vocal recording gear suggestions....

[sambrn]

Hi everybody,

i'm involved into electro house music production...

The only "acoustic instrument" i need to record is voice since all the other sounds are obtained by professional samples and synths. So the quality of the mix is rather good except for vocal tracks. Well they are not bad at all to be honest but i'm recording them by cheap equipments:

- C1 behringer condenser mic or Shure 57 beta dinamic mic
- M-audio fast track mk2

I record into an homemade vocal booth which has a good acoustic environment (i could compare it to professional booths of people i know). I also use a professional pop-filter.
So since i can focus just on the vocal recording without worrying about guitars, amps, drums and so on i wonder what i can do to make things better on this side.
I repeat... i'm pretty satisfied of the results i'm getting but since i think there is always room for improvement i would like to have a better recording quality, a better input signal, a better monitoring during the performance, a better signal to noise ratio....
I don't have a large budget but i think that it can be worth to spend some money on gear which really make the difference rather than wasting money on cheap stuff i won't use....

So i'm wondering.....

Should i get a good preamp? If so which one?
Or better using that money for a better USB audio interface with a better internal preamp? If so which one?
Or should I focus on a better mic first of all? If so which one?

I know... the best would be to get good products for all of the three categories and someday i will. But at the moment which equipment would you consider among the three to START bringing things on the next level????

Thanx, any opinion will be appreciated.

Have a nice day.

SB

 

[singer202]

If it were me, I would start by upgrading my interface to one with some better pre's/converters. As to which one? Well, you'll have to do some research and figure out what best suits your needs/budget. I have had good luck with Focusrite products if you want a clean pre, descent converters and a modest price. I'm sure others will chime in with their own suggestions as well. After a better interface, I think the next step is a better mic. This is always the trickiest part because every mic reacts differently to every voice, and in most cases, one mic is never gonna work in all situations. Therefore, again, do some research and decide based on needs/budget. Some places to start when on a budget: AT, BLUE, RODE, SE, and though I might get shot for saying it, check out KARMA to. You'll probably find at this point you are getting closer to what you are looking for, and depending on how crazy you wanna get, you could start looking at mic pres and more higher end stuff down the road. The most important thing to remember is that there is no "silver bullet" answer to questions like this, but cheep gear "mostly" produces cheep results, so save up and buy wisely.

 

[sambrn]

Thanks singer202.... i agree with you...
I know Focusrite products.... they are very good especially in the preamp section. Also Presonus has interesting products. So maybe it's better getting one of them which has good signal to noise ratio and clean sound rather than investing on a cheap preamp.... So yeah "save up and buy wisely"!

 

[dainbramage]

Microphones will have a much bigger impact on your sound than preamps and the difference in converters are very subtle as far as I'm concerned. I agree you should save up, but also remember that the best ones for you are not necessarily the most expensive ones. As for preamps you could check out voice channels from Focusrite like this one which have some useful features. Good luck.

 

[dcontento]

I am using Rode NT1a modified by Michael Joly to sound more like a Nuemann U87. I love it for vocals, mics and voices don't always fit. The Warm Audio WA12 sounds great on vocals as well.

 

[sambrn]

thank you for the tips! i have to sort out my ideas according to my budget and goals. Then i will take a final decision.