Can we do a MicStrut thread???
street_muzik
3,919 Posts
I have a home studio that was made for production but out of financial necessity I had to start doing vocal sessions for a fee. I borrowed an AudioTechnica AT4050 which i really like. It's a tube mic supposedly. I gotta give it back in a few days, it's from a big working studio and they r gonna miss it.
Anyway are any Strutters doin' it like this? I know somebody records vocals, not just vinyls.
I'm looking for a condenser tube mic but post up your picks, whatever.
1. Favorite on a budget
2. Decent mid-level piece
3. That CRACK!!!!!
or let this thread slip into the graveyard of soulstrut obscurity.
Anyway are any Strutters doin' it like this? I know somebody records vocals, not just vinyls.
I'm looking for a condenser tube mic but post up your picks, whatever.
1. Favorite on a budget
2. Decent mid-level piece
3. That CRACK!!!!!
or let this thread slip into the graveyard of soulstrut obscurity.
Comments
Than a U67, a U47, a U87 and a C12. All vintage, original and in mint condition.
Which would probably cost no less than $50K even in questionable condition.
Mic collecting is one of the oldest gentlemen sports.
As far as the blue baby bottle, I have a real , original nuemann CMV-563 i got NOS out of bulgaria, paperwork inside says it was manufactured october 1969 - with an M7 Capsule. The blue (formerly red) bottle rocket system is a good modern combination of that and the RFT Hitler jammies.
The 563 is my favorite mic of all time and still a sleeper mic.
and remember, your preamp is very important, valve is the best way to go.
The #1 thing to understand is a good Preamp and a little compression will make any microphone sound better.
Presonus BlueTube ($250)
FMR Really Nice Preamp ($500)
Golden Age Pre-73 ($300)
Avalon VT-737sp Compressor, Eq, Preamp ($2300)
Decent Cheap Condensers. Rode Nt1a ($200), Studio Projects B1 ($100), Audio Technica AT2020 ($150).
Also check out the Marshall Tube condenser mic MXLV69ME ($300). Good price, and sounds great.
I used it on my album, and it was the best sounding mic for the lead singer of my band LIZ.
Co-sign on the Sm7b ($350) and RE-20 for Emcees ($400). I'm always astounded why so many rappers use the Baby Blue? I don't get it.
When you start getting ready to spend over 1000 on a mic. Look into Neumann of course the infamouse U-87, and a microphone that I just adore Royer SF-24V, Tube Ribbon microphone *sigh*.
Recording is a fucking expensive hobby.
- spidey
As far as pres go, I have a digi 003 which I heard have just OK pres. For now I think it's fine but I'd like to upgrade eventually/
Does anybody know about the Shure BG 2.0? I have one I picked up along the way. It seems comparable to a sm57/8 but I'm not sure.
I'm going to record some side by side comparisons with the borrowed tube mic to see if i could get away with using the Shure at least for a couple of weeks till i decide on what mics i want.
I can see how this could be addictive.
Keep posting. Good stuff.
The point is that unless you are spending more than a G, you are probably better off sticking to solid state than using budget tube designs.
Now, assuming you are in the under 1000$ range, I really like the Avantone line, made in china but with capsule QC in the states, they work really really well and hold their own against more expensive designs. I particularly like the stereo mic for drum overhead and room mic, amazingly held it's own against a U64 pair (i was shocked too).
Stepping up into the vintage realm, I really think the U47 FET solid state version is a great mic for the money, and can be a little snappier than the U47 tube.
As far as preamp goes, again ,I would stay away from most (excludin Fearn and a few manleys) modern tube designs.
For the money, if it were my money, I would buy one used API 512C in good condition and a SM57, a SM7B and a Avantone CK-6. roughly $1000 and more than enough variation to track anything you ever would need.
again, just my opinion.
http://www.seelectronics.com/sE2200a.html
I just gave back the AT4050 so now I'm fuscced, with only 300 on hand. I have a session Saturday.
I just don't want these vocals I record to sound budget. These are paying clients and deserve better. I guess I'm headed to the mic spot.
im telling you, I've seen it get chosen over 2-3K$ microphones. It just works.
btw, the digi002 pre needs to go not now but right now too.
You're pretty much convincing me. The pre's are diggi003. Are they the same as the 002? They seem kinda caca either way. I had the Digi001 and I believe the reason it had such a high trade in value was for the fourscite pres. Not sure but i got a grand off my 003 on the trade in.
