Choosing The Right Mic For Your Vocal - Recording Techniques

Head of Audio Jason de Wilde talks us through choosing the right microphone for vocals in the studio at the Australian Institute of Music.
Choosing the best microphone for a vocalist is not just a case of grabbing the most expensive mic in your cabinet. Each microphone has certain aspects that either enhance or cancel out the unique characteristic sound of the vocalist you are recording. In this video, Jason de Wilde , the Head of Audio at the Australian Institute of Music does a “microphone shootout” using a large variety of microphones. There are 10 microphones in the selection, ranging in price from around $100 up to thousands of dollars. The results will surprise you. The vocalist in this video is AIM student Sammi O’Rourke from the band Levingstone.

Which mic did you like best? Leave us a comment!

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[Serennekin]

If you guys don't know what the lyrics are I wrote it out for guys:

Yooz breething is gurrennseee, chaded juh wuds invor. Faw times uh pleh juh fuh yoo. Shplidding it doo beacon

[Marvin_Alain]

The video’s purpose is to inform people on how different mic brands sound, and then here comes people criticizing the lyrics, the singer, the song etc?

[fotpjusto]

YouTube do your thang and recommend hundreds of videos like this

[walterwilliams]

My pick was the Aussie Rode K2 before the big reveal. Just an amazing mic for the price and locally designed and made. See we did invent more than just utes and clothes lines.

[alelooooooya]

Interesting experiment. I appreciate the fact that someone took the time to upload this.


( I also had the Rode K2 in my top 2 favourites :) )

[webbophone]

I think the words were something like
"Use breathing as currency, traded your words for. Four times of pleasure for you, splitting it to begin."

Gorgeous voice and great track in my opinion.

[dwdrummer]

Listening on Focal twin's through apogee symphony I/O. With her voice, Audio Technica AT5040 would come in 1st for me. The high end isn't piercing, very warm sounding. Her voice is thin so a warm sounding mic would fit best. If any high end would need to be added, you could add that in during mixing if any. The 5040 shined through and was in a league of its own. Great sound..

[mstr_anderson]

And this episode and probably the college was sponsored and endorsed
Side Note... If you are doing a Mic Shoot Out, it is advised to put the mics in the same position each time...as Mic 1 was near to sound absorption curtain...and as she went to each mic, was headed toward reflective surfaces...Hence a good reason why mics 4 to 7 sounded more "alive"....Just a thought.
College should also look at hiring someone to teach proper pronunciation... :-)

[Pravyd]

Really liked the B-2. But I agree the K-2 has nice warmness for her vocals also gets ride of the 1.1kh resonant frequency which all other mics seems to have. The U87 has been giving so much trouble for female vocals are vocals that are high in general.

[sumthin]

yous breathing in currency, traded your words infor, far times a pleasure for you, splitting it to begin???

[skk]

I personally liked the U87 the most. In this music, the character is needed. If it was a pop instrumentation, I'd probably chose the AT 5040 bc it has the most neutral sound of all.

[DS-ffze]

Listening to on Sennheiser HD598's.

C414 > U87 > Solaris > MD421 > B-2 > SM58 > AT4080

[ashiff]

I have always been in love AT mics for vocals. <3
This video was very cool.

[eri-]

Geesh I'm a bit of a noob, they all sounded the same to me, more or less. Eek!

[ensignjoshuarivera]

I also did like the 4th mic, I think it captured the perfect sound.

[TheFRiNgEguitars]

For those who can not hear a difference, it is your sound equipment or computer speakers. There is a very audible difference, each mic has its own sound signature.

[zaperfan]

Sennheiser md421 I the most unflattering microphone for her voice but the AKG 414 Sounds the best to my ears

[inglewoodpresident]

IMHO she sounds good on the SHURE/ and rode.. behringer shocked me.. and the seinheisser is the DARK HORSE... HER VOICE.. sounds better in the warmer side.. and adding shimmer SLIGHTLY how you see

[alecburngo]

the Rode K2 is brighter and fits nicely in the mix! The U87 has more character... The Behringer is thin and flat sounding... Ill go with the K2

[GeneralTarik]

The Rode and the two Audio Tech's were my favorite! I was surprised at the Neumann not sounding as good (to me at least) as the Rode!