Opinions on mic for baritone voice

[crduval]

I currently use a Blue Baby Bottle for my vocals, and it works OK for my voice, but I am thinking about getting something that might suit me a little better. And believe me, my voice needs all the help it can get; it has a lot of low-mid resonance, kind of like Ozzy's tonality and range with maybe a little Bob Mould thrown in.

I don't really have a huge budget, I'd like to keep it to around $500 or so. I'm interested in something that would give me a little air and perhaps de-emphasize that 500 - 750Hz range. As a bonus, a mic like this would also probably work well with my acoustic guitar, which has a big, full sound but no matter what mic(s) or technique I have used always records with a lot of low-mid info that I end up EQing out...

I'd like to try out the KSM 32 or 44, and I've heard of a company called ADK that looks interesting - they have some reasonably priced mics, and I am kind of a fan of buying specialized products from smaller companies. I've liked that Blue mic too; so I am open to another Blue...

Any other suggestions would be welcome - thanks!

Chris

[Gravity Jim]

An old AT4033 I own really sounds great on deeper male vocals. It's also a great saxophone mic, and I think it tends to de-emphasize the "reediness."

Also, my Shure KSM32s are a great choice for just about everybody, and sounds amazing on acoustic guitar, hand percussion... well, anything, really. On a darker baritone, I'd try the AT first, but everybody sounds good in a 32. Amazingly versatile. I recommend it as a "first condenser" all the time.

[Phil O]

I'm a fan of Blue, Audio Technica and Rode, when it comes to bang for the buck. If you like Blue mics, I think the Bluebird (about $300 street) has a little less low-mid hype than the Baby Bottle and a little more "air." Don't let the $300 price tag fool you. This is a great mic that out performs many higher priced units.

For around $700 street (Got mine on sale for $599) the Audio Technica AT4050 is a great multi-purpose LDC that is my mic of choice for a baritone who has done a couple of CDs in my studio. IMO this is a very neutral mic that combined with my Grace preamp sounds close to the "wire with gain" holy grail.

In the Rode department I find the NT1-A (around $230) a little thin sometimes for male vocals, but that may be exactly what you're looking for.

Of course everyone has their favorites. I tend to shy away from tube mics these days (a discussion for another thread perhaps), but that's just me. But the one thing that always amazes me is how similar voices don't always sound best on similar mics. Take for instance that 4050 that I like so much on one guy, but I tried it on another baritone voice and it was kind of meh. We ended up using an Earthworks omni on him. For voice? Who da thunk it? Anyway, my point is - audition if you can. Until you sing through it, you'll never know for sure. Good luck on your quest and let us know how you make out.

Phil

[mikehalloran]

I have a deep bass voice. When in an unfamiliar studio and someone pulls out a U47 or clone, I tell them to just put it away - "but it's so warm..." yea..., not what you want on my voice.

I have a pair of KSM 32s and often use one for my voice. It works pretty well and is my go-to mic for general recording.

The first version of the AKG C-3000 had two capsules and I get good results from that, too. My old Groove Tubes GT-500fet in omni mode is sometimes just the ticket when I need to work close.

When I deal with low voices, the key is to back off to lessen the boom caused by proximity effect.

A multi-pattern in omni mode will have very little proximity effect but then you pick up the rest of the room (ok if you have a great sounding room).

Occasionally, I'll use a Shure 300, an old ribbon. Bi-directional ribbons have too much proximity effect up close, of course, but 18" away, they sound great on me on days when it cooperates (temperature, humidity and the phases of the moon all seem to affect this bad boy). If the room sounds good and the mic works, that's my mic of choice. It is my first choice for upright bass. Mine is old and fragile - I'm looking at some of the newer Cascade ribbons for more constant use.

[crduval]

Thanks for all the info, I sincerely appreciate it. I think I will try to rent a couple candidates and experiment with them to find the best solution for my voice. I might pick up a KSM32 anyway, I've heard so much about it, and have been curious to try it on some different sources.


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[Gravity Jim]

You can't go wrong with a KSM32.

[mikehalloran]

You can't go wrong with a KSM32.

I agree. Medium diaphragm mics like this can be made much smoother than a large diaphragm condensor. My KSM 32s are probably the least colored of any mics I own - certainly when it comes to cardioid. I work about 8" off of mine or more.

