New Mic?

[macr0w]

I know this topic has probably been beaten to death on every forum on the internet but please give me some input on this.

My current mic line up is as follows:
1-AKG 414B-ULS
1-Blue Baby Bottle
1-Apex 450 (that I F'ed up)
2-AT 3035
2-Rode NT-5
2-AKG C-1000s (of course)
3-Shure Sm-57
1-Shure SM-58
1-Audix D-6
1-Audix i5
2-AKG D-112
3-Sennhieser e604

I think that is all I have at the moment.

I would like to add a nice multi pattern tube LDC to my line up for a main vocal mic. I want to spend less than $2000.00 and you can probably guess the contenders in the running.

I have been doing alot of R&B type vocals both male and female as well as male "rock" type vocals. I also have been doing both male and female hiphop vocals. I am currently working on an oldies/beach music type of band which could be considered R&B. I'd like a mic that can be versatile and sound good on most sources.

I'm thinking one of the Peluso mics or maybe a Charter Oak. Do you think I would get good results with a ribbon?

Suggestions Please.

[???????]

you don't appear have a single ribbon (that I know of anyway... not sure what the Apex is... maybe it's one of those chinese ribbons?)

A tube mic would be great, but for $2000 you could get an old RCA 44BX or 77DX. Just another thought.

[Huntlabs]

I think the Blue Kiwi might be a good choice. On ebay they are well within your budget and they are a good sounding multipattern mic, a step up for what you have now. $.02

Or see if Hamptone will build you a mic but that will set you back about $2600.

[Professor]

Yeah, it's been beaten to death a bit, but everyone's locker is different.

I have a bunch of different ribbons around and I think all combined one has been the right choice for a particular voice & song on less than 5% of all the stuff I've recorded. Instruments are another story, and I use them on maybe every other session, but rarely on close voices.
Tube mics on the other hand, could cover maybe 50% of the close vocal work. I haven't been using them as extensively recently because I have some solid-state mics that do the job cleaner & easier, but I certainly could use 'em that often or more.

Looking down you mic list, my first thought (like it seems to be for a lot of locker lists) is to find a mate for that AKG C-414. Pair that puppy up so you have the flexibility of all those stereo configurations and that will satisfy a lot of your multi-pattern concerns. You might still want a multi-pattern tube as opposed to a cardioid only, but you'll still have maybe $1200-1400 of the budget room left to pick one up (assuming you find a used 414b/ULS). I haven't used the Peluso or Charter Oak, but I've done a tiny bit of listening to the ADK mics, and I think those are worth a listen. The price is right, and they're one of the few companies out there using "AKG-style" capsules in their mics, which would be the edge terminated ones like the 414 family and venerable C-12 family used. Lots of other folks use "Neumann M7 style" capsules with the center termination which I find favors a bright sound right from the capsule, so all the work to 'darken' the mic is done in the electronics. Again, I can't say that is the case for everybody, but it seems pretty common because so many are picking up their capsules from Chinese suppliers and only a few are picking them up from European suppliers that can make those designs.

But as always, your best bet is to get your face in front of a few different mics and try 'em out. Don't rely on verbal descriptions of tube mics from folks, because they all just end up being warm and smooth and silky, and whatever.

-Jeremy

[macr0w]

Yeah, I know what you mean about heresay. I plan on trying out a few different mics. I can't sing worth a $h!+ so it'll be tough to judge with my voice. But I'd like to get something that is going to last me a long time that I wont get tired or bored with.

I'm ok with taking users advice on a product I have never used before. I bought an EL-7 FATSO without ever hearing it an I love it. I also bought an API 6 slot lunchbox and a pair of 512c's without hearing them and I love them as well. Considering what I currently have, I would like to have one "nice" mic for vocals.