Best Microphone Choice

[jime]

Hi Alan,
I'm a Hip-Hop & R&B producer. I am looking to add some microphones to my collection. My engineer heard the C3 and he suggested I pick up one for the studio. Many of the references we do for other artists are sung by a male with an incredible range that covers tenor II through Soprano.

These are my questions:
Which mic is best suited to recording male R&B vocals a la Usher, Chris Brown, Ne-Yo etc?
(Chris Brown in particular because I have a session with him early next year)

Which microphone would probably best capture male and female vocals?
(C1, C3 etc)

Out of the different microphones that PMI offers are the SP's the best?
(Joemeek etc)

I am looking for a microphone that is not going to be harsh/abrasive on the ears and will deliver clear/detailed and not "boomy" bass frequencies.

Do you have any other suggestions for me?

Thank You

[hargerst]

For vocals, you can't do much better than having an SP T3 and a JM47 around. You should be able to cover almost any voice with those two mics, in my opinion.

[leshlush]

Which microphone would probably best capture male and female vocals?(C1, C3 etc)

Sorry that I'm unable to suggest the best mic for your particular application, but because you seem to make reference to the C1 and C3, I just thought that I would add that the C1 and C3 are essentially the same Cardiod capsule, the C3 just has the ability to switch polar patterns to omni and figure 8...

Another neat mic in the SP family is the LSD2... It's basically 2 x C3 caps stacked coincedentally (one on top of the other)... With the one mic, you have the ability to run all sorts of stereo configurations including some some great configurations like Blumlein and M/S... But again, stereo configs are not necessarily for recording vocals... Just some food for thought...

I can also point you in the direction of someone who hand-makes some smoking Silver-clad cables that terminate in 5 pin XLR(like the LSD2) and 2 x 3 pin XLR... He can even terminate the 3-pin's in Right angle Neutrik if you need... Don't get me wrong, the stock cable that SP sends w/ the LSD2 does the trick, but the Silvers really make the mic come alive...

Peace, Love,
and Dancin Shoes

Paul

[leshlush]

For vocals, you can't do much better than having an SP T3.

Actually I second that... A nice Tube mic would sound nice and warm for vocals...

[Alan Hyatt]

jime,

Well, the T3 is a very special mic in my opinion. I mainly use it, a C1 and a JM47a for my main mics...Yes, I have u87, u67, u49, C414E, C12 and other classic nice mics and do use them. I also use a lot of SD mics, but when it comes down to the majority of use, I find I can do everything with a T3, C1 and JM47a, get great results and not risk harm to my very costly mics.

What works best for you is what your ears like.

T3 is great for female vocals so that is covered, and C1 is great for power vocals...the C3 is also a good mic for female and male vocals. It is a little less in your face than the C1, but offers patterns that I use a lot, like a room mic, or in figure eight for two singers or when I just need to roll off a jumbo dreadnaught as a result of it being a bit boomy or relax a vocal just a bit. So the C3 will definately get you more versitility.

The rest, well that is up to you and your budget

[jime]

Thank You everyone for your input. I will order my mics from the local dealer today. The information was very informative. Thank You

[hargerst]

And just so everybody's clear on my position, the T3 IS "A VERY SPECIAL MIC". It has a lot more "air" than most mics I have. Now "air" (to me, anyway) means a very high end peak (or rising response) that adds a "sheen" or "gloss", rather than "highs" or "brightness", to the final sound. It's a good thing.

Mics like the Neumann U67 or the AKG C12 or the Telefunken ELA M251 have that "air" thing going for them. But having the continuously variable pattern control on the T3 lets you control the amount of proximity effect you can add to the "air" inherent in the mic.

You get the warm vocal stuff with the JM47A, and the rest with the T3.

[Alan Hyatt]

And just so everybody's clear on my position, the T3 IS "A VERY SPECIAL MIC". It has a lot more "air" than most mics I have. Now "air" (to me, anyway) means a very high end peak (or rising response) that adds a "sheen" or "gloss", rather than "highs" or "brightness", to the final sound. It's a good thing.

Mics like the Neumann U67 or the AKG C12 or the Telefunken ELA M251 have that "air" thing going for them. But having the continuously variable pattern control on the T3 lets you control the amount of proximity effect you can add to the "air" inherent in the mic.

You get the warm vocal stuff with the JM47A, and the rest with the T3.

Amen Brother....:D

[jbolles702]

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with a C1. I use it regularly on male and female vocals and acoustic guitars. The only thing I haven't liked it for is as a drum overhead mic. Coupled with a nice preamp, it's super sweet.

[Reid Mason]

While I'll agree that both C1 and C3 are great mics, I think the T3 is the best choice for vocals. Harvey is absolutely correct when he speaks of how it has that "air".

Tony Lindsay, lead singer for Santana for over 14 years swears by the T3, and won't record his voice with anything else. He auditioned it against some REALLY expensive German mics. He picked the T3. That's good enough for me!

[Scott Collins]

Just curious if the Studio Projects team has ever considered making a "T1" type mic? A less expensive version of the T3 without the multi-pattern option? I'm aware of the TB1, of course, but evidently there are significant differences between it and the T3.

I just ordered one of the *new* C1s today - looking forward to hearing it!

[earlwgreen]

I've not had the pleasure of trying the T3, but from what I understand, the TB1 is the tube C version. I love mine. It sounds very natural to me. When I record something, I don't use any eq and very little compression, then I let my wife listen to it. Every time she says it sounds just like me in the room. That's great to me.

Also, a friend of mine who's in her 70s has been recording in England for years. She has recorded using everything from RCA ribbons to top of the line Neumanns. She heard several samples of just my vocals and said it sounded fantastic. She also comment it sounded warm and just like my voice in the room.

So, if the T3 is that much better than my TB1, then it must be really amazing!

Good look with your new C1. Let me know how you like it.

Hey Earl,

The TB1 is actually part of the B Series. It uses a 3micron capsule while the C Series including the T3 us a 6micron capsule...There is a tonal differece, however, the TB1 is a great tube mic and I use it quite a bit, but the T3 is still my favorite SP mic

[Reid Mason]

the TB1 really is quite a nice microphone. Check out the reviews, available on our website. Go here (http://studioprojects.com/tb1.html)> then scroll down to the bottom.