new mic or pre for a female voice?

[minister]

hiya...thinking out loud here, and invite people to think out loud with me.

just recorded a band and they are over moon happy, and are wanting to do more. i got the mic/pre combos that work for everything except the female singer. she has a small, but soulful and airy pop voice. not brittle, but not warm. a touch sibilant. but, really a nice young pop voice.

here is what i have:
for mics the only thing i would use on her would be the KIWI by B.L.U.E. other than that, i have a TLM103 , senn 421, 58, royer 122...none, really very good fpr vox.

AND FOR PRE's, i have:
ISA 110 (which i love); UA 2-610 (again, pretty great); NEVE Portico (fantastic, but for vocals?...); ISA 428 (hmmm, not quite); Millennia TD-1...maybe, but want more color and warmth.

(also have an avalon 747, and distressor el8-x)

i was thinking that i needed a new mic for her...but i can't spend thousands and thousands. $1500...MAYBE $2500... so i was thinking:

Pearlman TM-1
U87 ... but, i was never crazy about them...
Gefell M990
Soundelux U99

or _____?

or, should i get a different pre:

chandler LTD-1
Chandler Germanum
chandler TG2
Great River MP2
GR ME-1

or _______?

i am pretty sure that i can only ONE and not BOTH. and i don't have a way here to audition EACH.

i am leaning towards the MIC because i have a small locker...

thoughts?

[JGP]

I really like the Crowley and Tripp Studio Vocalist ribbon mic. Check their site or call they, they may still offer a trial period for you to check out the mic if your'e interested.
The mic has a nice smooth top-not dull like most ribbons-and has more output than most ribbons. I also like it on acoustic guitar.

[minister]

cool! thanks. i had heard about the crowley a while ago, but never checked it out and totally forgot about them... it looks very interesting.

[PHILANDDON]

AEA sounds incredible on a woman's voice

[Lanstar Zero]

What's not working regarding the KIWI? I ussually like that mic on airy female vocalists... Although it can get OVERLY airy/bright.

[Punchmo]

Originally Posted by minister

hiya...thinking out loud here, and invite people to think out loud with me.

just recorded a band and they are over moon happy, and are wanting to do more. i got the mic/pre combos that work for everything except the female singer. she has a small, but soulful and airy pop voice. not brittle, but not warm. a touch sibilant. but, really a nice young pop voice.

here is what i have:
for mics the only thing i would use on her would be the KIWI by B.L.U.E. other than that, i have a TLM103 , senn 421, 58, royer 122...none, really very good fpr vox.

AND FOR PRE's, i have:
ISA 110 (which i love); UA 2-610 (again, pretty great); NEVE Portico (fantastic, but for vocals?...); ISA 428 (hmmm, not quite); Millennia TD-1...maybe, but want more color and warmth.

(also have an avalon 747, and distressor el8-x)

i was thinking that i needed a new mic for her...but i can't spend thousands and thousands. $1500...MAYBE $2500... so i was thinking:

Pearlman TM-1
U87 ... but, i was never crazy about them...
Gefell M990
Soundelux U99

or _____?

or, should i get a different pre:

chandler LTD-1
Chandler Germanum
chandler TG2
Great River MP2
GR ME-1

or _______?

i am pretty sure that i can only ONE and not BOTH. and i don't have a way here to audition EACH.

i am leaning towards the MIC because i have a small locker...

thoughts?

I have used the u99 with good results on female vox and female bgv. If she is real sibilant, you should try mic positioning or a sm7 or re20.
Steve

[Punchmo]

Oh, and the pres are a Requiste, Manley or Neve.

[minister]

Originally Posted by Lanstar Zero

What's not working regarding the KIWI? I ussually like that mic on airy female vocalists... Although it can get OVERLY airy/bright.

i LOVE the KIWI. i use it onb everything and i think it sounds clear and open and full and rich and is very responsive to EQ changes later on. i think there is no better mic for these $$. i did an informal shootout in ,y studio with an 87, a beyerdynamic, a microtech gefell, a sony, all in the $2k range. everyone picked the KIWI. this is the only applicatiion so far where i have questioned if it was the right mic. it is fantastic on most singers.

but i want a little more body and warmth and, perhaps, silk on the top. her voice is somewhat small, but has soul. i just want add some body. so, given that i can only get one thing, is it a new mic or pout the KIWI through a new pre.

thanks for the responses so far. i will look into the ribbons if i can demo them...