Mid level mic's being used by pros's.

[Tube World]

I just got done looking at a video with U2 and friends recording an Irish song. The vocal mic was a SE Gemini II with a SE Reflection filter. Tony Bennett's Duets CD used a Audio Technica 4047 on all guest vocalist. It seems many big names are using mid level mic's these days for vocals. What does that tell you? It tells me unless you want a certain character of a high end mic, many mid level mic's sound just great. Sure they are going through high end pre's, EQ's and compression, but the mic is the first thing used in the chain. It tells me that I don't need to spend thousands of dollars on a mic to get pro vocal recordings. Of course you have to have a good vocalist to record.

[Drlove]

I believe I read somewhere on here that Nickleback used a Rode NT-1000 for vocals on the last album.

[Tube World]

Though some did not like the Gemini II on gearslutz, it sounded great on Bono's voice and the several others who sang on the song. It may be a nice alternative to my Rode K2.

[Andy W.]

Audio Technica 4000 series.
Mainly the 4050 and 4047

[Sid Viscous]

Originally Posted by Drlove

I believe I read somewhere on here that Nickleback used a Rode NT-1000 for vocals on the last album.

That isn't much of an endorsement.

[uncle duncan]

RE-20 - Radiohead
SM7b - lotta people

I can see using a AT4047 for traditional jazz, since that style of music already sounds crappy.

TLM103 - lotta pop artists use it when they're recording to their laptops out on the road. Considering that almost any LDC sounds as good or better than a TLM103, this would indicate that mic choice is not going to affect the success, or lack thereof, of a project.

[bee]

Originally Posted by uncle duncan

RE-20 - Radiohead
SM7b - lotta people

I can see using a AT4047 for traditional jazz, since that style of music already sounds crappy.

TLM103 - lotta pop artists use it when they're recording to their laptops out on the road. Considering that almost any LDC sounds as good or better than a TLM103, this would indicate that mic choice is not going to affect the success, or lack thereof, of a project.

I would much rather own a RE20, sm7b, and a audio technica 4047 than a tlm103 any day of the week. If you shop used you can find all three of those mics used for the same price of the tlm103 and have much more flexibility than tlm103 will ever offer. Different strokes for different folks.

[Sylvain]

Gnarls Barkley / Cee Lo recorded "Crazy"'s vocals on a Tlm103.

And if I recall correctly, Justin Timberlake's Sexy Back was recorded with a AT4060

[Karloff70]

I think most of the time people put more weight in the top mic's performance than is really proportional, especially in pop music with a lot of unnatural synths/spaces. Loads of midrange mics will give you a good result here, as it depends much more on the mix engineer knowing how to make it work. More crucial to match the right mic to the right voice to give him a head start than how much it cost.

Having said that REALLY nice mics are an unreplacable asset, especially when you're dealing with music with more natural space, which few midrange mics translate in the way a really tasty mic does. They are also more likely to 'sound good' on most things. Whether that particular flavour of 'good' is what's required however is a different matter.

'Sexyback' wouldn't have been any more effective if Timberlake had sung into a 47.....

[Volodia]

Originally Posted by uncle duncan

Considering that almost any LDC sounds as good or better than a TLM103.

I 'd rather have a TLM103 to mix than a lot of the "pre EQd" mics that are for sale at the

moment . There are trends on GS and bashing the TLM103 is one of them .

[Karloff70]

Originally Posted by Volodia

I 'd rather have a TLM103 to mix than a lot of the "pre EQd" mics that are for sale at the

moment . There are trends on GS and bashing the TLM103 is one of them .

Agreed about the bashing, but then I wouldn't say a TLM103 is the flattest mic exactly either........maybe compared to some superhyped MXL or something. It isn't as bad as being a valid excuse to not produce the goods in many circumstances however and the bashing is definitely out of control. It's not a 67 but if you can't make a decent sounding record using one for your vocal you(or the artist/or both) probably can't make a decent sounding record full stop.

[noah330]

Originally Posted by uncle duncan

RE-20 - Radiohead
SM7b - lotta people

I can see using a AT4047 for traditional jazz, since that style of music already sounds crappy.

You just made my day. Thanks

[tropicalhotdog]

Originally Posted by uncle duncan

RE-20 - Radiohead
SM7b - lotta people

I can see using a AT4047 for traditional jazz, since that style of music already sounds crappy.

Uh, sorry, but that statement needs some explanation. I guess I'm not sure what "traditional" jazz refers to, but most of the working jazz musicians I know have a lot more understanding of how to get a good tone from their instruments that do the working rock or pop musicians. Or is it that you just don't like jazz?

[Mike Brown]

The Avant CV-12 is getting a lot of love on the big records around these parts.

[Weasel9992]

Originally Posted by bee

I would much rather own a RE20, sm7b, and a audio technica 4047 than a tlm103 any day of the week. If you shop used you can find all three of those mics used for the same price of the tlm103 and have much more flexibility than tlm103 will ever offer. Different strokes for different folks.

I'm with him. Three great mics for the price of one crappy one.

Frank

[Svens]

The gap between midprice and expensive mics is closing in terms of quality. I love my Gemini 2. Compared it with several topnotch mics and singers and the Gemini blew them away. I wonder how the collaboration with Rupert Neve works out.

[Martin Kantola]

Originally Posted by Tube World

Though some did not like the Gemini II on gearslutz, it sounded great on Bono's voice and the several others who sang on the song.

Are you talking about the video online? Linked from the SE website? If so, the audio quality is so crappy can't say much. But we know Bono sounds gorgeous on a SM58...

