Best Vocal Microphone

[Norman Lindsey]

I'm looking for the best vocal mic i can find.i don't care about price or politics.applications willl be varied sometimes it may be applied as simply vioce over. i need something with delicate tops.
Any suggestions?

[brendondp]

Let me be the first to say that;

A) Your question will never be answered. The "best vocal microphone" doesn't exist. Sorry. It only exists to those who have a microphone they 'believe' is the best. This will vary enormously from individual to individual and voice to voice. It's like asking, "what's the best movie?" Try narrowing your criteria a little (or a lot).

B) UTSF!!!

Cheers,

bdp

[blaugruen7]

norman,
do a search here.
you will find a lot of names of great microphones.
and then you will have to try them and find out what sound you prefer most.

[Fletcher]

I'll make a deal with you... I'll show you the best microphone right after you show me the best woman.

[blaugruen7]

fletcher,
i know the best woman.
i am very sorry to tell you that she is my girl friend and not to sell in the moment.

[mchimes]

To "unload" your question and try to offer something helpful, of all the interviews of great producers I've read, I remember alot of them preferring the Neumann U67. Of course, it would depend on the singer. but that would be a great start.

Hope this helps,
Mike

[dale116dot7]

I've had the 'best' microphone be a vintage (rented) U47, I've had the 'best' microphone be a $350 AT4033. It depends a lot on the voice, on the song, and often on the room. Sometimes you fire up a C12 and expect to hear magic, and you hear nothing but sibilance and phlegm. I've never had someone in that sounds better on a SM57 than any of my (or rented) condensors, but the SM7 can surprise you sometimes.

[Tetness]

I asked a similar question a while back and went through tons of aggrivation trying to figure that out. I agree, a mic is like a woman, it's all what works for you. However, obviously, there are the Cindy Crawfords and the Victoria Secret Girls that work on a universal level for decorating a mic locker. These are usually: C-12, U67, Elam 251, and U47. These mics range from 5,000-22,000 dollars depending on condition. Idealy, demoing all four of these and hearing your voice through them is the best way to determine which works best for your voice and, or, the voice you want to record. I would chose 1073 mic pre because it's sort of an industry standard.

Before singing on an album I cut, I sat in a studio with eight microphones set up and an engineer with great ears. It sounds like your a money's no object kind of guy, so I would highly reccomend doing this.

Among the microphones, you should also have a Sony 800, U87, M49, etc... Whatever you can get your hands on. I would reccomend getting a Korby in there. If you don't know what a Korby is, you should do some serious research: I'll give you a little snippit on the Korby:

One microphone, four capsules which can be easily popped on or off. This microphone will give you all of the classic mics in one. U67, C12, Elam 251, U47 and now Sony 800. Korby, who has serviced these micrphone for years and years, had an immense amount of knowlege and has heard the best of the best.

I used to own a Telefunkenn 251e and sold it because the Korby, in my oppinion, sounded MUCH better. Of course, this will vary. Depending on how good your vintage mic is. My 251 was a new USA 251. I recently learned that Korby is now helping them make capsules.

So, to recap, audition many of the best mics, including the Korby, them let your ears make the decision and not a bunch of gearslutz who have not had the luxury of hearing your voice or knowing what you like.

Hope that helps.

[Dot]

Norman, I'd suggest whatever mics you consider, don't buy anything until you've had a chance to audition a Sony C800G.

Which mic preamps are you using?

[Norman Lindsey]

looks like a nice mic DOT.i'll try and locate one soon.
the U87 is a possibility as well.

[not_so_new]

Actually what frustrates me about these threads is the obvious answers (what works for your voice, what you like to hear, what musical style etc.). These answers are so obvious they don't need to be repeated to death each time a person asks the question.

Lets assume we are all professionals (not a good assumption here or even in a major recording studio). Let's also assume that we ALL know everyone's voice will react to a mic a little differently and the key is to find a good blend. For sake of argument, which is what these threads usually devolve to, lets just say we know that this will be dependant on the singer.

