C414 is one of the greatest vocal mics in the world for about 5% of singers. At least with the mics above I'm familiar with, the KSM44 and the AT4060 win because they work for a lot of people. Actually, Rode K-2 is one I'd add to that list, for the same reason. Interesting- the singers that the 4060 *doesn't* work for will often like the K-2 or the KSM44.-Richie

 

[Drone_21042]

Which mics do your voice sound good on?

Thank goodness I'm not alone! You just gotta use them to know anything definitive.

 

[lbsterner]

This is a hard question to answer without any context. I've A/B'd lots of mics and used to sell them, and what works for my voice is definitely not the same as what works for others. It's a very individual thing. My "budget" choice is still the AT 4050 but I recognize there are many other great mics out there for vocals and other applications. Best advice is to listen to a few of them before you decide. Listen for what makes your own voice sound good-- in my case it's crisp highs but in your case it might be something else. When you find the mic that does that well for you, that's probably the one for you.