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[Chris Grimshaw]

Room is not treated as a studio would be but I have the mic and shield positioned in front of a wall and in a spot in the room that gives me a sound I like - BUT yes if I were to step back and 'allow' the room sound in, it wouldn't work for me. I stand pretty close to the mic.
Stage mics -  the KSM8 and E935 are probably my nicest.

I'd put those mics on a stand each and see what you think, before pulling the trigger on anything else. Lots of great records have been made with dynamic mics, and the condensers don't need to be expensive, either - Amy Winehouse's Back to Black album used an SE2200a on vocals. You can get a few of those for $1000.

GAS is fun to have (mine has struck in the mixing desk direction), but I think it's important to assess whether the current equipment can do the job before making a purchase.

FWIW, if you're looking for the mic to do double-duty and work on-stage, I'd look into small-diaphragm condensers.

Chris

[Debbie Dunkley]

I'd put those mics on a stand each and see what you think, before pulling the trigger on anything else. Lots of great records have been made with dynamic mics, and the condensers don't need to be expensive, either - Amy Winehouse's Back to Black album used an SE2200a on vocals. You can get a few of those for $1000.

GAS is fun to have (mine has struck in the mixing desk direction), but I think it's important to assess whether the current equipment can do the job before making a purchase.

FWIW, if you're looking for the mic to do double-duty and work on-stage, I'd look into small-diaphragm condensers.

Chris

Good point - I'll try them for sure as I already own them. SDC wise I have AT4041's that I use for drum O/H and I really like them.

A few years ago - in a pinch I recorded a friend - male with raspy vocals - through an Audix F15 and I was VERY pleasantly surprised at the results - so it is possible to have some success with microphones that are not necessarily designed for this purpose.

[Mark Scrivener]

Good point - I'll try them for sure as I already own them. SDC wise I have AT4041's that I use for drum O/H and I really like them.

A few years ago - in a pinch I recorded a friend - male with raspy vocals - through an Audix F15 and I was VERY pleasantly surprised at the results - so it is possible to have some success with microphones that are not necessarily designed for this purpose.

Yes, by all means, try ALL the mics you currently own.....you may be surprised. The RE20 is a great vocal mic (Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, and others have used it), it is also commonly used as a kick drum mic! So don't look at your kick drum, overhead, guitar cab, what ever mic and think "this could never work for vocals". Try it, you might find just what you're looking for.

[Debbie Dunkley]

Yes, by all means, try ALL the mics you currently own.....you may be surprised. The RE20 is a great vocal mic (Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, and others have used it), it is also commonly used as a kick drum mic! So don't look at your kick drum, overhead, guitar cab, what ever mic and think "this could never work for vocals". Try it, you might find just what you're looking for.

Will do!!

[Debbie Dunkley]

I see that Zen sells WA (Warm Audio) mics - all moded it seems. Basically Neumann clones again I think. I was reading about them too yesterday and the reviews are really good. Has anyone heard them?

[Mark Scrivener]

I see that Zen sells WA (Warm Audio) mics - all moded it seems. Basically Neumann clones again I think. I was reading about them too yesterday and the reviews are really good. Has anyone heard them?

Warren (Zen Audio owner, and the guy who answers the phone) is a straight shooter, no BS. Call him up and ask him his opinion...he might even have clips posted.

[Richard Penrose]

Hi Debbie,

Most of my work is studio based. I’ve had a whole bunch of mics here to try and do a/b’s on a range of vocalists. The list of mics that I’ve used are :-

Peluso 2247
Brauner Phantom
Gefell M1030
SE Gemini2
Neumann TLM102
AKG C414 b-uls
Shure KSM32
SE2200T
Audio Technica AT4040
JZ V11
Miktek MK300

However, the standout mic that I’ve used is the Vanguard V13. This is a 9 pattern tube mic that really excels on a wide range of vocalists and is my first choice on every vocal and voice over I’ve recently done here. The other mic that has stood out is the Miktek MK-300 which is an unbelievably cheap 3 pattern transformer balanced mic. I preferred this mic to most of the the other more expensive mics and surprisingly they only cost £179 in Europe!! This sounds brighter than the V13 but not harsh like the SE mics and Neumann TLM102. The Shure KSM32 and JZ V11 are also nice mics but to be honest, my V13 pretty much does all the vocal jobs here now.

Vanguard offer a free 14 day trial of their mics so may be an option to listen to them yourself.

[Debbie Dunkley]

As an update.... I was able to borrow an AT4050 from a friend of a friend to try out and I LOVED it. It sounded really good with my voice so I purchased a used one on eBay in mint condition - I won the auction.
I haven't used it to record yet but I am very excited for my next project. Thanks so much for all your suggestions everyone.

[Tim Halligan]

Tim, are you still willing to get in contact with your friend in Graham?

Sure.

Are you looking to do a mic shootout there, or are you going to track your vocals there?

Cheers,
Tim

[Tracy Garner]

Neko Case apparently prefers an AT4050 for studio vocals over whatever high $$$ Neumanns or anything else she's encountered.  How much do you sound or want to sound like Neko Case?

I just let someone borrow a AT4033 (female voice) who is recording her book for Audible. I chose it because it doesn't need to be close mic'd and I prefer it over a broadcast or standard "studio vocal" mic for the task.

[ProSoundWeb Community]