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Looking for good vocal mic


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I have a budget of a about 300-500 dollars for a good vocal mic. And if it's possible, one that suits a deeper male vocal recording. This is the first mic I will be purchasing or even researching since buying my SM-58 long ago.

 

Any advice would be great.

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OktavaMod 319 DPE or Oktavamod MKL-2500 without a doubt.

 

 

BIG vintage sound. Super clear. Awesome mics. Te best way to get these is by buying one of these mics stock from ebay and then sending them to Michael Joly at oktavamod.com for modification. DPE Mod for the 319 is $250 and worth every penny. That mic should be about $100 on ebay stock.

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Obviously depends on the voice, but a Rode NTK is a good choice. I've heard good things about the OktavaMod that I was The Funk mentions above. There's some other good choices too...

 

 

Rode NTK == "SSSSSSSSSS"

 

Far too overly sibilant for my tastes - I had one for about a year, and finally sold it. Personally, I'm happy with my sm7b and Studio Projects B3.

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Rode NTK == "SSSSSSSSSS"


Far too overly sibilant for my tastes - I had one for about a year, and finally sold it. Personally, I'm happy with my sm7b and Studio Projects B3.

 

My first thought when I heard an NTK for the first time was that it almost sounded like someone had patched an exciter into the signal path. I didn't think it was a bad sound, but there was definitely something a bit hyped on the top, yet different than some of the brasher / harder sounding Chinese condenser mikes. A few things really help with the NTK: Get the mic away from dead on in front of the vocalist's mouth - have them sing slightly above or below it. Second, a good metal pop filter is a must with this mic. Finally, a tube swap can make a big difference. When I swapped the stock tube for a JAN / Phillips, it made a noticeable improvement to the top end.

 

The NTK is a nice mic IMO. It's not right for every singer, and to be honest, I have microphones that I generally like better in that application. But for the "right" singer, it can be a good choice. In my experience, it tends to work better for more "fully voiced" male singers as opposed to thin, reedy, high voiced singers. FWIW, it's pretty killer on upright bass... :)

 

Ken, I think the Audio-Technica 4047 and 4050 would bust the budget - they're usually in the $550 - $600 range new. Of course, there's always Ebay... or the 4040, which would come in at the low side of the stated budget. The 4033 would be within the budget figure, but it's a bit too bright for my tastes on vocals.

 

Ideally, you'd want to try as many of the microphones that are within your budget as possible, and decide which one works best with your voice based on what you hear. :idea::)

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Ideally, you'd want to try as many of the microphones that are within your budget as possible, and decide which one works best with your voice based on what you hear.
:idea::)

 

That's the hard part.... getting a hold of them to try w/o having to buy and resell a half dozen of them :)

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Another possibility would be the Avant CV-12.

 

NEW%20OLD%20PIX%20010.jpg

 

http://www.avantelectronics.com/CV-12.htm

 

I just had a CV-12, a CV-28 and a CR-14 dropped off at the studio this afternoon to check out. I have not had a chance to give them a try yet, so I can't make any comments until I do, but the CV-12 is in your price bracket, and it looks like a well built microphone, and it comes with a ton of accessories included - for $499. But like I said, I don't have any idea of how it sounds yet - and that's the most important thing. And how it's going to sound with YOUR voice is what you need to be concerned with. :)

 

Also, some of the sE Electronics microphones in that price range, such as the Z3300a, are worth checking out too. And then there's the new Rupert Neve signature microphones they're reportedly working on - that sounds interesting. :)

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That's the hard part.... getting a hold of them to try w/o having to buy and resell a half dozen of them
:)

 

Very true (says the guy who just admitted to having three microphones hand-delivered to him this afternoon :o ) - that can definitely be an issue. Not to sidetrack the thread (please keep the mic suggestions coming! :wave: ), but let's see if we can all come up with a few suggestions to get around that...

 

One would be to check with local dealers and see if you can get a demo. There if you have to, at your place if they can / will arrange it. But if they're going to give you that kind of service, you really should purchase from them unless they're absolutely robbing you on the price - turning around after getting a demo like that and buying the same mic online just to save $25 wouldn't be right IMO. :(

 

Many dealers may cite "health law" restrictions on returning microphones, so MAKE SURE you check their return policy on microphones before buying one that you have any reservations about.

 

If you have a buddy with some microphones you might be considering, see if you can borrow his / hers for a while to try them out so you can see what you think of them.

 

See if you can talk a local studio owner into demoing some of their microphones to you. Make sure you tell them what you want to do in advance though, so that they know what is going on and can make an informed decision about doing it or not - pretending you want to take a tour, with no real intention of booking time, and then trying to get them to demo some mikes in the process would be shady. Besides, being the gear geeks we are, many engineers are only too happy to show off our toys. Worst case - they say no. Another possibility: they charge you for the time. Again, if it's the only way to check out a mic you're considering buying BEFORE you lay down the cash, it might be worth it. And again, if the studio's cool enough to help you out, the next time you need the services of an outside studio, you should consider them for the job.

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Also, since were talking about it. Are all metal pop-filters equal? And do you have a part number for what tube you used to replace the NTK Factory one. I think I may try the NTK first.

