What mic do you favor for vocals?

I know I know....this can almost be like a Mac .vs PC discussion. It seems that from almost every customer opinion list I read on any given mic( or anything else for that matter) the results and experiences differ between users, although most comments are positive and not the other way around concerning microphones.
 
Microphones seem to be one of the most subjective things in existence especially in the lower to mid price ranges. If you spend enough money to be a debtor for the next several years you are pretty much guaranteed  a good mic that most folks rave about. I envy the guys who work at the big studios and have access to the best mics. But that's not me and probably never will be me. The good thing though is that for a lot less you can get a good microphone for a lot less money, but a good microphone for you might not be a good one for me, still for those in similar situations a comparison seems like a good thing.
 
I have been doing some research and I think I have it narrowed down pretty well but I don't want to let on too much yet until after the things I'm watching  are over. IOW I don't want any unwelcome competition. I'll let on a little bit but not too much. I have a few of those Chinese mics but it's time to step up a notch or two. I also have a fairly good assortment of dynamics. I need a good condenser. FWIW there are some cool mods for some of those cheaper mics. Although I like a lot about the most common Chinese mics I don't want one of them to be the first thing someone sees in my studio if I take in work and I want to go with something that guys who work regularly in studios use without going totally broke.Mainly though, I want something I can use regularly that gives good results in my situation. Guitar, maybe some percussion or harmonica and vocals.Primarily vocals though.
I'm not interested in tube mics or transformers. I like FET tecnology and surface mount technology seems more reliable in the long term. I'm not looking for light compression in a tube mic or transformer noise. Pad and pattern switches would be helpful but I'll probably be primarily using a cardoid pattern in my studio.
 
A few well known names came to mind and one in particular caught my interest commonly referred to as a "workhorse" mic by professionals. Among these workhorse mics are a few that have become staples in most studios even if they aren't the go to mics, they keep them around.
 
Getting a freq. response chart is almost like pulling teeth with some of these companies. You hear descriptions like "smooth" and "silky" . I'm thinking as opposed to what "lumpy" and "bumpy"? I don't know of any mic that really fits that description. It seems a lot like snake oil to me. I managed to finally round up a few freq. charts on the mics I'm interested in and it is fairly common for a decent condenser to add some "air" to the mic by adding a small gain at the 6-10KHZ region and above. Some of the more common decent mics in the mid ranges accentuate freqs. in the ranges of vocal singing and speech and these are some of the more popular mics. The coloration is like EQ added going in before anything else. I DON'T think this is my mic because my voice is a little harsh in those ranges. I need something that is more neutral in that range. I don't want a mic that colors anything.
 
One range of mics that I'm looking at has the added advantage of having many customer comments relating the experience that the mic. makes the vocals stand out in front of the mix. The mics I'm using now need to be driven pretty hard in order to be more sensitive.
 
The most desired tenors and the best female vocs need totally different treatments in totally different ways and so when someone says that one mic does it all I am skeptical. 
 
I am curious what your favorites are and why if you care to share. I know at some point that with similar constructions it comes down to splitting hairs over what works well. Do you use a figure-of eight to get more air in a vocal? What works best for you?
 
For the last several days I have almost driven myself crazy looking and comparing. This might make it worse .lol.
 
 

Can of worms stuff this. I've decided that hiring or loaning a selection of mics is going to be the best way of selection. That way you get to listen to what they sound like before you fork out. There are quite a few companies that provide this service.
I've found that one mic is not a "do all". In particular male and female vocals can be very different and require different mics to capture the tones of these voices.
I keep going back to my Rode NT1-A for lots of instruments, works well on guitar cabs, horns and acoustic guitars, and it seems to work really well on soft female vocals. Having said that, i can't use it on my voice, it brings out too much of high mids and I get a nasty raspiness that is totally unacceptable (could be my voice though). It is also not the best on loud, raunchy female vocals either.
Good luck with your search, let us know what you find, I for one am always interested in microphone comparisons and am always found in that section of magazines going through the specs and thoughts of the users.

