Help with Mics

[chrisgil]

Hi allthis is a bit long winded.I am using a Neumann U87ai going into a Fireface 800 for Vocals, Acoustic etc...most of my gear is on my website (studio page) - www.christiangilbart.comAll going into logic.I need to know the best gear to get that is as good or better for doing vocals with the my singers gear.Motu 8pre (is this good enough)?Which Mic should he get.Does he have to go for the Neumann U87 or can he spend less to get as good or better results?He also has a pair of Shure TG81 mics.and a pair of Shure BG6.1 mics.(are these any good and what are they best for).He has a Joemeek VC1q studio channel - preampThanks everyone.ps the aim is to be proudcing high quality demos.

[mazz]

The Motu 8pre should be just fine. As far as the mic goes, it really depends on the singers voice. If at all possible, rent or borrow a number of mics and try them to see which one is the best fit. He certainly doesn't need to have a U87 which is a fabulous mic but may not be right for his voice.If a 100.00 SM58 sounds great on his voice, why spend 3500 on a Neumann, unless the prestige factor is important!! Seriously, try a bunch of mics out first, you don't have to spend an arm and a leg these days.my 2CMazz

[wta]

In my experience the preamp is as vital as the mic. I haven't used the Motu 8 Pre personally but I use Motu's 1224 A/D which has been great. I totally agree with mazz on trying out a bunch of different mics, I'd recommend hireing a developed studio for an hour (who has a great list of mics) and do an A/B with them and your pre amps, including the Joe Meek. I'd also encourage you to have top quality cables/cords as well, Mogani has been very good for me. I use for vocals a Focusrite Platinum Vocalmaster Profor a preamp and its an amazing piece of equipment as it has build into its Class A preamp unit a compressor, desesser, gate, tube mod and vintage harmonic all of which really gives a nice clean polished sparkle to the track including bass and acoustic guitar. My go to vocal mic for myself is a BLUE Baby Bottle and since I've put this package together my vocal tracks have been top notch (my voice is mid to high range a la Bono/Plant). '-) wta

[devin]

Oct 20, 2008, 12:48pm, wta wrote: I'd recommend hireing a developed studio for an hour (who has a great list of mics) and do an A/B with them and your pre amps, including the .... '-) wtaGreat idea!

[ernstinen]

Oct 21, 2008, 6:14pm, devin wrote:Oct 20, 2008, 12:48pm, wta wrote: I'd recommend hireing a developed studio for an hour (who has a great list of mics) and do an A/B with them and your pre amps, including the .... '-) wtaGreat idea! Yea, that IS a great idea!My favorite mic is the U87 on MY voice, but there are SO many mics these days under $1000 that advertise that they sound as good as a U87, that trying them out in a studio with a big mic selection would be the way to go, IMHO.Good luck!Ern

[weapon]

This is my personal opinion, I've been in recording situation where the U87 was used, for the money I really wasn't impressed, I think the U87 is about $3,200 depending where you get it, I think this is more for the historical value then anything else. If you would like to try a fantastic mic for about $500 try the Rhode NT2-A, I found that it is extremely diverse, you get great sound and I found that the NT2-A actually picked up a little more crispness than the Neuman. Just my opinion, but it could save you a buttload of money.

[aubreyz]

For producing high quality demos, though I love the U87 and wouldn't want to live without it now, I think you could make a smarter purchase and get some versatility. There are so many good mics out now that are under $1000-- some WAY under that. If you have a 3k budget for mics, I wouldn't spend all of it on one bullet-- but give yourself some options.And the point about the pre being just as important is a major one. An SM58 through a killer pre sounds incredibly better than through a "good" one. The MOTU pres are okay, especially for demos, but IMHO you will notice a difference as the preamp price goes up.There's not a one size fits all though. It's going to take some shopping and listening to find the right tool. If I could only have one <$1000 mic it would be the AGK 414. And in addition to the mics mentioned above, I would also take a look at CAD and the lower end Audio Technica mics.As far as the pre, IMHO unless you are going to spend a couple of grand the MOTU, Joemeek or focusrite will all do fine -- just a matter of taste. My desert island pre would be the Millennia STT-1 (both solid state and tube), but it's in the U87 price point (but man you ought to hear them together )Aub

[sgs4u]

Aub KNOWS lotsa smart stuff. 414s are dang fine instruments. & Personally, I'm beginning to think preamps are even more than mics these days. But the one thing I will say matters more than anything, is the performance. A Fantastic setup won't polish a lame performance. In fact it'll usually make it sound worse... by revealing flaws. Oct 24, 2008, 11:24am, aubreyz wrote:For producing high quality demos, though I love the U87 and wouldn't want to live without it now, I think you could make a smarter purchase and get some versatility. There are so many good mics out now that are under $1000-- some WAY under that. If you have a 3k budget for mics, I would spend all of it on one bullet-- but give yourself some options.And the point about the pre being just as important is a major one. An SM58 through a killer pre sounds incredibly better than through a "good" one. The MOTU pres are okay, especially for demos, but IMHO you will notice a difference as the preamp price goes up.There's not a one size fits all though. It's going to take some shopping and listening to find the right tool. If I could only have one <$1000 mic it would be the AGK 414. And in addition to the mics mentioned above, I would also take a look at CAD and the lower end Audio Technica mics.As far as the pre, IMHO unless you are going to spend a couple of grand the MOTU, Joemeek or focusrite will all do fine -- just a matter of taste.Aub

[flood]

The key here, for your specific question is VOCALS.As different as each voice is, so is the same difference to how the mic will treat each voice.A U87 is an excellent choice in general. However, a Shure SM-7 (much cheaper) may deliver an equal or better sound for certain voices.I have a variety of mics for different situations, but I am a VO artist for my real income.I have at least 16 mics and use 4-5 for most of my work. They range from a U87 (original) to a TLM 103 (sounds as good for most things), to AKG's, Shures, and Sennhueser shotgun mics. I recently picked up the Rode K2(and got and M-3 for free), so there are a ton of choices.As someone pointed out, rent an hour or two of studio time at a place that has all you are interested in. You will save much time.And as William pointed out, the pre-amp is also key. In every way. I have another 12-15 pre-amps, ranging from simple "into the computer" boxes to pre-amps that cost many thousands of dollars and use so many components.It's not really how much you spend. It is whether you find the right one (mic and pre) for YOUR voice.And don't be hasty. What sounds good one day might be abominable the next.Good luck!

[matthoggard]

I use a CAD GXL 2200, very affordable and is impressive. So impressive that once while tracking a vocal I was noticing an "echo". THe pre gain was pretty minimal and I kept looking to see what stupid effect I had on so I could kill it. Well after some time I realized, it was picking up my voice resonating off the ceiling. That was a really weird experience.I also Use AKG's, C5600 for instruments and C3000 vocals/instruments.All very affordable and great quality. The only thing I wish the CAD had is a high/ low pass filter.