Which will have a greater effect on a recording?

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GassyEmu

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Right now my current setup is a Shure KSM27 condenser mic plugged straight into a Presonus FP10 Firewire interface into my macbook pro i7. I want to take my vocals up to the next level. which will have a bigger difference: an external compresser or a mic upgrade? Here is a preview of one of my latest mixes: YouTube - earthquake test.m4v

opinions?
 
I want to take my vocals up to the next level.

Sing better. :laughings:

Sorry...I couldn't resist that...I'm only kidding. :)

Since you're not really a "singer"...I'm not sure what you are really after when you say "take them up a level"...?
I would think with Rap...it's a lot to do with your delivery style rather than equipment or traditional vocal training/practice.

That said, I think a nice, standalone preamp would be a better consideration than a compressor. AFA the mic...there may some other choices that will help your voice...I think you could use a bit of chunkiness...but the KSM27 is not a "bad" mic by any stretch.
 
oh sorry shouldve said that this isnt me. I'm just the dude with the recording equipment haha. when I say take them up a level- the only way I can describe what Im hearing is the presence of the voice. this is sorta the vocal sound im going for: YouTube - Chris Webby (Feat. Mic Galper) - Cuz I'm Drunk
the vocals here sound more full and in line with the beat.
do I need to make it stereo? Logic has a bunch imaging and phasing options to go mono to stereo
 
No...stereo vocals is NOT what you really want to do.

Try some EQ adjustments...it shouldn't be too hard to add a touch of fullness....play around in the 150Hz - 350Hz range.
It doesn't take a lot...

Here, one of the forum memebrs (Glen Stephan) has this great interactive frequency chart that could be of some help to you: Interactive Frequency Chart - Independent Recording Network
 
That said, I think a nice, standalone preamp would be a better consideration than a compressor. AFA the mic...there may some other choices that will help your voice...I think you could use a bit of chunkiness...but the KSM27 is not a "bad" mic by any stretch.

Ditto:cool:
 
that chart is helpful! I definitely had too much 2k-10k boost going on and the 150-350 helped.

if i did get another pre amp wouldnt I have to send it through the pre amp in the presonus fp10 in order to get it on my daw?
 
...wouldnt I have to send it through the pre amp in the presonus fp10 in order to get it on my daw?

The FP10 has combination preamp and line level inputs...XLR and 1/4" TRS...so you would take the line outputs of your standalone preamp and plug them into the FP10 using 1/4" TRS plugs which are the FP10's Line inputs.

Look...if you are going to get a standalone preamp...you will have to drop a few $$ (more than what you spent on the FP10) for it to be a significant step up. If you just get a $100 preamp...you might as well just use the preamps in the FP10.

It's a question of what kind of budget you have...and how far are you willing to go to improve things.
 
thanks much! ive only got about $200 so I guess I'll just wait till I can afford something better. (im a freshman in college and my source of income is donating blood plasma for $50 a week)
 
I got a scholarship so college is paid for. And the population of the town i'm in is 10,000 so jobs are EXTREMELY hard to find
 
I got a scholarship so college is paid for.

Nice!! Haha I'm jealous :D

$50/week????? Looks like I'll be visiting the local plasma center................


bye bye plasma, hello new microphone


:D

Yep, usually $50ish a week! Depends on the state, I think! If you go twice a week, the first time is $20 and the second time they do $30, so it adds up to some nice jingle! Usually the first time you donate they'll do something like $40! Haha it helped me buy my audio interface.
 
Without a doubt, singing better is the quickest and cheapest upgrade, but if you record other people's voices, you should first buy more mics. You need at minimum a small and a large diaphragm dynamic mic and one of each in condenser flavor; after that, upgrade your preamp or perhaps add a high-quality channel strip with compression and EQ. (bonus points if it has both opto and VCA compression) If you record acoustic instruments and have a room that's up to the task, a matched pair of small diaphragm condensers is next. Then, you'll want to investigate ribbon mics and exotic 'character' preamps. The order I'd buy 'em in? SDD: Shure SM-57, LDD: Shure SM7B, SDC/pair: Rode NT5, LDC: Guage ECM-87, first ribbon: Cascade Fathead II. I can sympathize; I got big plasma scars in the crook of each elbow from back before they had the machines. They used a big-bore needle and plastic pouches that only held a pint. I don't sell my swimmers, personally, but hereabouts, it goes for $65 a squirt and up; there's a premium on grad student sperm, (I live in a college town) and certain genetic profiles can get upwards of $100 a pop, or so I'm told.
 
hahahahahahaha!!!!! I love how this thread has gone from "conpressor vs. new microphone" to "price of sperm donation"
 
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