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sr1200

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 6, 2010
Messages
2,094
Location
Long Island, NY USA
Im going to be in the market for a new high end mic in the next month or so...  Id like to keep the budget around the $2000(USD) range but (and this is a big but) my eye keeps going to the U87.  Any other suggestions for a really nice vocal mic?

Others I've been looking at:
TLM 149
TLM 67
TLM 193
C414 (matched pair)

Note:  Currently, I've been going to my R0de NTK for female vocals and a Shure KSM44 for male vocals for the most part.  Haven't tried my Royer 121 for vocals yet (usually use that for guitar only), but I'm dyin to hear what it would sound like thru my newly built 1073 clone. :)
 
sr1200 said:
Im going to be in the market for a new high end mic in the next month or so...  Id like to keep the budget around the $2000(USD) range but (and this is a big but) my eye keeps going to the U87.  Any other suggestions for a really nice vocal mic?

Others I've been looking at:
TLM 149
TLM 67
TLM 193
C414 (matched pair)

Note:  Currently, I've been going to my R0de NTK for female vocals and a Shure KSM44 for male vocals for the most part.  Haven't tried my Royer 121 for vocals yet (usually use that for guitar only), but I'm dyin to hear what it would sound like thru my newly built 1073 clone. :)

Hi,

not an easy one because every mic has its own character and it definetely depends on what king of vox you want to record.
There is a huge difference if you are doing rock,pop or whatever where you maybe want some proximity-effect or-say- classic recordings where the mic is not close to the mouth.
Combine these with different pres,different artists and different rooms and you will get billions of colours in your sound!!!
I usualy take U87s and combine them with several pres,but only because a)I have them ;) and b)I know them for about 25 years and therefore know how they will sound in advance!!

Also i have noticed that you seem to prefer NEUMANN microphones-well,they are all very nice mics but not the only ones...
For vocalese recording in a studio a large diaphragm condenser is a pretty good choice,but sometimes a simple SM58 is much better-as I said:It depends.

The C414s are only good for vox for very special sounds as the tend to be very crisp.Even the different models  sound completely different!They are more universal mics-very good on instruments as e.g. on overheads (drums and percussion) and on a good piano for jazz(they blew me away when I had them on a STEINWAY grand and Aziza Mustafa Zadeh was playing it back in the early 90s; about one year later or so I used them when I did a show for Chick Corea and had that same feeling).

If you want to look for further brands look at this for example:
http://www.thomann.de/de/brauner_phanthera.htm

I could give you an endless list,but that would not make sense at all.

May I therefore suggest as follows:

Go and hire some good-seeming or well-known mics at your local store (I do not think that they will take too much money from you-hopefully!).
Check them out and take a lot of time in your place/studio.Do some recordings,compare them and also ask your best friends about what they think about them.Do all testing with fresh ears (No- do not buy new ones but do not be tired or drunk :D)
Then decide what to buy.
You will experience how many colours of sound you will hear!
Maybe you will end up in taking not one but two or even more mics-spending 2ooo USD on one mic is not a must!

Using microphones for several purpuses is in fact a biggie and requires a lot of experience-believe me...

Hope to have helped and excuse my bad english :)

Best,

Udo.




 
asking which is a good vocal mic is like asking how long is a piece of string. Each mic may or may not go with any singer you use. There is not one end all be all mic.  For vocals now days I tend to lean on a neumann 147.
 
Forget about TLM49 (there's no such thing as a TLM149, is it?). I have recently bought one, it's an excellent mic, but just not what singers expect.
I have used it on marimba, not-so-close (about 5 ft), with excellent results.
 
On the other hand, I used the TLM 49 on a vocalist who has a nasal resonance problem, with great success. It also does nice drum overheads.

I like all three of the Neumanns you mentioned, for different reasons, and mostly I prefer them to the U 87. Another to add to the list: Microtech Gefell M930.

Also check out the Shure KSM9. Be sure to try it both in cardioid and hypercardioid settings (the switch is inside the head).

