What mic?

[chk23]

Originally Posted by stevenmalcolmson

Hey just had a question , looked on the site but I want more specific advice,

I have a small home studio, I write songs for others but I need my demos to be really well done to stand up against other songs being pitched/sold to artists also I do intend to do some solo stuff for fun,

I'm on a budget max 200 and looking or a vocal mic mainly for a strong male vocalist I already have se x1 and sm58 I've used se2000 which was nice .. The se x1 is ok though it's a bit harsh the sm58 is great , but if you guys/gals have anymore suggestions or perhaps a pre amp?


Steve.

If you don't have a preamp and are recording into the pres of your audio interface, an external preamp would be a great improvement. Two pres I could recommend within this price range are the GAP pre 73 and the Art Pro MPA II. Both slightly above your budget, but maybe you get a decent used one for the price.
You might also check the FMR Audio website - I personally don't have any experience with their stuff, but I heard a lot of great things about their products and that you really get a lot of bang for the buck there.

As for the Mic: That's always difficult without knowing the voice you want to track. For a strong male voice I would try out an sm7b for example, but that's also slighly above your limit - but there are dozens of other good mic-recommendations on this forum.

[indie folk guy]

I think the best bang for buck if you are looking for stock quality and not something to mod in a preamp is the Warm Audio WA12. The Pre 73 to my ear is more pleasing than the ART MPA. They aren't unusable stock but I think to really get the most out of them modding them is really where they shine. The WA12 comes with high quality components and great sound from the start I was demo'ing one and ended up ordering a pair.

With that said there are also a lot of nice mics for voice check out KEL audio he has some terrific choices. It'd be stretching your budget but a used Neumann TLM102 wouldn't be bad and they have popped up around $400 before. You may consider a large diapgraghm dynamic mic like a Heil PR30, Beyerdynamic M88, Electro-Voice RE320, etc. I actually have two handheld PR30's that I'm looking to sell if you'd like to try one I can do $200 paypal with free cont US shipping. Blue Baby Bottle is a great choice at $400 new for a good condenser.

Ultimately how I work is start at the source (singer/room) then work my way down the signal chain microphone (how it's placed, used, etc), preamp (make sure an appropriate flavor is chosen), sound engineer (talent, etc)

[Adam Chesi]

Kind of an important question here, what do you have already? It makes a big difference if we know your current setup and don't spend all our time shooting out random recommendations when you may already have something better. Also, will this mic be doubling as something else or exclusively for male vocals?

[ROBOCOPROBOT]

With a good performance, good mic technique and some creative mixing, you can make both a low-end mic pre and microphone sound decent. It won't sound like something recorded on a u47 with a super experienced engineer, but at least it won't sound terrible. So for your budget, I'd go with the mic pre. There are some decent ART tube based preamps for around $130-$199. I can't remember the make/model, but I think there is a dual channel mic pre that has both tube and solid state mic pres, to give you some variety.

If you do want to get another mic though, I'd try to budget another $100 for a Blue Bluebird or a Blue Baby Bottle. The Blue Bird is a little bright, so it can cut some of the bassy drone from male vocals, and the baby bottle tends to be a little darker and warmer, so it can balance out a high tenor or compliment someone with a good tone.

[indie folk guy]

Originally Posted by Adam Chesi

Kind of an important question here, what do you have already? It makes a big difference if we know your current setup and don't spend all our time shooting out random recommendations when you may already have something better. Also, will this mic be doubling as something else or exclusively for male vocals?

SM58 and SE X1, as for the rest of the signal chain I can't tell you all I know is he wants something for a strong male vocalist

If the X1 is labelled as bright I might suggest a Blue Baby Bottle usually it works well with male vocals but some may say it's too dark, I really like them

[Adam Chesi]

Originally Posted by indie folk guy

SM58 and SE X1, as for the rest of the signal chain I can't tell you all I know is he wants something for a strong male vocalist

I was meaning the rest of the signal chain. It doesn't help him if we're telling him to get a new $200 pre if he already has a quality $400 preamp.

[RCM - Ronan]

The SM58 is a great mic, so if that is working for you and you own it, keep on using it.

[cheu78]

What preamps/interface are you using?

Regarding the mic you should check out for a Violet Design Black Knight used (maybe ebay?) they usually go for 300$.. absolutely worthed IMO.

