OT: best current-day low-cost VO mic and interface

[Dave Labrecque]

VO guys: helping a friend put together a home studio for VO work. I presume there are some decent low-cost mic alternatives out there by now. What say ye?

While we're at it, how about interface? USB no doubt (she's not a techie type).

And are there even USB mics that are worth a look these days? Some high-end companies are making them, now, no?

[DominicPerry]

I still haven't found a USB mic I'm happy with. The last one was the Blue Spark Digital. Not good.
I've recently bought a Lexicon Alpha. They've been around for ages and the price is very low. 2 in, 2 out. Haven't tried the single inbuilt mic pre but the line level inputs and outputs are very good and can take a healthy signal (about +16dB IIRC). I can try the mic pre over the next couple of days and let you know if it's any good.
The Alpha has a few things which I like in a interface, which you don't get on a USB mic - a Stereo/Mono monitoring switch and a zero-latency monitor mix control (to mix 'live' signal with playback signal).

Sorry, I'm not a VO guy. But I do love to buy an interface or two. And we all love mics.

Dominic

[Dave Labrecque]

I still haven't found a USB mic I'm happy with. The last one was the Blue Spark Digital. Not good.
I've recently bought a Lexicon Alpha. They've been around for ages and the price is very low. 2 in, 2 out. Haven't tried the single inbuilt mic pre but the line level inputs and outputs are very good and can take a healthy signal (about +16dB IIRC). I can try the mic pre over the next couple of days and let you know if it's any good.
The Alpha has a few things which I like in a interface, which you don't get on a USB mic - a Stereo/Mono monitoring switch and a zero-latency monitor mix control (to mix 'live' signal with playback signal).

Sorry, I'm not a VO guy. But I do love to buy an interface or two. And we all love mics.

Dominic

Good to know, thanks. YES -- I'd appreciate your feedback on the mic pre, if you don't mind. :)

[DominicPerry]

Good to know, thanks. YES -- I'd appreciate your feedback on the mic pre, if you don't mind. :)

Will do.

Dominic

[DominicPerry]

Well - no phantom power on the Alpha, and only 50dB of gain. I'll try it with a dynamic or two, but I don't have a Senn 421 or EV RE20, which I'm guessing would be the main choices for dynamic VO?

Dominic

- I have

EV Raven
Beyer TG-X 80
SM57
Beyer M201TG (also known as the worst mic in the world ;) )
Any preferences? None are really VO mics.

[Richard Rupert]

The Blue Yeti isn't bad (I use it with my laptop if I have to do a V/O in a remote situation... like when on "vacation" <LOL>). Blue just came out with the Nessie, but I haven't heard it. I would say they're both worth checking out.

[Dave Labrecque]

Well - no phantom power on the Alpha, and only 50dB of gain. I'll try it with a dynamic or two, but I don't have a Senn 421 or EV RE20, which I'm guessing would be the main choices for dynamic VO?

Dominic

- I have

EV Raven
Beyer TG-X 80
SM57
Beyer M201TG (also known as the worst mic in the world ;) )
Any preferences? None are really VO mics.

Ooh. No phantom. That could be a deal breaker. That's actually a little weird. But I guess it's keeping the price tag down.

SM7?

OK, no worries. I guess I'll move along. Nothing to see here, folks. ;)

Thanks, though.

[Dave Labrecque]

Dave,

If someone is trying to get into voice work, inexpensive may blow them out of future work.
I recommend getting one of the decent. but low price MXLs. They're surprisingly good for the price.
A way to go with a decent pre-amp is with an ART box. They have a few USB versions and a few nice low price tube setups.
The MXL V-88 was great. I think the new one, V-88s is an upgrade. They have a lot of large diaphragm mics for well under $200.
And, the ART stuff is around $100.
I think that if the talent starts out with better than USB 'onesy' quality, they'll have a better chance at a second session.

Yeah, I've decided USB mics are still not good enough. Must be the built-in pre and ADC. But by inexpensive, I didn't mean less than $100. I meant less than $300. :)

I haven't liked the MXL's I've heard. Too hyped and harsh. Maybe I haven't heard enough of them, and it has been a few years. So, I shall reconsider on your expert recommendation. Thanks, Stash.

[Carl G.]

Yeah, I've decided USB mics are still not good enough. Must be the built-in pre and ADC. But by inexpensive, I didn't mean less than $100. I meant less than $300. :)

I haven't liked the MXL's I've heard. Too hyped and harsh. Maybe I haven't heard enough of them, and it has been a few years. So, I shall reconsider on your expert recommendation. Thanks, Stash.

Dave, if he's considering VO - and he's anywhere near good - why get something that will make him sound less than the 'good' he is?

On the other hand, I think the U47 I worked when I was 20 years old may have made me sound better than I was. :)

He might consider the fact that if he gets just several decent jobs he could have paid for something which will get him multiple times what he's making now (perhaps on a cheap mic). Think of it this way. He's not buying the mic - his clients are (he's just floating the money until the return on investment).