sven450
Based on my very limited experience, it seems more and more like really sweating one mic or another, or one set of pickups over another, or any of the things we obsess over is just a futile exercise. It can be kind of fun to shop, and compare, but when it comes down to it, how much can you really hear in the end? Keep in mind I'm
talking about rock or pop mixes. If you are recording quiet jazz, or intimate folk or something I suppose it matters a bit more, but with the way most vox are eventually EQed, compressed, and placed in the mix, how many people (experienced or not) can really tell the difference between this $300 fet mic or this $1000 tube mic? Can you tell I'm playing my 68 jazzmaster on this rock song? Or is it my Squire tele? Is that a $5000 Bock mic? A $200 AT? An SM58?
 
 
　
Sven, for someone with very limited experience your observations are astute.
 
You can also compare your choice of microphones with different mic pres to further muddy the water.
 
Having said that:
If you have a modest budget and you need a condenser, you can't go wrong with the Audio Technica 4033; Guitar Center sells them for around $350 or so.

"I have a few of those Chinese mics" I don't have a Chinese mic? Mine is German or Austrian, Neumann or something like that? I like it just fine.

Neumann, wasn't he on Seinfeld ?

I've got a Mogami edition MXL As well, I don't remember which model. It seems a little dark as well. I usually give it just a slight boost at around 5K. It's all I can really afford for this hobby right now, but it does a descent job. I feel that the room is way more important as well.

Any mic has a chance to sound great on some particlaur source on any given day.
 
A lot of $300 pacific rim mics will not sound good on some voices.
 
There's a *famous maker* mic that costs $3599.95 that sounds horrible on a lot of voices too. ;-)
 
If you only have a few mics you can certainly make the one you use sound their best in post.
 
If you have a handful of mics you will learn that they certainly sound different and that some can or can not be persuaded in post editing to get to the same place when you are done.
 
best regards,
mike

Thanks guys I appreciate your sharing your own experiences.
 
Mike as I understand it the reason a lot of mic makers got away from tubes and transformers is because they add noise to the signal that isn't there with an FET mic or something along those lines. The noise they add some like, especially in the case of tubes. I don't think I have ever read where a user was ecstatic about how the transformers in his mic sounded though. I can see the argument for tubes on some level but for me it just doesn't seem to be worth the extra effort and expense to actually add noise to my signal. I'm not disagreeing with you but I don't necessarily the the return on investment nor the gain in fidelity.
 
In guitar amps. yes. In mics...no so much from my perspective. Maybe I'm missing something- We advance technology forward and then we seem to regress in the name of retro. If what you are actually looking for is a mic with some light compression at the expense of signal quality then I would be there. The whole issue of using tubes in mics is probably another involved discussion. I would be curious to hear a blind test between an FET mic and a Tube mic on the same vocalist to see how different it is...another consideration is tubes wear out, burn up and short out. Not necessarily a good long range plan for a mic you plan to have around and use for years to come.
 
Rebel I remember when the Rode NT1 was just coming out and all of the raves it got. They definitely have a foothold in the industry. I have seriously considered them as well.
 
Sven I totally agree. There seems to be a small difference in mics. Much smaller than most who make them would have you to believe. I think that manufacturers have liberally thrown marketing hype out there. I do think there is a difference on certain material and in certain applications which vary with the user and sometimes that seems to be determined by the user individually. You mentioned guitar pick ups.There is certainly a difference in clarity between certain kinds of guitar pickups. Some are muddier than others and not as defined.
 
Some of the things that could be taken as hype IMO are: Large diaphragm, gold sputtered diaphragm, artificially aged(yes that was an actual statement in the lit.) Even the use of Mogami cable. How much is using Mogami cable really going to help if it's on a sub 100 dollar mic? 
 
