Hi I'm looking for a new vocal mic that will be a good compliment to my existing mics and pres. My current mics are a Rode NT1a and Studio Projects B1 and the pres I use are the SPL Goldmike (tube pre) and Soundcraft M8.

Which would recommend for under $750 / £400?

I would really value your recommendations and experience because I'm unable to audition these mics personally due to where I live.

I'm using the mic to record a pro gospel singer who has a huge voice (Aretha Franklin style). I need a mic which can cope with her huge fast dynamic leaps that doesn't make her high notes sound harsh and piercing. Would a dynamic mic such as the Shure SM7b than a Large Diaphram Condenser such as the Rode K2 or Audio Technica 4040

I was at wit's end, looking at various microphones, as well as the dynamic versus condenser/ribbon question (I don't have phantom power) -- then I stumbled across this. It includes your Shure SM7 as well as one of the popular big diaphram Electrovoices: the RE 27.

I ended up getting the EV RE 20...based on this and other sources.


http://www.transom.org/tools/recording_int...c_shootout.html


This guys got the sound of a very large group of mics...you at least get to hear the sibilence and colouration.


http://www.coutant.org/contents.html


The final comparison site actually has singers and players doing similar music with various mics.

http://www.thelisteningsessions.com/sessions.htm

Supposedly, the classic mic for Aretha Franklin was the EV 666.

I don't know whether that is true but I'd tend to probably put an EV RE20 (dark side of neutral) or a Beyerdynamic Soundstar MKII (bright side of neutral). The Electro Voice tends to require more gain and be warned that some preamps just can't power it up. Another mic in this vein is the Shure SM7.

Dickie, one of the approaches to getting mics for vocals, is to get a bright mic and more neutral mic. In my collection, the bright mic is the Blue Dragonfly. In the past our bright mic has been the Rode NT1, the Studio Projects C1 and probably a couple others I'm forgetting. The B1 approximates a more neutral mic. I've found the B1 doesn't mesh well with a lot of vocalists but it can be the right mic for certain, eccentric sounding voices in my experience.

If it were me, then I'd probably look for an EV RE20, RE15, RE16 or a Shure SM7. However, I'd probably get together with the talent first and see if either of my mics would do the trick before I bought a new one. I'd probably lean toward the SM7 or the RE20 if I were going to try to add a mic.