Mics For Capturing,,, Intimacy?

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mechanicalmastering
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Mics For Capturing,,, Intimacy?

Post by mechanicalmastering » Tue Apr 17, 2012 11:12 pm

So I'll be on the set at this REALLY hot porn shoot all next week and I was wondering which SDC or Shotgun would most accurately capture a female vocal from upside down while she's giving a two dudes a - Psych! Whispers fellas,, what's good for capturing whispers and intimate vocal deliveries? Like, reeeeaal close-mic, breathy-type vox stuff. Maybe something a bit colored, yet somewhat detailed and attractive? Something that's pretty mid-rangy without a bunch of icepick freq buildup? What are we looking at here, tube mics perhaps? SDC's? LDC's? Broadcast dynamics/pre's? Any unusual techniques for this? What works?

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Gregg Juke
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Post by Gregg Juke » Wed Apr 18, 2012 6:04 am

You freaked me out good there for a minute...

LDC, tube would be great. The right ribbon mike can be intimate and "warm" without the "ice-pick" action. Maybe the right dynamic (Sennheisser 441? I haven't tried an SM7 yet, but I'm waiting on delivery, so maybe I'll let you know).

Any good mike through a decent pre should be able to get what you're looking for (at least what I think you're looking for); experiment. I guess I'd start with a tube LDC like the Rode or a Sterling. But I might also try the ShinyBox ribbon. I also have an MXL V67 with Scott Dorsey mod that rocks...

GJ

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Gregg Juke
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Post by Gregg Juke » Wed Apr 18, 2012 6:07 am

PS-- Depending on exactly what it is that you are trying to do (actually capture a whisper, or just add that quality to a standard vocal?), you could also throw some "character" at a vocal by adding a "whisper track." It's a pretty cool Mutt Lange technique that I've used a lot with singers that can handle doubling really well.

GJ

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vvv
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Post by vvv » Wed Apr 18, 2012 6:10 am

Protect the equipment!

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Post by cgarges » Wed Apr 18, 2012 8:12 am

I would think that some kind of high-quality shotgun mic would be awesome for this. Like one of the Sennheisers that are popular with VO guys. Beyond that, I'd think that anything with good distance sensitivity would be cool. Most of the mics that come to mind in terms of totally ruling for this are fairly expensive (U-47, C-12), but something like the Chameleon Labs TS-2 is a great-sounding mic with really good distance sensitivity.

Chris Garges
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Snarl 12/8
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Post by Snarl 12/8 » Wed Apr 18, 2012 1:40 pm

I'm wondering if the Rode NT1a might be good for this with its crazy-low noise floor. I think hiss is going to be an issue with the crazy amounts of gain you're going to need. From when I've recorded quiet stuff, it's been the limitations of my preamps more than anything that's hurt the tracks.
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rhythm ranch
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Post by rhythm ranch » Wed Apr 18, 2012 2:58 pm

I agree with Chris that...
cgarges wrote:...one of the Sennheisers that are popular with VO guys...
would be a good choice. The usual suspect is the 416.

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Brett Siler
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Post by Brett Siler » Wed Apr 18, 2012 4:43 pm

My first inclination would be to grab a sensitive and quiet LDC and a pre with a lot of clean quiet gain.

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Post by mjau » Wed Apr 18, 2012 5:39 pm

I've really liked a Blue bottle rocket mic with a B4 capsule (the Neumann omni sound-a-alike) for stuff that went really quiet. I've never heard a mic sound like the source like I have with that one.

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Post by E.Bennett » Thu Apr 19, 2012 10:03 am

Groove Tubes MD3a

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