Baritone R&B/Jazz singer ideal vocal chain...?

[SoulSpace]

Hello all,

Looking to improve my vocal chain. I do R&B/jazz/crossover, and I'm naturally in the low-baritone register. Have a nasty habit of having a slightly nasal sound and some boominess on the low end. Things I am working on with daily practice and loads of coaching...

Any ideas? My last CD was tracked using a Rode NTK mainly (or Blue Blueberry) --> Avalon 737 --> Apogee Rosetta --> Cubase.

Any mic, mic placement ideas? Preamps to consider/avoid? EQ settings? comps?

Thanks loads!

Samples available on my website, if interested...

[SoulSpace]

A couple of parameters....

Mics
Sony C-800G, out of the question.
Neuman u87, possible, any feedback on how this sounds on similar singers.
Braumer Phantom...?
AKG 414, never sounded good on my voice.
Neuman TLM 103, definite possibility


Pres
1073, API, VoxBox, considering
Groove Tubes Brick, definitely considering

Comps
DBX 160?

All-in-one boxes are cool/preferable, I really like my Avalon, maybe just a U87 would do the trick? I never used one.

[James Lehmann]

Notwithstanding the fact that obviously your singing technique is 10x more important than anything in the recording chain...

I'd definitely demo the Brauner Valvet - this is a superb mic that will give you a lovely mellow sound that I think would definitely suit any material where a warm, intimate sound is required. It's by no means neutral (not necessarily what you want here anyway) but it's a very musical mic that will definitely flatter most voices.

Given that the Valvet already has a distinctive and very pleasing warm sound of it's own I'd be tempted to pair it with a clean-sounding, transparent pre, rather than anything else that would colour the sound further, so that what you hear really is just the sound of the your voice and the mic; Cranesong and Grace Designs pre-amps come to mind as contenders here (of the pre's I've tried).

My $0.02