Voice + Mic... A matchmaking session for a noob

[Bri]

So, like many newbies posting in this forum, I'm looking for guidance/advice on selecting and purchasing my first home setup. (My first "real" one at least... I've been using a Blue Snowball + GarageBand for the past 2 years and I'm ready to move up and on.)

From what I understand via numerous hours of internet research, selecting a mic is extremely subjective. It all depends on what you're using it for, and what will sound good with that instrument. Here's my situation: while I will need to record piano & acoustic with my mic, I am primarily concerned with how the mic works with my voice (the most subjective of all instruments, great). I've always liked how I sound with a stage mic (I'm used to Shure SM58s) versus a sensitive in-studio mic. Nevertheless, I've been looking at large condensers; mostly, I'm afraid of getting one that's too sensitive, like the Blue I have now. I have a distinct sound, but it's very versatile--this is what's problematic--I need to be able to move from soft/intimate/smoky to a soulful, big sound without peaking or popping or "ess"ing like crazy. Florence Welch is a good example of my kind of voice. I've seen videos of her recording with the Neumann U87 and U47... unfortunately I do not have thousands of dollars to drop on a mic. I do have around $300, though obviously, the less expensive the better. Ultimately I want the result to sound warm and lush and... sparkly. I don't speak audiophile, but I'm hoping that means "clear but not too bright."

Basically I'm asking if anyone has had experience with a mic which, based on my decription, may suit me well. I wish I could try on every mic out there, but the reality is my decision will probably be primarily based on others' reviews.

As far as other equipment goes... I'm looking at/dreaming of the Apogee Duet. Have no idea if I'll need a preamp or what to get if I do. I obviously still have much to learn about production, but this is what I love doing.

The two mics I've been looking at are the MXL V67G (touted as a great vocal mic) and the Sterling ST77 (via Jayme Dee, a YouTube artist whose sound I love). I've even been looking at a few dynamic mics, but I'm not sure about that... (Shure SM7B?). Any suggestions are helpful.

For reference on my vocal tone, this is me covering "I Can't Make You Love Me."
View attachment 72293 (I guess you have to click "Save Link As...").
The sound here is from a stage mic in the back of a theatre, where I was on stage and amped.

 

[Bobbsy]

The trouble is, as you've already identified, the choice of a mic is highly subjective. For me, the SM7B goes way beyond "warm" and into "artificially bassy, woolly and lacking in detail". Others on this forum love them. To each their own.

One mic I'd suggest you consider is the sE2200A (now into a Mark II version). It's become my go-to mic for a lot of vocals, especially female ones. My wife has the ultimate "smokey" voice (must be the smoking!) and it works well on her. Sonically, the 2200A is quite similar to a U87 but for a lot less money. FYI, there's now a multipattern version or the 2200A IIC which is less money and cardioid only.

 

[Justsomeguy]

*grr, stupid mac, Y U NO DOWNLOAD LINK!*

like Bobbsy, i'm a big fan of the sE2200a (i have two of the original silver ones) and they've served me very well over the past 10 years. on more "sultry" female vocals i really like the Rode NTK and the sEZ3300a (it's now the same price as the 2200a in some uk stores). the NTK with a new valve, which cost me about £12 and is super mega simple to replace, gives a very smooth, very full sound. the Z3300a gives a very balanced sound with just enough brightness to sit in a mix without sounding harsh.

the last couple of sessions i've done with a "smoky" sounding female folk singer/songwriter we had a lot of trouble at first finding a mic that suited her voice. we did the first session with the NTK that sounded the best (although still not perfect to my ears), but in the week between the the first and the next session i picked up an Avantone CK7 as i'd found it was the best on my voice, and because it was still new and shiny (and red!) i thought i'd just see how it sounded on her. she instantly fell in love with it, so much so we redid the vocals from the previous session. to my ears, it sounds like a more "classy" sE2200a

also, the 2200a, Z3300a, NTK, and CK7 have all done me very well on acoustic guitars, although i would suggest maybe looking at an SDC or two just for the acoustic guitar and piano. in the lower price bands the Oktava MK012, sE1a's and MXL 603 all work very well

 

[bluesunlegends]

I got the ShureSM27(retails at around $300) for my vocals and it sounds great! Clear sound and it does a good job on not picking up background noise or white noise.