What kind of Mic

[Wildtown]

Hi All,
I am wanting to record myself singing and Im not sure what kind of mic may be best? Can anyone tell me what kind of things have to be taken into consideration when choosing a mic for Vocals?

regards

 

[dintymoore]

Please keep in mind that this is just my dumb opinion:

Most people have heroes that they want to sound like. Most often those heroes were recorded with Neumann mics. I tried for years and years with all kinds of mics and when I finally got Neumanns it was easy. Neumanns have a very special sound that no other mic sounds like, sort of like Zildjian or Fender.

I know all sorts of people will jump on this, and say what about AKG and so and so uses a SM7 and of course, lots of things can work and TONS of great recordings have been made with other than Neumanns.

But this is just my rounded off simple logic, based on growing up on the Beatles and thinking of their vocal sound as the Holy Grail.

Paperback Writer still gives me the heebie jeebies.

Most people have a few mics, and the cheapest good one is the SM57, which can definetely get you there, so if you don't have anything buy a used one for $50, after that maybe check out the Neumann clones if your budget won't allow more.

Always keep in mind that it's really about the song and all this stuff is secondary.

 

[Richard Monroe]

The short form on vocal mics- It's a bitch, because no one can answer your question. Mics are like shoes- they either fit, or they don't. Cheap shoes that fit are better than expensive ones that don't. The shoes also have to be right for the job. Ballet toe shoes are not that good, if you are a lumberjack. No one can listen to clips and tell you what mic will work for you. All they can do is recommend mics that work for *somebody*. The mic your hero uses probably won't work for you, anymore than his shoes would fit you. And you can't look at him and tell what size shoes he wears.

So what can you do? First, never miss a chance to sing through a mic you have never used. Who knows? You might find the Holy Grail. Secondly, buy respected mics from respected companies that work for somebody. If they don't work for you, they'll be easier to resell. Besides, if they are good mics, they'll probably be good for recording *something* or *somebody*.

Beyond that, all I can do is recommend mics that work for me, or somebody else, and describe the general characteristics of mics. Mostly, I recommend starting with a good dynamic mic and a good entry-level condenser. Dynamic mics are often more forgiving of a bad room, and tend to pick up a little less background noise. The high quality ones are also a lot less expensive than top condenser mics, which can rise to the price of a good used car. This makes a good dynamic attractive to a beginner. Condensers often offer clarity and detail. If you have a bad room, or you're not that good a singer, condensers will tend to reveal that in living color. It also matters what you are plugging the mic into, because condensers need phantom power, and the top dynamics, with their weak output, need a preamp that produces a lot of gain without a lot of noise.

Given the way your question was asked, I'm guessing you're not likely to spend $1000 or more on a vocal mic right now, so we'll leave the top condensers out of it. Here's a short list of just a few of my favorites, trying to stay at $500 or less-

Cheap dynamics: Shure SM57 (lots of people love this mic. I hate it, but that's only because it's a shoe that doesn't fit *me*) Sennheiser e835 (the cheap shoe that fits *me*)
Better dynamics: Shure SM7b, Electrovoice RE20, Sennheiser MD421. It may be none of these shoes will fit, but they are all real good shoes. I'd start on that list right there.

Entry level condensers: Marshall Electronics MXL V67G, Studio Projects B-1, CAD M177. All of those are cheap shoes that work for somebody

More pricey- AKG C2000B (one of my personal favorites), RODE NTK, B.L.U.E. Baby Bottle, Shure KSM27, KSM32, Oktava MK319. All of these are shoes that fit *somebody*. The C2000B and NTK fit *me*.

There are *bizzillions* of other mics that work for somebody. Good luck finding *your* mic.-Richie

 

[Massive Master]

Going along those lines and narrowing it down a bit -- If there's one "near-perfect" vocal mic out there -- One that will handle a whisper to a scream, nearly indestructible under typical use, wonderfully wide frequency response, yet still flattering to the human voice, it's the SM7b. One of the greatest vocal mics ever designed, at any price (and that price is an almost unimaginable $350-ish on the street). Freakishly flexible for most vocal applications.

 

[Mr. ROUSH]

The short form on vocal mics- It's a bitch, because no one can answer your question. Mics are like shoes- they either fit, or they don't. Cheap shoes that fit are better than expensive ones that don't. The shoes also have to be right for the job. Ballet toe shoes are not that good, if you are a lumberjack. No one can listen to clips and tell you what mic will work for you. All they can do is recommend mics that work for *somebody*. The mic your hero uses probably won't work for you, anymore than his shoes would fit you. And you can't look at him and tell what size shoes he wears.

So what can you do? First, never miss a chance to sing through a mic you have never used. Who knows? You might find the Holy Grail. Secondly, buy respected mics from respected companies that work for somebody. If they don't work for you, they'll be easier to resell. Besides, if they are good mics, they'll probably be good for recording *something* or *somebody*.

Beyond that, all I can do is recommend mics that work for me, or somebody else, and describe the general characteristics of mics. Mostly, I recommend starting with a good dynamic mic and a good entry-level condenser. Dynamic mics are often more forgiving of a bad room, and tend to pick up a little less background noise. The high quality ones are also a lot less expensive than top condenser mics, which can rise to the price of a good used car. This makes a good dynamic attractive to a beginner. Condensers often offer clarity and detail. If you have a bad room, or you're not that good a singer, condensers will tend to reveal that in living color. It also matters what you are plugging the mic into, because condensers need phantom power, and the top dynamics, with their weak output, need a preamp that produces a lot of gain without a lot of noise.

