Microphone Advice

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Member Since: Jan 17, 2010

Hi:

Just joined - I am looking for microphone feedback. Wait, that doesn't sound right ... okay, sorry for the lame humor. Ahem ... I do not sing, but am strictly a voice artist. Right now working with logitech setup which is just pretty okay. I want to upgrade to something else. Have seen so much on Shure, Audio Technica, Newman, etc. I have a deepish, warm female voice and want the maximum clarity and tone for reading copy, narration books, etc. I record on Adobe Audition loaded into a Dell PC. Thoughts oh ye of equipment wisdom?

TreeFrog

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Member
Since: Mar 12, 2008


Jan 17, 2010 05:26 pm

Well, I would say shure sm7b, since it sounds great with all vocals and voice overs, and if you ever need to record music it does wonders for that too. I'm sure others will chime too, with other mic suggestions.
welcome to HRC.

MASSIVE Mastering, LLC
Member
Since: Aug 05, 2008


Jan 17, 2010 05:40 pm

Can't even imagine not having a SM7b. Should be a law.

http://www.unitedmusicians.info
Contributor
Since: Nov 11, 2007


Jan 18, 2010 11:18 am

Massive turned me on the the SM7b and for your application you couldn't hope for a better mic. I've recording a huge project right now with 5 vocalists and so far I've used the SM7b on everyone. Hit it with a compressor after recording and its voodoo magic. I've been using the following compressor settings on vocals with good results:

2:1 Ratio
10 ms attack
80 ms release
3.4 dB gain
-24 dB threshold


http://www.unitedmusicians.info
Contributor
Since: Nov 11, 2007


Jan 18, 2010 11:38 am

One thing to consider is that the SM7b is going to need a beefy pre-amp. Not sure what technical specs you should look for...if no one else responds with a straightforward answer I might suggest calling or emailing someone from Sweetwater. Don't under any circumstances trust a local guitar shop or Guitar Center sales people. I have had nothing but rotten luck in both realms. Ted Hunter is a guy another fellow on this forum told me to contact, he is very thorough and will make sure your needs are met.

[email protected] is his email.

John
Member
Since: May 06, 2007


Feb 19, 2010 10:56 am

Well, I was looking for a new mic, and was eye balling the Shure... was gonna post my own question about it, bit looks like visiting this thread has answered my question. Looms like I got a new mic to buy :)

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003


Feb 19, 2010 12:18 pm

I've been wanting a new mic as well. A Shure SM7b would definitely be at the top of the list. It was designed for voiceover and broadcast work. It's a dynamic mic but it's really taken the world by stom for a vocal mic. What else is it good to record? How is it on, say a guitar cab? Acoustic guitar?

I've been eyeing up a moderately/budget priced ribbon mic. Even a budget ribbon. The FatHead II ribbon looks very tempting. MXL released a ribbon mic for less than $100 and that's very tempting. Then there are the very popular Nady and Sampson ribbon mics, all of which are less than $100. I've read that a transformer replacement (about a $25 part) will step them up into the territory of a much more expensive ribbon mic.

I've heard that in the budget arena, ribbons sound better than most condensors for guitar cabs or sibilant vocals due to the high-frequency attenuation. I'm sure that there's a distinct EQ curve to budget ribbons that can be addressed with proper EQ. But from the user reviews that I've read, a ribbon mic is sounding better and better all the time for an amateur home studio.

Czar of Turd Polish
Member
Since: Jun 20, 2006


Feb 19, 2010 02:04 pm

I want the SM7b badly, just can't afford it.... after buying a mesa cab and a hollow body ;)

I would love one to use for guitar cabs and vocals.

John
Member
Since: May 06, 2007


Feb 19, 2010 02:40 pm

I hear ya Tripps. A friend of mine owns a local radio station and I asked him about the SM7b and he says you can't beat it for the price and how much you can do with it.

I just recently started recording a project for a couple of guys who may end up being my next band mates and for the first time I miced a cab here in the room with an SM57. May end up buying the SM7b here pretty quick and doing some tests with it... looking forward to that for sure.

Member
Since: Oct 01, 2008


Feb 19, 2010 03:07 pm

i'm using a sm57 is the 7b that much better than a 57?

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003


Feb 19, 2010 03:56 pm

Yeah, its a totally different mic. I don't think that it bears any resemblance whatsoever to a SM57.

John
Member
Since: May 06, 2007


Feb 19, 2010 03:57 pm

Meaning you think the Sm7 is a better choice??

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003


Feb 19, 2010 04:44 pm

For vocals, absolutely! The SM7b is a reknowned mic for vocals. From what I understand though, it needs a little more gain than most mics. But I'd imagine that most preamps would have enough gain available to bring the SM7b's signal up to snuff.

Member
Since: Oct 01, 2008


Feb 19, 2010 04:52 pm

i'm using a presonus firestudio project would that have enough for it?

John
Member
Since: May 06, 2007


Feb 19, 2010 05:02 pm

Thanks Tad. I was already thinking of getting one, but I am pretty much convinced after I have asked around.

