Hi
I am trying to find a good vocal mike for my vocals. I am a tenor
I have 1 AKG c414
I also have a AT 4060
I was told that Blue makes some good mikes
Has anyone used or have an opinion of Blue mikes
The Catus was recommended
Also the company Violet which I beieve used to be blue makea a mike called the Dolly DLX
aNY FEEDBACK ON THESE MIKES OR OTHER POSSIBILITIES WOULD BE APRECIATED
up TO 3,000
Thanks
Wailin

Hey Wailin, welcome to the forum!!

You've got two pretty darn good mics there - what don't you like about them?

mud

Hi, Wailin. Welcome to Studio Forums.

What do you like and/or not like about the mics you have? What are you using in the rest of your chain? e.g. preamps, converters, monitors, etc.

What kind/s of music are you doing? What kind of sound are you wanting?

Thanks Dot and Mud
The two mikes I have are pretty decent
I was just hoping to find the holly grail for my voice. I know theere isn't really such a thing but thought maybe a step up might point me in the right direction I have a relatively nasal voice so I was hoping to find a mike that was a little more full sounding than the 414 and 4060 in the bottom end Also maybe with a little more warmth.
They both duplicate well but the 4060 has some sort of overtone or extra note that is not to my liking and the 414 is a little harsh and flat.
I realize a good recording mike needs to be flat but i was hoping for a more fuller tone for my vocals.
I hope this makes a little sense
The Chain is
Mike into Aphex 1100 into 2480 via coax or r-bus if nec. I have alot of the plugins to use after the fact but was hoping not to have to eq or compress too much.
Thanks for your help guys
Wailin

Music is mellow rock
Monitors are tannoy precision 8
Room is treated somewhat still needs some work.

Wailin, do you have any clips we could hear with your voice on those mics?

I would recomend trying a shure sm7 for something a little different Garth Boooks and Allen Jackson use them

Hi Dot
I have some tunes I was working on to put up on the collabnation site
I'll send some links and rough mixes as soon as I finish some guitar parts hopefully this week
Also I wanted to redo the vocals (my week link)
but as long as you know this going in then you'll realize they need some help

quote:

the 4060 has some sort of overtone or extra note that is not to my liking

That doesn't sound right - are you sure it's not broken?

mud

Mud
got the 4060 new
It doesn't seem broken just a little extra something that I was not used to hearing
maybe because it is a tube mike?
It does sound pretty smooth but not as full in the low end as i would like
I'll try and post soon for comments
thanks again everyone

I "get" the extra harmonic...it's got a rasp to it. It's not because it's a tube mic. It's because it is what it is--a condenser that costs less than $3k. Over $3k, they still do...but, it's nice extra harmonics.

Thanks Popman

Maybe the 4060 should go on the for sale bin

Has anyone ever used a Blue Cactus or any of the Violet stuff

Neuman U87 or tlm103 149 0r 147
any of these good choices ?

We auditioned a Blue Cactus at our Blackbird mic shootout. On our singer it sounded the most like the vintage Neumman U47

quote:

Maybe the 4060 should go on the for sale bin

Mine did. But, I'd beware of the others you mention...the 87 and 103 have a lot of that non harmonic "rasp"...I've used 149s that had it, too.

I'll tell you...for my voice, here was my final faves:

#1- Innertube modded U87i (old version)
#2- U67 (various units-plusses and minuses to each)
#3- Tie for #3...Manley Black and the Shure Sm7b. Neumann U87i (old version).

#1&2 are $4k-5k mics. While the three in #3 sounded different...I couldn't tell you one was "better" than the others. The Manley sounded most like #1. The Sm7b sounded most like #2. The 87i is just uneventfully decent.

I've been cutting tracks with the Sm7b happily since. Sm7b+LA610. Nice sounding tracks. Ballads. Upbeat--equally nice. No doubt that one Inntertube mic is the "perfect match"...but, it's also not for sale. Buying piece and building one "like" it would be an expensive gamble. Know what I mean?

popman
can I hear some clips of the sm7 on your voice
I have a Tenor voice
thanks

Thanks p13 and popman
p13 what other mikes did you use on the shootout?
was this the mike you liked best
any sound clips ??
Popman
what is this innertube mod you are talking about?
thanks again
Wailin

quote:

Originally posted by wailinfree:
Thanks p13 and popman
p13 what other mikes did you use on the shootout?
was this the mike you liked best
any sound clips ??
Popman
what is this innertube mod you are talking about?
thanks again
Wailin

Not Popmann but HERE's a link to Innertube™ - after talking with Pop awhile back, I considered mod'g my old 87 but am holding off for now. For the money, I'd rather buy a couple more mics. I have no probs with my mic as is, but turning it into a U67 is intriguing nonetheless

Try and audition an SM7 if you can. Lovely mic and you will rarely hear anyone rag on this mic. Pop is also a tenor and it works well for him. Do a search of his posts and I'm sure you can find a link to some of his songs.good luck on your quest.

It REALLY doesn't turn it into a U67, FWIW. It really makes it much more of a bright C12'y kind of thing. My understanding is that it kind of marries a C12/251 style head amp with the 87 cap.

FWIW...I got to use a late model 87AI with the same mod in it--lacked the magic. Still a nice mic in the grand scheme, but there's something about this one. There's a history to the mic, too, I'm told...so who knows if the cap itself is even stock.

You want to hear a track with the Sm7b? Here's one...it's kinda faders up as far as the vocal (dry as a bone), but...shhh...tune from the record I need to find the time to mix:

2gether But Alone rough

FWIW....whole chain: Sm7b>LA610 (light limiting and 1.5db high boost).

I've since added a SpeckEQ to do a tad bit of mid sculpting on the way in...but, that's an older track.

Thanks I'll take a listen
have a great day