Best Mic

[Adam Christopher]

Hey All:

I'd like to start doing vocal work at my studio that's so far been midi based. I'm not going to build a vocal booth and/or structure my space as would best suit vocal recordings so I'm asking for some advice. What would be a great mic to use? What techniques work well for this kind of set up? As always, many thanks in advance! -Adam

[jryser]

A mic is an instrument just like anything else. It's kinda like asking which guitar is best...the answer is always "It depends." Having been a singer for 30+ years I have used many many mics and have found that the best way to get one is to get as many mics in ur budget range as possible and record them with someone else knowing which mic is which. Then listen and pick the one you like best. Having sung through every possible mic and preamp combo imaginable I settled on five for my home studio. Each colors my voice in a slightly different character - for each song type. Find ur budget, set some up, sing away, and pick the one u love! Some of the cheapest mics sounded better than some expensive ones! And then a few expensive ones sounded good too! Ribbon, dynamic, tube. Solid state...Go with your gut!

[albee1952]

There is no one "best" mic as the best mic for one voice could be the worst on another. More questions for you to answer to get the best advice;
What's your budget?
What's your interface?
Is your room well-treated for acoustics(a bad room can ruin a good mic)
Assuming your room is NOT treated well, spend the extra money on a Reflexion-type baffle. Here are some choices at different price points(which is only my opinion, based on my own recording experience)

MXL V89($200-300 new) shockingly good at this price
MXL V-69ME ($299) beat out a $1500 Nuemann on nearly every singer(add a NOS Mullard tube to make it even better)
Miktek C-7($899)-as good as any U87 for way less money
Miktek CV-4 ($1399) beat out a vintage U67 for an Alan Parsons recording recently
Shure SM-7 ($379) good enough for Michael Jackson on Thriller

lots of others from Rode, Mojave and beyond, but a budget amount will help guide the advice from everyone. If budget permits, maybe a less expensive mic, combined with a good input chain(preamp/compressor/EQ) might be better than just a killer mic

[Bill Denton]

Since you don't plan to treat your room, you might want to invest in one of these or a similar item...

http://www.seelectronics.com/reflexion-filter-pro

[Adam Christopher]

Many thanks for the replies and advice. My question was rather vague. If I can push my luck: Is there a preferred mic-slash-mic setup that would suit spoken word, (copy), using pt9 with mbox pro but no vocal booth?

[jryser]

Blue Bluebird.

[albee1952]

Shure SM-7 is one of the better VO mics out there. Also, EV's RE-20 is worth a look. As said, with an untreated room, you should budget for a "baffle" such as the Reflexion filter(Bill's link) at the high end, or at least this: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Primacou...98-i1532537.gc at the low end. More improvements come at more $$ with maybe a great preamp like the API 312(really forward sounding) and some modest compression on the way in(don't overdo this as it cannot be undone). API makes a really good "channel strip". On a smaller budget, Five Fish Audio's X-12 preamp(very API 312'ish) and FMR's RNC(Really Nice Compressor) would work well(the X-12 preamp is available in kit form if you like a project).

[BobbyDazzler]

If its a poor room, I'd go for an Sm7, as a dynamic mic won't pick up as much room. You'll need a good mic pre though because an Sm7 needs a bucket load of gain.

[Adam Christopher]

That's great stuff. Thanks again to all! -Adam