Given the way your question was asked, I'm guessing you're not likely to spend $1000 or more on a vocal mic right now, so we'll leave the top condensers out of it. Here's a short list of just a few of my favorites, trying to stay at $500 or less-

Cheap dynamics: Shure SM57 (lots of people love this mic. I hate it, but that's only because it's a shoe that doesn't fit *me*) Sennheiser e835 (the cheap shoe that fits *me*)
Better dynamics: Shure SM7b, Electrovoice RE20, Sennheiser MD421. It may be none of these shoes will fit, but they are all real good shoes. I'd start on that list right there.

Entry level condensers: Marshall Electronics MXL V67G, Studio Projects B-1, CAD M177. All of those are cheap shoes that work for somebody

More pricey- AKG C2000B (one of my personal favorites), RODE NTK, B.L.U.E. Baby Bottle, Shure KSM27, KSM32, Oktava MK319. All of these are shoes that fit *somebody*. The C2000B and NTK fit *me*.

There are *bizzillions* of other mics that work for somebody. Good luck finding *your* mic.-Richie

You have the best analogies!! Wasn't it you who compared mics to women?

 

[Richard Monroe]

Yes Mr. Roush! I did do that. The shoes analogy is my favorite, because buying or upgrading a vocal mic is so hard, based on recommendations. All you can do is recommend the mics that work for you, or somebody else, and it could just be the wrong mic for them, no matter how good it is, or how much it costs. It is critically important to impress on Noobs that there aren't just good mics and bad mics. There are right mics and wrong mics.-Richie

 

[Mr. ROUSH]

Yes Mr. Roush! I did do that. The shoes analogy is my favorite, because buying or upgrading a vocal mic is so hard, based on recommendations. All you can do is recommend the mics that work for you, or somebody else, and it could just be the wrong mic for them, no matter how good it is, or how much it costs. It is critically important to impress on Noobs that there aren't just good mics and bad mics. There are right mics and wrong mics.-Richie

Excellent advice from someone who knows!

 

[darrin_h2000]

Going along those lines and narrowing it down a bit -- If there's one "near-perfect" vocal mic out there -- One that will handle a whisper to a scream, nearly indestructible under typical use, wonderfully wide frequency response, yet still flattering to the human voice, it's the SM7b. One of the greatest vocal mics ever designed, at any price (and that price is an almost unimaginable $350-ish on the street). Freakishly flexible for most vocal applications.

I can allways get one for $280...new...but I know something about shopping alot of us should know...the price tag is just a starting point.

 

[darrin_h2000]

Please keep in mind that this is just my dumb opinion:

Most people have heroes that they want to sound like. Most often those heroes were recorded with Neumann mics. I tried for years and years with all kinds of mics and when I finally got Neumanns it was easy. Neumanns have a very special sound that no other mic sounds like, sort of like Zildjian or Fender.
.

All my heros used Shure...but the neumanns sound great on the ladies...lol.

 

[Wildtown]

The short form on vocal mics- It's a bitch, because no one can answer your question. Mics are like shoes- they either fit, or they don't. Cheap shoes that fit are better than expensive ones that don't. The shoes also have to be right for the job. Ballet toe shoes are not that good, if you are a lumberjack. No one can listen to clips and tell you what mic will work for you. All they can do is recommend mics that work for *somebody*. The mic your hero uses probably won't work for you, anymore than his shoes would fit you. And you can't look at him and tell what size shoes he wears.

So what can you do? First, never miss a chance to sing through a mic you have never used. Who knows? You might find the Holy Grail. Secondly, buy respected mics from respected companies that work for somebody. If they don't work for you, they'll be easier to resell. Besides, if they are good mics, they'll probably be good for recording *something* or *somebody*.

Beyond that, all I can do is recommend mics that work for me, or somebody else, and describe the general characteristics of mics. Mostly, I recommend starting with a good dynamic mic and a good entry-level condenser. Dynamic mics are often more forgiving of a bad room, and tend to pick up a little less background noise. The high quality ones are also a lot less expensive than top condenser mics, which can rise to the price of a good used car. This makes a good dynamic attractive to a beginner. Condensers often offer clarity and detail. If you have a bad room, or you're not that good a singer, condensers will tend to reveal that in living color. It also matters what you are plugging the mic into, because condensers need phantom power, and the top dynamics, with their weak output, need a preamp that produces a lot of gain without a lot of noise.

Given the way your question was asked, I'm guessing you're not likely to spend $1000 or more on a vocal mic right now, so we'll leave the top condensers out of it. Here's a short list of just a few of my favorites, trying to stay at $500 or less-

Cheap dynamics: Shure SM57 (lots of people love this mic. I hate it, but that's only because it's a shoe that doesn't fit *me*) Sennheiser e835 (the cheap shoe that fits *me*)
Better dynamics: Shure SM7b, Electrovoice RE20, Sennheiser MD421. It may be none of these shoes will fit, but they are all real good shoes. I'd start on that list right there.

Entry level condensers: Marshall Electronics MXL V67G, Studio Projects B-1, CAD M177. All of those are cheap shoes that work for somebody

More pricey- AKG C2000B (one of my personal favorites), RODE NTK, B.L.U.E. Baby Bottle, Shure KSM27, KSM32, Oktava MK319. All of these are shoes that fit *somebody*. The C2000B and NTK fit *me*.

There are *bizzillions* of other mics that work for somebody. Good luck finding *your* mic.-Richie

Thank you very much for your most excellent advice