Recommendations for a darker, smoother dynamic vocal mic.

CarlWonderful

CarlWonderful

New member
So I cant seem to find the right mic for me. This is what I'm looking for..


$200-$400
Dynamic mic I will be running with my Warm eq73 (neve style preamp).
Looking for a warm,dark mic to use live and also in the home studio/demos.
a good proximity effect so I can move in to really push the lows is important.
A little dirty even,.. definitely not bright or clean.
Something with a ["slower" "compact" "less clear" "looser"] response/feel, if that makes sense.
I like a big dip around 3k and an overall cut in mid highs & highs...
A smooth, flat response that rolls off (or at lease flattens) the highs along with
I like cardoid opposed to Hyper cardoid.
I like to sing typically with my lip touching the mic.

I'm wondering is its gotta be a Large diaphragm mic to give me what I'm looking for? Maybe not necessarily though?

If you have any ideas I'd love to hear em.
I've used sm57 and sm58 for years but too harsh on the highs and not enough lows - mid lows. I have to eq the heck outta em.
Sm7B is a good choice but was hoping I could find something in more of a typical dynamic mic style/shape.
m88 looks interesting but since I sing right up on (touching) the mic that might not be a great choice. too low with the proximity?
Some electro voice mics look interesting but not sure they have the low end and/or proximity I'm looking for to get low when I need to.
I sang into my sure beta52 the other day and I really liked what I got from my vocals which surprised me and got me thinkin..

Love to hear some feedback

Thanks a bunch!
J
 
CarlWonderful said:
So I cant seem to find the right mic for me. This is what I'm looking for..

I've used an sm58 for years but too harsh on the highs and not enough lows - mid lows.
Click to expand...
If you are hearing the highs as harsh and not hearing the bass in a SM58 - something is wrong in your system or the
mic is FUBAR - or your ears need cleaning.
CarlWonderful said:
Sm7B is a good choice but was hoping I could find something in more of a typical dynamic mic style/shape.
m88 looks interesting but since I sing right up on (touching) the mic that might not be a great choice. too low with the proximity?
Some electro voice mics look interesting but not sure they have the low end and/or proximity I'm looking for to get low when I need to.
I sang into my sure beta52 the other day and I really liked what I got from my vocals which surprised me and got me thinkin..
Click to expand...
M88 is decent - wouldn’t be my 4th choice - but it is capable - A Beta 52? That’s also an odd choice - it’s designed for Kick drums.
I do agree about the SM7b - you have to do some special things to get it to shine - considering what you like I think an Eletro Voice RE20 would
be an Excellent choice for you.
 
Good recommendations there.
I'd maybe add the MD421 to the list. Very useful mic to have around, in general, and its grill and design should be forgiving with your style of singing.
 
See if you can locate youtube videos by a British teacher called Anton Browne. He has been reviewing vocal mics with his deep baritone voice - he's quit eccentric and a lovely guy but he has a voice that is very tonally active - he really works the mic's proximity effect while waring headphones - you can hear the difference on a great voice, close in. Worth listening to.
 
I recommend an AKG D125. Just found one by rummaging around in forgotten drawers at a church, brought it home, really smooth and darker than the Shure SMs you mentioned. My voice naturally has a bit of harshness, and it seems to get rid of it entirely. I'm working on a project right now with it on falsetto vocals -- wow, I had never heard my voice sound so good!

Unfortunately, not many of them around that I can see, and very little information to back my claims :( There are a couple on Ebay for 100 CAD.
 
rob aylestone said:
See if you can locate youtube videos by a British teacher called Anton Browne. He has been reviewing vocal mics with his deep baritone voice - he's quit eccentric and a lovely guy but he has a voice that is very tonally active - he really works the mic's proximity effect while waring headphones - you can hear the difference on a great voice, close in. Worth listening to.
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My reading from this is that his voice is thin, which is why eats the mic to use proximity effect to drive the bottom end. Anton's videos are excellent, but my guess is the the OP isn't a baritone.
 
Papanate said:
If you are hearing the highs as harsh and not hearing the bass in a SM58 - something is wrong in your system or the
mic is FUBAR - or your ears need cleaning.

