Do I really need a condenser mic for vocals? cause...

crabtwins · 11th September 2006

I'm pretty sure Ive heard/read that condenser mics are absolutely better for capturing vocals. Now before I get the "there is no one solution" Im just saying. I dont have the luxury of buying a bunch of mics and finding out which is best. I am going to get a condenser mic soon to see for myself. But to my surprise i heard recently from someone that the condenser thing is a myth. That unless you are in a booth it will probably pick up ambience or something to that affect. I made this track with my shure SM58 (dynamic 2nd hand) does it sound bad?
Drug SOng
More importantly will a condenser mic sound much different? Only one way to find out but im looking for some pearls of wisdom here.

thanks.

Reza · 11th September 2006

Crabtwins: 27 posts

AdamJay: 2,226 Posts

Yo crab - Adam was just saying you posted in the wrong forum - no need to be rude. There's alot of knowledge on this board, but you need to show respect. When you're asking very accomplished producers basic questions, then be humble.

As to your question, it's true that you need a decent space to make a condensor sound great.

If you have a nice preamp you can get amazing results with a good dynamic. Check out the Shure SM7b (as opposed to the 58 or 57). Just do a search for peoples thoughts and you'll see it has a massive reputation.

That mic with a high end pre will give you results that for some applications can't be beaten (at any price) and certainly in an untreated room will offer the most versatile and proffessional tracking.

The thing with dynamics is they need a lot of gain - thus the pre is key. An SM7 with a shit pre will sound amateur. An SM7 with a great pre is world class.

crabtwins · 11th September 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reza

Crabtwins: 27 posts

AdamJay: 2,226 Posts

Yo crab - Adam was just saying you posted in the wrong forum - no need to be rude. There's alot of knowledge on this board, but you need to show respect. When you're asking very accomplished producers basic questions, then be humble.

Reza,

I thought Adam was being rude to me and tried to respond by giving my reasoning. whatever, I just get tired of the elitest attitude on many forums and I was like what the %$#@ I just asked a question. Well thanks for the info Reza.

I am not recording in a booth so maybe there is some validity of to the "you dont need a condenser" theory."

Adam-no hard feelings. bygones. I also master my own stuff so I was looking from the end. I just dont feel like I need to explain myself to people, so I get a little feisty. ok

MASSIVE Master · 12th September 2006

Forum aside - You really do NOT necessarily need a condenser mic for vocals. Shure's SM7, EV's RE-20... Both are staple vocal microphones. The more aggressive the vocal (rock, rap, metal) the more they like it.

Certainly not imlying that condensers don't have their place when it comes to vocals -

11th September 2006	#1
crabtwins Registered User Joined: Apr 2006 Posts: 102 Thread Starter	Do I really need a condenser mic for vocals? cause... I'm pretty sure Ive heard/read that condenser mics are absolutely better for capturing vocals. Now before I get the "there is no one solution" Im just saying. I dont have the luxury of buying a bunch of mics and finding out which is best. I am going to get a condenser mic soon to see for myself. But to my surprise i heard recently from someone that the condenser thing is a myth. That unless you are in a booth it will probably pick up ambience or something to that affect. I made this track with my shure SM58 (dynamic 2nd hand) does it sound bad? Drug SOng More importantly will a condenser mic sound much different? Only one way to find out but im looking for some pearls of wisdom here. thanks.

12th September 2006	#4
MASSIVE Master Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2004 Location: Chicago (Schaumburg / Hoffman Est.) IL Posts: 2,710	Forum aside - You really do NOT necessarily need a condenser mic for vocals. Shure's SM7, EV's RE-20... Both are staple vocal microphones. The more aggressive the vocal (rock, rap, metal) the more they like it. Certainly not imlying that condensers don't have their place when it comes to vocals - __________________ John Scrip - Massive Mastering, LLC - www.massivemastering.com Spoon-feed a newb some answer and he'll mix for a day - Get him to think about it and figure it out for himself and he'll mix for a lifetime --- JS

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11th September 2006	#2
Reza Gear addict Joined: Feb 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 409	Crabtwins: 27 posts AdamJay: 2,226 Posts Yo crab - Adam was just saying you posted in the wrong forum - no need to be rude. There's alot of knowledge on this board, but you need to show respect. When you're asking very accomplished producers basic questions, then be humble. As to your question, it's true that you need a decent space to make a condensor sound great. If you have a nice preamp you can get amazing results with a good dynamic. Check out the Shure SM7b (as opposed to the 58 or 57). Just do a search for peoples thoughts and you'll see it has a massive reputation. That mic with a high end pre will give you results that for some applications can't be beaten (at any price) and certainly in an untreated room will offer the most versatile and proffessional tracking. The thing with dynamics is they need a lot of gain - thus the pre is key. An SM7 with a shit pre will sound amateur. An SM7 with a great pre is world class.