Mike, you and sven have by most accounts a really nice mic in the MXL V60 series. They made several different types of them in that category and some folks swear by them,yet Sweetwater won't dare carry them in their catalog. Why? I'm guessing it's because they want to be associated with high name recognition and MXL ain't it.Actually I'm being hypocritical if I say I don't feel similar. I don't want a  paying client to see "MXL" as my main recording mic.No more than I want to see my auto mechanic using Harbor Freight tools to service my car. Not that they are bad mics. I have been using an MXL 990 and it is passable. With a mod it could be Neuman like and I mean VERY Neuman like.. I don't think the addition of Mogami cable makes or breaks the V67 mic though.
 
Gold sputtered? Now much gold are they using. It can't be much. Have you checked the price of gold lately? If you sell me a gold sputtered mic made in China and I payed 39.95 for it then  it probably isn't worth mentioning.Maybe they mean gold paint sputtered??? I really don't think I'm going to hell if i buy non-sputtered. Is this some kind of a comparison? Can you tell me the difference in a blind test between sputtered and non sputtered?Artificiallty aged??? I'm probably artificially aged but that's another subject. How the heck do you "artificially age" something? It probably helps I'm just not sure how and I'm betting they don't want you to know too much about that.
 
Large diaphragm?? Please tell me how the SM 57 won a few blind mic tests when stacked against the likes of the U87 on vocals. Don't believe me? It's true.
 
http://transom.org/?p=7517
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ilwoAbd3n8&feature=youtu.be
 
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/gear-shoot-outs-sound-file-comparisons-audio-tests/766252-wow-awesome-mic-shootout-video-comparing-12-popular-vocal-mics.html
 
Would you say the differences between these mics are drastic ?
 
 
So what does that really say about diaphragm size? I actually tracked my last busy mix with my ND767a dynamic and guess what? It surprised me. I can see the logic and reasoning behind large diaphram condensers....a larger surface area more capture. Probably true that they are better for smaller vocs.I had a similar experience when using my SM57 on a mix years ago. It sounded amazingly good for what it was. That mic is laying in the bottom of an old tote I carry to gigs sometimes. I never babied that mic and it still sounds good.If Mt. St Helens explodes and melts everything I'd be willing to bet you that my SM57 will still probably be there in that bag and doing ok.
 
So if we can't necessarily trust the criteria that the mic makers are sending our way the only thing left are personal accounts, actual use and personal testing of said mic.  I trust users experiences more than the claims of a company when it comes to mics.For me it boils down to longevity,dependability and performance, not necessarily in that order. Features like multiple polar patterns and pad switches are also helpful. Good clean powerful gain circuitry and  the ability to accurately reproduce without much EQ are definitely goals.
 
 

tom1
sven450
Based on my very limited experience, it seems more and more like really sweating one mic or another, or one set of pickups over another, or any of the things we obsess over is just a futile exercise. It can be kind of fun to shop, and compare, but when it comes down to it, how much can you really hear in the end? Keep in mind I'm
talking about rock or pop mixes. If you are recording quiet jazz, or intimate folk or something I suppose it matters a bit more, but with the way most vox are eventually EQed, compressed, and placed in the mix, how many people (experienced or not) can really tell the difference between this $300 fet mic or this $1000 tube mic? Can you tell I'm playing my 68 jazzmaster on this rock song? Or is it my Squire tele? Is that a $5000 Bock mic? A $200 AT? An SM58?
 
 
　
Sven, for someone with very limited experience your observations are astute.
 
You can also compare your choice of microphones with different mic pres to further muddy the water.
 
Having said that:
If you have a modest budget and you need a condenser, you can't go wrong with the Audio Technica 4033; Guitar Center sells them for around $350 or so.

I've got some great results from my 4033 over the years

I read a lot of mic reviews and both the AT4033 and the KSM44 get reviewed very well most of the time.  I had a subscription to Recording Magazine for quite a few years and they would do shoot outs on vocal mic's about once a year.  I recall the AT2020 doing quite well with most of the judges on the blind reviews as well.  They always would comment about it being a bare bones, no frills mic, but very pleasant sounding on many of the voices they tested.  
 
