Need help picking voice over mic

Douglas Spotted Eagle · April 15th, 2006, 07:59 AM

Another low cost v/o mic that sounds a lot better than I expected it to is the AT 2020. Just mixed a piece with vocals done thru this mic, and boy, was I surprised.

Martin Yap · April 18th, 2006, 09:31 PM

Is there a Preamp out there that can make a good number of condensers sound even better for VO work or is it really a mix and match thing? For example what pre would go best with a Rode NT1000 and/or a Senn 416?

Dave Largent · April 19th, 2006, 05:31 AM

Well, all I know about it is I used the NT1000 with
a Sound Devices Pre and the mic was too
harsh for my taste.

Ty Ford · April 19th, 2006, 06:10 AM

There are several "dark" sounding mic pres that can help, but more to the point, there are a LOT of crappy mics out there. They are there because the makers are competing on price wit products imported from China.

Not even Superman's preamp can save these mics.

Ty Ford

Greg Boston · April 19th, 2006, 07:42 AM

I just read through this thread and noticed people pointing out room acoustics as being important. They absolutely are. You need the room to be as quiet as possible but you have a home studio and there are dogs, birds, cars, lawnmowers, etc. outside.

I have the simplest and cheapest fix for all of that and am surprised no one mentioned it already. It's a method I use here in my home studio for V/O work.

RECORD LATE AT NIGHT!

That's right, instead of hanging out here on the board at 2am, you should be taking advantage of the quiet world outside. I did this on a recent project and recorded ambient room tone using an Oktava MK219 into the XL-2 preamps (surprisingly quiet). Ambient room level was at -54db and I set voice level to peak at -12 to -9 on the XL-2 audio meters. I monitored the audio with a nice set of headphones out the XL-2 headphone jack to make sure there was no audio distortion (meters won't tell you that).

That -54 db was easy to get rid of by batch processing the audio files through a noise gate set at -50db threshold. The result is absolute silence between phrases.

-gb-

Tim Gray · April 19th, 2006, 08:47 AM

I just wanted to throw this out there. Sometimes while recording vocalists, a large diaphragm dynamic mic is perfect. The vocal mic doesn't always have to be a condenser. If you're trying mics out with your voice, check out a Shure Sm7 or an EV RE-20. Different mics work for different voices.

Bill Mecca · April 19th, 2006, 09:45 AM

There is no one size fits all when it comes to mics. As has been discussed here are are a lot of factors involved, including room acoustics, recording environment, etc. Not to mention the individual voice being recorded. (Why do you think recording studios have a mic closet, filled with various makes and types of mics?)VO talent spend a lot of time and research in finding what works on their voice in their space.

Condensors are great, I have a Rode NT2, but I also use an SM58 at times. Both sound good on my voice but the 58 rejects background noise better. I used an RE20 in my radio days and loved that (one of these days the budget will allow another tool) Sometimes I swear I can hear the sound of my toenails growing on the Rode. LOL.

Best advice I can give is to see if you can trial some mics in your recording space and see what works best on your voice.

I have a montage sample up on my site, some with the Rode some with the SM58.

FWIW I bought my NT2 2nd hand, the windscreen was broken in shipping(the connection to the body tube) I emailed Rode, the president responded, I sent the mic to their US office, they repaired the screen and even replaced the capsule, at no charge (even though if I had purchased it new the warranty would NOT have covered the shipping damage). They recently send me several packs of replacement bands for the shock mount as well.

Gotta love a company that knows how to treat customers well.

Dave Largent · April 19th, 2006, 11:46 AM

I mentioned here that I had received a new NT1000
from B&H which had the screen broken off from the
body.

Bill Mecca · April 19th, 2006, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Largent

I mentioned here that I had received a new NT1000
from B&H which had the screen broken off from the
body.

Dave if you still have it I would suggest contacting Rode directly. It worked for me.

Dave Largent · April 19th, 2006, 01:47 PM

I got rid of it ... too bright for my tastes.

Dave Largent · April 19th, 2006, 01:47 PM

...........

