I to have no degree, no formal schooling besides highschool.
I sent in my Mix to a couple studios and now i intern. I go in early/stay late and get to use stuff like the U87. Maybe interning couple days a week is something you could do. The sony ... my mentor is full time engineer owns the studio and still does not have his sony. He him self is in a pop band so as you can imagine he would love one as well.
U87s do have some decent clones, but the sony is like in a different tax bracket lol
Even people who have established careers have to wait for that one.

$500 Slate Digital Modeling mic is fantasticly clear and crisp. We run it often with out the software under.
As previously mentioned WA 47 is another ok in the range.

Now imo if you want a mic that is versatile, flat, Cheap, and not too harsh on sharp frequencies i Highly reccomend...
$150-300 Rhode NT1 ! Its a fantastic mic for its price.
not the 1A, there you will find your *out of the box* eqd brittleness.
But i still use my Rhode NT1 and can mark as a extreamly solid contender all the way up into $600 range. I have tracks where one verse is Neumann U87 and one is NT1. After processing its damn hard to tell sometimes.

There is always the SM58
I KNOW, Dynamic, Not sexy at all. But there is a good reason every recording studio has 10 or more of these... mhmm

 

I feel like the RHODE NT1 is almost a Pros Beginner secret... used you can purchase them insanely cheap even cheaper then the 1A wich is less retail.
People plug it into thier focusrite hear natural sound and think its shit cause its not bright. Its highly detailed, stupid rugged, it actually is sexy when set up it has a presence visually.
I achieved a very desirable sound running NT1 into GAP MK73. They compliment very nice and get some dope colors from driving it. Whole package if both used 300 or less all togther
For real learn your gear and plugs tho. I recorded a album with a $5 computer mic from the early 2000s... I play them tracks often still even as im getting more trained they are still good mixes.
They were good because i wanted to make it be the best with what i had and thats all i had..
X-Noise, Lots of over dubbing, and shit tons of eq brah. Make magic

Here is one of them songs infact

The mic used was Cyber Acoustics CVL 1064rb - google it lol

 

Last edited: Jan 23, 2020

This. If you can't do it with an NT-1 you can't do it with a C800g.

 

I feel you. Well there is no better answer than, wait, maybe get a Job and sell old stuff. Safe money and than go crazy and buy the mic. If you buy a cheaper mic (again!) there is still gonna be that deep desire of having a high end one. So take time as it is, safe more money and move towards your goal. It is going to be worth it.

 

I have a lot of expensive mics like Neumann (even tube ones) AKG, Sennheiser and so on. They are wonderful but they don't change the game. The best mic for acoustic blues harp recording i.e is a 100$ Thomann ribbon, because harp has very harsh frequencies and only that mic can handle those perfect. No need of EQing.

First of all it is all about the source and the right mic for it, not the prize.

But more important: Its not the sound that makes a million $ seller. IT IS THE SONG!!!

Todd Rundgren said years ago: The most important in a production is the song. Then in a distance follows the artist (singer i.e) and then in a long distance follows the sound. Because of that you can listen to old shitty sounding records, that still give you goose bumps.

I did a lot of R&B vocals with and SM58 or an SM7 because they sound much better with certain voices than my expensive condensers. They have often more energy (cojones) than all those high end mics..

Just my 2 cts

 

Dude, some of my best multi million dollar platinum hits I recorded with my fkn iphone 2... I just called it lo-fi...

 

Just google "singers recorded with SM58", there are so many examples in the pop world. I've noticed that when it comes to vocals, even a cheap mic will sound great if you have a great singer, and even a U87 would sound like shit if you have a bad singer. You can't just buy a mic and expect it to make you sound like Adele.

 

Just a random, semi off-topic question:
Are these any good (at least for demo purposes..) and if, which one (for a "modern" vocal):
https://advancedaudio.ca/collections/fet-microphones
https://advancedaudio.ca/collections/the-custom-editions

Tnx
Ps. wonder why thers nobody mentioning preamps/power, that would go w/ this stuff -sry, I just (try to) make music and leave vocal rec/mix to pros..

 

Last edited: Jan 23, 2020

Has anyone mentioned trying a 'mic modeler plugin'? The Antares Mic Mod EFX is very affordable, I think it's iLok, can't find one with medicine anywhere. There are a few more of these, I used to use a cracked mic modeler to make my RODE NT1-A sound like a Neumann lol, didn't prefer it. But maybe a mic modeler plugin is worth a try. Otherwise a RODE NT1-A will only set you back around $200?

 

These are wonderful microphones that are some of the best bang for the buck and voiced to be in the family that they are named after, be it a 47, 48, 414, 87, etc . Dave Thomas has great ears, vast experience in the field and the expertise to create a fine microphone for the price point he is aiming for. The capsules he seems to be utilizing are obviously not the most costly available, but because he is an electronics wizard can voice them artfully and hit his mark with the parts that he fuses together in his designs and by the way he lays out the circuit boards for each of his creations. You can't go wrong with Advanced Audio. I don't own any AA mics (my main mics are Microtech Gefells), but if I needed to populate a new recording studio with quality cost effective tools would buy a bunch of these.

You mentioned preamps, though whatever you have in your interface shouldn't hold you back providing you capture a good performance, a good song and with apropos or creative mic placement. Performance is #1, room is #2, microphone comes in a close third (switch 2 and 3 to taste) with preamps and conversion lastly filling out the field.

Gushen makes good inexpensive kit!

If you can't do the time, don't do the crime, but even if you have the time, don't do the crime (for microphones, that is).

 

I still use a 58 on my own vocals half the time. I've used a $100 Studio Projects to mic all kinds of things and if I had to make a record using nothing but it I'd be fine with that. AT 4033s are $400 all day long and Alan Freaking Parsons loves that mic. There are alternatives.

 

Thank you for reassurance. I am seriously considering these for my project studio ..we do the final recording at the "real" studio.

Made me laugh - it is the exact sentence an engineer I deeply respect said to me..;)

..so my RME will have to do for some time.

 

Most people listening are not using any type of playback system capable of being able to discern if it's an MXL or a Neumann, etc. Not saying it doesn't make a difference, but it's really negligible for the majority of listeners.

Another thing you can look at if you have Acustica Nebula is the Henry Olonga mic presets. He's got several in there such as U87, U47, U67, and if I remember correctly the C800. I ran some of these on a brittle MXL-770 and they warmed it up nicely. Made it more musical. Best part of this: they're free now.

 

If you want to work with top quality equipment, go and apply for a job working in a recording studio. When i was your age.. younger in fact I wandered in to a studio near Tin Pan Alley (London) and said I will do any job they have going in return for being taught how to use the equipment.

I made the teas for 18 months but learned TONS

What you have to ask yourself is, what are you willing to do in order to get what you want?

 

Buy an inexpensive mic then replace the capsule...

https://microphone-parts.com/

 

For C800G, go for a clone like an Advanced Audio or Barbaric Audio, they're awesome. :

CM800T
https://advancedaudio.ca/products/cm800t

Barbaric BA-8G:
http://barbaricamplification.com/microphones/

I highly recommend 3U Audio, or better, Barbaric audio for an 87 type vibe. Buy directly from 3U website for a discounted price. Look at the MKID, or if you want more premium components and AMI xformer, go with the GZ67fet model. Chris Prucher from Barbaric
will build you a killer 87-type mic, but you'll have to contact him directly for that build.

 

One of four fantastic capsules on offer.

https://heisermanaudio.com/products/hk-47-capsule

 

If you really think it's the gear that makes you problems, just lend them out. It will cost you a fraction and you can verify if it's really the hardware.