vocal mic choice - dynamic or condenser

[jaz49]

@Keithmoonwannabe -

Thanks for taking the time to listen to my songs. I appreciate the feedback. I listened to a couple from your MySpace page. The vocals on "Who am I supposed to be" sounded real good. What equipment did you use? And, nothing wrong with your singing either! The song you did with the e835 can't compare...not even in the same ballpark at all. That's what I find with my e835...not a good mic, IMO...I had to process the vocals A LOT to be able to listen to them without embarrassment. Have you heard any of the Kel mics? From what I've heard they might go a long way towards eliminating the sibilance and harshness that I'm getting with the AT3035. I don't know much about the Heils, except a couple of people recommended them and a couple more gave them a thumbs down. Are they anything like the classic dynamics...the RE20 or SM7b...or is that all hype? The guy from Kel audio told me his mic, the HM-2d was kinda like a cross between those two. Well, he would, wouldn't he, being a salesman for the company...or perhaps it was the owner, Kelly. Seemed like a nice guy anyway. I have been using some fairly rudimentary room treatment with comforters etc, but it hasn't done anything for the harshness. Will be back at it again later tonight. I should be getting an MCA SP1 tomorrow. I figured for $40 it's worth a shot...can't be any worse than the e835 which I will sell anyway. I just downloaded the free version of Colortone...which is supposed to warm up digital recordings. It definitely helps to get rid of some of the harshness from the vocal tracks. I'm going to mess around with that until I come up with a good deal on a decent mic.

[Blast9]

The HM-2D is nice and smooth and rounded - High end tails off at 16K I believe.

However in your room, the pick-up pattern is gonna be crucial.

IMHO your problem is the possibly Mic pres - even though they are "quite good" according to some on this thread, I've found that cheaper pres don't do dynamic mics justice.

Mind you, its normally that dynamics sound wooly and high output brighter condensers sound harsh because they are pushing the pre too much.

Anyway - just food for thought

Is the EMU powered by USB?

PS have you tried a de-esser on existing tracks?

[jaz49]

Originally Posted by Blast9

The HM-2D is nice and smooth and rounded - High end tails off at 16K I believe.

Thanks for the thumbs up on the Kel mic. Might be even better with a vbt-1 or DMP3. How do the HM-2d's compare to the mic that a lot of people have recommended...the SM-7b...do you know? I know the Kel is a condenser, and the SM-7 is a dynamic, but the guy from Kel compared his mic favorably with the Shure.

Is the EMU powered by USB?

No...a separate DC adapter.

PS have you tried a de-esser on existing tracks?

Yes. It helps a little, but both mics are REALLY bad with the ssss's and t's. i have to zoom in on each bad consonent and edit it out with a volume cut. It works, but it's very time consuming, as you can imagine. You can hear the results on the last two verses of "Little Easy" (133sec. into the song) on my Myspace page MySpace.com - Le Jaz - LONG BRANCH, New Jersey - Folk Rock / Country / Alternative - www.myspace.com/lejaz I got rid of most of the sibilance that way. The first song was done with the e835 and the sibilance still shows up in the chorus...the verses aren't too bad.

Thanks

[jaz49]

Blast9:

What mic did you use for the vocals on "Liquid Eyes"? Sounds real good!

[Blast9]

Well I have never used the SM7 but judging by the spoken word stuff on the Kel site it is certainly close, though the SM7 is a bit rounder/more solid in the mids.

They sound quite close on the elec gtr clips too... Nicer than the 57.

OTOH there are some clips on GS where a guy compared various mics on elec gtr, and teh KEl sounds pretty horrible!

I've used it on a bright-sounding acoustic gtr and my voice (clean and overdriven >>> Chameleon Labs 7602 mic pre)

Sounds nice and fat, not harsh - this has something to do with the pre too, though - high headroom with transformers and decent EQ.

I'm not entirely convinced the VTB-1 will be miles better than your current set-up though...

LIQUID EYES - Thanks! That was not my mic or my desk or my studio

Vintage AKG C12a >>> Neve VR 60 FF >>> Tubetech comp thumbsup something to be said re toobs and xformrs!

The C12a has a nice clear high end bright but not too bright