Let's get past that once and for all and in your mind change the question from "what is the best mic" to "what mic seems to work best on the widest variety of voices in your experience?" When you see "what is the best mic" assume the person is asking "what mic have you had the best luck with on a bunch of different people because I want to cover as many bases within my budget" because that is what they are really asking.



For the record Norman, Tracy Korby works right up the street from me (on the other side of the town actualy but you get the idea) and I have visited his shop on a few occasions. He knows is sh*t and any of his mics I have demoed have been killer (if I only had the cash). Others here will disagree but I would recommend checking one out for sure.

Good luck with your search (oh and I would personally stay away from an 87, there are MUCH better mics out now for that kind of money).

[Tetness]

Originally posted by not_so_new


For the record Norman, Tracy Korby works right up the street from me (on the other side of the town actualy but you get the idea) and I have visited his shop on a few occasions. He knows is sh*t and any of his mics I have demoed have been killer (if I only had the cash). Others here will disagree but I would recommend checking one out for sure.

Good luck with your search (oh and I would personally stay away from an 87, there are MUCH better mics out now for that kind of money).

I'd agree. Korby, in my oppinion, is the way to go. For around 7gs you get four mics in one. And the best of the best. He tunes his capsules from the best vintage mics that come across his desk. For instance, he's making a Sony 800 off the same one Eminem uses. His 251 capsules are so good, that he took Kid Rock's prize 251 (22,000$) and created a matched pair for stereo.

Korby rules!

[steins]

I'll second the Korby. With the 4 capsules, you should be well covered. I didn't think the capsules would sound much different from each other, but they do.

I've never had the pleasure of using a vintage C12, 251, 47 or 67, so I can't comment on how close the Korby is to the originals, and frankly, I don't care. It's a great mic on its own.

Stein Tore

[joeq]

Originally posted by not_so_new
Actually what frustrates me about these threads is the obvious answers (what works for your voice, what you like to hear, what musical style etc.). These answers are so obvious they don't need to be repeated to death each time a person asks the question.

If you ask me, it's the question that's being repeated to death.

If a poster is not using the search function, then he probably needs to hear the 'obvious' answers first!

[not_so_new]

Originally posted by joeq
If you ask me, it's the question that's being repeated to death.

If a poster is not using the search function, then he probably needs to hear the 'obvious' answers first!

Well that is a valid point but if you do a search you will see the same "it depends on the singer, the mic pre and the phase of the moon" answers on every thread as well. Search a few of these and you give up and just post the same question which elicits the same answers.

I agree not enough searching goes on before posting, I think we are all guilty of that for sure, but most of the replies really miss the actual question which is not "what is the best (insert some gear here)" the real question is "with my limited budget what piece of gear should I get to cover most of the bases knowing full well that there is no one size fits all." That is the question that does not seem to get answered very often although I bet if you look deeply into the questions being asked it is the single most popular question 'round these parts.

[JulianBrightnes]

Neuman M50

[not_so_new]

LOL

Yep that would about do it huh???

[wwittman]

The mic pre could not be more irrelevant to the question.

Whatever the mic pre is, it's as good or bad as it is.
It won't make one mic better than another or worse than another.

Yes, it's always best to set up an array of vocal mics and try them on a singer... and see what's best.
but no one has EVERYTHING to choose from, and you really don't need to have everything because there's also no, one, 'perfect' sound.
Only sounds you like and that work together.

So while the question, as exactly asked, is elliciting these "can't say" responses (and some voodoo) there may BE a real question here that can be answered...

let's say you are going to be locked away in a desert island studio for the next few years.
you get to take one vocal mic with you and you'll have to use it for every singer who comes in the door ... men, women, crooners, jazzers, rockers, screamers and the odd whistler.
And by the way, info on the desk and its preamps is unavailable.
You guys telling me you couldn't POSSIBLY make a choice?
I think that's silly.
We make those choices all the time!
You get called to a studio and you look at the mic locker and you choose FROM that... not from the master list of great mics of the world.

so, i'll go first:
My desert island vocal mic is a GOOD (well selected) U-47.
There isn't a singer on the planet it won't work on and be great. (even if there might be some "better" mic for some)

If I have to pick a brand new off the shelf, order one from Mercenary mic... it's a Gefell UM900.


there... was that so hard?
<g>

[not_so_new]

Thank you William.... THAT is what I am talking about in a nutshell. Nothing is going to work for everyone all the time but some are closer to working on everyone most of the time.

