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James Steele wrote:Red Type B. *sigh*

Don't worry; it's still on my short list.

Well if you want the sound of a U47, nothing beats a U47. There have been two microphones that I have heard that to me sound stunningly so much like a U47 that I couldn't tell the difference in the studio---but both are $$$$! One of those was the old Soundelux E47 which is no more and the other is the Blue Bottle with the B7 capsule. We just had MERCY ME in our studios a last Friday and they commented several times just how amazing their vocals sounded through that microphone, they were impressed heavily. But the problem here is that is TWICE your max budget

SO my question is are you looking for EXACTLY the sound of a U47, or a mic with the traits of what you're after? I'm a big fan of BLUE microphones, I've known Skipper Wise for several years and the man really knows mics and why guys like us want them. I'd love to suggest the Cactus, it would knock your socks off....but again, over your ceiling here. That Mojave MA200 is based on a U67 design, but a microphone that I have been told time and time and time again that "this thing is amazing!". I do think the Peluso 2247 is also a great mic for that sound, but I don't feel it really has "the sound" of the U47 although it is similar to it. BUT, if that's what you're after...it may be the ticket.

BradLyons wrote:SO my question is are you looking for EXACTLY the sound of a U47, or a mic with the traits of what you're after?

Good question. No, I'm not looking for exactly the 47 sound. I'm looking for a vocal mic that will add some girth and body to my kind of thin voice. The smoother and richer, the better. There's a slight bit of rasp to my voice. Moreover, mics that bump too much in the higher frequencies tend to exacerbate the matter.

Where's that lead you?

I'm going to sound like a stuck record here.......but that Mojave MA200 AND it's half of what you were looking to spend. Would a Lawson or Cactus be better? Yeah, absolutely....but you don't have to spend $2k+ to get a great sound. I'm a big fan of this mic, use it myself even though I have access to other higher-priced mics. And since you have a Pacifica, even better as that's a great combo. I'd not use the MA200 with your UA box, use the U195 with that.

I recently did a couple sessions in a friend's studio, and he has only a TLM49 and an Avalon preamp. For one singer's voice it sounded fine (A thicker warmer voice - the recorded sound wasn't 'wow, amazing', but alright), and for the other singer who has a stronger midrange voice, it came across as harsh - we tried a Millenia preamp, and that hurt my ears, so we used the Avalon. I spent a fair bit of time when I was mixing trying to EQ his voice warmer, but normally I hardly have to EQ vocals, as I try all the combinations of mics and pres, and normally get a decent sound, even with my own cheap stuff. One day I'll have to post some tracks, and get some opinions on the vocal sound, then tell you what I used

Just a follow up:

Right now, I think I'm going to hold tight with my U195 (unless I pull a big paying gig soon).

I'm getting good enough results going...

Soundelux U195 --> UA 6176 (1:1) --> DP --> UAD LA-2A --> UAD Pultec

Should anyone care.