SOUND ON SOUND

[MuzoHub]

Hi

Could I have some opinions and recommendations on the best Vocal mic for less than £1000. I used a Rode NTK and NT1 about 13 years ago but I nag may have moved on since with new entries to the market.

Thank you in advance.

[CS70]

£1000 will buy you an absolutely good mic.

What's the best depends on the use. If it's for yourself, nobody can tell you but you have to try and test various specimens and see which one you like best on your voice.

If you can't, or you need a generic all-purpose mic.. nobody can still tell you :) but a good U87 clone like the WA-87 can be a jack of all trades and nobody's ever found the AKG414 or the Shure KSM44 wanting.

If you recording space is not treated, use 500 for treatment and 500 for the mic and you'll be far better off in results.

Really it depends. You can spend far less than £1000 for a good mic these days. Just don't buy stuff with too hyped highs.

[Mike Stranks]

Exactly what the man ^^^ said... :thumbup: :clap:

[Ramirez]

I’ve just bought a pair of Austrian Audio OC818 and I’m very impressed so far. One of them would come in under budget, or the OC18 is cheaper still if you only need the cardioid pattern.

[Arpangel]

Some would say an SM57/58, that would save you a lot of cash, others would say a U87, depends what you want to record, and your voice, this may seem like a flippant reply, but with some types of music you can get away with blue murder.

[blinddrew]

Always worth auditioning a Shure SM7B as well, on the right voice it can sound fantastic.

[DanDan]

It would be very difficult to find a microphone as good as the Gefell M930

[forumuser840717]

It would be very difficult to find a microphone as good as the Gefell M930

Nah, there are lots of mics as good as a Gefell M930. And they're all different.

And whether any is more or less suitable in a given situation is highly variable and to a great extent subjective.

Though the M930 is a lovely mic.

[Jack Ruston]

I'd demo an SM7, a Sontronics Aria, and a JZ 67. If any of those are noticably better than what you have, GREAT. If they're not, you're already winning.

J

[Dave B]

use 500 for treatment and 500 for the mic and you'll be far better off in results.

+1 my room is treated and I have a reflexion filter and was getting pretty good results with a (very cheap s/h) GT55, but noticed a marked improvement when I tried Wonks' WA-14 (Warm Audio 414 clone) as that had a bit more body.

I've just re-jigged the room slightly and made movable panels which I used to make a 'booth' and then tried my TLM102. Very good sound and I was only testing/demoing yet got results worth keeping.

Both of those mics are around the 500 mark and excellent vfm.

[The Red Bladder]

It was good enough for Freddy Mercury, it was good enough for Tom Petty, it was good enough for Norah Jones. It was good enough for hundreds of top vocals and was used by thousands of talented singers across Planet Earth - but for some reason, nearly all groups of talentless musicians are completely convinced that the Shure SM58 is not good enough for them.

If the money is burning a hole in your pocket, undo the basket on the SM58 and shove a few hundred-pound notes in there.

[CS70]

It was good enough for Freddy Mercury, it was good enough for Tom Petty, it was good enough for Norah Jones. It was good enough for hundreds of top vocals and was used by thousands of talented singers across Planet Earth - but for some reason, nearly all groups of talentless musicians are completely convinced that the Shure SM58 is not good enough for them.

If the money is burning a hole in your pocket, undo the basket on the SM58 and shove a few hundred-pound notes in there.

Amen :D

[ShaneGriese]

You might want to take a look at the V-12 from Microphone Parts (https://microphone-parts.com/collection ... microphone). If you are handy with a soldering iron you can build your own as I did for $779 (US) or purchase a custom built unit for $959 (US). I never thought that I could afford a microphone of this quality but the kit brought it within my reach. The mic is a perfect balance between modern and warm. It easily matches the quality of mics costing two or more times its price. If you do decide to build one yourself you will find that the company bends over backwards to support your effort in any way that they can. I don't usually rave about gear but this mic deserves any and all praise.

[ConcertinaChap]

Are there many mic build kits out there? It could make an interesting article in the mag.

CC