$1000 for a vocal mic

[Fletcher]

Interesting...y'all must just read the Sweetwater/Guitar-Mart brouchures when they come through the door...not a single one of you mentioned the Soundelux U-195...which I've found to be very consistently superior to the great majority of the mics you've mentioned.

The RodeNTs vary so much from unit to unit it's hard to tell what the hell they really sound like. The Shure is OK, frankly I prefer their SM-7 in most applications where I've tried the KMS-32...it didn't 'screech' as much.

How those **********s at AKG can put those microphones on the street with a straight face is beyond the realm of my comprehension. Pity too...AKG built such wonderful microphones right up until about 1980 when they ****ed up the capsules, then continued their R&D to come up with what I've found to be one of the most rancid bits of **** on the planet...the "Squalid Tube". Whooo doggies does that suck!!!

I've never much cared for the Geffell stuff, but at least it occasionally works for some applications...and some of the Octava stuff isn't all that vile (though the ones that can be purchased at Guitar Center make the Rode stuff look consistent...so try like 10 before you buy one).

I usually find the Audio Technica stuff to be pretty boring sounding (I don't care how cool it is to have Ed Cherney and Don Was in their full page advertisements).

There are some interesting mics like the "MBHO" stuff I've been playing with lately. Wonderfully versatile small diaphram FET condenser mics. I'm not sure where to get them, but they've been pretty cool with what I've played with so far.

I've also been hearing some pretty good things about the ADK mics. I haven't had the opportunity to play with them yet, but some people who's opinion I respect have told me that they felt the mics were worth a listen.

As for the Neumann 103's...they are what they are, which sometimes is cool, and sometimes is stool. The problem with microphone recommendations, especially for vocal applications, is you really never know what mic is going to couple well with a voice, and which one isn't. It takes experience to make that kind of determination, and unfortunately, you can't get experience from a book, the classroom, nor a "bulletin board".

I know I just ragged on some pretty popular microphones that they sell by the gross down at the local 'Guitar Marts'...and then followed it up with "different mics couple differently with different voices"...almost seems like a contradiction. The fact of the matter is that some of these well advertised/popular sellers just aren't made very well. There are other tools that are made for a similar purpose that will do the job better than the biggest sellers.

As for the original question about the 'B.L.U.E.' mics...some of them are pretty damn good. There are some inconsistencies from unit to unit...but no where near as bad as a lot of the others.

Best of luck with your search...but don't trust anyone's opinion but your own.

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Fletcher
Mercenary Audio
mercenaryaudio.com

[supersonic C]

See? Now you've gone and done it! Sure, I've got a U-195, but now EVERYONE is going to get one. Now I'll have to go back to taping the bodies of the mics, clients and visiting engineers don't know what I'm using. But I agree, time of day, humidity, pres, console, person - too many variables to say "this" is the VOCAL MIC OF ALL TIME. You should check the Gefell stuff - the UM70S is actually very big and clear.
I am also using TLM170s and KM184s and the normal Shure/AKG/Senn stuff. Which of these BLUE mics are worth the $$, in your opinion?

[adam_w1]

Arrgh! Those Austrians ! I've been using an AKG Solidtube on lots of sources and its been sounding fantastic, beating lots of other mics in situations you'd not expect, and I'm the kind of guy who will try a bunch of mics & pres on a source WAAY before even thinking of EQ'ing. Maybe the "real cool" mics I've had access to have been full of 25 years of "musician breath" & god forbid, smoke... (actually, this can happen & this stuff does need cleaning !) Hmm...definately gonna check out the Soundelux, but since we're in the bargain bin, I'll happily trade ya 2 Octavas for another Solidtube, anyone...

[Gulliver]

Supersonic mentioned humidity as a factor. Usually, this isn't a factor, but in the middle of summer in NY state all condensor mics go into sonic hybernation. I've had a U87 die completely due to humidity. AKG C1000s turn into radio shack specials right around August 15th. At that point you break out the dehumidifier, or use dynamic mics.