Hiphop Budget Mics

[rsunizt]

We are forming a new group and getting our recording gear together.The style of Hip-hop we are doing is west coast gangsta type stuff. We are looking for Mics in the $500.00 or less range, new or used. I have heard that a Shure SM7 or Rode NT1 or NT2 would be a good choice. Has anyone done this style of music with these mics?.. Or is there something else I should be looking at?

We will also be needing a good mic pre-amp to pair with the mic. We will be tracking our vocals and beats to Adat HD24 or to Harddisk via Protools. I also have another question regarding panning but I will start another thread for that.

[natpub]

Yeah, I think SM7 or RE20 be a good call. As far as a pre for the style, you can't go too wrong with a Avalon 737sp. You can find them cheaper on ebay, or buy one on payments from American Music Supply (5 payments of hmm, 399 or something?).

--K

[entropy]

a kwik search yeilded this:

http://gearslutz.com/board/showthrea...threadid=15149

[PaRaNoId]

For my hip hop sessions i use one or more of these mics- Rode NT1-A (incredible clarity), Sennheiser 421 (smooth and thick), Studio Projects B3 (normally is a keeper, very balanced in cardioid and omni modes), OR the classic Shure SM-57 (you should get one anyways, if u don't already own one)

[grouphome]

I use the AKG C414 B/ULS II all the time
for hiphop vocals
or the Neumann TLM 103 (when the U87 aint around)
with these 2 you cant loose

[XHipHop]

on the cheap i like at3035's.

[rsunizt]

I be checking those out, I want to try and keep it $1500.00 or under for both Mic and Pre-Amp, I have checked out the other threads concerning HipHop Mics, Pre amps etc.. But they are all tallking about combos out of our price range. I guess I 'll be checking out the SM7, RE20, and the AT3035, Will these pair up nicely with an avalon 737?

[Pohaku]

Go here for a Shure SM7b. Best price I've found for a new one - $295. Bought a used one from them a while back for $200.

http://www.bigdmc.com/new-microphones.html

[rsunizt]

Your right, good prices. Thanks

[Pohaku]

Actually, their prices for their other new mics are unremarkable (that's lawyer talk) -- but the price on the SM7b is quite good. For example, you can do much better on the AT stuff on E-Bay or 8th Street Music. BTW, I think the SM7b is a great mic that everyone should have. Mine gets a surprising amount of use on all kinds of stuff.

[eberrong]

I had a rapper in for a session last night. I used a Rode NT-1. It worked well, but he was a very dynamic rapper and I was having trouble getting a good signal without clipping. I can't help but think that a dynamic mic like the SM7 would have been better for this guy since he was so LOUD!!

[PTMixer]

AKG Solidtube!!!!

[djui5]

Originally posted by eberrong
I had a rapper in for a session last night. I used a Rode NT-1. It worked well, but he was a very dynamic rapper and I was having trouble getting a good signal without clipping. I can't help but think that a dynamic mic like the SM7 would have been better for this guy since he was so LOUD!!

Who was it? I record some rappers in Orlando

just being nosy

[eberrong]

It was a guy named Jojo. Hardcore street rap. He could sing and rap really well, pretty impressive. He was all about layer after layer of vocal tracks. It was my first hip hop session.

[djui5]

Cool...

[Teacher]

Originally posted by eberrong
It was a guy named Jojo. Hardcore street rap. He could sing and rap really well, pretty impressive. He was all about layer after layer of vocal tracks. It was my first hip hop session.

haha sounds like someone i record...

[WildCowboys]

wow, i seriously think that must have been a preamp problem - don´t think a nt1 would distort on any vocalist except maybe an opera singer shouting it out one inch in front of the grille.....
i really do not think a dynamic is a good choice for any rap studio recording....i made the experience that the sound changes much more when the rapper moves in front of a dynamic, and sometimes it just sounds bad that way and there is nothing you can do about it - except you want to spend some time cutting and eqing single words of the performance...


my advice is if you are going for a "classic" rap sound go search for a used gefell mt71 or 711, pretty cheap and very close to the sound of a u47fet. that´s dark but classy neumann sound - suits underground rap very well and sits solidly in the middle of a banging instrumental. if it gets too dark, just use a touch of hishelf eq or (dare I say it...) a touch of BBE. The 47 sound is almost "made" for bbe processing in my experience.
if you are going towards a more hi-fi sound, with more sparkle, like some of the badboy recordings and others, go for a bright one like the blue blueberry, and if that´s out of your pricerange maybe a blue lollipop capsule along with a used akg C451 micbody. if that´s still too much money, stick with the nt1a, it has similar clarity although with a bit more hardness in the upper mids.

rock on,
pat

[rsunizt]

Well I bought a mic today. I went for the EV RE-20 I think this will be a good all around mic, a friend of mine has the rode nt-1 that
I can borrow if he's not using it. Now I need to find a preamp that will go good with this mic.

Anyone using this Mic or have used in the past can you tell me of some experiences with preamps you have used? My absolute max would be about 1200.00 for the pre but I would really like to keep it $500-$700