Choosing the Best Mic for Your Vocals? Five 5-star Mics Compared

[@sweetwater]

Which mics are you using in your studio setup? How did you decide what you needed for your recording process? Tell us in the comments below and pass along your studio wisdom to help fellow musicians find their footings in their studio journeys! Don’t forget to drop by Sweetwater to check out all our microphones and recording gear to get your setup in motion 👉 sweetwater.sjv.io/microphones

[@aceedmond8053]

Good sounding mics Nick... I have Neumann TLM 103 for vox does the job well.

[@aether962]

Dual set of Oc818 for vocals and f horn. I loved the sound on vocals and the ability to change polar patterns both live and in post. The dual output is fascinating!

[@CLdwyer]

Honestly, I think the biggest differences are gonna be the technology. FET, transformer, tube design, ribbon. Some mics saturate and they’ll all treat transients differently. Thanks for the vid!

[@DanHealymusic]

I own the TF29 and the Atlantis. for me working with different singers in the studio the Atlantis wins Everytime. Especially in forward mode it really sits in the mix without sounding harsh. AMS Neve 1073 on the pre. The TF29 is a great mic but you always have to do a lot to get it to sound expensive. Highs are brittle and the low mids give you a very muddy vibe for most singers. On acoustics and electrics it’s great and on some singers it works fantastically. The Lauten though ( for me ) is a different animal. When I send productions away to mix my regular guys have all raved about the vocal sound of the Lauten. Both great mics! 🎉

[@keithferris9574]

I own two sE X1A mics, and they are definitely capable of producing usable tracks. I use the UT Twin 87 for most lead vox and the X1a does fine for backgrounds. It also works pretty well on acoustics and drum room setups.

[@FromTheHipp]

Glad to see Telefunken represented. I have a TF51 that ive had for 8 months now and i'm in love with it. my project is nearly finished and its been such an incredible piece for me. I'm running in into a 737 -> Distressor. been very very happy with my vocals.

[@musicalstrategy8261]

Producer:" You Cant go wrong with just choosing the highest quality mircrophone..." Artist: "I want it the song to sound rough like that classic sm58 sound" Producer: 👀

[@trakking3981]

I use the warm audio w87 and it captures sound great for me.

[@kevincothron5089]

When I was cutting vocals in a studio back in the 90's my mic of choice was an AT 4050. All the mics I heard in this demo would've been fine. The character of the mics was similar. Tweek eq on them and you would get a good result.

[@gabeatv]

Great video! Helps a lot. Thank you! I only own 4 different microphones at the moment. It's good to have options! P.S. noticed something off about the sound in the intro. Couldn't tell what was going on until I saw the lapel mic printing through the t-shirt. Didn't sound good to me. I don't think viewers care too much if we see a mic? Whether it's lapel or a huge SM7B. All that matters is that it sounds good.

[@irawardofficial]

Awesome shootout !! @7:04, this is a perfect example of how you record vocals. The distance is perfect, the gain is spot on and the singer has a good voice :). The rest of the recordings suffered from to voice miking and gain and phase issues.

[@gabrielangeles1216]

Bright mic for dull vocalist?, dull mic for MJackson, AKiedis or TYorke? but Jackson and Kiedis voices don’t sound like having equal frequency emphasis across the spectrum, why the SM7 for them all?, because… it doesn’t really matter? As long as u know what u r doing (roughly)?… I don’t have the answer, just funny questions :)

[@uphoriaaa]

I use the Samson G Track Pro for all of my vocal recordings, great budget mic for starting out and getting your footing

[@Realtalkyou08]

The SE mic sounded great to not cost as much.

[@ChrystalElaine]

Love my MXL 990's. Wander what mic Wolfman Jack had years ago with all that yelling and howling that he did in the mic?

[@petercruz1993]

Thank you for this!

