Microphones

[Johnny N.]

Would a condenser mic generally be better than a dynamic mic for recording vocals? I use a Line 6 interface and have a cheap dynamic mic and wondered if a cheap condenser mic, specifically a MXL V63M.


I think all of my posts in the recording forum have the word cheap in them. :facepalm:

[Mark Wein]

a cheapie large diaphram condenser mic would be better for vocals and things like acoustic guitars. I don't know anything about that particular mic, though....I have the USB version of this in my office and we use the at2035 in the studio here http://www.amazon.com/Technica-AT2020-Address-Cardiod-Condensor/dp/B0006H92QK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1278217033&sr=1-1

its actually cheaper than I can get it to you for if you buy if from Amazon right now.

[Johnny N.]

That one looks pretty similar. I will definitely look at that.

Is a shock mount a must have or just nice to have?

[jaxn slim]

Wow. That looks like a pretty good deal.

I've never bothered with a shock mount for my condensers. Haven't noticed any problems.

EDIT - Whoah. This looks like a steal. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AQDSMQ/ref=pd_luc_sbs_02_01)

[Mark Wein]

most decent mics like that will come with one.....

[huskerdude]

Not necessarily. There are a lot of very nice dynamic mics out there, and depending on your voice and style, you might be better suited to one of them. For a lot of hard rock, metal, punk hardcore, and hip hop vocalists, the Shure SM7B is the immediate goto mic. Look on CL, Ebay, flea markets, pawn shops, etc for used SM7s, AT RE-20s, any of the old Audio-Technica RE series, in fact. Shop around before you buy a brand new imported Chinese condensor. They have a tendency to be very bright and sibilant, which can at first sound like great presence, but eventually you can find you're having trouble making your vocals sit well in a mix without a lot of EQ and such.

[Kerouac]

Not necessarily. There are a lot of very nice dynamic mics out there, and depending on your voice and style, you might be better suited to one of them. For a lot of hard rock, metal, punk hardcore, and hip hop vocalists, the Shure SM7B is the immediate goto mic. Look on CL, Ebay, flea markets, pawn shops, etc for used SM7s, AT RE-20s, any of the old Audio-Technica RE series, in fact. Shop around before you buy a brand new imported Chinese condensor. They have a tendency to be very bright and sibilant, which can at first sound like great presence, but eventually you can find you're having trouble making your vocals sit well in a mix without a lot of EQ and such.

Again, this.

I've recently found out that I like a regular ol' SM57 better on my vox than anything else, although I still want to give an SM7B a try. (Although a dumbass at Guitar Center told me there was no such thing. "You mean an SM57, man." :annoyed: )

Do you have any friends with some mics to try? Most of my friends have a decent mic cabinet plus we have an awesome rental place locally so I've tried a lot of things. You want something that gives you the closest to "your" vocal sound with the least amount of fucking with EQ, distortion, etc. If you use a shitty old harp mic you'll get one sound, if you use a pristine SM81 (probably not, but still :o) you'll get another. The right mic for the right job and the only way to figure it out is trial and error.

[Johnny N.]

Good information. Thanks.

Trial and error is tough. I really dont know anyone around here with any of this stuff. You guys are generally my source of information. :(

Wait, I meant :)

I know I dont like what I have now so I definitely want to do something different. I just dont feel like it has any detail at all and lacks something. I thought maybe a preamp would solve the problem and then saw a decent deal on the MXL condenser mic and a preamp package. Was thinking the condenser would help with the detail part anyway. I dont need to make professional recordings but I am finding it hard to do anything with the vocals I do for the recording deals we do here. I end up doubling them and adding too much reverb because it just doesnt seem to have anything to it. Consequently, it always comes out sounding over manipulated. I just want natural sounding vocals.

[Kerouac]

Good information. Thanks.

Trial and error is tough. I really dont know anyone around here with any of this stuff. You guys are generally my source of information. :(

Wait, I meant :)

I know I dont like what I have now so I definitely want to do something different. I just dont feel like it has any detail at all and lacks something. I thought maybe a preamp would solve the problem and then saw a decent deal on the MXL condenser mic and a preamp package. Was thinking the condenser would help with the detail part anyway. I dont need to make professional recordings but I am finding it hard to do anything with the vocals I do for the recording deals we do here. I end up doubling them and adding too much reverb because it just doesnt seem to have anything to it. Consequently, it always comes out sounding over manipulated. I just want natural sounding vocals.

