Studio Microphones

[scottmoon]

Thanks. Must be nice to have that much room.

[lanserdj]

Anyone have experience with the Rode NTK? Seems like a good tube mic at an appropriate price.

[yams]

Wondering if anyone has tips for achieving this super up-close and intimate vocal vibe.

“What microphone to buy” is on my mind, but I’m also thinking more about techniques, in terms of performance, recording, and processing approach.

Most of what exists out on the web has such a specific orientation and end-goal (or one of just a handful) – sound like x genre or subgenre, and Aging New Romantic Ambient Minimalist isn’t as prominent an archetype as it ought to be. Hoping someone here with a bit more XP in the recording skill tree can shed light.

[soysos]

First listen to the vocal is clean, close, clear and dry. A lot of the vocal quality I notice is in the performance. Also the close and upfront harmony. You could start with any decent large diaphragm condenser mic, pop filter, absorbent materials around the performance area, clean/open mic preamp and perform very close to the mic. Try 3 inches from the mic, pop filter halfway between source and mic. Pay special attention to vocal artifacts like excessive siblence (hard S, T, C…), breaths, clicks and other mouth noises. From my experience there can be a lot of cleanup to take care of afterward. Best to try and sort out issues in advance. If you’re doing everything yourself, it’s important to separate recording, performing, listening and analysis to zero in on getting the total desired goal AND be open to discovery.
What mic(s) and interface do you have already?

[ermina]

my instinct tells me: large diaphragm or very good dynamic / light tube compression / some nice EQ / a great voice / no further processing. The fact that the voice is mixed foremost and that the entire thing is “underproduced” is what gives it this natural feeling.

[airwindows]

Nobody’s mentioned Roswell yet. I heard about 'em from some studio veterans I know. I’m using Mini K47s on drums and guitars and a Colares for voice, and I’ve been really pleased and impressed. The Mini K47s have great clarity without any unnatural sparkliness, and the Colares is a take on an ELAM type mic: it’s pricey, but it’s trying to do stuff that is pure unobtanium, and I think it’s worth what it costs.

If I was starting smaller I’d most likely try to get Mini K47s for everything. I wouldn’t be using the Colares on drums or guitar amps, for instance. Not everything is a lead vocal. I could do Colares things with the Mini K47 but couldn’t do Mini K47 things with the Colares, even though it’s like three times the price…

For really low budget things, I mod Shure SM57s

Oh, and my plugin posting videos use the Colares, and the trick to doing the super intimate mic sound for me, is: amazing mic (NOT small diaphragm or it’ll be clicky and hyper detailed in an unpleasant way), amazing pre (API or Neve, I have an API), NO further processing. No compression, no EQ: the mic should be giving you absolutely everything you need. The David Sylvain could be that, but I don’t know how it was recorded. If I was to do that it would be LDC (Colares or that ELAM style), super pre, ultra direct with no processing and handle all brightness, bass, pop issues acoustically or with the performance.

[yams]

I have an old Apogee Ensemble, an SM 58, and a quite cheap (Sterling ST151, I think – it’s older and didn’t have the branding of the newer ones) condenser.

There’s a solid rentals place in my area, so I figured in a few weeks I’d treat the space, rent a few “candidates” and spend a few days running tests. I’ve learned most people with Mic Rec Qualifications are more audiophillic than I (my needs are modest), but I knew right away this approach might require a significant step up (although I’m still trying to keep it ~500 or so).

Although obviously someone saying that Sterling’ll cut would be great – I could start today!

[soysos]

Yes! For sure start with exactly what you have. No need to spend any money. Having the Apogee will give you enough clean gain to get the most out your mics. Remember to experiment with distance and angle. Sometime tilting the mic across the voice can reduce esses and plosives. If your interface supports it, try recording both mics together (to separate tracks) and really listen to the differences. Getting those 2 mics to work together is a whole other thread, so maybe set that idea aside for now.

[eblomquist]

I have a matched pair of Audio Technica AT-4041s and an AT-4050.

Not esoteric but very good sound and build quality. Also have a few SM-57s and some other stuff… I wish I had more motivation to record acoustic sounds at this point in time, but I’m mostly working on the eurorack…

[chrisdammann]

I love the shure KSM313 ribbon mics. They work well as a jack of all trades mic. Each side is voiced different, not picky about too picky about pre-amps, and repairable. The figure 8 shape is great for recording in poor acoustic spaces.

