AKG D5 - NMD!

[JD01]

They seem to have really good reviews for vocals and are pretty cheap too

Anyone got any experience with these? What you think?
I've basically worked out that I'll have a lot less trouble mixing vocals recorded in my little room if I record them with a dynamic.

[Lt. Bob]

I haven't used anything but EV dynamics for years
Last time I used an AKG it was pretty good but that was prolly 20 years ago

[JD01]

Bought this in the end.
Figured it was only 50 quid, they seem to be going for close to 50 quid 2nd hand.
Can't hurt to have another mic.

[WhiskeyJack]

Can't hurt to have another mic.

End of story. it's always good.

Something else i have been considering is a technique i have seen before where they use two mics to record the vocals. A Condenser with a dynamic and then you blend the two. It may all just be smoke and mirrors but the guy who was explaining it to me was explaining that some condenser mics will will enhance the high or the low end of a vocal performance depending on how it is tipped (north towards you or north away from you), but in doing so you a little bit of something else, so to ensure you retain the core meat of the performance you also mic with a dynamic and then blend the two together. I found it interesting. I will likely give it a try for sure. My head may have been filled with smoke and mirrors but it is an interesting idea.

[JD01]

Can't hurt to have another mic.

End of story. it's always good.

Something else i have been considering is a technique i have seen before where they use two mics to record the vocals. A Condenser with a dynamic and then you blend the two. It may all just be smoke and mirrors but the guy who was explaining it to me was explaining that some condenser mics will will enhance the high or the low end of a vocal performance depending on how it is tipped (north towards you or north away from you), but in doing so you a little bit of something else, so to ensure you retain the core meat of the performance you also mic with a dynamic and then blend the two together. I found it interesting. I will likely give it a try for sure. My head may have been filled with smoke and mirrors but it is an interesting idea.

Depends what you're recording I suppose... that's the thing with vocals - singers are all different aren't they, so different mics may suit different people.

I've never been able to get my vocals to mix in a way that I'm totally happy with.

Having done a few experiments I'm pretty sure that its to do with a small amount of room reverb and excessive headphone bleed getting picked up by my condenser. (its also a really cheap condenser).

But using an SM57 for vocals I found that they'd mix easier but the mic also accentuated a really annoying nasal quality in my voice.

Anyway - I'm gonna cycle through a few different mics later in the week, treat them all the same and see what the differences are. I'll post up the results.

[WhiskeyJack]

End of story. it's always good.

Something else i have been considering is a technique i have seen before where they use two mics to record the vocals. A Condenser with a dynamic and then you blend the two. It may all just be smoke and mirrors but the guy who was explaining it to me was explaining that some condenser mics will will enhance the high or the low end of a vocal performance depending on how it is tipped (north towards you or north away from you), but in doing so you a little bit of something else, so to ensure you retain the core meat of the performance you also mic with a dynamic and then blend the two together. I found it interesting. I will likely give it a try for sure. My head may have been filled with smoke and mirrors but it is an interesting idea.

Depends what you're recording I suppose... that's the thing with vocals - singers are all different aren't they, so different mics may suit different people.

I've never been able to get my vocals to mix in a way that I'm totally happy with.

Having done a few experiments I'm pretty sure that its to do with a small amount of room reverb and excessive headphone bleed getting picked up by my condenser. (its also a really cheap condenser).

But using an SM57 for vocals I found that they'd mix easier but the mic also accentuated a really annoying nasal quality in my voice.

Anyway - I'm gonna cycle through a few different mics later in the week, treat them all the same and see what the differences are. I'll post up the results.

The nasal quality is simply just the 57 on a human voice. it does it to me too. And anyone else i talk to. it is just a nasally mic. I tried it once and said fuck that. Any other dynamic mic geared towards capturing vocals like a 58 or something or this one you are grabbing will be more fun to monkey around with.

RE: headphone bleed. I had that problem but i got a relatively cheap pair of isolation headphones for drawing out the big amp and killing headphone bleed and i will say it works really well. it is much less of a problem and i can push them a little harder. they definitely do not reproduce a good sound but for tracking only they are pretty remarkable. The brand name ahs left me. It wasn't one i was overly familiar with but i'll have a look later to confirm and i'll get back to you on it in case you are interested.

[JD01]

I tend to song quite loud and have my headphones mix up pretty loud. That probably doesn't hwlp!

[WhiskeyJack]

I tend to song quite loud and have my headphones mix up pretty loud. That probably doesn't hwlp!

You sing along with a vocal / que / tuned / monitoring type track too yea ? probably requires a bit of oomph in the headphone drivers. nothing is ever simple.

I have an idea for an experiment. Maybe i'll try it out real quick when i get home.

[Lt. Bob]

the 57 and the 58 are basically the same mic.
The 57 is a bit more top end because of the different windscreen but the difference is minimal.
If you don't like a 57 I don't see the 58 all of a sudden being wonderful ....

[WhiskeyJack]

the 57 and the 58 are basically the same mic.
The 57 is a bit more top end because of the different windscreen but the difference is minimal.
If you don't like a 57 I don't see the 58 all of a sudden being wonderful ....

I'll trust your experience with them. But i always found an 58 much easier to manage for vocals given the built in pop filter / plosive control thingy on it ? I also can't help but wonder the differences i have heard in the past between the two is the filter itself adding a subtle bit of a shield from the room noise and carton-y nature of trying to capture vocals with a 57? I might be out to lunch though.

[Lt. Bob]

no .... that's exactly what makes the difference .... it's the same capsule .... only difference is the windscreens.
Obviously the 57 has the capsule pretty darned close to exposed so using a big padded ball instead is gonna attenuate some freqs .... just like a big foam ball for outside gigs muffles mics some.
that's the difference between the two mics .... you're exactly correct

[JD01]

OK - so, this mic arrived the other day and I've only just had chance have a go at it.

I've tried singing a short section of one of my tracks using:
Focusrite CM25 (my usual mic - condenser, not a very good one).
AKG D5
C1000S
SM57

They're all very different, more different than I expected actually.
I don't know whether its my room, my voice or the mic, but the CM25 does seem to add prominence to a really irritating frequency to my voice.
The C1000S seems fairly similar to the CM25... but better, dunno why I wasn't using it before actually. Doesn't have that irritating tone accentuated quite so much.
The D5 sounds totally different - just much more prominent sounding.
SM57 is horrible.

Not tried any more aggressive vocals with this mic yet but I will later.

[JD01]

Ok. Spent some time with this mix today. Retracked vocals to one of my songs where I've never been able to mix them very well.

It's definitely helping a lot. The weird grating frequency that I couldn't do anything about before is minimised (unfortunately I only have one mouth) and the strange room effect that was affecting my mix seems to have pretty much gone.

If anyone wants a cheap dynamic for fairly loud vocals I'd recommend this.