A good rule of thumb is that you can run an SM57/58 through a $3000 preamp and it'll VERY different than running and SM57 through a $200 preamp. Step up into one of these and use what you've got for now... you might be surprised what it does:

http://www.mercenary.com/fmrrnmp.html

[Mark Wein]

Not necessarily. There are a lot of very nice dynamic mics out there, and depending on your voice and style, you might be better suited to one of them. For a lot of hard rock, metal, punk hardcore, and hip hop vocalists, the Shure SM7B is the immediate goto mic. Look on CL, Ebay, flea markets, pawn shops, etc for used SM7s, AT RE-20s, any of the old Audio-Technica RE series, in fact. Shop around before you buy a brand new imported Chinese condensor. They have a tendency to be very bright and sibilant, which can at first sound like great presence, but eventually you can find you're having trouble making your vocals sit well in a mix without a lot of EQ and such.


El Borrachito digs those SM7's for the metulz vocals. I was under the assumption that he just wanted something simple and inexpensive that was a decent math for his Line 6 preamp, though.

[Prages]

I've got a pair of AT2020s and I like them a lot for acoustic guitar. They are a little bright for vocals, but I've used them quite a bit for that too. At $100, I think it's a steal.

I don't recommend MXL stuff, just because I've got a stereo pair of MXL small diaphram condensors that sounded great for a couple of months, but then started humming and shorting out so bad that I can't even use them anymore.

[Mark Wein]

I've got a pair of AT2020s and I like them a lot for acoustic guitar. They are a little bright for vocals, but I've used them quite a bit for that too. At $100, I think it's a steal.

I don't recommend MXL stuff, just because I've got a stereo pair of MXL small diaphram condensors that sounded great for a couple of months, but then started humming and shorting out so bad that I can't even use them anymore.


I have an AT2020 USB that I just got for my webcam stuff...I should try recording something with it to hear what it actually sounds like. I have a pair of the AT2035 that I haven't really used yet as a pair, either...one was my original webcam mic and I bought a second to have a decent set of room mics for stereo class recordings...

[Prages]

I have an AT2020 USB that I just got for my webcam stuff...I should try recording something with it to hear what it actually sounds like. I have a pair of the AT2035 that I haven't really used yet as a pair, either...one was my original webcam mic and I bought a second to have a decent set of room mics for stereo class recordings...

I use my 2020s as overheads on drums and acoustic guitars, mostly. I've used them a bit for backing vocals, but my AKG C4000B has a richer sound, so I normally use it for the lead vocals. I've also got a CAD Trion 8000 tube condensor. It sounds really nice too, but I still prefer the AKG.

[Mark Wein]

I'm hoping to pick up a few nicer AT mics in the fall now that I am a dealer...El Borrachito ordered a ton of stuff from me and I'm waiting to hear what they sound like before I decide what I'm getting. By then I'll probably have the money for them, too.

[El Borrachito]

SM7 is a winner for any kind of screamer vocals. \M/
At one point I shot out an original SM7 with a SM7B and the original was a little better.
I did a whole record of vox with an AT4047 once, pretty good for a $500 mic.
Having a nice preamp makes a BIG difference. It will highlight the differences between mics, for better or worse.
Pretty much any mic you can think of has been used to cut a vocal on some record somewhere.

[Mark Wein]

SM7 is a winner for any kind of screamer vocals. \M/
At one point I shot out an original SM7 with a SM7B and the original was a little better.
I did a whole record of vox with an AT4047 once, pretty good for a $500 mic.
Having a nice preamp makes a BIG difference. It will highlight the differences between mics, for better or worse.
Pretty much any mic you can think of has been used to cut a vocal on some record somewhere.

Have you had a chance to try any of those mics I got you?

If I was to pick one for an all around "Good vocal/acoustic instrument" mic that is not horrifically expensive what would you suggest?

[El Borrachito]

Have you had a chance to try any of those mics I got you?

If I was to pick one for an all around "Good vocal/acoustic instrument" mic that is not horrifically expensive what would you suggest?

