Thread Ideal mic for nasally tenor voice

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onetakewonder

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First post

1 Posted on 10/28/2014 at 06:15:05

Sinus issues give me a nasally voice, a bit like Neil Young or Anthony Keidis. What's the best mic to use for these types of vocals?

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Pedalhoarder

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2 Posted on 10/28/2014 at 07:10:21

I have a similar type of voice and after much experience, the original Rode NT1 is by far my favorite. This could be different for your type of nasally-ness, if you will, so the best thing is to experiment with several mics.

I often have 3-4 choices of mics ready for any vocalist coming to my studio so we can test all of them, as there's so much variety between vocal timbre. But go ahead and give the NT1 a whirl when you can!

wishyouwerebeer

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3 Posted on 10/28/2014 at 08:01:03

I'm a nasally tenor as well. I've used a Heil PR20 before with some success. Personally, I liked it more than an sm58, because it's pretty flat around 5K with a little air thrown in at 10K that works nicely. In general, I feel that a flat 5K with some air at 10K is what you should be after.

As far as a mic that I've found works really well and is a great value, I would consider the CAD M179. Amazon has it for a ridiculously good price of $117 shipping included, but whatever you do, make sure you get a mic that has a good return policy. Every singer is different, and so is every mic, and you really have to test around to find the best one for you.

Les Bleus

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4 Posted on 11/04/2014 at 02:27:44

From my experience, condensers generally have a surplus of high end for vocalists with a nasal tone. Something like an AT2020 could sound a bit brittle. An SM58 or SM7b should do a good job with your type of vocals. I would try recording in stereo with one of these dynamic microphones close to the vocalist and a condenser at least 3 times farther away from the vocalist's mouth than the dynamic. I would use the dynamic for the main vocals and add some texture and ambience with a bit of the condenser blended in.

an SM58 is under 100eur, sm7b will be more expensive but will be better. and a good mic pre is highly recommended (especially for the sm7b)

fightlikeabrave

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5 Posted on 11/04/2014 at 02:41:51

Quote from Les:

I would try recording in stereo with one of these dynamic microphones close to the vocalist and a condenser at least 3 times farther away from the vocalist's mouth than the dynamic. I would use the dynamic for the main vocals and add some texture and ambience with a bit of the condenser blended in.

I would DEFINITELY advise you not to record "in stereo" with one close mic and one room mic....

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