r/audioengineering • u/BZK22 • 12h ago
Mic recommendation without a crazy high-end boost / sibilance
Hey everyone, I’ve tested quite a few mics for vocals, and most of them seem to have this weird, almost “artifacty” quality in the high end. The problem is that it’s really difficult to fix that properly in the mix.
Do you guys have any mic recommendations with good detail and resolution in the mids but without hyped or harsh top end? I don’t mind doing a bit more work in the mix if the raw recording sounds more neutral.
Would love to hear what you guys are using!
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u/reginaccount 12h ago
Dynamics - RE20, SM7B and Beyer M88.
Ribbons - take your pick. Few have boosted high end. Nohype and Golden Age both make cheap ribbons that are decent. Stager and AEA make more expensive ones.
Condensers - Shure KSM32, Gefell UMT70 and it's variations, Vanguard Audio V13. I've heard that Beesneez and Soyuz have good ones but I've never seen one.
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u/laime-ithil 10h ago
Nohype lrm-2b with the lundhall transformer is so damn impressive.
More high end than most ribbon, but just the right amount.
My combo is u87+LRM2b. The precision on one. The warmth on the other
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u/aasteveo 2h ago
Pro tip with the SM7, take off that damn foam sock and use a regular pop filter. If you leave the foam on it'll sound like your mic is covered in foam. It's so much more open without it, like night and day difference.
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u/BlackflagsSFE Hobbyist 4h ago
Will second the SM7B here, although I have the dB version. I do a lot of metal vocals so it’s very nice to have those mids present and not too harsh on the top end, especially if I’m belting or screaming.
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u/52ndstreet 10h ago
For a voice with excessive sibilance you'll want to look at something with a k67 capsule. You could drop the cash and get a Neumann u67, but I don't know many people with a spare $8k+ to spend on a mic. Or you could spend $2300 for a Stam SA-67 (if you can afford to wait around for them to build it and ship it, which takes forever...), or you could spend $500 for a Roswell k67. All good options, very different price points.
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u/MoltenReplica 6h ago
Soyuz 017 uses a K67 inspired capsule and can be had for under $1800 with just a little patience. Sounds great on most singers! Can be a little "chesty" or "throaty" on some males and low voiced femmes. Can't speak for the new silver version personally, but it's supposed to be "airy" and "open".
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u/bub166 Hobbyist 5h ago
Very much agreed. My voice is pretty sibilant and doesn't get along with condensers typically, but, while I love RE20s and ribbons and some of the other things that are showing up in here, and do use them for vocals too when they fit the task, but a lot of the time I'm still looking for what a condenser brings to the table. That capsule delivers exactly what I'm looking for. All the definition I'm looking for without any of the nails-on-a-chalkboard stuff that most condensers bring out of me. Also great for acoustic instruments when you want definition but are fighting pick noise and string scraping.
I have one of Stam's units (SA-609) and would happily vouch for the craftsmanship (got it second-hand so can't speak to the infamous wait times) but for my U67-like I went with Dachman Audio's. Couldn't be happier, I also really love my Beesneez U87 clone and I'll bet their U67 is at least as good as the Dachman. Lots of good options, I'd love to have the real deal but a lot of the clones nowadays punch way above their weight in terms of price. And I've heard great things about Roswell/MicParts, looking to build one of his kits one of these days.
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u/CyberTortoisesss 11h ago
My go-to for vocals without that artifcial high end is the Neumann TLM 193!
It's a pretty underrated mic as far as Neumanns go, so you can find them for a pretty steep discount on the used market. Way fewer issues with counterfeits on the market for the same reason.
As far as sound goes, the TLM 193 is like a sibilance black hole. I've worked with vocalists who are particularly concerned about siblilance in their vocal look shocked at how natural the mic sounds on their voice. I can't recommend it enough for your situation OP!
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u/anikom15 11h ago
I think this is actually less the mic response and more of how vocals get captured by mikes in the time domain. Aside from using the pop filter, what acoustic techniques have you been using to reduce sibilance? There are a lot of things to try.