So far in my collection (small collection) of mics I have a Shure sm57, Beta 58a, and an MXL V63M. Looking to upgrade to a better main mic and be able to record 2 vocal tracks at once with good sound. So I can use my MXL for one and The Sm7 for the main.

I have the Line 6 UX8 interface. It gets some pretty hot signals, so I think I"ll be ok for the signal.

PreSonus stuff is usualy really good for gain Rhino. My friend owns a radio station in the area, and he uses the SM7b with some sort of Presonus piece. You should be ok.

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003


Feb 19, 2010 05:09 pm

From looking at the specs of the Firestudio Project on Presonus' website, it say that the mic preamps on that unit have +60 dB of gain. From reading a couple of reviews, it looks like you'd have to turn the preamps up pretty high in order to get a good strong signal. But it should be enough gain for the SM7b. As long as your preamps don't generate a lot of noise when cranked, you should be fine. And as far as I know, the preamps in those PreSonus units are pretty good.

Anybody else have anything to add to that? Would +60 dB of gain be enough to drive a Shure SM7b to sufficient levels for recording?

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003


Feb 19, 2010 05:22 pm

RockWood, I can't find the actual specs for the amount of gain that the TonePort UX8 has. Line 6's website doens't get into that kind of deatil for some reason. The only manual I can see that's available that would have that info is the Quick Start manual, and it doesn't go into that kind of detail either. That's kind of disappointing, you'd think that they'd want to make that info readily available. You might have to call the company and see if their tech support could tell you what the actual gain is on those preamps.

John
Member
Since: May 06, 2007


Feb 19, 2010 05:24 pm

Well from what user Noize2U told me, the UX8 also has about +60 db of gain. So I should be ok. I saw a site that had the specs for the UX8 at one point, but forgot what the info on it was....

Member
Since: Oct 01, 2008


Feb 20, 2010 05:24 pm

welli decided to skip gettin my new monitor speakers and pick up a 7b,, got it today, guitar center only had the one int he display case left, and it did not have the box, or the bigger windscreen, i got it at 10% discount (coulda ordered one online but i'm a kinda spur of the momment guy) total price was 330.00 prob wont get to try it out till monday or tuesday tho.

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004


Feb 20, 2010 05:30 pm

Please let us know what you find out about it. Seems there's a following for that mic now (i'd buy one too, if I could).


John
Member
Since: May 06, 2007


Feb 20, 2010 05:39 pm

Yes Rhino please do. I am wondering exactly how much gain you really need tp push it. PJK was nice enough to shoot my a reply on my post about the UX8 interface with that mic.

So please keep us posted! Thanks!

Member
Since: Oct 01, 2008


Feb 20, 2010 07:42 pm

i'll let you guys know, i plan to set it and the sm57 up together and record at the same time thru them to see how much diff there is between them, the guitar center guy said the presonus would push it no problem, but then again those guys would probably tell you it could pilot a jet fighter and cure cancer if thats what would make you buy something.

Member
Since: Mar 12, 2008


Feb 20, 2010 09:52 pm

I used an sm7b with my firestudio project to record all the vocals for my bands CD, I did have to turn it up a little more than normal but the pre-amps are pretty quiet. If ya wanna hear it I have a song in my profile from the CD. It's metal, you have been warned.

Member
Since: Oct 01, 2008


Feb 20, 2010 11:04 pm

i'm loving it so far, on the sm57 i was gettin a almost high end feedback like freq on my vocals i had to try to eq it to keep it from being unbearable,, thats compeltely gone now, it feels so much warmer, i do have to crank it up several more notches than the 57, but their seems to be no problem pushing it.

one of my fave things is with the 57 it would pick up ppl walking around upstairs, the dogs moving around in thier kennels, lot of stuff i would have to gate pretty heavy to clear out, i get very little of that with this mic. i put both mics up an recorded some lines with both and the 7b just blows away the sm57. i was nervous throwin out over 3 big ones on it since aparently guit center wont let you return mics for money back or different mics, so once paid, its yours..


but 3 mutant thumbs up from me

Czar of Turd Polish
Member
Since: Jun 20, 2006


Feb 22, 2010 01:21 pm

Awesome, now I'm jealous all over again. Tripps want!!!!

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004


Feb 22, 2010 05:17 pm

I'm gonna have to put a filter on any threads with SM7b in it. I too feel the GAS!


=)

SM7b the Chuck Noris of Mic's
Contributor
Since: Jun 20, 2002


Feb 22, 2010 07:30 pm

so far one of the best mic's i own. I would say the SM7b,SM 57, Blue Baby bottle, and AKG C451 have been great buys( a little pricey on a home studio) oh and belive it or not the MXL 603's i have have been a nicw supprise. with thoughs I can record about anything that comes in .

John
Member
Since: May 06, 2007


Feb 22, 2010 08:31 pm

Yea PJK... I hear you... you warned me about this, and my g/f is already starting to give me the 'look' when I start talking gear hahaha.

So yea, you hit the nail on the head with that GAS thing haha.

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