Bat, I for the life of me can't remember which famous producer it was in one article I read on the KSM44 singing praises of that mic and how it was becoming his goto mic for almost all situations.

i know joe barresi really likes em....

 
I believe Joe is the one I read the interview on.

Bat I thinksome beginners  tend to trivialize a mic purchase in not realizing the importance of  having a decent mic from the beginning. Part of me wants to go out and buy these things like candy used but I know that effort might not yield the best results, however it could give me more choices. Kind of similar to guitars I guess. There are just tons of middle range guitars out there that fit a lot of players budgets. Usually only after years of looking do some players go out and spoil themselves with a spouse killing purchase. Some can do it with no problem and more power to em'.
 
I think where we started to go wrong was in looking at a particular brand as a bread and butter item that was necessary  i.e. pro tools and the U87. Quality was determined by either name or cost. I no longer believe that to be the case across the board. I think it has been proven that mics are a lot more alike in some cases than they are different all branding and cost aside.
 
This is why I think these mic comparisons are a good idea. I'm certainly not slamming the guy who owns and uses the most accepted kinds of mics or software, but in many cases the decision is weighed against budget as well as performance and In in many cases the emperor has no clothes but noone will come out and say it.
 
If you go on the web and visit a well known studio you will likely see a lot of visual candy. Fancy consoles and cool looking asthetics. But how many of them are posting sound files? I know a few  post examples. Now imagine that the visual is no longer there and it all falls to the ears. Honestly a few of our members including yourself produce some killer tracks. You might have made it in a dingy room with unattractive looks. It really doesn't matter. The same applies to mics IMO. I think the blind tests pretty much confirm that I can save a lot of money on a mic :)
 
Mike- How is your kit coming along?

I bought a Sennheiser, and it works, I guess to me that is all that is important. (and like anything you can change the tone a bit with a channel strip or other type hardware).
??
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MK4
 
But then I am likely to use something most other people won't I guess.
Works fine for me I suppose.
They left off some switches I suppose but I don't really need those.
 

Funny Mccue. That ADK Kramer uses would probably be a better choice for a top end mic or the one Bat mentioned the KSM44 or at the least on the same footing. Of course I would be willing to bet there was a little payout to Eddie for plugging the mic and this might have had something to do with his choices. We haven't really went into the top end mics that AT makes either. 
 
Makeshift (Mike) yeah....we seem to always come back to the SM57. I sing on an SM58 and it is a really a good mic. The 57/58 share most of the same DNA. Behringer makes a copy that is probably as good,at least to my ears. I would never have believed it until I used Behringer at a place I played. The results don't lie.
 
Another trend seems to be making really nice condenser mics that look like dynamics for live performance. Several manufacturers have them out and I have considered them. For one thing it's the form factor that most performers are accustomed to using. The design lends itself better to vocal techniques IMO and if the specs are as good why not? In some ways it might work better in the studio because the mics are  resistant to handling noise. Honestly I have great success many times with a solid mount. I guess if you live in CA. when those tremors come through you really need it. I'm not in the habit of slapping my mic stand when I sing or even bumping it. Maybe some vocalists just can't keep their paws off the stand.
 
I have heard several comments in other forums along the lines of  "any anomalies can be dealt with by EQ" If the mic is a few db high in the 3khz range then simply EQ out the discrepancy. It is really that easy? If it is that easy, then the divide between mics is even smaller. I think there is some truth to that .From my own experiences though I differ slightly.  I  think you get a more pure vocal, or guitar , or whatever if you have what you want at the beginning and don't need to add additional signal processing or EQ in order to get good results. In my case I have trouble getting a decent vocal at all, so I use every trick in the book to sound mediocre, but usually the more I try to do the worse it gets, so I go from passable mediocre to downright sucky mediocre. Going in with good vox can iron out a lot of   anomalies.

You're just itchin' to get at a soldering iron aren't you?