I Need Some Color!

rystro · Post by **rystro** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 10:46 pm

Originally posted at GearSlutz but I think there is a better crowd around these parts that are likened to the style I'm looking for.... anyways.....

I need a vocal/acoustic microphone. Price point I'm looking for is $600 tops.

My vocal chain will be:

Apogee Ensemble (converter)
Vintech X73i (pre)

What microphone would compliment that chain to add even more color?

Vocal genre I'm looking for:
Wilco, Sufjan Stevens, Damian Rice

I've been suggested the following:
MXL V69
SM7b
AT4050 - I know I didn't really like the AT4033 so I don't know about this.

I've tried the M-Audio Sputnick and didn't like it at all.

One mic I did like but I can't find anywhere - and don't know if I would want to because of it's rep - but I did like the Equitek CAD E-350. It had some character to it. So maybe that might trigger something in someone's head of what I'm kind of looking for.

Can anyone help me out here? Remember: I want color! Something that really adds some character to the take.

Thanks!

syrupcore · Post by **syrupcore** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 1:13 am

welcome to the board.

from your list, the 4050 is the most amazing and most faithful to the source. the other two will add 'color' (can't really know what that means) and can be had for less than your budget. get them both and see if they work! If they aren't what you're looking for, they'll resell for about the same price. I own and love the v67g and used an sm7 for few years and loved it as well. I was going to get one myself recently but instead jumped on the bandwagon and got a Heil PR40. I love it and would call it colored.

thing is 'color' can come from anywhere. second hand shops and craigslist are filled with what I'd call color mics for dead cheap. of course, one person's 'color' is another person's 'shitty' microphone.

Mudcloth · Post by **Mudcloth** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 4:45 am

Welcome aboard. I agree with Will the moor about the AT4050. I hate to not recommend the 4050 but if you want color I would suggest the AT4047. I've never used an SM7 but they're supposedly similar to the PR40, which I have and love.
Now, I just got the PR20 and I have to say holy crap [I saved $15.00 through the BSW deal]. I got it for live use since I've always wanted a good live vocal mic. This is how good this mic is:
During sound check at my gig last Friday I walked up to my mic and said "Check, one, two." and the lead singer turned around and said "What is that? I want that!" The whole band started asking me about the mic. Not even sublte. I can't wait to record with it next week.
Anyway, I'd say it's colored simply since it made my voice sound great, which it isn't. For you're price point you could get a AT4047 [eBay. try musician's advocate]] and a PR20 and be loving life.

rystro · Post by **rystro** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 10:36 am

I guess what I mean by color is simply that the mic isn't squeaky clean. That it adds character to the signal. I already have an Apogee converter thats going to dial in a clean conversion, my Vintech will add some warmth, so now I just need a mic that will sit nicely in that chain.

As I mentioned I really like the character that Wilco has on his vocal chain as well as Damien Rice. However I'm sure they are using like $5-10k microphones.

So I hate to ask the question how can I afford a Porche if I have the budget for a Geo.

So I guess what's the best bang for the buck then? If there is one... which I'm sure there is.

I'd be willing to spend more if I'm convinced... however I do want to get the bang for the buck.

Recording Engineer · Post by **Recording Engineer** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 11:40 am

I recommend the Oktava MK012 Preamp Body for $139 plus the RTT M1 Lomo Head Assembly for $329, for a total of $478 plus shipping, from The Sound Room.

lapsteel · Post by **lapsteel** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 11:48 am

What do you mean by color? Do you mean warmth or a different frequency response?

Adding color could come from a different preamp, EQ, mixing a double vocal, etc. I'd recommend looking at some of the Blue mics.

Damien Rice's vocal comes more from him than the mic. Go to youtube and you might be able to see some of the mics he is using.

purple pie pete · Post by **purple pie pete** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 12:57 pm

In Wilco's "I am trying to break your heart" video, it appears that Jeff Tweedy used the BLUE Mouse and SM7. The Mouse is a bit out of your price range, but is an excellent mic. The SM7 is really versatile, and sounds good on most singers.