Peace,
Paul
 
Thanks for the replies.  Yes i understand its like the most vague opinionated question ever... lol

Kante: You guys got some cool lookin stuff that we dont have over here!  That link looks nice and prices arent bad. 

Has anyone ever heard the "Studio Projects" or "Mictek" products?  The SP mics look like clones (at crazy low prices).
After some more research I started looking at BLUE mic's as well.  Odd as hell shapes and sizes.

I think Ill try to find some place in the city that rents out high end mic's (im sure it will cost a ton, but better than spending 3000 on a mic i hate the sound of)

I digress...
Im really looking to put a crown on my mic cab (something mainly geared towards vocals since I dont feel I have a really great vocal mic... and understood.. the situation dictates what is "great".)

Currently the cab looks like: (most are pairs) ::humble::
Shure Beta58
Shure SM57
Shure SM58
Shure KSM32
Shure KSM44
Shure (dont remember the model(worn off) but its about 8" and thin with no taper... condenser great on hi hats)
R0de NTK (tube)
R0de NT1 (original)
DBX Omni (for tuning the room)
Audix d6
Sen 421
AKG D12
AKG D112
AKG C1000S
AKG C418 (little clip on tom mics)
Royer 121
MXL Something or other that I never use except to test if mic pre's phantom power is working lol

My budget for gear this year has come in. And I plan to get parts to make one of Igors Mix Buzz's
A good vocal mic
And perhaps the UA LA610 MKII (if one of the sessions comes in that i hope does...)

(PS: i did mistype the TLM149 but there IS a such thing, over $5000USD (tube mic).  was supposed to say TLM147)
 
sr1200 said:
Kante: You guys got some cool lookin stuff that we dont have over here!  That link looks nice and prices arent bad. 

...and sound awesome,BRAUNER is a relative new and upcoming brand here-i am sure their mastermind DIRK BRAUNER really knows how to build these babies ;D

If you are interested here a link to his english site:
http://www.dirk-brauner.com/e_index.html

Oh-I forgot:Theses mics are distributed worldwide (do not know where you are located,sorry).

Cheers,

Udo.
 
sr1200 said:
Currently the cab looks like: (most are pairs) ::humble::
Shure Beta58
Shure SM57
Shure SM58
Shure KSM32
Shure KSM44
Shure (dont remember the model(worn off) but its about 8" and thin with no taper... condenser great on hi hats)
R0de NTK (tube)
R0de NT1 (original)
DBX Omni (for tuning the room)
Audix d6
Sen 421
AKG D12
AKG D112
AKG C1000S
AKG C418 (little clip on tom mics)
Royer 121
MXL Something or other that I never use except to test if mic pre's phantom power is working lol


It's suprising that you don't have any RE20s. Sometimes is my favourite mic for vocals (apart bass cabs, etc) :)
 
I've tried the RE20, and just never fell in love with it... I guess it would be good to round out the cab as well...  I actually prefer the D112 or the vintage d12 on the bass cab, but as has been stated, every situation can call for a different color.

BTW, im in New York (about 25 min outside NYC)

Abby, my mistake ::bows:: you are absolutely right.... all the TLM and M and Us im seeing alphabet soup! lol

Im gonna look into the Gefell today... again thanks everyone for the input.  It's nice to have the blinders removed once in a while and get some outside views :)
 
We had a BLUE demo here and I hated/sorry disliked all their mics except the big bottle and the dragonfly (which is very similar to a 184 at the same price so I don't really see the point).

One I can definitely vouch for is the BRAUNER VALVET-X, it's incredible value for the money.
I never liked the u87s for voices, it seems overpriced to me now I've tried the brauner.
The valvet is extremely versatile, I've heard it beat an m49 on double bass, beat a u67 on voice over, it's extremely 'even' and clean/pretty in a very good way.
You can stack vocal tracks for ages without hearing frequencies peaking like with a u67.