Martin

[allencollins]

Originally Posted by Drlove

I believe I read somewhere on here that Nickleback used a Rode NT-1000 for vocals on the last album.

that explains it

[uncle duncan]

Originally Posted by tropicalhotdog

Uh, sorry, but that statement needs some explanation. I guess I'm not sure what "traditional" jazz refers to, but most of the working jazz musicians I know have a lot more understanding of how to get a good tone from their instruments that do the working rock or pop musicians. Or is it that you just don't like jazz?

I like jazz, but I don't like traditional jazz when it sounds roomy and murky. It's a subjective preference. In a roomy, murky setting, a 4047 would sound okay, since it's got a hyped presence range, and a dull 'air' range. In that context, it wouldn't stand out as being too hi fi. I have a 4047, and I sort of like the tone of it, but I don't like the quality of the tone compared to almost every other mic I own.

I keep forgetting to try it on mandolin, which I could have done today. Oh well, next time. (Some famous mando player swears by the 4047, but that would depend on the particular instrument, since mandos can vary from dull to rip-you-head-off-bright.)

[six_wax]

Especially for vocals, the price of the mic has no bearing on the quality of the recorded track. Christina Aguilera still tracks her vocals with a handheld dynamic, and Snoop's vocals are cut on a mid-priced SDC, cause they sound great that way.

Don't underestimate the value of matching a mic to a singer, or any other source.

[peeder]

Originally Posted by six_wax

Especially for vocals, the price of the mic has no bearing on the quality of the recorded track. Christina Aguilera still tracks her vocals with a handheld dynamic, and Snoop's vocals are cut on a mid-priced SDC, cause they sound great that way.

Don't underestimate the value of matching a mic to a singer, or any other source.

According to our robmix, Ms. Aguilera uses a vintage Ela M 251 currently...

(I do understand bjork uses an SM58 though)

[Svens]

Originally Posted by six_wax

Especially for vocals, the price of the mic has no bearing on the quality of the recorded track. Christina Aguilera still tracks her vocals with a handheld dynamic, and Snoop's vocals are cut on a mid-priced SDC, cause they sound great that way.

Don't underestimate the value of matching a mic to a singer, or any other source.

That said, I think an engineer decides what's in use at a session. Snoop records on whatevers there and sounds good, just like Bono or Miss Aguilera I suppose. Check out the pic: Snoop 'n Willie behind a Gemini 2. Next time, I'm sure its another microphone. Don't underestimate the value of the singer him- or herself.

[Raygun]

I don't own any real high end mics but I do have access to some vintage Neumanns, AKG:s, RCA.. Myself, I only own a AT 3060 and a ADK mic. Most of the time, I get to use the Neumann U87 and it sounds absolutely amazing. But for some things, we just can't get better results than using the ADK. For example, I used in on a demo recording but trying to do a "proper" recording with "better" gear it just sounded wrong. I'm sure that for some tasks or certain sounds a really low level mic can be the best option. A good engineer should know this..

[chasman]

Originally Posted by six_wax

Especially for vocals, the price of the mic has no bearing on the quality of the recorded track. Christina Aguilera still tracks her vocals with a handheld dynamic, and Snoop's vocals are cut on a mid-priced SDC, cause they sound great that way.

Don't underestimate the value of matching a mic to a singer, or any other source.

do you know specifically what handheld dynamic Christina tracks with????
she's my favorite singer these days.

one other tiny thought that comes to mind...........I've read that paying the big bucks for an ultra fantastic mic is a case of diminishing returns alot of the time............you're paying thousands more to get that last 5 or 10 percent more quality...................just repeating what I've read.............I know that for some singers, it's a small price to pay for the level of excellence they bring to a performance.............

[AllAboutTone]

This could prove a point that sometimes the preamp is doing most of the work, i have always said i would rather have mid grade mic with high end pres rather than high end mics with shitty pres.

[Thebassist]

Dynamics aplenty all over the place. We all know the stories- Aerosmith uses a shotgun mic, MJ used an SM7 on Thriller.

I also personally love and use and have seen the Shure KSM series all over the place. If you want em, Im selling a pair... Nice middle ground between my dynamics and the "holy sh*t" mics.

[deeper]

Originally Posted by Andy W.

Audio Technica 4000 series.
Mainly the 4050 and 4047

And there you have it.

[peeder]

Originally Posted by Thebassist

I also personally love and use and have seen the Shure KSM series all over the place. If you want em, Im selling a pair...

[travisbrown]

The drums on a bunch of tracks on the new Bryan Adams album were recorded using Apex mics. Unmodded, as far as I know.

The engineer for Foo Fighters bought a sE5500 (C12 knockoff) off me for Dave G's vocals.

[dbbubba]

Originally Posted by peeder

According to our robmix, Ms. Aguilera uses a vintage Ela M 251 currently...

(I do understand bjork uses an SM58 though)

As I understand. a friend of mine has rented his vintage Ela M 251 to Ms. Aguilera's people for several years.

Also, I have used TLM-103s for many mic'ing situations over the years since they came out.
They are no better or worse than any given mic in any given situation.

I mixed a friend's CD where he used a TLM-103 and a Manley VoxBox for all of the vocals.
The guy has a small lisp, but he is a great rock vocalist with years of experience.
I might have picked a different mic, but no-one complained and quite a few "name" engineers have praised the CD.
One VERY picky friend of mine helped me master the CD and there were times where we fought a bit of sibilance.
I said that the guy's lisp contributed in a few cases, but my friend said that if I tracked the vocals I would have fixed it.
Would I have rejected the TLM-103?
Probably not, unless something spectacular was available.
I might have re-postioned it.