M88 is decent - wouldn’t be my 4th choice - but it is capable - A Beta 52? That’s also an odd choice - it’s designed for Kick drums.
I do agree about the SM7b - you have to do some special things to get it to shine - considering what you like I think an Eletro Voice RE20 would
be an Excellent choice for you.
Click to expand...
So basically I always EQ my stereos to cut treble and boost lows when listening to anything. Its just what sounds good to me. So when I make music its the same thing. A lot of frequencies in the highs (especially around 3k in my voice) just cut into me and I cant take it, lol. I have a few sm57's and 58s and they all sound the same... harsh highs to my ears. You dont think sm57/58 has harsh highs? I can get a decent proximity effect on them when my lips are touching but its not quite doing it for me. I end up eq'ing the hell out of em. So I'm looking for a mic that will be what I want so I can put my eq to better use in sculpting instead of using it up on cutting these highs and boosting the lows.

I play a lot of stuff that just me and my acoustic so I guess I like to push things because I have a lot of frequencies to fill without all the other usual unstruments in a mix, ya know an I like my music to still sound full even if its just me and a guitar.

The kick mic beta 52 was just an experiemtn becasue I dont like my other mics on vocals. I was surprized by it but I did like it. Got some real low lows with proximity and it felt and sounded smoother than anyhting else I've tried. But theres got to be a perfect mic out there for under $500. I dont need much really but for whatever reason it seems hard to find what I'm looking for for my voice and preferences.

I have been looking at the RE20 but dont they have the "vairable D"... that claims to cut out the proximity effect . Correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Serendipity Records said:
I recommend an AKG D125. Just found one by rummaging around in forgotten drawers at a church, brought it home, really smooth and darker than the Shure SMs you mentioned. My voice naturally has a bit of harshness, and it seems to get rid of it entirely. I'm working on a project right now with it on falsetto vocals -- wow, I had never heard my voice sound so good!

Unfortunately, not many of them around that I can see, and very little information to back my claims :( There are a couple on Ebay for 100 CAD.
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Thanks for that. They do look nice and flat. Cool looking little mic too. Hows the proximity effect on it?
 
Thats their major selling feature. Distance doesn't change the sound, well almost doesn't. Its changes less than the SM7B. Its a bit bland for my taste. Rarely use mine. If you want an even frequency response and variable distance without much tonal change, omnis do a pretty good job, but of course, hear your room much more.
 
rob aylestone said:
See if you can locate youtube videos by a British teacher called Anton Browne. He has been reviewing vocal mics with his deep baritone voice - he's quit eccentric and a lovely guy but he has a voice that is very tonally active - he really works the mic's proximity effect while waring headphones - you can hear the difference on a great voice, close in. Worth listening to.
Click to expand...
Thats funny, I watched a ton of his videos last night. He is a cool dude. He loves the m88 and I do like the sound of it for sure. I was worried that becasue I like to sing right up on a mic that it would be too much with the m88 but maybe not.
 
rob aylestone said:
Thats their major selling feature. Distance doesn't change the sound, well almost doesn't. Its changes less than the SM7B. Its a bit bland for my taste. Rarely use mine. If you want an even frequency response and variable distance without much tonal change, omnis do a pretty good job, but of course, hear your room much more.
Click to expand...
Wait...which mic are you refering to? I'm looking for a mic with a flat F.R. but with a lot of lows to dig into with the proximity effect.
 
Perhaps his monacle reflects sound? Seriously though, i like the noises he makes that they respond differently to? The wind and spit noises are quite important, not jus5 the voice. What i meant was proximity effect onset varies so much that with some, you find a great distance, but dare not move. Things like the RE20 dont have the bass tip up, but are a more round sound, and you have EQ to add even more. Proximity effect can be replicated on omnis tonally. The vital thing being the things doesn’t change when distance does.
 
CarlWonderful said:
So basically I always EQ my stereos to cut treble and boost lows when listening to anything. Its just what sounds good to me. So when I make music its the same thing. A lot of frequencies in the highs (especially around 3k in my voice) just cut into me and I cant take it, lol. I have a few sm57's and 58s and they all sound the same... harsh highs to my ears. You dont think sm57/58 has harsh highs? I can get a decent proximity effect on them when my lips are touching but its not quite doing it for me. I end up eq'ing the hell out of em. So I'm looking for a mic that will be what I want so I can put my eq to better use in sculpting instead of using it up on cutting these highs and boosting the lows.
Click to expand...
From what you write, this is more a "you" issue than a mic one. I'm doubtful you are going to find a mic company that makes a microphone that suites your hearing vs what is standard and typical. You want a band limited microphone tailored to your particular hearing issues and I don't think it exists.
 