If you have 200$ to invest, I'd probably go the DIY route..
Or try to score some used mixers, like some soundcraft or the new A&H zed stuff, the preamps are pretty good for the money.

I hope this helps,



Cheu

[omtayslick]

Originally Posted by RCM - Ronan

The SM58 is a great mic, so if that is working for you and you own it, keep on using it.

SM57's and 58's will definitely produce a decent quality demo recording, providing that all the other elements are in place. (song, performance, ok preamp/ interface, etc)

[Bill@WelcomeHome]

Originally Posted by stevenmalcolmson

... I need my demos to be really well done to stand up against other songs being pitched/sold to artists...

I'm on a budget max 200 and looking or a vocal mic mainly for a strong male vocalist I already have se x1 and sm58 I've used se2000 which was nice .. The se x1 is ok though it's a bit harsh the sm58 is great , but if you guys/gals have anymore suggestions or perhaps a pre amp?


Steve.

The first part of the question: a lot of guys get themselves into trouble in this area thinking that they can baffle the buyer with great production techniques. A good song, well recorded, can sell. A good song buried in crap might not. A bad song buried in crap is still a bad song and will not sell.

There are so many decent vocal mics that you should have no trouble finding one that fits your voice. The 57 on a budget would be my obvious choice, I used one for years before I discovered the Beyer M-88. There are inexpensive mics in the Audix line too that sound great.

Moving to the large diaphragm condensers, just about every house on your block is probably selling their own branded Chinese knock-off. A lot of the other guys here are more familiar with these models than I, but I did like a couple of the Studio Projects models that I heard in particular. I had a couple of early versions of the Cascade/SE mics, didn't impress me very much, but the SE guy was very aggressive and curious about seeking opinions at the trade shows, looking to improve his company products, so I imagine that their are some viable options there. Likewise, ADK offers some decent choices.

Unless you find fault with what you have, I would not be in a hurry to throw low-ball money at this issue. And in my opinion, a mic pre is not going to sell your songs. There is a whole pantheon of improvements that one can make to a recording setup to make it sound better but the truth is that to do what you say you want to do (sell songs), keeping the system simple and clean is the best idea. Spend your time and efforts writing better songs. Then if you sell one,. buy a better rig, just because you have the cash.

[MikeInOttawa]

I have a slightly OT question for the OP- what other instruments is the singer going to be accompanied by? That might make a big difference if you're looking for a decent sounding song. For example, if you have a strong vocal performance but it's done with tacky GM midi instruments in the background, it may not sound good at all. However, if it's something you're doing with decent samples/synths/acoustic instruments it may turn out quite well.

Also, the OP mentioned a "strong" male vocalist. Is he going to be really belting out his part? If so you may want to work with a dynamic mic as opposed to a condensor. I see nothing wrong with sticking with the SM58. If it's going to be a vocal track where the guy is more reserved, I'd go with a Studio Projects B1. I've gotten good results with mine, and it's about $100. Spend some more money on a really good quality mic cable and you're still well within budget.

[indie folk guy]

Originally Posted by MikeInOttawa

I have a slightly OT question for the OP- what other instruments is the singer going to be accompanied by? That might make a big difference if you're looking for a decent sounding song. For example, if you have a strong vocal performance but it's done with tacky GM midi instruments in the background, it may not sound good at all. However, if it's something you're doing with decent samples/synths/acoustic instruments it may turn out quite well.

Also, the OP mentioned a "strong" male vocalist. Is he going to be really belting out his part? If so you may want to work with a dynamic mic as opposed to a condensor. I see nothing wrong with sticking with the SM58. If it's going to be a vocal track where the guy is more reserved, I'd go with a Studio Projects B1. I've gotten good results with mine, and it's about $100. Spend some more money on a really good quality mic cable and you're still well within budget.

and who told you that mic cables made that big of a difference? I seriously hope that part is a joke

learn to write and arrange songs well
learn to perform them well
learn to make do with the tools you have at your disposal

good music sells bad music doesn't (if you have a well performed, well arranged, well written piece) people will want to listen to it regardless of the gear you use

I just doubt that with your budget you are really going to buy a single piece of gear that will transform your recordings.

honestly your money might be best spent for an SE Reflexion Filter or some type of room treatment GIK acoustics makes a set of sound panels you could use as a sort of iso booth. It won't be glamourous but assuming that the music is solid the room is probably the last piece of the equation that would stop you from making a good recording.

What interface/preamp are you currently using?