Best mic fit with LA610?

[Big Mouse]

Hey guys,

I want to get another mic to go along with my 610 but not sure which mic will do a good job with the 610. Any suggestions? I'm recording female vocals for pop and r&b and male rap. I'd appreciate the advice.

[GP Systems]

Do you have a budget?

[TonyB]

When I saw the title it peaked my interest because you really can't recommend a particular mic to a specific preamp without taking into consideration the vocals.

Since you'll be recording female vocals and male rap, I'd go with the mics that traditionally work for those voices. But someone mentioned something about budget, which makes a difference.

Regardless of budget, I know of a studio that uses the LA610 effectively with the Royer MA200 (but it'll set you back $1000).

The Neumann TLM103 is popular with male rap, but usually through an Avalon 737sp. I know the LA610 is popular with the country and rockabilly music scene, so I don't know if these would be a good pair.

Unfortunately I've only talked about the expensive condensers. A large diaphragm dynamic, like an SM7b ($350), would work great on a male vocal.

[Big Mouse]

[QUOTE=TonyB;61983]
The Neumann TLM103 is popular with male rap, but usually through an Avalon 737sp. I know the LA610 is popular with the country and rockabilly music scene, so I don't know if these would be a good pair.
QUOTE]


So, in this case would I be better off with a different pre instead? I currently have a Rode K2. BTW, I also record rock and a little country sometimes too, for different singers. Since you brought that up, any mic/pre pair recommendations for rock and country? I also record them once in a while for different singers.

[TonyB]

[QUOTE=Big Mouse;62003]

Originally Posted by TonyB

The Neumann TLM103 is popular with male rap, but usually through an Avalon 737sp. I know the LA610 is popular with the country and rockabilly music scene, so I don't know if these would be a good pair.
QUOTE]


So, in this case would I be better off with a different pre instead? I currently have a Rode K2. BTW, I also record rock and a little country sometimes too, for different singers. Since you brought that up, any mic/pre pair recommendations for rock and country? I also record them once in a while for different singers.

I couldn't tell you what else would work with the 610. I can't seem to put down the SM7b no matter what style I'm recording or whatever preamp I'm using. But that's for male vocals though. For female vocals I like using either the Avalon or Grace 101 with a condenser...usually the MA200 or AKG C1000...but these weren't loud, raunchy rock female vocals.

IMHO, for rock/country the 610 should do fine and depending on the style of vocals, you'd want a mix of LDD (SM7b), SDC (AKG C1000, Rode NT-5), and LDC (MA200, TLM103, Rode NT-1) depending on your budget of course.

For all kinds of vocals I find myself going with my Grace 101 and Avalon; sometimes the FMR Audio RNP.

[Big Mouse]

Originally Posted by GP Systems

Do you have a budget?

Under $1,000.

[GP Systems]

Well the nice thing about using a quality preamp is it will make just about any mic sound better. The Universal Audio stuff is very highly regarded and this particular preamp is a popular choice for Bass and kick drums in particular although I'm sure any source will sound good and benefit from the optical compressor as it is based on the LA2A I believe. Obviously this pre does have some character as opposed to being completely transparent.

What mics do you use now?

[Big Mouse]

Originally Posted by GP Systems

Well the nice thing about using a quality preamp is it will make just about any mic sound better. The Universal Audio stuff is very highly regarded and this particular preamp is a popular choice for Bass and kick drums in particular although I'm sure any source will sound good and benefit from the optical compressor as it is based on the LA2A I believe. Obviously this pre does have some character as opposed to being completely transparent.

What mics do you use now?

I have the Rode K2.

[GP Systems]

Originally Posted by Big Mouse

I have the Rode K2.

That's a fine mic. No doubt. If i were you i would probably allocate the $1000 to a couple different mics that you can use for different purposes.

A high quality dynamic mic is always a good investment. Personally I reach for my Heil PR-20 [now the PR-22] regularly when recording amps and often use them on snare drums. This is also a great live mic BTW and I recently replaced my Sennheiser e965s with them.

A decent set of pencil mics are always handy for drum overheads, or acoustic instruments like guitars or pianos. M-Audio have a nice package with the their matched pair of Pulsar II's.

If you would like to try another LDC then it is hard to beat the value associated with the Audio Technica AT4050.

To my mind, given you already have a nice condenser in the K2, your $1000 could go a long way towards acquiring all of these solutions and then you should be good to go for a variety of apps.

[Big Mouse]

Originally Posted by GP Systems

If you would like to try another LDC then it is hard to beat the value associated with the Audio Technica AT4050.

To my mind, given you already have a nice condenser in the K2, your $1000 could go a long way towards acquiring all of these solutions and then you should be good to go for a variety of apps.

What's the major difference between the Rode K2 and the AT4050 besides one is a tube and the other is solid state? What kind of character or sound does the AT4050 give? What particular application is the AT4050 good for?