The 4047's are great all purpose vocal mics. They sound a little bit richer, warmer, and less sterile compared to the 4050. They take EQ really well, and usually benefit from a slight high end boost. I also really like them on drum overheads, guitar amps, bass amps, hand percussion and acoustic guitar.

You might be able to get both the 4047 and SM7 for slightly more than your budget if you buy them used.

@?,*???&? · Post by **@?,*???&?** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 3:11 pm

MUDCLOTH JONES wrote:Welcome aboard. I agree with Will the moor about the AT4050. I hate to not recommend the 4050 but if you want color I would suggest the AT4047. I've never used an SM7 but they're supposedly similar to the PR40, which I have and love.

SM7 great for vocal crap for acoustic guitar.

mysteriousmammal · Post by **mysteriousmammal** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 6:28 pm

You might want to look for an old Geffel mic. a 670 mic body, with various capsules you can find. I've got the omnis and I really like them. I got a pair for $500. Very warm, great on accoustic, horns, etc. Wherever you'd want a ribbon but need more gain, or in my case, want the omni pattern. Don't know if the cardiods are similar, I expect they're a little more scooped, just because of the pattern, but the overall character is probably similar. Great mics. SDC's, but great on voice too.

mysteriousmammal · Post by **mysteriousmammal** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 6:31 pm

Excuse me, I need to look at my own website more often. The bodies you're looking for are MV691's.

weatherbox · Post by **weatherbox** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 9:05 pm

where are you located?

4047s have a very distinct character. On my voice they're a bit too dark (If I had $6k to blow on a mic for my voice it'd be a 251 rather than a 47... er, maybe, an sm57 and a shitload of snickers bars) but it's worth trying one out. The Mouse is a killer for some vocalists, too. I guess that's the thing with mics that have a real character, they're more likely to be hit/miss with your voice.

Ryan Silva · Post by **Ryan Silva** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:40 pm

I just recently got a perfect condition RE20 on eBay for $370 and I think it sounds much more "unique" than your SM7, maybe because I am so use to the sound of a sm58 and the sm7 has very similar characteristics.

Ryan

dirk_v · Post by **dirk_v** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 1:06 am

+1 for the Heil PR-40. It's a sexy vocal mic, and it embodies some of the great traits of both the RE-20 and SM7. Plus it kills on drums.

-dv

Professor · Post by **Professor** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 1:35 am

The trouble with trying to find a "character microphone" is that there are many different interpretations of what "character" is.
I could name you some bright mics, some dark mics, some muddy mics, some nasally mics, some thin mics, and lots of other characters. I have a sneaking suspicion you're going to say, "warm" but even if you said bright, the whole problem is compounded by one other factor... not every voice sounds the same through a particular microphone. The SM-7b and RE-20 are a great example of this. I think of them, in general, as 'brighter' on the SM-7b and 'darker' on the RE-20. I also have a bit of a high voice... almost a convincing alto, unfortunately, and so I'd love to sound 'darker'. But my voice sounds miserably bad on an RE-20, just a thick muddy mess, while I sound pretty good (or at least tolerable) on an SM-7b. And it's been a pretty consistent experience for me that for simply speaking into either of these two venerable broadcast vocal mics, people either wound good on one, or the other, but almost never both. And it's completely unpredictable as to which it will be. I consider both mics to have 'character', but I couldn't say which one would deliver the character you are seeking.

And besides that, most characters associated with newer dynamic or condenser offerings, especially in your price range, tend to be pretty subtle characters. If you really want just a big heaping gob of character piled over your voice, then look into a ribbon mic, in particular a vintage ribbon like an old RCA or Reslo or something.

Is there any particular character you had in mind?

-Jeremy

rystro · Post by **rystro** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 3:39 pm

Professor...

"As I mentioned I really like the character that Wilco has on his vocal chain as well as Damien Rice. However I'm sure they are using like $5-10k microphones."

My voice is around the range of Jeff Tweedy and Damian Rice. You can listen to my actual voice here: http://www.myspace.com/ryanstrong - maybe that will help?

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