[mhschmieder]

It's my only remaining Shure mic (probably the only Shure I've ever owned that I didn't consider heavily coloured or coarse). I never thought I'd hold onto it this long, but the best thing about the KSM32 is that it works at least well (if not "very well") for almost any purpose that you would assign a condenser mic of its size to.

[Kubi]

Another huge fan of the KSM32 here. Best all-purpose mic.

[buzzsmith]

Can't speak to the uses of this mic for a baritone voice, but I've been generally pleased with a pair of KSM 44s for lots of sound sources.

A busy Nashville engineer recommended them.

Anyone else have experiences with the 44s?

Buzzy

[Gravity Jim]

To my ear, the 44 and the 32 are the same mic... The 44 allows for switchable polar patterns, but in cardioid mode it's the same capsule and circuit, I think, so if you don't need the omni or figure-8, the 32 will give you the same results.

They're awesome on a grand piano, BTW, as I'm sure you know.

[buzzsmith]

To my ear, the 44 and the 32 are the same mic... The 44 allows for switchable polar patterns, but in cardioid mode it's the same capsule and circuit, I think, so if you don't need the omni or figure-8, the 32 will give you the same results.

They're awesome on a grand piano, BTW, as I'm sure you know.

Thanks, GJ.

They do sound very nice on my C7, but because of the reflective nature of the room that the piano is in, I've recently switched to more closer micing with a pair of Audix...SCX25a. Nice open sound.

(I generally don't close mic like this photo shows...I position about a 15" above the high and low end of the piano.)



Buzzy

[Tobor]

I think the KSM32 has a slightly smaller capsule but otherwise is very similar indeed to the KSM44 sonically. Much like the AT4033 has a smaller capsule than the 4050 but is from the same family, although the 4050 is a more neutral mic.

I have a fairly deep voice. My first good condenser mic was the AT4050 and indeed it is very versatile and sounds good on nearly everything. In fact after using a few other mics over the years I've just gone back to it for fun and am enjoying it again. Very nice on acoustic guitar, horns, voices.

During a mic and pre frenzy several years ago I bought a KSM44, TLM103, and a Lawson MP47 tube mic. I was impressed with the clarity of the KSM44 in the store and indeed it is a fine mic. For some reason I've had some sibilance problems on my voice with the KSM, but it was THE mic on a tenor male singer for an album I recorded for him. I'd like to try the KSM32 sometime and compare the two. MIght add that from that same album we used the KSM44 in figure 8 for a male-female duet- they stood on either side and sang looking at each other and it sounded fantastic.

The TLM103 has its fans and detractors, but I'm a big fan and it sounds great on my voice, especially for VO and it has shined on some songs where I sang very softly, benefitting from a little high mid bump for clarity on my deeper voice.

The Lawson is awesome, if you had the jack I'd say go for it. It's got that extra something, but it's also twice as expensive as the others. It sounds great on everything and has been my workhorse over the years.

The truth is, with all the ways we can manipulate sound with our plugins these days, if you can get just one quality, versatile condenser and a quality clean pre (Great River, Buzz, etc.) you can handle almost anything. All of the above mics would definitely qualify in that category.

Tobor

[mikehalloran]

>I think the KSM32 has a slightly smaller capsule but otherwise is very similar indeed to the KSM44 sonically. <

The KSM 44 has a larger diaphragm and is not as flat. Both are great mics and, in cardioid mode, are nearly interchangeable.

[Kubi]

Yes, the KSM32 is actually quite different from the KSM44 and to me at least doesn't sound that similar at all, even at cardioid pattern. Not knocking the 44, just a different mic. The KSM44 is a more traditional vocal mic, with a slight scoop. (Not surprised you got the recommendation from a Nashville engineer, to me it is a rather "contemporary Nashville" sounding mic, if that makes any sense.) It is large diaphragm vs. the 32's mid-size diaphragm, and the whole capsule is different. And of course it has switchable polar patterns etc., while the KSM32 is fixed cardioid.

So while they're both good mics in their own way, they are by no means interchangeable like, say, an SM57 and SM58 would be. Folks sometimes think of the KSM44 as a "KSM32 with more options" but that is simply not the case. Just to clarify.