Condensor MIc's for Live Vocals ?
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Posted on Oct 21, 2003 12:43 pm
Bob
Member Since: Jun 20, 2003
Is it not recommended to use condensor mic's for live vocals?. I want to do a 'live' studio recording of a 3 piece band (bass, guitar, drums, with 3 singers). I've got 1 Behringer B-2, 1 Rode NT-1A, and 1 SM-58, which I was thinking of using for the 2 guitarists & drummer vocals. There will definately be some ambient sound level in the room (we weren't planning to use headphones), although not as loud as a 'concert' setting. Would this work or should I stick to all dynamic mics?
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Oct 21, 2003 02:01 pm I guess that normally condenser mics aren't used live because they don't take to abuse very well, on top of the fact that they're really sensitive to sound. It seems to me that they would be very prone to feedback and they also pick up a lot of the other instruments at the same time (which you might not want). Of course, they're used live on choires and large singing groups all the time, so it depends on what you're doing. I think that Shure makes some high-end live vocal mics that look like dynamics but are actually condenser mics. I imagine that if you're doing a "studio live" recording it would be ideal to have separate rooms to do it in, but it seems to me that what you want to do will work okay. Try to face the condensors in the opposite way that the drums and guitar amps are facing, though. And make sure you're using pop guards so that you don't spit on them while singing, which I imagine is more prone to happen while you're singing live :)
juesContributor
Since: Dec 30, 2002
Oct 21, 2003 05:28 pm hey
Condensors are used live quite a lot - especially for drum overheads. However, as porp stated, they don't take well to abuse - drop an SM57 and it will bounce - drop an NT-1 and it will crack.
Also, bear in mind that you will require a +48v phantom power rail on the live sound mixer - however, this shouldn't really be a problem.
regards
jues.
Oct 21, 2003 05:34 pm Ah yes, when I said they weren't used live very much, I was just referring to vocal micing, not instrument micing (You know how much vocalists like to swing their mics around and such!). Jues is right, I just wanted to clarify that :)
BobMember
Since: Jun 20, 2003
Oct 21, 2003 05:46 pm Thanks porp, jues,
OK sounds like this is do-able, assuming I can keep my band from getting too far into the matrix reloaded climbing the walls mode. One thing I'm still curious about -- I know that condensor mics are more sensitive, in that you get more signal out for a given sound level in, but as long as I'm not saturating the mic and comnpensating for the extra signal by turning down the gain on the mixer, are there some other inherent technical problems to how the condensors might perform for live vocals that make them less desirable than dynamic mics? Is the cardiod pattern tighter on dynamic mics?
juesContributor
Since: Dec 30, 2002
Oct 21, 2003 08:06 pm Not realy, it's just the fact that dynamic mics can take the pain of live performance whereas condensors aren't really made for it (unless they are :D)
If you are doing vocals with a condensor, you should really get some form of "spit gaurd" as condensors are suseptible to moisture damadge (eeeeeeeeew!) - a foam "wind shield" will work well for this.
Also, bear in mind that you don't really want your vocalist "holding" the condensor mic like you would a dynamic, so you will need to put it on a stand.
jues.
Oct 22, 2003 08:13 am I use SM86 mics live and they work very well. We just recorded a live CD of our church choir and used the SM86's for all of the solo work. THey worked very well. I am starting to see a lot of SM87's now as well. A bit more expensive than the 86. The SM86 is Shure's idea for a SM58 in condensor form. I highly recomend it.
Blessings, Terry