Here's the trick though, record the level on PT no louder than -10 on the meter. If you touch yellow you went to far. It's not tape so there is no noise floor and thus no reason to hit PT so hard, it will sound the same infinitely down (give or take a few bits of resolution) This will free up alot of headroom on the built in pre.
good luck with it and have a great session
Unscrew the pop screen? boom - sm57.
Its not the best vocal mic but for bedroom studio steez it works just fine. i need to step up my mic game though for real.
a decent mic and better monitors are the next investment.
One my budget, couldn't really ask for more. The NTK is quite flavourful, but not muddy. And the RNP is very clean. But ive heard people have problems with both in terms of saturation or noize...
I know you've seen one of these before but this is my new one.
When I tried it out I was kinda blown away by how brittle it sounded. It lacked some upper lows. I was a little concerned but I figured it was the mid boost. I switched it off and tried it again. Now I'm intrigued. Very nice detail and much warmer. I left the low roll off as is. I can't wait to hear how the bros sound this weekend. on it
Good looks 4year and everybody on the recommends. Keep it goin'.
BTW you really do have to crank the pre on this one. I'm about to read the thread again for mic pre recommends.
i did some googling on mic pre's but most of the info seemed to refer to shit mixers with shitty mic pre's, not sure i fall into that catagory.... i even took a poke over here: http://www.tweakheadz.com/microphone_preamps.htm
i somewhat live by the moto that "if it aint broke, dont try to fix it" and i have been recording my music the same way for about 15 years or so...i just seems lil lost on this mic pre shit...
It just depends on what gear you have and what sound you want. Some preAmps add color to the recording that's desirable. If you have a bomb ass board and don't need it, more power to you.
I took an artistic photo for a promo studio write up. I only take clients through referral but a little hype can't hurt at this point.
I'm interning a CAD e200 this weekend. I don't know anything about it but I'll fux with it.
As for mic pres, here's a checklist I use if you want to know how a mic pre will sound:
Is it tube or solid state?
Is it made in China?
Does it have input and output transfromers?
What DC rail does it run on and is it internal or externally powered?
What is the gain staging - input or input and output (allowing you to drive the preamp but not the output level)
The answers to these initial questions will give an indication of how it will handle transients, high spl, high gain, etc. which in turn will give you an idea of how it will sound.
Tubes being better is a complete misnomer in pro audio, and there are still tons of vintage sleeper units that can be had (single channel) for a few hundred dollars that will kick the living daylights out of anything in modern production, mostly because they just don't make trannys like they used too. For modern production i prefer strict adherence to vintage design and schematic, such as Brent Averille Enterprises modules and his former mentee Avedis Audio.
Other than that, an API 512c which was designed 40+ years ago will put you in the diminishing returns area beyond that, and as i stated, those can be picked up for +- $600 on ebay right now.
CAD E-200
It's not an expensive mic but it sounds real nice, it's made in Ohio, and it looks good. Looking forward to today's session.
Knowledge dropped. I'm currently using a mega-cheap Radio Shack dynamic mic which runs into the instrument (i.e. 1/4 inch) input on my Duet but as you noted, I have to jack up the gain on that sucker and Asa result, there's a faint hum in my recordings. I know I need to upgrade at some point but I'm looking to get out cheap: under $100. This is strictly for podcasting, not a home studio. I don't want to bring my mixer into the set-up so maybe a cheap condenser mic is a better option than a mic + pre-amp?
Do microphone covers (that you slide on) and pop filters perform the same functions? Does it make sense to get both or, if the goal here is to reduce popping Ps, which one makes more sense to purchase?
Not really. The cover that you put on is a windscreen for use outside, where a pop filter is designed to break up plosives (pops).
The Re20 that thes mentioned is an awesome, afforbable mic for podcasting. It has a built in pop filter and no proximity effect. Sounds real rich and warm on male vox. It also is great for kick drum, bass, sax's.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/76681-REG/Electro_Voice_F01U117389_RE20_Cardoid_Voiceover.html
For under a $100 get a Shure 58. You have to hold it right up to your lips for it to sound the best, but for under a $100, it cant really be beat.
The Shure doth get the love but I keep hearing the GLS knock-offs of the 58 are just as good (and 1/3rd the price).
thes is on point with the recommendations.
i ended up gettin a CMV 563 sometimes last year and it has been my go to mic for vocals, but also kick drum and percussion. its not cheap but there is a big difference when you put it up against a budget mic attempting to emulate the same sound.
i have had a studio projects c1 for quite a few years and that thing can sound pretty damn good if its on the right source. its a budget mic i dont mind rollin with.