Mick Isdes · April 19th, 2006, 02:58 PM

I may have missed it but have you checked in to the EV RE50? ENG standard excellent isolation, you can use it both in the studio and the field. Another for in ~house might be the Shure SM-58...Both of these mics are price in the under or around the $200 range new and will last a lifetime.

Greg Boston · April 19th, 2006, 05:08 PM

I have the Sure SM58B which has a newer diaphram design and is able to limit proximity effect very well. Haven't used it as a v/o mic yet, just for vocals when performing with our band.

-gb-

Phil Hover · April 20th, 2006, 10:48 AM

I like my sure KSM27 ~$300

Mark Schubb · April 21st, 2006, 07:22 PM

Although everything said about proper room set up is true, microphones make a huge difference. I did a professional VO session yesterday for a show on TLC (as talent) and the production company had a short AT shotgun set up because earlier they were picking up some lines to match field footage already shot.

But it sounded too crisp and forward for the narration -- it's a mic colored toward clarity rather than a rounded, warm VO mic colored toward gravitas. Needed to change it out to match the previous week's session.

Even the most informal style of VO needs to have a certain voice-inside-your-head quality and a warm mic is usually best. Your typical ENG mic or shotgun is too unforgiving.

One good cheap solution is the AT3035. Last year I listened to the whole AT large diaphram line at NAB in a small booth. Very lively and warm for the money. Worth the few dollars more over the 2020. I bought one and like it better than the Shure SM7 dynamic, a radio & VO standard costing about twice as much.

There are lots of other choices. You might also check out some of the mic shootouts below.

www.transom.org/tools/recordi..._shootout.html

www.digitalprosound.com/2002/...c_shootout.htm

www.dvestore.com/theatre/mics_guide.html

Proper VO processing -- compression, noise gate, de-essing, etc -- is a whole other topic, but is also part of what separates professional from so-so VO sound.

April 15th, 2006, 07:59 AM	#31
Douglas Spotted Eagle VASST Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Stockton, UT Posts: 5,648	Another low cost v/o mic that sounds a lot better than I expected it to is the AT 2020. Just mixed a piece with vocals done thru this mic, and boy, was I surprised. __________________ Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot Author, producer, composer Certified Sony Vegas Trainer http://www.vasst.com

April 18th, 2006, 09:31 PM	#32
Martin Yap Tourist Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4	Adding a Preamp Is there a Preamp out there that can make a good number of condensers sound even better for VO work or is it really a mix and match thing? For example what pre would go best with a Rode NT1000 and/or a Senn 416? __________________ Martin V.Yap Yappy Dog Productions http://www.martinyap.com

April 19th, 2006, 06:10 AM	#34
Ty Ford Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Baltimore, MD USA Posts: 2,337	There are several "dark" sounding mic pres that can help, but more to the point, there are a LOT of crappy mics out there. They are there because the makers are competing on price wit products imported from China. Not even Superman's preamp can save these mics. Ty Ford __________________ Ty Ford's Audio Bootcamp Field Guide Ty Ford's Audio Video Blog

April 19th, 2006, 09:45 AM	#37
Bill Mecca Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: New Jersey Posts: 475	There is no one size fits all when it comes to mics. As has been discussed here are are a lot of factors involved, including room acoustics, recording environment, etc. Not to mention the individual voice being recorded. (Why do you think recording studios have a mic closet, filled with various makes and types of mics?)VO talent spend a lot of time and research in finding what works on their voice in their space. Condensors are great, I have a Rode NT2, but I also use an SM58 at times. Both sound good on my voice but the 58 rejects background noise better. I used an RE20 in my radio days and loved that (one of these days the budget will allow another tool) Sometimes I swear I can hear the sound of my toenails growing on the Rode. LOL. Best advice I can give is to see if you can trial some mics in your recording space and see what works best on your voice. I have a montage sample up on my site, some with the Rode some with the SM58. FWIW I bought my NT2 2nd hand, the windscreen was broken in shipping(the connection to the body tube) I emailed Rode, the president responded, I sent the mic to their US office, they repaired the screen and even replaced the capsule, at no charge (even though if I had purchased it new the warranty would NOT have covered the shipping damage). They recently send me several packs of replacement bands for the shock mount as well. Gotta love a company that knows how to treat customers well. __________________ Award-winning Pine Barrens Documentary! Video, Audio, Music & More

April 19th, 2006, 01:47 PM	#41
Dave Largent Trustee Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 1,483	........... Last edited by Dave Largent; April 19th, 2006 at 07:13 PM.