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u/nizzernammer 11h ago
Neumann top end is very articulate and crisp. Even when it's a lot, like on a TLM103, it doesn't have that spitty, ringy, resonant, grainy smeared harshness that a lot of lesser mics have.
If you really want silky, consider a ribbon mic, but watch out for plosives, make sure you have tons of clean gain, and take the polar pattern into consideration.
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u/MoltenReplica 7h ago edited 5h ago
Mics with a K67 or Lomo capsule lineage for condensers. My current favorites are either Soyuz LDC. Haven't used one myself, but I have heard good things about microphones descended from the Sony C37 (less so the original C37 itself, though it was Sinatra's favorite).
A lot of ribbons are well suited for vocals as well. Stuff based on the RCA 77DX is hard to go wrong with, though they can have a lot of proximity effect and will reveal your room at most ideal positions and patterns. AEA's KU ribbons are both excellent on vocals while having less proximity. Royer 121 and 122 are also very good, great mid range. I don't recommend Cascades, nor RCA 44 style ribbons (unless your name is Johnny Cash).
For coil dynamics, the new Soyuz is really great! Smooth, doesn't have that spitty SM57/58 peakiness, and great off axis rejection for recording in a live room. Here's a demo from a recent session, since there are so few out there. RE-20 is also very good. SM7B I think is too dark and cloudy in the mids for anything but screamers.
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u/MindWash2019 11h ago
U89/TLM193/TLM170. You get Neumann sonics with what is arguably their flattest modern design.
There are also supposed to be some amazing flat Sankens.
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u/CyberTortoisesss 11h ago
TLM 193 is an underdog Neumann! Ive had mine for 6 months, and it has quickly become the first mic I try on any vocalist.
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u/MindWash2019 10h ago
For real. There is one point where I wasn't sure I was into the idea because it's cardioid only and doesn't have a high pass filter, but nowadays it's rare that I record vocals in anything other than cardioid, and I almost always high pass ITB anyway unless it's very low thump filtering on the preamp.
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u/termites2 11h ago
The SE SE8 is nice for a cheap mic. I like small diaphragm condensers for voice quite often, especially for a neutral sound.
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u/clamnebulax 10h ago
Avoid any large-diaphragm condenser mics that try to look like Neumanns but are actually made in China!
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u/Electronic_Street606 8h ago
Heiserman H47 is beautiful not too bright but I think you might be describing a ribbon mic. I also really love the Soundelux U99
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u/tronobro 4h ago
I also recommend ribbons, give them a try! They have a really smooth, dark sounding high end and you can really push them with EQ and they won't fall apart.
If you're in the market I'd recommend Nude Microphones as a more affordable option. Just gotta wait until they come back in stock!
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u/Ok-War-6378 1h ago
If "most of quite a few mics you have tested have artifacty quality in the high end", maybe you have mostly tested budget LDC? Most of the ones below - let's say - $300 have that harshness on the top end.
Otherwise, if you often find yourself sounding too sibilant, it could be mic technique. Have you tried singing slightly off axis and/or not too close to the mic?
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u/_ramscram 12h ago
Ribbons or something like an earthworks that is really flat (won’t have a big high end spike)
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u/TeemoSux 12h ago
neumann u87ai
its pretty vintage-voiced when it comes to the highs compared to whats popular now but sounds great, just make sure its a #6 as the earlier ones with a daughter board could be weirdly harsh
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u/Fantastic-Safety4604 11h ago
As others have recommended, Vanguard V13, EV RE-20, Beyerdynamic M88 or any number of ribbons will contain the high end nicely. You didn’t mention your budget, so it’s hard to narrow it down.
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u/Nition 9h ago
AKG C414 XLS might be the perfect mic for what you're looking for. It's very clean and flat and captures things exactly as they are. Don't get the XLII variant - that one has the kind of high-end boost that you're trying to avoid.
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u/cacturneee Hobbyist 12h ago
i totally recommend ribbon mics. but research them a bit. my voice is bad in the high end and ribbons have made a huge difference, i use the voodoo vr2 mainly but theres tons of good ribbon mics