[Gahlord]

Any mic you have will do fine. Obvs a nicer mic is nicer. But the “close/intimate” effect is less about the mic and more about:

• Performance: Singer sings quietly, as if they are singing right into someone’s ear, so the sound is relaxed in that way. One would not shout right in someone’s ear (unless they’re a jerk). So imagine that microphone is the ear of someone you care about. Use a pop filter and/or try off-axis a little bit if the singer has trouble with plosives.
• Compression: Far far more compression than you think you need. Overdo it and then back off to taste. Use parallel compression/mix knob to experiment with the backing off part.
• Environment: Dead room/no reverb, sing under a blanket, etc. With all the compression above the room reflection stuff will matter more.
• Perception: Get a copy of the Fletcher-Munson curve that shows how it works at different volumes. Use that to guide your EQ tweaking.

If I was going to worry about a mic for this I’d hope for a performer that didn’t blow on the mic and pick a ribbon (and plan to adjust for proximity effect). I see above you have some useful mics, either of which should do what you need. If you want to try a ribbon and are handy with a soldering iron the Bumble Bee is an easy build, not terribly pricey, and sounds good. A great “first ribbon mic.”

[Joseph]

I agree with your other suggestions, but I don’t think a ribbon is the right choice to emulate this particular sound, although it would sound good.

Sounds to me like a modern sizzly and detailed condenser, too sibilant from 4:20 to 4:30. Yeah maybe an ELAM type, but given the high mid emphasis I think more likely a Brauner or one of those K67 copies without the appropriate filter network. Personally I don’t like it.

Good production and song style overall though.

In any case, condensers often sound better in omni super close up because of lack of proximity effect, particularly on females. Also the frequency response will shift, opening up a bit in the highs. The room signal should be negligible if done right.

[madeofoak]

i’ve had one forever, they’re great. top end can get a little harsh on the wrong vocalist/source, but i still haven’t found a better mic for the $

[soysos]

I’ve heard great things about the Aston Microphones Element. Very good quality and features at around $200.

[lanserdj]

Awesome. I was concerned it might be a little too good to be true at the price point so that is great to hear.

[soysos]

A great multi pattern tube condenser modeled after the Neumann U67 is the Advanced Audio CM67se. I’ve recorded everything from voice, cello, bass, all variety of brass and woodwinds with lovely results including most of the instruments individually on this project:

[andrewhuang]

Recently compared a U87 and a TLM103 and I was shocked to discover my ears preferred the much less expensive 103 on most sound sources!

[wheelersounds]

I have a matched pair of Cascade Fat Head II ribbon mics that are a dream, particularly as drum overheads and on strings. The pair came with a blumlein bar that I’ve used a couple times on grand piano with good results.

Beyerdynamic makes a handheld ribbon (M160) that’s incredible.

I also love the KM84, MD421, RE20, SM7.

[Joseph]

U87 or U87 Ai? The older 87i is noticeably less edgy and doesn’t distort as quickly as the AI, although they were often modified (the filter altered to remove roll off at 16khz but this also makes them more sibilant) and can differ quite a bit in low end. But the vintage ones I find to be rounder and more flattering as long as they’re not broken.

Still, I would say the TLM103 capsule has less bass response than regular K87 and is a little edgier than the implementation in Ai anyway.
What did you think on guitar and bass cab?

U87s are also quite useful in fig 8, like when you are trying to null acoustic guitar from live vocals.

@wheelersounds

I have a pair of M160s. I like them on guitar amps where they are crazy good and ride. But the pattern is also very useful for isolation in live situations, and they can be good on plectrums. On overheads they are sometimes excellent, but I tend to prefer Coles because like your Fat Heads they pick up more shells and KM84s (wish I had a pair of KM86s which are even better for that) because they sound so good on cymbals.

[Gregg]

Another good option, along with Advanced Audio (I owned their tube CM48T LDC and it was great) for the budget conscious is 3U Audio in China. I believe the guy who runs that company designed many of the capsules for Rode, and flits between Australia and China. He’s very knowledgeable, and super fast at communicating. Shipping from China to Paris was only a few days. He sells via website, eBay and/or Reverb I think, but if you contact him directly via email, you can get them a bit cheaper, or with free shipping. I had a matched pair of his Warbler 127 SDC mics, with Omni and Cardioid capsules. If you want closest to a KM84 you need the “Cardioid Flat” capsule. They sounded great, I only sold them when I got my KM84s.

3U Audio Microphones,Condenser Microphones