 

I'll take the questions in reverse order:

 

As far as the tube, I have a JAN Phillips 6922 in my NTK.

 

As far as metal pop screens, I only have experience with a couple different brands. The mesh screens that come with some of the BLUE microphones (nice mikes, but most - except for the Bluebird :idea: - are beyond your budget) looked great to me (in a vintage, Abbey Road / Beatles sort of way) but seemed less effective than the Stedman pop filters I use, and the metal filters that come bundled with some of the Groove Tubes microphones, such as the Velo-8. Groove Tubes makes some very nice microphones too BTW. :) But I think the reason the Stedman and the GT filters are more effective is that they're back further from the mic, and the air gets diverted before hitting the mic diaphragm; the BLUE filter is too close to the mic for the wind blast to be fully diverted. That's my theory anyway. :)

 

Avantone makes a metal screen pop filter too, but I have not tried theirs, and it's not included with the microphones - although as you saw, just about every other accessory you would want is included.

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If you can hang on until tomorrow, I can do a quick listen and report back - it will just be initial impressions and not a full review, and YMMV, but it's better than nothing. There's also some reviews over on their site too, IIRC. I tend to avoid reading reviews of products I'm about to review myself until after I finish my review, so I don't know what they say, but you can check them out to see what other people think. :idea:

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Avantone makes a metal screen pop filter too, but I have not tried theirs, and it's not included with the microphones - although as you saw, just about every other accessory you would want is included.

 

I might be sold on pure sex appeal. I know it's lame to pick something purely on looks, but I like it :thu: And if it's purely a crap shoot for me in regards to which mic would be best, why not the sexy one?

 

decisions.........

 

Hurry up and test that mic and get back to me ;)

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My first thought when I heard an NTK for the first time was that it almost sounded like someone had patched an exciter into the signal path. I didn't think it was a bad sound, but there was definitely something a bit hyped on the top, yet different than some of the brasher / harder sounding Chinese condenser mikes.

 

 

The peak is higher, so it's not harsh sounding at all. But yes, if someone has sibilance issues, this'll exacerbate that quite a bit. I have an old Rode NT2 that has an even more pronounced peak than the NTK. Gorgeous "air" on the top, but one has to be careful with sibilant singers. A lot of people didn't care for this aspect of the original NT2. I liked it. That said, I don't use that mic anymore for vocals of any kind, as I have better options now.

 

That Avant mic is a very nice looking mic. Don't know anything about it.

 

Generally speaking, I've heard several people mention that Marshalls are really good budget-priced mics. Harvey Gerst in particular has said very kind things about their mics.

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The NTK is a nice mic IMO. It's not right for every singer, and to be honest, I have microphones that I generally like better in that application. But for the "right" singer, it can be a good choice. In my experience, it tends to work better for more "fully voiced" male singers as opposed to thin, reedy, high voiced singers. FWIW, it's pretty killer on upright bass...
:)

 

 

This is true. A singer with a rich full voice will sound great with the NTK. A high tenor will not. The NTK is also a great acoustic guitar mic and a great bass amp mic and a great drum room mic.

 

What it is not is a "detail" mic. It gets very washy and airbrushy especially on acoustic guitars. But often times (especially in a less dense mix or when you are not featuring the acoustic) it's just the thing.

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This is true. A singer with a rich full voice will sound great with the NTK.

 

 

Those are the types of singers I used the NTK on, btw. The best result was on a guy with a baritone voice. The NTK was phenomenal for this, and the air on top gave this beautiful openness that really allowed the vocal to breathe. Again, it's not a harsh mic, but for deep, full voices, it's a really great mic. On really sibilant, nasally, or harsh singers, the NTK would be a poor choice. I'd use a mic like a Neumann U47-type or a AT4060 mic for those kinds of singers.

 

I usually use a Lawson L251, which is completely out of the original poster's price range. I love this mic, and this is my go-to mic now. The L251 has a beautiful nice top end as well, a bit different and not quite as obvious as the NTK...doesn't have as much of that "Aural Exciter" quality that the NTK and especially the NT2 exhibit.

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What does a metal pop filter do that a fabric/nylon one does not? I ask as I've only used the former.

 

 

It's a bit of a debatable topic, but here's the basic rundown:

 

Metal pop filters, when properly used, tend to be a bit more effective at reducing plosives than nylon mesh / "panty hose" screens IMO. They are not too dissimilarly priced either - they may be a BIT more expensive, and you can't make one easily as a DIY project (which you can do with a pair of nylons, an embroidery hoop, part of a mic clip, etc.), but they're easier to clean and sanitize, and they don't dull the highest frequencies like nylon screens tend to do. On the downside, some engineers report a bit of audible "ringing" from the louvered, metal mesh screen. Personally I've never experienced any real problems with that with Stedman or Groove Tubes metal screens, but I've read comments from others that suggest that they did with a metal screen... not sure if they were using the same "brands" or not though.

 

You need to place a metal pop screen a minimum of 2-3" away from the mic diaphragm for best results. The way they work is not by "blocking" wind blasts like a nylon screen, but by diverting the blast away from the mic via their louvered design. If you place a metal screen too close to the diaphragm, the wind blast isn't going to be fully diverted, and you'll still have problems with plosives.

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