Vocal recording mic help!

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anthonywmorgan

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Hi all, brand new member here.

I live in Brisbane, Australia and I'm currently finishing up a record in my indie band. Basically I'm using Pro Tools LE (old school I know)... We outsourced the drums to a pro studio and I just imported the wav files, then recorded bass, guitars, and keys on my computer at home.

I'm now up to doing the vocals and all I own is a Shure SM58 and an SM57.

Brisbane is a fairly small city in the scheme of things, and I'm looking to hire a vocal mic for a few days in which to do the vocal recording through. Unfortunately, hire options are very limited here and I was wondering if any of you lovely posters could give me advice as to which mic to hire? I'm not SUPER picky as to the sound, but I figured I should get something nicer than an SM58 and make a good go of it. The mic will be used for soft breathy vocals up to some rough high yelling style stuff...

The nominees are:

SHURE KSM32 CARDIOID CONDENSER MIC $ 38.50
SHURE UHF U87BETA (RADIO) $ 90.00
ATM 63 VOCAL/INST MIC $ 11.00
AKG SE300B / CK91 CONDENSER MIC $ 19.80
AUDIO TECHNICA 3031 CONDENSER MIC $ 18.15
BEYER CK704 CONDENSER MIC $ 24.20
SHURE SM81 CONDENSER MIC $ 30.80
ATM 853 CHOIR/PLAY MIC $ 18.15
SHURE BETA 91 SURFACE MOUNT MIC $ 27.50
1 x Neumann U67 (tube) $ 90.00
1 x Neumann U87 $ 70.00
2 x Neumann KM84 $ 30.00 each
1 x Neumann KM184 $ 25.00
1 x AKG C24 stereo tube, (vintage stereo C12) $POA (See* below)
3 x AKG 414 B ULS $ 40.00 each
2 x AKG 414 B TLII $ 40.00 each
1 x AKG Solid tube $ 30.00
2 x AKG C451B (factory matched pair) $ 25.00 each
1 x AKG C451E with CK1 Capsule $ 25.00
1 x Rode NTV tube $ 40.00
2 x Rode NT3 $ 15.00 each
1 x EV RE20 $ 30.00
2 x Beyer M201Nc $ 25.00 each

I've left the prices in in case someone sees something that appears a bargain? Appreciate your time very much, great forum!

Anthony
 
What kind of room are you recording in and what kind of recording chain are you using? BTW, many of the mics on the list are not really vocal mics, so that whittles it down considerably.
 
I'm pretty much a fully fledged noob I'm sorry... I'm going to be recording in a rehearsal space, practically a bedroom. I'm not sure what the recording chain means, but I was just going to plug the mic into the digi001 breakout box and use those preamps
 
My personal primary choices would be between the Shure KSM32 and the Neumann U87. Mostly because they are workhorses that sound good on almost anything you point them at. Neither are spectacular, but far above everything else listed, save the U67.

Maybe if you listed the vocal type it would also help narrow things down.
 
Thanks Phil, that's pretty much all I needed to hear.. it's a male voice, 24 yr old, soft and gentle in the bottom register then aggressive up high for dynamics...

I've been playing live for years and made a few records with engineers and demo'd a bunch myself at home, so I know the basic stuff with placement, pop filtering etc, but just don't read up on gear etc. Heck, live you only need the SM =) I was curious which mic would be the best of the bad bunch (assumed they were all pretty average end stuff), which is no problem because it's a debut full length in a small scene over here. I'm thinking I'll go with the Shure KSM32 seeing as I can get it for 2 days for the price of the Neumann for 1 day? Money is pretty tight

PS we're getting pros to mix and master, I just want to get a fairly good organic sound at this stage, save money tracking ourselves.
 
The RE-20 would be worth considering as well, especially since it sounds like the recording space may not be treated. As a dynamic mic, it will be more forgiving of a sub-optimal room then a condenser. My only concern would be whether the 001 pres will have sufficient gain for quiet vocals. Anyone know how much gain those pres have? While not as bad as a SM7, the RE-20 does require more gain than the KSM32 or U87.
 
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