A Senn 421 might be interesting, its different than the SM7b but not a LDC.....I don't have many mics, Id say the KSM32(MDC) is darker, as in flat than my KSM44.(LDC)..I liked a few tube mics but they were kind of a hassle with power supply, cables, a bit of noise too...I tend to prefer XLR, slap it in, Dynamics keep it easier too...but sometimes don't have that little sparkle a LDC does.

theses are all in the $200-400 used.

I just grabbed a used United Twin87 ....@ $435 shipped/taxes, it does the darker less sensitive "vintage" mode or the "modern" mode higher sensitivity brighter mode. Kind of interested to hear it.

I think of darker as less sensitive, less treble, flat freq....

smooth... I think of opto-cell compressors..:)
 
Going with the Sennheiser MD421. . I just happened to trip across The Beatles' 1964 Australia Tour live video, and their vocal mics all appear to be the older MD421 mics - they're sounding pretty good. Surprisingly, their vocals are way up front in the recording. The center mic appears to be different - can't say what that one is.

The music starts right away and the on-stage footage kicks in around the 3:20 mark with good visuals on the mics.

 
Carl, I'm curious as to the end destination for your vocals. Are they recordings for yourself, something that you plan to sell, or live situations.

The reason I ask is your comment about "I always EQ my stereos to cut treble and boost lows when listening to anything". If your recording reflects that tonal quality already, will you still EQ your playback system (giving it a double dose, as it will)? When you do a recording, do you dip the highs and boost the lows with your current mics?

Taking the approach to an extreme would be the situation that you get with folks in their cars, having 1000 watt woofers, the kind of one note bass that can rattle the rust from the fenders and make the rearview mirror shake in the car 2 lanes over. It you made the recording sound like that on a "normal system" I would think a lot of people listening to the music would probably pass, unless they like one note bass and nothing else.

If you record with relatively few highs and lots of low, vocals can tend to get pretty muddy.

As for mics that do that "style", I don't have anything really to offer. I tend to prefer things that sound pretty natural, my mic selections have been in that direction. Your comment about the Beta52 is interesting as it has a good sized peak at 4K, after which falls off massively and is pretty much done by 10kHz.
 
CarlWonderful said:
Thanks for that. They do look nice and flat. Cool looking little mic too. Hows the proximity effect on it?
Click to expand...
Velvet is the word that comes to mind. I am eq'ing out a bit of proximity -- the "wooly" part -- but the top end is just really smooth. I'm guessing falsetto is perhaps not what you have in mind, but I could post a clip of what I currently have recorded if you'd like.
 
LazerBeakShiek said:
Distance changes sound. There is a roll off.

The M88 is awesome. The M160 ribbon is awe
rob aylestone said:
Perhaps his monacle reflects sound? Seriously though, i like the noises he makes that they respond differently to? The wind and spit noises are quite important, not jus5 the voice. What i meant was proximity effect onset varies so much that with some, you find a great distance, but dare not move. Things like the RE20 dont have the bass tip up, but are a more round sound, and you have EQ to add even more. Proximity effect can be replicated on omnis tonally. The vital thing being the things doesn’t change when distance do
rob aylestone said:
Perhaps his monacle reflects sound? Seriously though, i like the noises he makes that they respond differently to? The wind and spit noises are quite important, not jus5 the voice. What i meant was proximity effect onset varies so much that with some, you find a great distance, but dare not move. Things like the RE20 dont have the bass tip up, but are a more round sound, and you have EQ to add even more. Proximity effect can be replicated on omnis tonally. The vital thing being the things doesn’t change when distance does.
Click to expand...
Can you explain what you meant by "Proximity effect can be replicated on omnis tonally"
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Folkcafe said:
From what you write, this is more a "you" issue than a mic one. I'm doubtful you are going to find a mic company that makes a microphone that suites your hearing vs what is standard and typical. You want a band limited microphone tailored to your particular hearing issues and I don't think it exists.
Click to expand...
Are you saying you think I have actual hearing issues? Or is it just my preference in what I like... like smoother and lower frequencies and less high/harsh ones.

I really just want a mic that is flat and has good proximity so I can push lows if I want. 99% of mics have boosted highs usually starting around 2k and a lot of people don't like the sound of those high-mids... I think that's why a lot of people are going back to vintage stuff and vintage sounds... because to me it seems those higher frequencies weren't as prominent back than and i think old music sounds so great. What do ya think?
 
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