Will a low end mic and the PC2A T-Type Leveling Amplifier make my vocals sound better?

So does the PC2A T-Type Leveling Amplifier eliminate the need for a mic locker? Can I now just use an inexpensive low end mic, say $100-$300 price range coupled with this new module and get a great professional sound?

Short version - no. Or rather, if your mic doesn't produce good recordings, then it doesn't produce good recordings. There *are* good cheap-ish mics out there, though. $300 can get you a good vocal mic if you choose carefully.

syntheticpop


So does the PC2A T-Type Leveling Amplifier eliminate the need for a mic locker? Can I now just use an inexpensive low end mic, say $100-$300 price range coupled with this new module and get a great professional sound?

Absolutely. Roland could bundle the PC2A with a nice mic and sell a bunch of both.

$300 can get you a decent mic, certainly something usable.
$100 can get you a 58. Again, a very usable mic although not ideal for a studio mic (but good to have).

Certainly you can get a pro sound, but in no way will it replace a mic locker

Wow, I didn't know they had their own line of mics.

An SM 58 is better than useable. Try to find a professional studio without one or six for that matter.  That being said, a good mic and software is no replacement for a good engineer.

Yeah, very good point. There is no magic gear that makes pro sound on its own.

I'd be equally concerned about the preamp too.

Ya know ... funny story here. Well, not really, because I'm $300 in the hole for nothing now.

I wasn't happy with my 30 year old high end Peavey mic. Did some research, asked some friends, finally bought a Blue Bluebird mic. $299 and a midline $299 tube mic pre. Got some fantastic recordings.

One day I tried to do a dual mic recording and hooked up the 30 year old Peavey and started messing with the Impedance setting on the mic pre and voila', the 30 year old Peavey sounded every bit as good as the brandy new $300 Bluebird. Funny thing, the Impedance adjustment had no effect on the Bluebird.

I think the room, pre-amp, out of box compression, position of current mic, will have a much greater effect on your recording than upgrading to a $300 mic. Of course, if you're upgrading from a $10 Radio Shack mic you may hear a difference.

 

Yeah, I'd rather record in a good sounding room with a £50 mic than in a bad room with a £1000 mic. I'm neither joking nor exaggerating.

syntheticpop


Wow, I didn't know they had their own line of mics.

They don't.  It's a re-badged AudioTechnica

carl


I'd be equally concerned about the preamp too.

I agree 100% .. 

preamp is the key then .... find an sm7B ,refurbished or a Rode or mxl mic, a good preamp and you're good to go

syntheticpop


So does the PC2A T-Type Leveling Amplifier eliminate the need for a mic locker? Can I now just use an inexpensive low end mic, say $100-$300 price range coupled with this new module and get a great professional sound?

Are you serious? Joking, right? If you have not been able to create a good sound with what you have in SONAR, like the Vocal Strip and LP-FX, you sure can not do it with PC2A either.
 
And of course, if I take you litterally: You can not get  a "great professional sound" without great professional gear and studio, but with a 300$ mic you can get a professional sound that is quite good for commercial releases, if the recording room is reasonably good.

Spend $100 on SE Electronics X1 mic.
Decent preamp like Onyx in Mackie BlackJack for $200.

...and yes, you'r pretty well off having a nice recording quality for $300.

That's a good start.

Rode has some nice condenser mics in the $200 range. 

Thanks for the input. I thought the PC2A could maybe make up for a low end mics sound quality since it's smoother and warmer characteristic. So a mic and also the rooms sound is also key to a good quality recording, huh? But, won't adding effects and all that stuff cancel out an untreated room? What I mean by that is, won't adding all sorts of mixing effects and then mastering make an untreated room's sound unnoticeable?

What I mean by that is, won't adding all sorts of mixing effects and then mastering make an untreated room's sound unnoticeable?

I don't think so. It will only enhance the bad acoustics and make them worse. 

The "fix it in the mix" scenario is the wrong approach. You need to start with the best possible sound to begin with. You can enhance a good sound to a certain point...but you can't fix a bad sound.

First, I don't think there is a replacement for a good mic. period.  As others stated above the room is important as well but you can help that some with a decent reflection filter.  (The foam doohickeys that sit behind your mic) 

It's going to take some work to make a 300 dollar microphone sound like a modern day pop artists vocal chain.  The good news is, depending on your ears, experience, music usage and standards, the word 'professional' is subjective and you may be able to achieve it quite easily with a SM 58 and some EQ.
 
Second - If you have high standards then a 300 dollar mic will probably not cut it in the long run, especially if you are comparing your recordings to modern music and are using 1 mic to record various instruments.  
 
 

syntheticpop


Thanks for the input. I thought the PC2A could maybe make up for a low end mics sound quality since it's smoother and warmer characteristic. So a mic and also the rooms sound is also key to a good quality recording, huh? But, won't adding effects and all that stuff cancel out an untreated room? What I mean by that is, won't adding all sorts of mixing effects and then mastering make an untreated room's sound unnoticeable?

If the sound from start is a blur - no processing is going to smooth anything into clarity and definition.