I was wondering what the best vocal microphone is and other vocal mics u all recommend.

Thanx!

thetimefan said:

are we talking Live or Session?

Live, as overrated as they are, the Shure SM58's actually ARE very good mic's. The SM58A's are probably even better as they have more prescence than the 58 IMHO.

In Session, if U got the budget, a Neumann U87 would be my first choice however these are relatively steep in price.
I've got decent results out of the Rode NT series, but despite their crude design, the Oktava series are supposed to be really good with a tolerable bass roll-off.

In all honesty, the a4mentioned is totally subjective and personal tastes evidently come 2 play here! But these are my personal choices!

'dre

Thanx 4 the info 'Dre.

I use the AKG C 1000S while recording at home and playing acoustic shows. We do use the Shures when playing with the band, though. Anyone familiar with the AKGs?

artist08 said:

Yup. I use one, too. BIG difference, much kinder to vocals (and I need all the kindness I can get).

artist08 said:

Yes, I use a AKG c3000. I like it, but I don't have much to compare it to. I think the 1000 is supposed to be great for acoustic stuff.

I use sure sm57 for recording electric guitar, though, and I would use one for vocals (or a 58) in a live setting. There is less bleeding through with this kind of mic than with condensers like the AKGs listed or the Neumann.

I use an old tin can and a string. I find that the range is somewhat limited, but there is little, if any, bleedthrough.

Additionally, it really pumps the mids without the use of phantom power or the need for a vocal compressor.

?zü

d:

Plus if you use the megaphone with it it can make Michael Jackson sound like Tom Waits.

artist08 said:

the AKG C414's are amazing recording mic's (although justifiably pricey), Whenever possible, I get sound engineers to use AKG C1000's as overheads or for cymbals when it comes to Live gigs. They are great too!

My mate (who's just toured the US with Glenn Tilbrook), uses the C1000's with his Korg MS2000 as a carrier mic for the vocoder!

'dre

I broke my mic over the last week . DAMN!

For recording, get an AKG SolidTube. Much cheaper than a Neumann U87 and it sounds totally awesome (I like it even better than the Neumann). Very clear and very warm, partly thanks to its tube pre-amp.
For live, you can't go wrong with an SM58.
But, as these things go, you have to try them out first. Different vocals and different music need different mikes. For example, many studio recordings of Mick Jagger were recorded with an SM58 because it just sounded best with his voice and his music. So there's no such thing as 'the best microphone'.
I mean, what is 'good' when it comes to sound quality? Does it mean 'sounds great' (=subjective) or does it mean 'virtually noiseless and no distortion'?
If it were the latter, large diaphragm microphones would never be used.

Very good prunts Erikd -

However, in my research for the perfect mic, (which yielded the results you already mentioned - there IS no perfect starter mic) I found a lot of people praise the mic pre-amp. I STILL haven't gotten one, but the folks I know who have gone and added one to their home studio seem to think that it's quite the bomb.

What does a mic pre-amp do? I have no clue. How much does one cost? The same as a microphone - you can get one for $69, and you can get one for $6900. When I go back to recording, which is gonna happen any day now, I might go out and get one.

This information is ESPECIALLY prevalent if you're NOT using a large-diaphragm mic. The SM58 is a good example. If you're going to use that mic for live and studio recording, then, yes, you would defnitely want the pre-amp for studio purposes. It does pump up the volume on the mic, but also, (for the tube preamps at least) they add that warmth and body to your vocals that seem to be missing when you just plug the mic directly into the board/PC.

Thanx every1 4 u r opinions!

I have decided on buying the Shure PG58 vocal mic, which is £50.

Thanx again every1 4 ur opinions!