I'm not trying to sound like an ad' for brauner but I've tried to find a good mic for under 2k and nothing convinced me except this one and the DPA 4000 series.

I've also done great vocal takes using a dpa 4011, you might want to consider it as you can do a lot of stuff with that; (you will just have to keep explaining to people that neumann are not the only good mics manufacturers and that using a small diaphragm is ok for voices...).

If you do rough voices for rock for instance, a great tool is the shure SM7, it can beat neumans on sibilance any day.

Another point, I don't know how much a brauner will cost you in the US, I hope you get a chance to try it.

Best, jules.
 
That 421 can sound good with some vocals.  Not my goto for it but I have gotten results with it.

We got a Peluso 2247 a while back and many people have really liked it.  I'm really impressed with it.

I wouldn't go for the 414s, just like the others said they are pretty bright but theyre useful in many other situations. 
 
Just get the U87. One of those things you probably don't want to get cause they are so infamous that you want to try and get something else...But you can guarantee you won't regret the 87!

 
+1 for brauner. They are definitely available in N. America (eg. at Mercenary), and you should at least check them out - I've had the good fortune to spend some time with a valvet, and if I had the coin right now I'd pick one up. Have used it, or heard it, on male and female vox, room mic, and various instruments with generally excellent results. Very versatile, very even, very useful. Also a very nice looking mic, which helped to dispel some of the "why aren't you getting out an 87?" uneasiness from clients.

an 87, of course, is a great mic, and versatile too.

Perhaps check out Bock Audio. I got to use a Soundelux (precursor to Bock) 195, and it was generally pretty good. More of a reliable versatility mic than a go-to vocal mic, but I've tracked good vocals through one. Their spendier models are probably even better (check out the 5 zero 7), but may be out of your budget. Definitely worth a look though. 

Josephson, maybe? Haven't heard any of theirs in person, but really positive buzz... I'm sure someone here can shed some light on that
 
After reading some things and the accolades the brauners are getting here, i really wish i could try one out.  A friend of mine is gonna loan me a U87 for the weekend to try out w/ my pres.  Anyone in the NY area have one of these that I could maybe swing by and take a listen to?

On a semi-related topic... for fun, and practice (as im still a total N00b at this stuff) I was thinking of picking up one of these guys:
http://aurycle.com/index.htm

Im thinkin the metal work alone is worth the $60.  From reviews ive seen its a "typical chinese-fizz-alike mic.  Im sure the circuit design could be greatly improved upon BEFORE assembly.
 
take a look at the 3 Zigma "CHI System"
http://hybridmic.adkmic.com/index.php

Sold my Blue Bottle with all the capsules and replaced it with a full capsule system from 3 Zigma.

I still haven't found myself wishing I still had the bottle. The prices are in you budget and I whole heartedly endorse them.

You can get up to 4 very tonally different large diaphragm capsules and a head amp and be set for ANY vocal thrown at you that you can use a condenser on. (sometimes dynamic mics just sound better on some singers... ya know?)

check em out

 
OK so i had a chance to check out the U87... and I dont hear a $2000 difference between that and my other mics.  One thing i DO hear on it is a better pronounced low end. (and i dont even know if thats the best way to describe it) The top end is nice an open but its not a "knock my socks off" kinda WOW! tone. 

After making that comment to a couple of people, i was pointed to Mikteks C7 (fet mic) which is less than $1K.

I feel I now have to go back and start putting ALL of my mics thru the same rigors i put that neumann through.  Im starting to think that the preamp made more of a difference and that some of the stuff in my cabinet might be fine for what im doing, but just switching the pres up and learning the sounds of all the combinations.  The U87 through my fet based pre sounded very close to the ksm44 through the same pre.  Through the 1073; totally different flavor between the two.

all in all its going to be another crayon in the box.  And like has been said here, its a matter of picking that "right" (and i use that loosely) color for the job.

the 3 zigma: a great concept.  Again, which there was someplace local I could listen to it.
 

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