April 19th, 2006, 05:31 AM	#33
Dave Largent Trustee Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 1,483	Well, all I know about it is I used the NT1000 with a Sound Devices Pre and the mic was too harsh for my taste.

April 19th, 2006, 07:42 AM	#35
Greg Boston Wrangler Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: DFW area, TX Posts: 6,117 Images: 1	I just read through this thread and noticed people pointing out room acoustics as being important. They absolutely are. You need the room to be as quiet as possible but you have a home studio and there are dogs, birds, cars, lawnmowers, etc. outside. I have the simplest and cheapest fix for all of that and am surprised no one mentioned it already. It's a method I use here in my home studio for V/O work. RECORD LATE AT NIGHT! That's right, instead of hanging out here on the board at 2am, you should be taking advantage of the quiet world outside. I did this on a recent project and recorded ambient room tone using an Oktava MK219 into the XL-2 preamps (surprisingly quiet). Ambient room level was at -54db and I set voice level to peak at -12 to -9 on the XL-2 audio meters. I monitored the audio with a nice set of headphones out the XL-2 headphone jack to make sure there was no audio distortion (meters won't tell you that). That -54 db was easy to get rid of by batch processing the audio files through a noise gate set at -50db threshold. The result is absolute silence between phrases. -gb-

April 19th, 2006, 08:47 AM	#36
Tim Gray Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Media, PA Posts: 144	I just wanted to throw this out there. Sometimes while recording vocalists, a large diaphragm dynamic mic is perfect. The vocal mic doesn't always have to be a condenser. If you're trying mics out with your voice, check out a Shure Sm7 or an EV RE-20. Different mics work for different voices.

April 19th, 2006, 11:46 AM	#38
Dave Largent Trustee Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 1,483	I mentioned here that I had received a new NT1000 from B&H which had the screen broken off from the body.

April 19th, 2006, 02:58 PM	#42
Mick Isdes Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: HI Posts: 93	I may have missed it but have you checked in to the EV RE50? ENG standard excellent isolation, you can use it both in the studio and the field. Another for in ~house might be the Shure SM-58...Both of these mics are price in the under or around the $200 range new and will last a lifetime. __________________ _________ Mick

April 19th, 2006, 05:08 PM	#43
Greg Boston Wrangler Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: DFW area, TX Posts: 6,117 Images: 1	I have the Sure SM58B which has a newer diaphram design and is able to limit proximity effect very well. Haven't used it as a v/o mic yet, just for vocals when performing with our band. -gb-

April 20th, 2006, 10:48 AM	#44
Phil Hover Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Costa Mesa, The OC, CA Posts: 87	I like my sure KSM27 ~$300

April 21st, 2006, 07:22 PM	#45
Mark Schubb Tourist Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Santa Monica, CA Posts: 4	Although everything said about proper room set up is true, microphones make a huge difference. I did a professional VO session yesterday for a show on TLC (as talent) and the production company had a short AT shotgun set up because earlier they were picking up some lines to match field footage already shot. But it sounded too crisp and forward for the narration -- it's a mic colored toward clarity rather than a rounded, warm VO mic colored toward gravitas. Needed to change it out to match the previous week's session. Even the most informal style of VO needs to have a certain voice-inside-your-head quality and a warm mic is usually best. Your typical ENG mic or shotgun is too unforgiving. One good cheap solution is the AT3035. Last year I listened to the whole AT large diaphram line at NAB in a small booth. Very lively and warm for the money. Worth the few dollars more over the 2020. I bought one and like it better than the Shure SM7 dynamic, a radio & VO standard costing about twice as much. There are lots of other choices. You might also check out some of the mic shootouts below. www.transom.org/tools/recordi..._shootout.html www.digitalprosound.com/2002/...c_shootout.htm www.dvestore.com/theatre/mics_guide.html Proper VO processing -- compression, noise gate, de-essing, etc -- is a whole other topic, but is also part of what separates professional from so-so VO sound.