im in the market for a new vocal mic any suggestions?

[eldiablo]

in the market for a vocal mic, i'll have about 300 or so to spend. i would rather not spend that much,,,,BUT''' i will if necessary. i want the best for my money, ya know.
all i have now is the shure sm58, i dont think these are going to cut it.

thanks and good lookin out,
eldia

 

[Ash Holmz]

what premp do u have? if have a really good preamp u can try upgrading from the sm58 to the shure sm7b .. the thing is a beast but the output is crazy low and u need a powerful preamp to drive it ..

 

[mp3]

I have studio Electronics Z3300a thats dope on rappers. real clear and crisp. I use it with an upgraded Bellari Tube Pre.

I hear the SE2200a is good too. That's like $300, but if you can bump it up to $400 that's what I paid for the 3300 from american musical supply by doing their pricematch thing. Just tell them your local store has it advertised for 4 beans.

Also a lot of people like the Studo Projects C1 mic, that's $200. I haven't heard it but they say it sounds like a u87

 

[thedreampolice]

sure SM7 or seneiser MD421 only 2 hip hop vocal mics I would consider in that range.

 

[Fury]

look at the spec sheet for different mics..if u can read and understand an eq u can read a spec sheet and its all prefrence after that theres no one mic thas the best , choose what kinda sound u want for ur recorded vocals

 

[thedreampolice]

ya, spec sheets are cool. But if you can listen to them its even better. Buy what sounds best.

 

[eldiablo]

i got an audio technica at4040 for $205 on ebay, we'll see how this one sounds. next i wanna try out the shure ksm27.

any recomendations on a nice (and or vintage ) tube pre....

 

[Ash Holmz]

groove tubes brick ... on the cheap side there around 350-400 depending on where u look ... other than the brick i wouldnt touch a tube pre until ur gettin around $800 and ^^ .. than u can a get a sebatron and there are plenty of options 1,000 and up... but get the brick it sounds great...

cheaper tube units use shitty tubes and use whats called a "starved-plate" design ..basically only a small amount of current is being used to fire up the tubes .. a quality unit will have a very beefy power supply and a big transformer getting a large amount of current.. of the cheaper tube units i would def cop the brick..its not starved plate and its really big sounding..

 

[eldiablo]

are these presonus ones junk?

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-PRESONUS-TU...QQihZ001QQcategoryZ119018QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[thedreampolice]

"ksm27"

Great mic, but not a good hip hop vocal mic.

 

[Chrono]

"ksm27"

Great mic, but not a good hip hop vocal mic.

ayeaye i knew i got drew up in the hype .. well the ksm27 does me great with a little reverb and compression.. although i use no preamp and it is not as warm as i would like it.

listen to the previous advice, i think a decent mic with a tube-preamp is the way for you to go

 

[thedreampolice]

BTW that presonus pre amp sucks.

"although i use no preamp and it is not as warm as i would like it"

Well you have to use some kind of pre amp or the mic would not work.

Also how does warm sound?

I like that orange sound a bit better.

 

[Ash Holmz]

are these presonus ones junk?

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-PRESONUS-TU...QQihZ001QQcategoryZ119018QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

yup..


just because something has a tube in it doesnt make it sound "better or warm or whatever .. some of the thickest, roundest sounding preamps like a neve 1073, or a chandler germanium are solid state devices..... the transformers make the biggest diffrence in a sound not the tubes.... dont buy a preamp simply because it has a tube in it... buy because u love the sound...

 

[thedreampolice]

Yes, ASH you are %100 correct.

the best budget pre amp I have found is the grace 101, over $500 new about $400 on ebay.
I would say save up for it. Dont waste your money on a pre amp you will use for a few years then replace. Get something you will use for years.

 

[eldiablo]

i'll probally give the brick a try. it seems halfway reasonable price wise!

 

[thedreampolice]

groove tubes stuff is usually pretty good. I have never heard the brick before. But it should be ok.

 

[eldiablo]

has anybody heard or used these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/PHILIPS-Vintage...yZ119018QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[thedreampolice]

I would say shy away from that. Looks like you have to modify it just to accept XLR. Go for the Grace 101 or the RNP pre amp.

 

[eldiablo]

i just found this one as well?......

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-AMPEX-P...ryZ23790QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Ash Holmz]

haha .. ur stuck on vintage gear lol......vintage gear is cool ..just make sure that shit works ...remeber those things are old .. who knows what kind of buildup or whatvever can get into the circuitry ...

but

from what i see there is no phantom power available in this unit so unless u are using a dynamic mic u will need a seperate unit to provide power to a condensor imcrophone... that being said u cant go wrong with the groove tubes brick man... i would suggest that .. buy it from a retail chain like guitar center/sweetwater..etc .. that way if u dont like it just take it back and get ur money back u cant go wrong.... as dreampolice mentioned the rnp and grace are great aswell however it seems to be u are into a more vintage sound.. the brick will get u closer to a vintage-like sound than the grace which is extremely clean and defined