[@audiotalk6155]

I thought you mentioned Lauten mic on Jorden and then SE…. Then you played two snap shots the first one at 3:06 looks like a Warm Audio mc… what mic is on Jorden at 3:06? This sounded best on him to me. Thank you anyone…

[@kbullet7385]

Hi guys i want to open a studio, will definitely have different types of artist will be coming thru, what reasonable priced mic should i consider, i can only manage one.

[@robgracia509]

great video thank you for doing this nick and crew

[@Staticgrooms]

The Atlantis sounded great!

[@DONKEYFORRENT]

Fantastic video! Very nicely done.

[@jerrymckenzie1858]

I've learned that you have to try a lot of mics to find the best one for your voice (even though most will work). The right mic might not be expensive either - the best mic for me is a $200 (used) Shure SM27 - a great little mic that uses the same capsule as the KSM44.

[@ER-yq1lc]

What vocal mics did you guys use on D'virgilio, Morse & Jennings?

[@TBURNATV]

Somebody a Idea?!? DARK Rap vocals... Neve1073 dpa Preamp..which mics ?!!!?

[@chiefyovany572]

The TLM 103 or U67.

[@davidtrig]

Sm7b

[@scotty09]

Soyuz 023

[@ezurg01]

At this point it doesn't matter what a time to make music

[@andrewsun4385]

Cool!!!❤❤

[@modelcitizen1977]

As a studio engineer who has used mics across the spectrum, I promise you don't need to spend more than $200 on a microphone. It takes about 5 seconds of tweaking to make an entry level AKG sound like a Neumann U87. Don't buy high end mics unless you're spending someone else's money.

[@roy_sinai]

What are some of the tweaks you can do for a better sound? (Except for the standard effects chain)

[@johanolofandersson8801]

Not true.

[@rjjtmt]

@@johanolofandersson8801Fr no Akg gon sound like u87

[@johanolofandersson8801]

@@rjjtmt exactly, I had the a cheap one Rode NT2. Now I have the U87 with an Avalon 737, and its a nigh and day difference.

[@darrioushues8458]

I’m a multi platinum recording engineer and I can tell you what this guys is saying is horrible advice. Microphones are like paint brushes and you have to find which one is best for you and sometimes it might be a expensive one sometimes it might be a cheaper

[@daveycrockett9447]

Sweetwater flowing through the nose- lol

[@epluribusfunk514]

I am a Baritone (high in the range in baritone) That being said this video does absolutely nothing for me. There are a million videos out there showcasing female and tenor voices. Please do a mic comparison for lower end singers like me.

[@CenterThePendulum]

Buy the Soyuz 017 FET. Hyper detailed mids and an open top end. You won’t find that combo anywhere. Would love to have heard Cornell and Lanegan through this thing. Works better than u87, u67, u47, Manley, AKG, you name it. The FET for me was smoother than the tube version, I’m baritone with a healthy dose of rasp. Don’t bother with an SM7.

[@epluribusfunk514]

@@CenterThePendulum I have Nuemann TLM -103 , AKG C414 XL II and a Shure SM7B. Its funny you should mention the FET 017. I just discovered Mark Yashimoto 's (Mic Assassin) video. And that mic sounds amazing. I will be excited to buy the 017 FET. Thank you for verifying my research and further keeping me from buying a Nuemann U87 ai instead.

[@CenterThePendulum]

@@epluribusfunk514Awesome, I think you’ll hear what I hear! It also has a higher SPL than the u87. Incidentally I just ordered the 414 XLII for my acoustic guitar so maybe we have similar ears. Enjoy!

[@epluribusfunk514]

@@CenterThePendulum Try some singing with the AKG and tell me what you think. The AKG just arrived yesterday and i just hooked it up for 15 minutes yesterday. It seems the AKG has a better curve on the top end for less sibilance.

[@compucorder64]

I'm a Baritone too, and I like the JZ Vintage 67 most on my voice. I also like U47 (FET) on my voice. It's got the bass response. Go for the FET if you are loud, and want it to react quickly and be more articulate. If you want it smoother, have a sibilant voice, or want a more intimate sound, could go with a tube U47, or clone of.