What mic would you pick...

[bigwillz24]

I was sitting in on a coversation with some guys at school and we where discussing mic selection for vocals. The short answer was a large diaphram condenser but that was just the start of it.

Male or female? One of us asked...

Bass, tenor, baritone, alto, or soprano? Asked another...

What genre of music said another...

Lets just say making the choice for which mic to use just got a little more complex.

So I present this question to you guys/gals.

What mic(s) would you choose for vocals for each of the situations; and if you have the time, why?

 

[chessrock]

The one that makes for the best match with the person's voice.

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[bigwillz24]

And just would be best match would be is the question I'm asking.

 

[chessrock]

I'll answer you that question if you can tell me ... What's pair of shoes would be the best match for the shirt and pants I'm wearing right now?

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[chessrock]

Come on, you piece 'o shit. Answer the question. What pair of shoes ... with the shirt I'm wearing. Taking in to account my skin tone, eye color, build, etc.

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[bigwillz24]

Black shoes... they go with anything.

So the answer is depending on what your wearing.

Black loafers for the Classic look

Black sneakers for the Sports look

Black flip-flops for the I don't give a damn look

There you have it.

 

[bigwillz24]

Please direct any more questions you have about fashion to these guys...

 

[bigwillz24]

Where are ya chess?

Looking for a pair of black shoes?

 

[mshilarious]

If the budget is available, I would like to have four LDCs, a good dynamic, and a ribbon. The four LDCs would be bright, neutral (which for vocal mics still means a little presence boost, flat, and rolled off. One of them could be a tube, probably #1 or #2, and it's nice if one has switchable patterns.

For me, that's my AT3060 (not super bright, but the tubey sound it yields gives that impression), KSM44, ________, and Blue Baby Bottle. My dynamic is an M88 and I have a Shure 315 ribbon. To fill in the blank, I'm looking at getting a KSM32 or more likely an AT4047.

Now to match singers that's tough, but I think at least I could describe what my first guess would be, within my own experience.

Female, strong vocal: heh, the mic I don't have
Female, weak vocal: AT3060 or KSM44
Female, shrill vocal: trade my headphones for earplugs
Female, breathy vocal: Baby Bottle
Female, nasal vocal: kick her out of the studio
Cute female, nasal vocal: OK now we are into the hypothetical situation. Give her the Baby Bottle because she will think it's cute

Male, strong vocal: KSM44
Male, screamo: M88
Male, weak vocal: AT3060
Male, thin vocal: could be the 315
Male, breathy vocal: kick him out of the studio
Cute male, breathy vocal: run from the studio as fast as I can

 

[chessrock]

So the answer is depending on what your wearing.

Okay, then. I'm wearing a beige / brown suit with a brown tie. How are those black shoes going to look on me?

Alright, smart guy. One last question for ya: What size?

My feet are picky, and they usually fall somewhere between 10 1/2 and 11. Sometimes 10 1/2 is too small, and sometimes 11 is a little too big.

So come on, smart guy. Tell me ... what size? If you can answer that question for me, then I'll give you one hell of a good list of mics to cover just about any kind of voice. Just tell me what size.

Thanks, and I'll be waiting for your reply.

.

 

[PhilGood]

My feet are picky, and they usually fall somewhere between 10 1/2 and 11. Sometimes 10 1/2 is too small, and sometimes 11 is a little too big.

Didn't realize clown shoes came in sizes that small...

 

[Richard Monroe]

In spite of the sarcasm, I'm sorry. It's true. *No one* can predict what mic will sound good on any given singer. Even if you have clips, you know the room, the song, the key, the gender and range of the singer. The list of mics that *might* work for any given song through any given preamp, PA, FX unit, or whatever, is *not* predictable. The asked question has no answer. At best, you can define a bunch of mics of different types that worked for *somebody*, and over time a good singer who does a lot of recording will begin to identify mics that work for them.
I regret that I have only had an opportunity to sing through a tiny percentage of the vocal mics that might work for me. The list of mics that *might* work for me, or Pavarotti, or Linda Ronstadt, or Jewel, or Carrie Underwood, or Freddie Mercury, or Sting, is the same. So how do we select mics for singers? I explain to the singer that mics are like shoes. They either fit, or they don't, and I try to start with a mic shootout. Fortunately, I guess, I only have a modest collection of mics, so I don't get to try every Neumann and Brauner that's ever been made.
In a mic shootout, I will put up the mics I have that have been satisfactory on the largest number of singers. My best bets for any given singer, of the mics I actually own, are- Shure- SM57, SM7B. AKG- C414B-ULS,D770, D3800m, C2000B. B.L.U.E.- Kiwi, Baby Bottle. Oktava- MK319, ML-52. Rode- NTK. If none of those work, I'm pretty well fucked. Sure, I'd love to be able to put up a U-47 or an RCA ribbon mic, EV RE-20, Brauner Voice Valvet, B.L.U.E. Bottle/Cactus, Lawson L47 MKII, Soundelux U99, or a bizzillion other mics I could name, but I don't own them. There is simply no way to predict what mic will sound good on any given singer in any given situation. All you can do is try your best broadcast mic, hand held dynamic, FET contenser, Tube Condenser, Ribbon, and listen.
It takes a long time to nail down the mics that work best for you. I need a little midrange boost. I suck through an SM57/58 in all cases, but will sound OK through almost any good AKG dynamic. My stage mic is an SM7 (midrange boost engaged). It may look weird, but it works for me. In the studio, I use the Kiwi and NTK, mostly, and C2000B if I'm singing backing vocals. I use AKG D770 for voiceovers. That's just me. Will an SM57 suck on all male tenors with a high thin voice? Hell no. It works for Neil Young. It works for Jonathon Edwards. It doesn't work for me. That's one of the reasons I hate open mics, because they are almost always an SM58, which is guaranteed to make me sound like shit. So I bring my own mic, and try to make friends with the FOH guy.-Richie

 

[bigwillz24]

Okay, then. I'm wearing a beige / brown suit with a brown tie. How are those black shoes going to look on me?

Alright, smart guy. One last question for ya: What size?

My feet are picky, and they usually fall somewhere between 10 1/2 and 11. Sometimes 10 1/2 is too small, and sometimes 11 is a little too big.

So come on, smart guy. Tell me ... what size? If you can answer that question for me, then I'll give you one hell of a good list of mics to cover just about any kind of voice. Just tell me what size.

Thanks, and I'll be waiting for your reply.

.

If you're wearing a beige/brown suit with a brown tie you just look like a big pile of dung and I would suggest changing clothes!

Back to the shoes me being such a smart guy and all.

Look for European numbers I think you can get the equilvalent of 10 3/4 !

 

[Richard Monroe]

Wow, that suit Chessrock is wearing- I think he's turned into Huey Lewis!-Richie

 

[chessrock]

Wow, that suit Chessrock is wearing- I think he's turned into Huey Lewis!-Richie

Or Ronald Reagen?

.

 

[chessrock]

If you're wearing a beige/brown suit with a brown tie you just look like a big pile of dung and I would suggest changing clothes!

Say what you want about my fashion sense, but at least I know how to audition a microphone .

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