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VOCAL LDC for Home Studio

Pathfinder

By Pathfinder
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Pathfinder

Pathfinder

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Budget is <$1,000.
Presently have Shure SM58beta all around, SM57 (for instruments) Vocals I have an old Stellar LDC Tube mic. It's nice but looking to upgrade\change?
BTW, advice from the Gear page is how I wound up with the Stellar CM5 many years ago. I did consider Warm Audio Wa 47 but it's a very heavy mic and for reasons of my own I would rather have a lighter, as in actual weight mic. I use a Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 3rd Gen and I also have a warm Audio WA-12 mic pre, the original one.
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msmcleod

msmcleod

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The Rode NT1 is a great mic, and has a much flatter response than the equally good but brighter sounding NT1A.

Other great mics... Aston Sprit / Origin, any of the Lewitt LDC range or the  Warm Audio range.

If you like the sound of the SM58/57, check out the Shure SM7B - not an LDC, but a great vocal mic nonetheless and a step up in quality from the SM58/57.

If this is for your own vocals however, I'd strongly recommend trying a few before you buy as you can't guarantee the mic will necessarily suit your voice.

With a budget of $1000 however, you could also consider the Slate VMS system which would give you a huge choice of mic emulations.

 

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Pathfinder

Pathfinder

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4 hours ago, msmcleod said:

The Rode NT1 is a great mic, and has a much flatter response than the equally good but brighter sounding NT1A.

Other great mics... Aston Sprit / Origin, any of the Lewitt LDC range or the  Warm Audio range.

If you like the sound of the SM58/57, check out the Shure SM7B - not an LDC, but a great vocal mic nonetheless and a step up in quality from the SM58/57.

If this is for your own vocals however, I'd strongly recommend trying a few before you buy as you can't guarantee the mic will necessarily suit your voice.

With a budget of $1000 however, you could also consider the Slate VMS system which would give you a huge choice of mic emulations.

 

Never use the SM58b or 57 for vocals. Only the Stellar CM5.  did try the Shure SM7B-returned it to sweetwater. 

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Mwah

Mwah

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There are lot of great LCD mics that might fit your budget. Warm Audio makes several re-makes of classics. Rødes are pretty good, too, as are even the cheaper models from several other companies. My personal favourite for my voice at the moment is Austrian Audio OC18, which is a sort of remake of a vintage AKG C414.

Note the word ”for my voice”.* The problem is, we people have different voices and are looking for a mic that emphasize different aspects of our personal voices, and those aspects differ from person to person, from musical style to another, for taste to taste. And, of course, where you are recording – the avoustics – counts, too, as does the mic preamp you’re using. So many variables, so many mic models, so little time...

* Mine happens to be a pretty soft baritone. And I’m using a Focusrite ISA One preamp.

Edited by Mwah
Spelling mistake.
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Jim Roseberry

Jim Roseberry

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On 4/13/2022 at 1:08 PM, Pathfinder said:

did try the Shure SM7B-returned it to sweetwater. 

Most folks are working in untreated spare bedrooms.  Cars drive by, neighbors make noise, planes fly over, etc

The SM7b is often used because it won't pickup much of the room (meaning unwanted noise/reflections/ambience/etc).

It's particularly good for aggressive vocalists.

If you're looking to capture minute detail, you want a condenser.

 

I'll second Tom's Neuman TLM 102 suggestion.

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Tezza

Tezza

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I use the AKG C214, it's small, has a great, easy to fit shockmount and sounds great on acoustic guitar and vocals (at least I think it does) for scratch vocals, I use a dynamic microphone (an old NDEV767a) because I can't be bothered getting out all the stuff needed to suppress the room reverb. I've got a 58 as well but don't use it because it doesn't suit my voice. I've tried the budget LDC's but they are no good for my voice because the higher register vocals brings out the harshness in the top end of those mics.

Microphones for vocals is a personal thing, what might be good for you, might not be good for others and vice versa. I have a higher pitched voice when I sing, a soprano or thereabouts, so microphones that females like, I usually like.

If you've got a traditional male voice with a bit of power then you can get away with a shure 58 or dynamic mics and even the more budget friendly LCD's like the NT1 etc because the low output of dynamics and the higher end harshness of budget LCD's is not so much of a problem. But immediately a female vocalist enters the equation or you want to do higher range acapellas or multi layered harmonies, then you need a mic that is more sensitive and has a sweeter and smoother top end. The AKG C214, I find is just a bit smoother in the top end that the slightly cheaper LCD's. They are about $650.00 here in Aus so cheaper in US. I'm sure I could find a better mic for my voice but this is what I use for now.

I've tried tube mics but I do not like them at all, I find it harder to pitch with a tube mic, they were doing something to the sound that didn't agree with me. Admittedly, these were the cheaper RODE tube alternatives, perhaps a more expensive one might be better?

Edited by Tezza
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