Vocal Mic

    I'm looking for a vocal mic and have narrowed it down to an AKG C214 or a Rosewell K47 both of which have great reviews and listening to sound tests I agree.
    Have any of you folk used either of these two for vocals? I understand there are other options out there but after listening to a bunch of mics (online, I hasten to add) I don't want to get further confused.
    I don't need multi cardioid patterns or a pad switch.
    Thanks

    Michael_dk is right. It’s truly a question of individual taste and suitability for your voice. That said, my $.02…

    The JZ Microphones Vintage series is highly regarded. My V67 absolutely blows me away, and I got it for a steal. I bought it during their Thanksgiving sale for about 65% off, with free shipping. They have these insane sales several times a year.

    JZ’s hand built microphones have a vintage flavor, and each is inspired by a specific, legendary and often unobtainable model. I’m not trying to dissuade you from a K47 or C214 spottydog10, but JZ’s V11 or V47 may be worth considering.

    My V67 is modeled on the U67, but it is not a tube mic like the original. I’ve never used a U67, but reviews indicate the V67 truly has a U67-like character. Either way, it sounds amazing on my voice.

    The Vintage series have an integrated shock mount, which works very well. Even so, JZ push their shock mount and I’m not sure why.

    Quote from spottydog10

    I understand there are other options out there but after listening to a bunch of mics (online, I hasten to add) I don't want to get further confused.

    This. The market. the industry, marketing and the internet can drive you nuts with your investment decisions. Don't waste too much of your lifetime at your stage of things. Go with one of your choices above, both seem decent for the price point and will certainly work well for you. Make sure a proper shockmount is included as condensers definitely benefit from that more than others. A proper carrying case to make sure it's stored well is beneficial as well.

    More important: Buy it and then start gathering experience how to handle and how to achieve best results. Only with that experience you will come to a point where you can decide if maybe - emphasis on maybe here - another microphone would suit your needs better. Soundwise, handlingwise or with respect to your specific recording situation (is the room treated well enough for condenser-based recordings?). How can you find out theoretically? A bit (which is why we tend to stick to "standards") but not fully...

    Go ahead, make music, have fun, enjoy & learn :)

    deadman42 you’re so right.

    In this world of online purchasing, we invest so much time in researching, and rarely get confirmation that an item is “right” until we’ve tried it in our home or studio.

    spottydog10 neither of your choices is a very expensive piece of gear. You won’t know until you try it whether or not it flatters your voice, so…

    Go to Sweetwater and listen to their mic comparison test. They all sound good. My ears are bad so I cant tell the difference from any of them. Actually, I think they may have taken it down because it was stopping people from buying expensive mics :)

    1) My take is if the person sings well, they will sound good no matter what mic. Bono on SM58 for albums.

    2) Type of singing and gender will decide the mic to get. I see many metal people using SM7B for example.

    3) I am a fan of the 80 Hz roll off switch if your preamp does not have one.

    I've owned the SE Z5600a mic for about 15 years and it's just not right. Capsule looks clean but the circuit boards or even the ridiculously expensive cable might be dodgy. To get it fully looked at and repaired is not going to be cost effective I think, plus I'm bored with it, hence the search for a new mic.


    I've had the Lewitt 440 here all week and it's nice but I think I can do better and the AKG and the K47 seems to fit the bill.

    Obviously I cant really tell which mic is suitable until I do a full days vocal with it so I'll probably order one or the other this week and send it back if not the right fit.

    I wish I could sing like Bob but I'm stuck with what I've got.
    I've boxed up the Lewitt for return and my finger is hovering over the buy button between the AKG and the Rosewell.

    I'm dithering like a bridegroom on his wedding night.

    Sammy can use a lav mic pretty well...

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    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

    Great advice from everyone. There is no one size fits all in musical gear and often it involves a little (or a lot of) trial and error to find the right fit. Neither of the choices you have narrowed it down to may ultimately work.

    Quote from BayouTexan

    Just don't use the mic that Bob Dylan used.

    I laughed out loud at that one. Remember "We Are The World"? When that song came out they released a video showing all of the singers who participated in the session. A lady I worked with saw the video and then asked me "Who was that little homeless guy in the video?" :D

    After another dither day, pulling a back muscle and being diverted by trying to watch the snooker final I've ordered the Roswell Mini K47.
    I've scoured online resources for a bad review of this mic and cant find one, so fingers crossed.
    Should be here Wednesday. Phew.
    Thanks to all for their contribution, much appreciated.