Members soul-x Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 Maybe I'm gonna call Andrea Bocelli, and tell him to use an SM58 for studio recording. You mean like this (starts at 3:05): [video=youtube;2jRTU74WdTc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jRTU74WdTc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bobby1Note Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 That's the mic that was used on the Thriller vocals... Nope. Apparently Michael Jackson used an SM7b on Thriller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soul-x Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 Nope. Apparently Michael Jackson used an SM7b on Thriller. He used both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bobby1Note Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 Nice one, and you also missed the point. Without a whole lot more information, your question is essentially worthless. What's the acoustic environment you will be recording your talent in? Will it be a booth, tracking room, orchestral ensemble room, close mic'd, desired pattern, type of material, vocal range, dynamics???All of the above will suggest a whole array of different mics, some will be great for one application but terrible for another, etc. I've done enough (pro) recording projects over the years to know that when recording folks discuss mics, every one has both an asshole and an opinion. I think we've seen both expressed here. Apparently so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bobby1Note Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 Does that look like a "studio" to you???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soul-x Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 Does that look like a "studio" to you???? Sounds like a pretty good recording of his voice to me. He managed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bobby1Note Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 Sounds like a pretty good recording of his voice to me. He managed. So, tell me Soul-X,,,, do you feel that anybody using a studio-mic costing over $1000. is a "bamboozled idiot"? Sucker to market-hype and all that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soul-x Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 So, tell me Soul-X,,,, do you feel that anybody using a studio-mic costing over $1000. is a "bamboozled idiot"? Sucker to market-hype and all that? Nope. Although there certainly are some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AimmarCair Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bobby1Note Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 As Crocodile Dundee the soundman would say; That's not a mic.... Now THIS,,,, is a mic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 Not even a Beta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 As Crocodile Dundee the soundman would say; That's not a mic.... Now THIS,,,, is a mic. and it's a freekin' line gradient mic too, hardly a good choice for a vocal mic in any studio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 So, tell me Soul-X,,,, do you feel that anybody using a studio-mic costing over $1000. is a "bamboozled idiot"? Sucker to market-hype and all that? Nobody ever said that anybody who uses a $1000 studio mic is a "bamboozled idiot". I would say that a good number probably are, but there are also great applications where a mic of that catagory would be a good choice too. I'll bet that the good applications include clients who have practiced, refined their techniques, have good arrangements and vocal chops too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bobby1Note Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 Nobody ever said that anybody who uses a $1000 studio mic is a "bamboozled idiot". I would say that a good number probably are, but there are also great applications where a mic of that catagory would be a good choice too. I'll bet that the good applications include clients who have practiced, refined their techniques, have good arrangements and vocal chops too. So, let's assume that everyone's already aware what talent is all about, and get back to the OP's original question about good vocal mics for under $500. Now we're getting somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators MarkGifford-1 Posted March 26, 2011 Moderators Share Posted March 26, 2011 In the $500 range, you should look at mics by Shure and Audio-Technica. They're good, solid performers which work well on a variety of voices. A big step up from the cheaper Chinese stuff, but they're generally not going to give you the "wow" of a >$1500 mic. You won't be able to make any excuses about not having a decent enough mic to capture your voice. Another obvious choice would be an SM7B, especially if you're singer/band is more aggressive rock. The suggestion to rent a few hours in a real studio and try half a dozen mics is also a great one, as it's very had to tell what's going to sound good until the singer who's going to use it is actually using it. MG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abzurd Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 I've had an AT4033a for over 15 years. It's the only "studio" mic I've ever owned. I suppose that makes it my favorite. Seriously though, how does my mic stack up to modern offerings? I think I paid $300 in 1996 for it. It must be old. It was made in Japan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soul-x Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 I've had an AT4033a for over 15 years. It's the only "studio" mic I've ever owned. I suppose that makes it my favorite. Seriously though, how does my mic stack up to modern offerings? I think I paid $300 in 1995 for it. It must be old. It was made in Japan! It's a good mic. I don't think there's anything undeniably better than it in that price class now. There's just a lot more mics to choose from! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Coaster Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 if i could only have one sub $500 mic i would hands down choose the cad m179. it just plain sounds great on everything i have tried it on, and i have tried it on everything but a v8 chainsaw on a snowmobile. no color though, it sounds like the source. if you need color the m179 is not for you. sometimes i like color, rodes do well at that for sub $500 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bobby1Note Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 In the "home recording" crowd, the AKG C-414 generally seems to be considered a not-too-expensive "standard" in large-diaphragm condenser mics. Which version you choose depends on the built-in features you want or need. Different versions will have built-in pattern-switching (omni, figure-8,cardioid,etc) variable low-frequency roll-off switches, etc. Regardless of which mic you choose, I've found that mic placement/orientation is one of the most critical factors in getting the most from the mic. That said; I fully agree that there's no substitute for the performance of the vocalist. Example; Black Crowes cd "Shake Your Money Maker". Superb content (one of my favourites), yet {censored}ty recording IMO. Mind you, it also adds a certain "edge" to the sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators MarkGifford-1 Posted March 26, 2011 Moderators Share Posted March 26, 2011 In the "home recording" crowd, the AKG C-414 generally seems to be considered a not-too-expensive "standard" in large-diaphragm condenser mics. I don't really see or hear of many home guys using these, honestly. Commercial studios that have been around for a while usually have a pair or two kicking around, because there really wasn't that many mics to choose from back then, and they do sound good and are (were) made well. Today, there are a lot of options, in every conceivable price range, and I think that the In the 414 range, there's a lot more competition, too. Plus, the new ones don't really have much in common with the old ones, of which there were about 8 versions, all of which varied tremendously in both design and sound: http://www.saturn-sound.com/Curio%27s/story%20of%20the%20akg%20c414.htm I've got a decent mic locker and I've never really thought about owning a 414, but different strokes, I guess. MG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bobby1Note Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 In large part I agree. When I refer to "home recording market", I should have more precisely said "the more serious home-recording buffs". The guys who are willing to spend a few bucks on room treatment, and decent pre-amps and DAW's. The C-414 seems pretty popular with the home-studio folks at Tweakheadz.com and Gearslutz.com. Mind you, there are a helluva lot of guys running some pretty elaborate home-studio rigs as well. Some of these guys are into Gefell, Neumann, Telefunken, Josephson, Korby, etc. Mind you, I'm not always impressed by the results I hear. Talent is always the most important ingredient, regardless of equipment used. But that said; I know some incredibly talented individuals, who simply can't afford top-end, or even decent mid-level gear, who could really benefit from polishing up their end-product. Check this out. I'm going to see these guys play tonight, in Ottawa. This is a recording done at home, with a budget mic, and bare-bones rig. There's no doubting these guys' ability to play and sing, as well as compose and arrange. I think a better mic would be a definite asset and benefit to guys of this calibre. http://blackwellband.com/files/Carey_Blackwell_-_Already_Gone.mp3 http://blackwellband.com/music.html By the way, these are two brothers, Dan and Carey Blackwell, from Ottawa. Carey is doing all the guitar,banjo,mandolin parts. The guy is friggin' amaaaazing. There's nothing like sibling harmony too. These guys can do it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badhabit Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 That Blackwell Band is certainly talented, and I didn't hear any glaring deficiencies in the recording. Perhaps all the recording needed was better mastering. The problem listening to any audio source over the internet is generally, folks are using headphones or moderate quality computer grade speakers. Not only that, the original audio source has been "squished" into an mp3 format. So, while I can hear they have a lot of talent, how can I tell it's a microphone that is causing a "less than" great recording? Could have been many factors, seems to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bobby1Note Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 That Blackwell Band is certainly talented, They sound exactly the same "Live" too. The lead guitar player (Carey Blackwell), use a Boss GT-8 and another pedal-board, to alternate between guitar,mandolin, and banjo sounds. Freaked me out when I watched him play a couple of weeks ago, because it sounded like the real thing. These guys also play with other bands, such as the TeleBasterds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Majoria Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 In my studio, the best vocal mic that is under $500 new is the SM-7b. For about $550 new you can get an AT-4047 which is a great LDC for the price. I haven't used the CAD stuff but I've heard great things from their budget mics. The 4047 and 7b are intended for very different purposes so it depends on the various factors as to which is best for your singer. When you hear about things like the 58 sounding great in the studio, that (if it is true) is the rare exception and not the norm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted March 26, 2011 Members Share Posted March 26, 2011 Again, what kind of vocals? male? female? ballads? punk? metal? opera? close mic or farther away? Different mic choice is likely for every one of the above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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