jackies said:
micaddict said:
A bass baritone with ample lows.
Which studio condenser you reckon provides best results capturing your rich velvety tone?
Good question and one I ask myself all the time.
I don't want to derail this thread, but/so I hope the OP allows me this one off-topic post.
I'll narrow this down to LDCs, since those are the prime suspects.
First one that comes to mind is the U47 and family.
This is
the crooner's microphone, but if there's lots of resonance on the voice, the mids/high mids can be a little electrical sounding to my ears. Also, it has a pretty huge proximity effect (though nothing like an RCA 44 ribbon), so if you like to come in close for that intimate stuff, lows really need to be rolled off. (Quite the opposite of live mics that have this roll off built in.)
On the other end of the spectrum would be the C12 and family.
Where the U47 has the midrange bulge, the C12 sooner has a subtle and broad scoop there. If used on a vocalist in the first place, it's sooner a woman than a man. But I've had some luck on "girl's microphones", too. Results can be more "hifi"as well as more "fleshy" (rather than electrical) than the typical U47 sound. But yes, it can perhaps be a little too "friendly" on male voices or lacking some gut if you will. And those who believe in squeezing a vocal into a busy mix, won't go for it, either.
Then there's the U67 and family.
This one doesn't quite have the midrange bulge of the U47, but it can still sound mid forward, especially if it says "Neumann" on it. The center termination on the capsule (M7/K47 and K67/87) versus the edge termniation (CK12) alone, explains much of this difference. Just try this on a drum.
Also, the U67 has a better controlled proximity effect, so you can come in quite close, even with a more booming voice.
M49 has my interest as well, but more investigation is needed there.
My current favorites for my voice (but addicts are always on the lookout) are the U67 and the Brauner Valvet X. The latter has a K67 capsule too, but is more open on top (less de-emphasis). That said, the U67 takes EQ like no other.
Both invite you to come closer.
It's no coincidence perhaps. The timbre of my voice is much like Jim Reeves in his later years (not saying I'm the singer he was, mind). And he did his sixties recordings close up on a U67. Talk about velvet.
But there are other classic baritone/mic combinations, of course. Bing Crosby on an RCA 44, Nat Cole and Frank Sinatra on a U47/48. Just to name a few.
The latter two vocalists IMO are nice examples of what I was trying to say in my earlier post about compensating/complementing and highlighting/enlarging. Nat King Cole was a heavy smoker with some breathiness in his tone. Here the U47 complements and adds some extra core, I'd say. Frank Sinatra had a reedy, almost brassy midrange which was augmented by the U47/48, making that sound even more characteristic.
Hope this helps.
Now... back to Sony, please.
Henk
