So there’s condenser mics and I have a couple mics here that I’m gonna show you in a minute. which require phantom power, usually you can just click on that on your interface or, your, your DAW on the computer. then there’s dynamic mics and then there’s ribbon mics. Ribbon mics, are not used  for vocals so much anymore these days unless, no, I don’t wanna,  yeah, I, I guess  ribbon mic is a good mic for like super warm sound.
Like back in the days, like all the, TV’s news reporters and stuff, they all had ribbon mics like in the fifties and sixties. That was like the mic to go to. And all the jazz recordings that you hear from back in the days, or a lot of them, that’s all ribbon mic, like a really rich, warm full sound. it’s not, it’s not really, Â people are really do use ribbon mics that much anymore.
More for instruments or like, you know, pre, maybe recording or, guitar amps or stuff like that. That’s like, it’s, they’re used for definitely for different stuff. also you can blow them quite easily if stuff gets too loud, the ribbon just splits and then you have to, it is really pricey to get them fixed. condenser mics. so yeah, the difference is the diaphragms, which is the mechanism that reacts to the sound and converts it to an electrical signal.
so I’m gonna show you because we are gonna get into the, the different kinds of mics. so here are a few, and I’m gonna start with the top right. The Shure ISM 7B is like, Â it’s a dynamic mic, it’s good for many different voices. It’s particularly good, I think for louder pop and rock voices. I have that mic and I know that there’s a lot of people that love that mic.
I never have loved it as much because I do like to be very delicate sometimes when I sing  and it just doesn’t,  it’s okay. It  needs, it needs, it definitely needs a good preamp. but I know a lot of, I have a lot of friends who love that mic. but if you like more of a powerful singer, or if you like to, you know, kind of scream it out every once in a while, that might be a really good mic for you. And it is a very versatile mic as well.
So it’s definitely worth investing. I think it’s about  two 50 or 300 at this point or something like that. I’m sure you can get a cheaper secondhand, but that’s like a very, it’s an affordable good mic. good, good vocal mic. Then going down the Shure SM57 is a dynamic mic. It’s, it’s good for not just vocals, but it’s good for literally everything. If you don’t have that mic, no matter if you are a guitar player, a singer, a pianist,  I feel like that’s one of the first mics you should have.
It’s like just 70 or 80 bucks or something like that. And you can use that for so many things. and I actually like to record my vocals with that mic. I really like dynamic mics. I feel it’s a little harder to sing into, like a condenser. Mics just, I don’t know, I feel like intonation, like singing in tune with condenser mics is a little easier. but I like to record with dynamic mics, actually for the most part more than with condenser mics.
but I feel like it requires a little bit more of, vocal  delivery. Like you, if you are like a strong vocalist or if you, if you, if you, Indonesia is really good, I think you will not have any struggle, singing into dynamic mics.  But it’s definitely, at least for me personally, it feels a little harder than singing into a condenser mic. And the Shure SM57, I have it somewhere here.
Yes. literally is a great, is a great mic. I love that mic. it’s not fancy, but it has a certain vibe and I always go for vibe. I love if mics have character ’cause it that kind of, you know, makes and breaks the, Â the production. okay, so I’m gonna put this back then going to the left side. the Neumann TLM 102 is also condenser mic.
it’s really known for low noise and high clarity. so, it’s good for naturally sweet and vocals. A lot of people use that mic Also,  ironically, it’s not my favorite mic. There’s a, there’s an Neumann, which is a U87, which is, I don’t know, something between three or 4,000 I would say today. It  always varies a little bit, but just to give you a little bit of a range, that’s kind of like the vocal mic.
and if people wanna get annoy, which is kind of the brand for, for mics, especially for vocal mics, if people wanna get a U 87 but don’t, don’t wanna spend that money, and usually they usually end up buying a Iman mic like this one, the TLM 102, which is I think just a thousand or like eight or 900 or something like that. So, people kind of, Â i I Â I think it’s an okay mic, but I think there’s other mics for that, for that money, which are actually better.
I just wanted to put it there because I know a lot of studios use that mic if they don’t wanna get a U 87. and then also there’s clones, which is this one because this actually is a  U 87, clone  and I got that built. and I think I,  I actually put up the website, let me get outta here just for a second. the website is called My Parts and this is no, this is no ad or anything.
I’m just saying that there’s ways, and sometimes you can  kind of find something online that’s a, a really, really nice copy of it and is, you know, only one third of the money. And I think I got this mic here, at this website called Mic Parts. And it’s a, I don’t know if you can, can you see that right now? Probably not. Actually, let me just stop my share for a second. here we go.
Now you should be able to see it. So, you know, it’s just, it’s $600 and  it’s kind of like a U 87 copy, large diaphragm condenser mic. I really like that mic. And I, the U87 again is like a, a good mic to have, if you like, in a studio and you recording all kinds of different vocalists. But if you really want a mic for yourself, you know, the U 87 might not even be your best choice.
So, I just wanted to have a good mic, you know, that, that a good go-to mic. that’s not too expensive. So I bought that and I’m actually really happy with it. You just need to find someone that can build it together for you, unless they do it on the website, but usually just get, you get all the parts and then you kinda have to  get into the details of you dunno how to do it. see if you can find someone who can help you with that. getting back into my presentation. okay, and then last mic here is the vintage Neumann U47,  which is also a condenser mic.
It’s warm and rich. I,  I just put that there. If one of you has that mic at home,  you are probably not watching this because you made it somehow, or you,  you just have a lot of money to spend. This is, the mic, like  a lot of, some good studios have it.
let me just check for how much that mic goes right now. I would assume it’s  U 40. It’s a vintage mic, so you don’t, they don’t even make that anymore.  wait a seven,  I guess it’s not, not so bad. It’s only, oh,  a new at Sweetwater is about 20,000. A vintage one is about 10,000.
just to give you an idea, that is a beautiful mic and I think everyone sounds wonderful with that mic. It really, if you ever go to studios that have like really old vintage Neumann or Teah funk and mics, and you sing into that and you’re kind of just breathing into it and you’re like, ah, this sounds so beautiful. It really, it really is a big difference if you ever get your voice, onto one of those mics or if you ever get a chance, try it out.
okay, Â move. Oh, actually, I wanted to show you just a couple small other mics that I really like. this is a Sennheiser 4 41. also a dynamic mic. and I really like that it’s an older mic. It’s a vintage mic as well, has a little bit of noise, but it sounds really cool, like if you more into like indie stuff, if you want your vocals, not to sound super crispy, but kind of somewhere in between have like a nice edge, Â but sound interesting.
That’s a really great mic. Also good for a lot of other things, but I actually like it for recording vocals. And same goes for, another mic, which is an, a KG in German Akagi. It’s a C four 14.  And, similar thing, this is actually, this actually needs phantom power, but  it’s a, it’s like a very dark sound. So actually if you, if you have a really, really bright voice and you want something that is a little warmer, this might be, you know, a nice mic for you to try.
and also all these mics are like all below a thousand. So, you know, it would almost make sense to go somewhere and try out a couple of mics for yourself and then see  what feels good and then moving on here to the next slide …
Vocal production Tutorials, How to find the best microphone, Professional advice for songwriting and production, Music industry masterclasses, Expert advice for songwriters, DAW and studio gear
