Hisssssss

[Len911]

Do you have any suggestions for good mics with less high-end self-noise?

1. Neumann TLM 103 ~$1,300

2. Neumann TLM 102 ~$700

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CfwwKpFo5Q

There are a gajillion mic choices, however, for a project studio that can only afford 1 condenser mic, it's a no brainer imo.

I know that's a very bold claim,lol, but they are still pretty much the standard in terms of quality, sound, quiet, you name it.

[mojobone]

Gauge ECM87 is a great budget-friendly option; it's an import, but is hand-selected to not have the typical Chinese Tzzzzzz thing going on. Early on, they had some sourcing difficulties and they could take a while to ship, but I expect they've got that ironed out, by now. I use mine almost every day on guitars and vocals. I also have their pencil condenser stereo kit that I use for drum overheads and on location. I've gotten some great female vocal tracks with an Audix OM5 which, believe it or don't sounds a lot like a Neumann U87, but it's a dynamic mic and hypercardioid, and the proximity effect is tailored for working close-so it's a great stage mic as well. I bought it, cuz it was what Tori Amos used on her first tour, and because SM58s make me sound like Willie Nelson, but not in a good way, LOL. I hear good things about Roswell's Mini-K47, but haven't gotten my hands on one, yet-the noise spec is excellent, though. The next mic on my buy list is this one: http://tapeop.com/reviews/gear/112/p-87-condenser-mic/ Probably the closest you can get to a brand-new vintage Neumann U87, though Neumann still makes theirs.

And yup, the farther you can get the mic from the computer and its fan, the better; that's why I bought a wireless keyboard, so I can operate my DAW from across the room.

[jamesnorth]

For another solution - iZotope's RX plugin range can sample and remove hiss/hum from any source.

I use it on noisy guitars/amps and some vocal chains with heaps of tubes (pultec/la2a) all the time.

Some pre-amps included in interfaces are also quite noisy to begin with, so it'd be great to hire or sample the mic before buying.

Heaps of other great mics have already been suggested too!