2 Question: recommendations wanted

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

cannone <kevin@itsmusic.co.za> wrote:
>i have a studio in Cape Town, South Africa. i have been using the Rode K2
>valve mic for a while and have noticed it being a bit harsh and brittle on
>the high mids for female vocals.

What kind of preamp are you using? Is this a brittleness that can be
helped with EQ, or does EQ just make the problem worse?

> i also have a client who has recently done
>some recording in the UK and since her return has complained about the
>clarity of our headphone sound compared to what she used in the UK. We are
>using Sennheiser HD250 which have always sounded great.

What kind of power amp are you driving them with?

You might consider the Sony MDR-V6. It's not even remotely accurate,
but it has a great artificially-clear sound that makes them good for
tracking.

But it's possible a little EQ on the headphone send might make your
client happy. And if you have a problem with a poor power amp, the
best headphones will not sound clear, especially at high levels.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

On Wed, 20 Jul 2005 10:42:34 +0200, cannone wrote:

> 1. what can you recommend as a good studio mic for female vocals under $1000
> 2. What headphones would you recommend for clarity for vocalists

I've been using the Rode NT1 or NT2 to great effect. The last project I
used Anatres Mic Modeller to change the Rode into a Manley Gold which
really brought out the "womanly" quality to the vocalist's sound.
As the Manley is not within the $1000 price range, Mic Modeller and a
Rode Mic may be the way to go.
Try and get the original versions of the NT1 and NT2. I like the colouring
they add to the vocal sound.

--
Jafar Calley
Producer - http://moonlife-records.com
--------------------------------------
See the latest Mars and Saturn images
http://fatcat.homelinux.org

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <YoWdnQklwcGfkkPfRVn-ig@is.co.za> kevin@itsmusic.co.za writes:

> i have a studio in Cape Town, South Africa. i have been using the Rode K2
> valve mic for a while and have noticed it being a bit harsh and brittle on
> the high mids for female vocals.

Try another mic. An E-V RE20 isn't hard to find, they aren't too
expensive used, and is pretty much the other end of the scale from a
modern "bright" condenser mic, without being dull and boring.

> i also have a client who has recently done
> some recording in the UK and since her return has complained about the
> clarity of our headphone sound compared to what she used in the UK. We are
> using Sennheiser HD250 which have always sounded great.

> 2. What headphones would you recommend for clarity for vocalists

The problem isn't likely to be with the headphones. What are you
driving them with, and are you sure your headphone mix is all it
should be? A vocalist complaining about "clarity" could mean anything.
What do YOU think?





--
I'm really Mike Rivers (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

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To answer a few of the questions asked:

Mic Pre: i am running the tube mic straight into my behringer DDX3216 which
is connected via Adat out to my PC through a RME HDSP9652
Mic: I have tried a few mics: AKG C3000, AEA R84 ribbon mic, Rode NTK and
several others, but am still not happy with the Female vox
Headphone Amp: I am running the H/P's via a Behringer Headphone Distributor

KC

"Mike Rivers" <mrivers@d-and-d.com> wrote in message
news:znr1121862955k@trad...
>
> In article <YoWdnQklwcGfkkPfRVn-ig@is.co.za> kevin@itsmusic.co.za writes:
>
> > i have a studio in Cape Town, South Africa. i have been using the Rode
K2
> > valve mic for a while and have noticed it being a bit harsh and brittle
on
> > the high mids for female vocals.
>
> Try another mic. An E-V RE20 isn't hard to find, they aren't too
> expensive used, and is pretty much the other end of the scale from a
> modern "bright" condenser mic, without being dull and boring.
>
> > i also have a client who has recently done
> > some recording in the UK and since her return has complained about the
> > clarity of our headphone sound compared to what she used in the UK. We
are
> > using Sennheiser HD250 which have always sounded great.
>
> > 2. What headphones would you recommend for clarity for vocalists
>
> The problem isn't likely to be with the headphones. What are you
> driving them with, and are you sure your headphone mix is all it
> should be? A vocalist complaining about "clarity" could mean anything.
> What do YOU think?
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> I'm really Mike Rivers (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
> However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
> lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
> you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
> and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <VZydnS8mxcFG0ULfRVn-iQ@is.co.za> kevin@itsmusic.co.za writes:

> To answer a few of the questions asked:
>
> Mic Pre: i am running the tube mic straight into my behringer DDX3216 which
> is connected via Adat out to my PC through a RME HDSP9652
> Mic: I have tried a few mics: AKG C3000, AEA R84 ribbon mic, Rode NTK and
> several others, but am still not happy with the Female vox

You're depending on the DDX3216 for two important functions in the
chain. First, even though you're connecting the mic preamp to a line
input (I hope), you're still going through the mixer's mic preamp
circuitry. While this is effectively isolated from the microphone (so
all the mic loading is provided by your mic preamp), you're still
subject to any distortion that this stage introduces. You can bypass
the mic preamp stage and connect your preamp output directly to the
mixer's A/D converter by connecting it to the insert jack as a
"return." This is an unbalanced input. If the output of your preamp is
balanced, don't-ask-don't-tell. Just try it.

Another potential problem is that you're depending on the mixer's A/D
converter. While really bad A/D converters are pretty rare these days,
at this price, you aren't getting a top quality one.

Still, voices are very personal and sometimes you just have to
experiment. It could be that your preamp isn't a good match for the
singer. It could be that the singer just has a harsh voice.

> Headphone Amp: I am running the H/P's via a Behringer Headphone Distributor

That's a good example of a really well designed functional product
that doesn't have great sound as a primary consideration. If your
studio players are critical of the headphone sound, I'd suspect this
and try a different headphone amplifier. Experiment with things you
have around and get a sense of where the mush is coming from.



--
I'm really Mike Rivers (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

cannone <kevin@itsmusic.co.za> wrote:
>
>Mic Pre: i am running the tube mic straight into my behringer DDX3216 which
>is connected via Adat out to my PC through a RME HDSP9652
>Mic: I have tried a few mics: AKG C3000, AEA R84 ribbon mic, Rode NTK and
>several others, but am still not happy with the Female vox
>Headphone Amp: I am running the H/P's via a Behringer Headphone Distributor

Before doing anything, I would look into a good preamp and a good headphone
amp.

Without a good preamp, you have no idea what the microphone actually sounds
like.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."