The 4047 is probably my favorite. It's the same capsule as the 4050/4040, but with a transformer-based more "vintagey" circuit.
The 4050 is perhaps a little more transparent, but I usually like what the 4047 electronics do to the sound. It's a little warmer and smoother. That being said, I've had excellent luck with it on some singers (Kurt's album is almost all 4047), but it definitely doesn't work on everyone. For instruments, especially acoustic bass and guitar, it's great. The 4041 has done very well on acoustic guitar as well.

We should do a big acoustic guitar mic shootout soon.

[sunvalleylaw]

Bumping this thread. I am interested in adding a condensor mic to mic my big Fender Concert and get more of the feel than I get when I use just my SM57, and also for acoustic. My acoustic does not have a pickup other than a Dean Markley soundhole thingy. For the Concert I was wanting a condensor to get a recording more like this with all that feel that the SM58 doesn't seem to capture:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xatlYBqp7cY
(This is not me, but my amp is the same with the next year's grill cloth.)

The one Mark recommended above looks like it would be fine. Mark or others, agree?

I have in addition my SM57 as I discussed, and a Peavey unidirectional SM58 knock off I can use for vocals. These will go via cable into a Toneport UX2. Thanks!

[Mark Wein]

Bumping this thread. I am interested in adding a condensor mic to mic my big Fender Concert and get more of the feel than I get when I use just my SM57, and also for acoustic. My acoustic does not have a pickup other than a Dean Markley soundhole thingy. For the Concert I was wanting a condensor to get a recording more like this with all that feel that the SM58 doesn't seem to capture:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xatlYBqp7cY
(This is not me, but my amp is the same with the next year's grill cloth.)

The one Mark recommended above looks like it would be fine. Mark or others, agree?

I have in addition my SM57 as I discussed, and a Peavey unidirectional SM58 knock off I can use for vocals. These will go via cable into a Toneport UX2. Thanks!

Lately I've been using two mica to record....e sennheiser e609 or a shire beta 57 up close on the speaker and a large diaphram condenser like at at2035 or a shire ksm27 at head height 5-8 feet in front of the amp for some room sound....that's the setup for both my recordingfest and the p90 video.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sunvalleylaw]

So the AT2020 is not a large diaprhagm, right? and that makes what sort of difference? You use the AT2020 at the office and the AT2035 at the studio?

[Mark Wein]

So the AT2020 is not a large diaprhagm, right? and that makes what sort of difference? You use the AT2020 at the office and the AT2035 at the studio?

Actually they are pretty much the same mic although I only have the USB version of the 2020 and a pair of the 2035s for overheads on the drumset or room mics for things like the webcasts. Both are large diaphragm mics. If I had more money i'd probably have a pair of the 4000 series mics though


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sunvalleylaw]

Oh, ok. The 2035 is about 30 more sheckles, so I wondered if it would be worth stepping it up. I am not going to pop for the 4000 series either, though if the 2035 is a bit better, 30 more might be ok as long as I was getting one. I would be getting the standard cabled version of whatever i get.

[Johnny N.]

Oh, ok. The 2035 is about 30 more sheckles, so I wondered if it would be worth stepping it up. I am not going to pop for the 4000 series either, though if the 2035 is a bit better, 30 more might be ok as long as I was getting one. I would be getting the standard cabled version of whatever i get.


I am looking to get a mic sometime soon and like the AT2020 and 35. If I remember correctly, the 35 is large diaphragm and the 2020 is medium. A have heard a lot of good things about the 2020 and it is a very popular mic. I have heard from some, including Prages that it is a little bright for vocals but should be fine on acoustic.

I am really liking the Studio Projects B1. Similar price and gets a lot of good reviews. I think I read some positive stuff at that tweakheads recording site too. Worth a look. It is considered an all around mic.

I dont have any experience with any of them so take that for what it is worth.

[Johnny N.]

Actually was also just looking at the CAD large condenser in that price range and it is very interesting as well. It has 3 patterns and comes with a shock mount for $117.

[Mark Wein]

Oh, ok. The 2035 is about 30 more sheckles, so I wondered if it would be worth stepping it up. I am not going to pop for the 4000 series either, though if the 2035 is a bit better, 30 more might be ok as long as I was getting one. I would be getting the standard cabled version of whatever i get.

Actually, the main difference is this:


Switchable 80 Hz high-pass filter and 10 dB pad

and there is a slight difference in signal to noise ratio.