A U-47 might not sound as good on one singer as a Rode NTK but I would think the reverse would be true most of the time.

To bring something to the table I would say on the lower end I would choose a 4050 or a u87 clone like the iFet7 or something (which I think is a better value than a new 87). These two low end mics (this is the "High End" forum right ) will get the job done on many singers.

[dingo]

Originally posted by not_so_new
Well that is a valid point but if you do a search you will see the same "it depends on the singer, the mic pre and the phase of the moon" answers on every thread as well. Search a few of these and you give up and just post the same question which elicits the same answers.

So which comes first, the too-broad question or the obvious answer? Every "what's the best" thread ends up with obvious answers and/or a baker's dozen worth of suggested pieces. So.. couldn't one just look at previous threads for "the best" names? Can I get paid to be the guy who says "be more specific" or "UTFSE?"

Wait, those are obvious answers, aren't they?

Laziness! Where's my crack pipe?

[Tetness]

Korby.

[GMR]

I am still waiting on Fletchers opinion on these mics. I remember he received some and thought they sounded like they were broken but Korby would have sent some back by now. I don't know I wasn't there! But it makes me wonder were they really broken?

these threads are way too general and become annoying!
What beer is the best, you'll get 50 different answers!

[Dot]

Originally posted by wwittman
[B]The mic pre could not be more irrelevant to the question.

Whatever the mic pre is, it's as good or bad as it is.
It won't make one mic better than another or worse than another.

The mics pre is very relevant in qualifying the mic recommendation, because we're assuming this is a real-world recommendation needed and not just a theortical discussion. I see these "what's the best mic, money no object" threads often. The person who is asking about the "best vocal mic" who is running Digi 001 is very different from someone running API, Neve or something else on a more professional level. It may be that if there's not already a quality mic pre to use with the mic, I might recommend they consider splitting the budget between a better pre and the mic. Nothing in a recording system exists in isolation. I think any question about the rest of the system and the specific applications needed for the mic is more than relevant to the question.

[84K]

E lam 251
SM-7

[Zarathustra]

Best "all-around" vocal microphone of the 20th century?
Heard on more great recordings than any other?
The microphone David Koresh used to speak directly with God?

Neumann U47

[Tetness]

Must this madness continue?

[Zarathustra]

Sorry, I get a little punch drunk after 10 hours in PT.

[wwittman]

I've been using the UM900 a lot lately and is sounds terrific on most singers. (and instruments)

I've been using it with a discrete Neve 8078, with Daking modules, with an API console and with 312 pres in a rack, and directly into both a Digi 002 and last spring ona record I made mostly on a 001.

In ALL cases it sounded great and although it's clear that the 001 pre is not in a class with the API, in neither case does the preamp make the choice of mic.

There is no case in which I would say this is a good mic but NOT if you use x preamp.

[rwhitney]

last spring ona record I made mostly on a 001.

William,

Is that record available? I'd love to have it as an example of how something that is considered low-end can sound.

[Dot]

Originally posted by wwittman
There is no case in which I would say this is a good mic but NOT if you use x preamp.

No one's saying a mic can't stand on its own, William. A Gefell M900 is about a $4000 mic. The Sony C800G I've recommended in this topic is closer to $6K.

If someone is running cheap pres I'd ask them to also consider getting into some better pres. If all they had was the budget for the M900, I'd recommend they not get a mic like that and instead perhaps split their budget between a great mic and a great pre. In that case something like a Gefell M92.1S running through a John Hardy M-1 or API 312 would give another option to a $4000 mic running through a $40 mic pre.

I also think in this thread, the way Norman started it, he didn't really give anyone much info to go on other than "best vocal mic". I was actually trying to draw out some more information from him rather than just making blind recommendations.