Voiceover mic for the home studio

[dirk_v]

+1 for the PR-40. Probably the best money I've ever spent on a mic.

-dv

[lancebug]

Just to throw out one more. I have a beyer m99 that is kind 0f like cross between an m88 and an re20. It is my favorite mic on my voice, which doesnt tell you anything, Maybe just look it up at bsw.

[Kyle]

Thanks for the replys.

I'm going to audition a few mics next week and make my choice.

[friendlybunny]

This is a pretty good listening session (except for the mp3 quality).

http://www.transom.org/tools/recording_ ... otout.html#

[playonbrother]

Heil PR-40 all the way. i just got two of them and used them for guitars and vocals. awesome micrphone indeed.

al

[workshed]

+ 1 on the RE20. I've done a few VOs and that one comes through strong on a variety of voices, as well as being great on kick and screaming rock vocals.

[SMC Productions]

I'm sure you have recommendations for me.

I have a few things in mind (RE20, SM7) but I would love to hear your opinions on these or any other mics.


Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

SM7b, and/or Heil PR40. Everyone SHOULD have at least one! Both are AWESOME!

[dirk_v]

I don't know if anyone's said it specifically, but mics like the RE20 and SM7 (and the PR-40 which is in the same class, pretty close to the RE20) are the de facto standards for broadcast applications - you'll see them in pretty much any radio station's studio, and for good reason. They lend that meaty "FM" quality to voices pretty much automatically, and you'll get the added benefit of having a kick-ass all-rounder for kick drum, bass cabs, guitar cabs, vocals, etc. etc. to boot.

As an aside, if you're in the market for a condenser to use for VO, I like the Studio Projects C1 because it's also got a nice beefy low end.

-dv

[Angie]

If there's any message in my rant, it's to start with any of the quality microphones mentioned here, and then add a variety of others. Even those you would not think of as appropriate. You never know what you're going to face. Right now I carry, and have used, almost everything I own doing VO's. An RE20 is what I start with, but if needed I can grab any number of mainstream to oddball alternatives, and a few flavors of preamp.

Buy one nice one, bring everything you have.

dino

I totally agree! No one mic is going to work for every voice, be it a voiceover or a vocal on a song. The RE20 is my first choice for VO, but sometimes another one will work better. And you never know which it might be until you try it out.

Just the other day I was doing a voiceover (my voice in this case) on a promo and wanted several sections to have a different quality. Along with the RE20 and several other good mics, I decided to try an AT3525. I bought this mic just because it was cheap one day and have tried it on everything. I hated this mic, but I needed something different. I recorded about 4 tracks using different mics through a Hardy M-1 and had planned to use the RE20 as the main narration. But on playback, the AT blew it away. I guess I had never tried it on my own voice before. It still would not be my first choice for someone else, but it illustrates the fact that everyone's voice is different and you just don't know what is going to work until you try it.

[kayagum]

And on the flip side, you never know when a VO mic can save your ass on a project.

E.g. I had to build a bowed cymbal cue for a show last year, and the SM7 was the winner.

Everything is good but application dependent....

[uburoibob]

I will be the unusual one here. If by rock applications, you mean "rock singing" live apps, I would suggest something along the lines of a Sennheiser e865 or the Neumann KMS 104/105. If you mean studio rock apps, I would suggest finding a used Neumann TLM 103. If you want dynamic, I can't fault the recommendation of a Sennheiser MD 421 or an EV RE 20.

AND, it looks, from the banner at the top of the page, that you can save some dough buying it from BSW right now... Hmm.

Bob

[NewAndImprov]

I've been getting a lot of gigs lately recording spoken word/guided meditation stuff. Hey, it pays the bills, and the clients are really nice people. Anyway, that allowed me to justify buying an SM7 that I've been wanting for a while, and I really dig it. It has a way of making the voice sound really warm and intimate. I compared it to an RE20, and I preferred the SM7. It does take a lot of gain, though. Sounds great on trumpet and sax, and rock vocals as well. Imagine it'd be a great kick drum mic, but haven't used it there yet.