Subject: Re: [linux-audio-user] Re: OT: Microphone info
From: anahata (anahata_AT_treewind.co.uk)
Date: Wed Aug 04 2004 - 02:12:28 EEST
On Tue, Aug 03, 2004 at 10:43:47AM -1000, Alastair Couper wrote:
> Yes, I should state the intention. I have a SM58 knockoff (by Fender) that
> I use on hand drums. My interest de jeur is to record a female vocalist.
with vocals the choice of mic is even more subjective and dependent on
what you are recording. As somebody said with preamps, it's certainly
a case of matching a mic to the voice you want to record.
> I am an electrical engineer by education, so am amenable to freq charts,
> THD, spatial plots and such. But the "warm" thing seems to me empty. Seems
> like judicious EQ should get you what you want, given that the transducer
> is coming up with a clean reproduction to begin with.
Trouble is it doesn't come up with a clean response in the first place.
Better to get a mic that sounds about right than to get one that really
does't suit the voice/room/whatever and then try to fix it with EQ that
will never quite match the mic.
> But then one gets
> into subjectivity and black magic again.
Not really. The human ear-brain system is very sensitive to certain
cues for direction and depth; a mic with a perfect on-axis response
whose response off axis is very poor will pick up room reflections that
don't sound right, in a very subtle way. The off-axis response is just
one of many small but important differences between a good mic and a bad
one.
> I am looking a Studio Projects B1, for instance.
Do a Google groups search on group:rec.audio.pro and your mic of choice.
There will be some derision if if's a cheap mic, but it's worth going
through the results because you will often get:
- opinions from people in the industry who've actually used it
- opinions from people with good ears
- suggestions about what specific instruments or types of voice it's
good/bad for
Two other things: You can get a lot of mileage out any mic by learning
about mic placement, and it's always best to try a mic out, or better
still try several and choose with your own ears. Ideally take your
vocalist along to the store to test mics.
-- Anahata anahata_AT_treewind.co.uk -+- http://www.treewind.co.uk Home: 01638 720444 Mob: 07976 263827
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