Need a good Condenser for my vocals (hip hop vocals)

Lyrikal1 · 14th August 2009

Hi Everyone,
I need help picking a good condensor microphone for my voice, I do hip hop vocals. I am gonna post a link to my songs so you guys can hear the sound of my voice. I am currently recording with just a really inexpensive dynamic mic directly connected to my computer. So I would very much like to improve my sound. If you guys could refer me to a good condenser mic for my voice, that would be awesome. Also a good preamp suggestion for the mic you choose for me, would also be awesome.

The link to my songs:

SoundClick artist: Triple A (Versatile) - Returning In The Future

The best song I have done IMO, is Dance All Night, Im the guy on the verses, so thats probably the best song to judge my voice on. p.s. click on the arrow beside the song, that says, play in hi fi, for best quality purposes.

Thanks so much guys!

roadsweeper · 14th August 2009

This might be better answered in the hip hop forum.

A lot of singers seem to like the SM7, not condenser but seems to work quite well with this type of music.

In regards to condensers, the AT 40 series are quite popular also. It doesn't really matter the style in my opinion, it depends on your voice and what sound you want. If you don't have a very good sounding room then I would go for a dynamic mic.

In regards to preamps, I think that the Avalon 737 is used quite a lot for hip hop and R n B vocals.

Lyrikal1 · 14th August 2009

Which Audio Technica Mic would you recommend is the best for hip hop vocals? I am guessing the Audio Technica mics must go pretty well with the avalon 737? So considering I go with the AT mics, which one do you recommend the best for hip hop with the avalon 737 pre? Also if it makes a difference, the top end of my budget for the mic is around 1000 dollars. Also, if you get the chance, you should check out the sound of my voice on the song "Dance All Night" the guy that is on the verses is me.
The site where you can hear it is:

SoundClick artist: Triple A (Versatile) - Returning In The Future

Darwin James · 14th August 2009

Welcome to the forum.

1) Vocals are vocals. Any quality mic can do the same amount of justice to any style of music. Hip-hop or rock, it doesnt matter to the mic.
2) A Mojave Audio MA-200 is a great choice, that is what I use, my vox sound excellent through it. A SM7 is highly recommended by people. Which is why I just bought one (not used it yet).
3) Do NOT by any means post this question in the hip-hop forums unless you'd like to be abused by a couple stuck up jerks who seem to get off on people coming in with these type of questions and belittling them. Stick in this forum.

Darwin James

antti · 14th August 2009

sm7 - neve - dbx160xt

= aggressive

c-800g - avalon 737 - tubetech cl-1b = smooth as a lullaby

but then again... 'whatever works'

Lyrikal1 · 15th August 2009

Thanks for the welcome! You guys have been a great help so far! Thank you! I was wondering if you guys could comment, about me using an AT4040 with a PreSonus FireStudio Tube recording system (if you have heard it or know the specs), running through a laptop. This may also be a stupid question, but I am very new to recording with "actual equipment" I am confused about what you guys mean by aggressive sounding and smooth sounding. My budget for the mic and the preamp together is about $1600 Canadian before taxes, maybe a tiny bit more. With the PreSonus FireStudio Tube, I could connect it directly to my laptop, which would probably be easier for me to use.
Let me know your thoughts.

14th August 2009	#1
Lyrikal1 Gear interested Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 3 Thread Starter	Need a good Condenser for my vocals (hip hop vocals) Hi Everyone, I need help picking a good condensor microphone for my voice, I do hip hop vocals. I am gonna post a link to my songs so you guys can hear the sound of my voice. I am currently recording with just a really inexpensive dynamic mic directly connected to my computer. So I would very much like to improve my sound. If you guys could refer me to a good condenser mic for my voice, that would be awesome. Also a good preamp suggestion for the mic you choose for me, would also be awesome. The link to my songs: SoundClick artist: Triple A (Versatile) - Returning In The Future The best song I have done IMO, is Dance All Night, Im the guy on the verses, so thats probably the best song to judge my voice on. p.s. click on the arrow beside the song, that says, play in hi fi, for best quality purposes. Thanks so much guys!

14th August 2009	#3
Lyrikal1 Gear interested Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 3 Thread Starter	So maybe an AT Mic?? Which Audio Technica Mic would you recommend is the best for hip hop vocals? I am guessing the Audio Technica mics must go pretty well with the avalon 737? So considering I go with the AT mics, which one do you recommend the best for hip hop with the avalon 737 pre? Also if it makes a difference, the top end of my budget for the mic is around 1000 dollars. Also, if you get the chance, you should check out the sound of my voice on the song "Dance All Night" the guy that is on the verses is me. The site where you can hear it is: SoundClick artist: Triple A (Versatile) - Returning In The Future

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14th August 2009	#2
roadsweeper Gear addict Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 421	This might be better answered in the hip hop forum. A lot of singers seem to like the SM7, not condenser but seems to work quite well with this type of music. In regards to condensers, the AT 40 series are quite popular also. It doesn't really matter the style in my opinion, it depends on your voice and what sound you want. If you don't have a very good sounding room then I would go for a dynamic mic. In regards to preamps, I think that the Avalon 737 is used quite a lot for hip hop and R n B vocals.

14th August 2009	#4
Darwin James Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 1,764	Welcome to the forum. 1) Vocals are vocals. Any quality mic can do the same amount of justice to any style of music. Hip-hop or rock, it doesnt matter to the mic. 2) A Mojave Audio MA-200 is a great choice, that is what I use, my vox sound excellent through it. A SM7 is highly recommended by people. Which is why I just bought one (not used it yet). 3) Do NOT by any means post this question in the hip-hop forums unless you'd like to be abused by a couple stuck up jerks who seem to get off on people coming in with these type of questions and belittling them. Stick in this forum. Darwin James

14th August 2009	#5
antti Gear addict Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: From North Pole to the Amazonas via Londonistan Posts: 309	sm7 - neve - dbx160xt = aggressive c-800g - avalon 737 - tubetech cl-1b = smooth as a lullaby but then again... 'whatever works'

15th August 2009	#6
Lyrikal1 Gear interested Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 3 Thread Starter	Thanks for the welcome! You guys have been a great help so far! Thank you! I was wondering if you guys could comment, about me using an AT4040 with a PreSonus FireStudio Tube recording system (if you have heard it or know the specs), running through a laptop. This may also be a stupid question, but I am very new to recording with "actual equipment" I am confused about what you guys mean by aggressive sounding and smooth sounding. My budget for the mic and the preamp together is about $1600 Canadian before taxes, maybe a tiny bit more. With the PreSonus FireStudio Tube, I could connect it directly to my laptop, which would probably be easier for me to use. Let me know your thoughts.