which mic should i buy?? ahhhh the pain ..

[replicah]

ok.. so i am thinking about buying a Rode NTK (680$AUD)..

but now im thinking..

is it going to be THAT much better if i save a bit more.. say 1000-1500AUD$ and buy another mic?

a majority of my recording is hip hop/rap. i want something a little warmer sounding than my shite NT1-a.

if i spend that little extra, what should i buy?? or would i be happy with the NTK.

all advice is much appreciated!

 

[Henri Devill]

AT 4060




Don

 

[Warhead]

The CAD VSM is a natural clean tube mic that is well suited to vocals.

Hope this helps

War

Warren Dent
www.frontendaudio.com

 

[chessparov]

Watch (listen) for any sibilance with the NTK.

You really need to try different condensers out, especially if it's just for your vocals only.

For example, I love how the Studio Projects T3 sounds for me.
Heard some other singers try it out and it also impressive IMHO.
Not enough experience, however, to make any catagorical
comments though. Never tried the AT or ADK line of tube mic's,
for example.

Without hearing YOUR voice and without personally trying some out for yourself, some of the "safest" choices would be the EV RE20, EV RE15 or RE16, RCA 77DX, and (probably) the AEA R84 IMHO.

But...

A Shure SM57 into a high level pre and "pounded" into submission (EQed) will provide excellent high quality sound for me too. An Electro-Voice 635a is another cheapie that can sound
terrific on some voices too.

So ya never know till you try.

Chris

 

[dan_studio_man]

for rock..woudl any of you guys say that baby b.l.u.e mic is any good?

 

[chessrock]

I would.

 

[replicah]

thanks everyone for your help!!. but need more info.

its for recording lots of different people.

can you give me average prices and who makes the mics?

thanks again!

 

[ausrock]

Rep,

Considering you are here in Australia, most of the opinions and prices you get on this forum are going to reflect what is available and the associated prices relative to the US.

You already have an NT1-a which you are apparently not impressed with, on your voice at least, and there is no guarantee which of the numerous other mics out there is going to be totally suitable for your purposes.............UNLESS you yourself audition them. It doesn't matter what mic or how expensive it is, there is no mic that is suitable for every voice or sound source you throw at it.

I'll come back to you with some more info later.

 

[ausrock]

Use google and do a search of "Australia Only" sites for ..........

AKG
Shure
Studio Projects
MXL
ADK
CAD

This should at least give you an idea of who is either distributing or retailing these mics and possible prices.

 

[replicah]

ok sounds like a plan..
thanks!

any thoughts on the AT3060?

 

[ausrock]

Personally, no, but put AT3060 into the search function here and see what comes up.

BTW, have you read the thread "Microphone FAQ", it is stuck near the top of the mic forum index.

 

[Dot]

replicah, you're saying you want to "warm up" your sound. I don't think you want to do that at all. I think you want it to sound "right". What's probably making your recordings sound like ass are bad room acoustics, cheap mic pres and bad A/D converters.

Putting a tube in the path may be a little like putting on a bandage, but it's not really going to solve your problem.

What's the rest of your signal path?

Dan Richards
Studio Forums
The Listening Sessions
The Project Studio Handbook

 

[replicah]

i have come to a happy conclusion

am buying a Rode K2 and am Sennheiser845, an RNP and an RNC. .

then i get a MPX550 and a TC M300 to finish it off..

then looking at a Protools rack LE setup and lose this ghey C-Port..

what ya think??

 

[Rev E]

Dot makes a great point about what the rest of your signal chain and acoustic treatment look like. I'd also add that you should used good cables (Mogami, Canare, Belden, etc... Monster is good, but a bit overpriced... I understand Planet Waves cable is good cable, but I have no personal experience). There's no sense buying all of that good stuff and piping it through bad cables.

 

[chessrock]

Or it could just be that NT-1 mic he's using. I'm sorry, but I've been hearing that the new version isn't much better than the old one.

 

[replicah]

i dont have very good gear currently, but a lot is digital which avoids several problems with cheap gear.

but lets not get caught up in what i HAVE.. its what i am BUYING that i am interested in..

 

[Rev E]

...but lets not get caught up in what i HAVE.. its what i am BUYING that i am interested in..

We have to find about what you have, because what you're buying is a direct result of what you have and your perceptions of what you say you need . They are very much interrelated. I agree with Dot, I think more than warming stuff up, you really want it to sound right. Good audio is good audio, whether it's clean or "warm." Let's find out what you have that's making you want something more.

 

[replicah]

mmmmmmmkay

i am running a Rode NT1-a into a Behringer Ultra Voice Pro digital into a Yamaha 03d into a C-Port ADC&DAC2000 into Cubase SX.

For live recording anyway.

My room acoustics need a lot of work, and that is the next step.

I have gone for budget gear so far, and would like to upgrade it all now that i feel i have a decent amount of recording experience.

 

[chessparov]

Replicah, did you try out the Rode and Sennheiser before buying them? If you didn't, does the dealer have a liberal return policy
in case either/both doesn't work well for YOU?

For example, neodymium based capsules tend not to sound the best on me (too sizzly) on otherwise excellent vocal microphones.
YMMV

Chris

 

[replicah]

Today i ended up buying an ADK A-51tc.

Spent a lot of time comparing mics with myself and a vocalist. And it was one of the best sounding in the <2000$ category for us.

The K2 was too warm, and i needed the warmth with the presence, which i found in the ADK.

After a recording test with no compression or eq, it sounds fantastic.

I cant wait to get my RNP + RNC to replace my behringer onboard 03d processing..