The ol' phrase, 'putting your money where your mouth is' seems to ring true here.

I suggest a TLM103, or or the MXL, or if he's a 'dynamic' guy - the RE-20.
It sounds like you've already done some research on quality.

PRE's Try the ISA ONE. The new updated version includes the digital I/O card (the older version didn't). He can monitor the computer out or a mix of the computer and his live mic with a built in Cue mix.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ISAOne

(no, I'm not affiliated with SW - Just happen to see the video of their world wide marketing director explaining the unit at that link)

[Ian Alexander]

Dave,

Not too long ago, I had a problem with my audio computer and PCI card. I borrowed my son's Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB interface and plugged it into my office computer. Using my usual Shure KSM44 mic, I did a couple of jobs. I never had a chance to directly compare those recordings to those made with the old Lynx card or the new RME interface, but they sounded pretty good in the headphones.

In a recent music session with my son and some of his pals, I discovered that the instrument inputs on the RME would not attenuate enough to keep from peaking over zero. I turned to an 8-channel PreSonus piece I was using for multimiking the drums. It worked very well in the session and all were pleased with the tracks later. Based on that experience, I would look at the smaller PreSonus boxes. They have 2 and 4 channel USB interfaces, I think.

There are a boatload of cheap condenser mics nowadays. I don't get to see many of the newer ones, but I was not impressed by those I saw 10-15 years ago. Stashu says they've improved. I hope so (and I believe him). The cheapest condenser mics I've actually used and liked were in the AT 40 series. Looks like the cardioid 4040 goes for $299. At the same price, I'd try the Shure SM27.

At just a bit more, you'll find classics like the Shure SM7 and Sennheiser MD421, although I have not heard the MD421 MkII. Dynamics in general seem to have a hard time these days competing with the desired sheen or sizzle of an LDC.

Hope this helps.

[Dave Labrecque]

Dave,

One of our talents takes an MXL V-88 on vacation with him. With a little maximizing and a touch of low end, we matched the read to his home TLM-103 for an insert. Great match.
The new MXL large diaphragms are much better than they were.

Good to know. :)

[Dave Labrecque]

I've seen talents spend over $3500 on a setup and get one or two sessions a year.

Bingo. ;)

What I didn't explain is that she's just getting into it. No experience. But she is a talented actor and is interested in checking out the VO world. Also, I'm guessing, she has no money. Makes it hard to float anything. :o

Thanks, everyone. (That Focusrite box looks pretty cool, Carl.) Lots of good suggestions and info. I appreciate it! :)

[Brent Evans]

Dave,

Can't comment much on a mic but I have an Allen & Heath Zed10FX that I use as a portable USB interface frequently for both simple recordings and measurements. The pres sound nice and can take a decent level, and the whole things sounds quite good all around both as an interface and a small mixer (always handy to have).

Also, a feature helpful for your application is the added benefit of separate record out and monitoring volume controls. The record feed can be either the main out or the aux out, or a seperate "record" bus activated by a switch on each channel.

I like mine a lot... think you would too.

BE

[Sean McCoy]

I have one female voiceover artist I work with regularly who uses a Rode NT1 and an M-Box Mini with Pro Tools, and the sound is pretty good. The Focusrite Platinum-level preamps in many of the cheaper interfaces are actually not bad. The NT1 can be on the sibilant side, like most cheap condensors, but with some minor position and EQ tweaking it can be controlled. On the dynamic side, I've used my Heil PR-40 as a VO mic during group sessions, and have been amazed at its condensor-like brightness and output. The SM-7B sounds better, but has a really weak output and needs either a very good preamp or an inline boost like the Triton FetHead. This always relies on finding a good match for the voice, so whatever she gets it would be best to be able to try it and return it if it isn't happening.

[bcorkery]

If this is a new talent test driving the industry, why not start out with a Shure X2U (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shure-SM58X2U-usb-Mic-Bundle-NEW-IN-BOX-/141049935090?pt=US_Pro_Audio_Microphones&hash=item20d73b34f2). It can be hooked to any Pro XLR mic. I often do auditions from home with this hooked to a Sennheiser 421.

I'm of the mind that the mic isn't nearly as important (to a point) than the performance and technique.

My 2% of a dollar.

[Richard Rupert]

<snip> I'm of the mind that the mic isn't nearly as important (to a point) than the performance and technique.

My 2% of a dollar.
+ 10,000. Too much focus on technology; too little focus on talent IMHO. My wife (a professional V/O artist) sounds very good on anything from a Shure SM 57 to a Neumann U87. I've tried them both, and pretty much everything in between. That's not to say there are no differences, but the talent can make a "less than great mic/mic pre" sound pretty darn special. And like Bill, that's my 2 cent contribution to the thread. :)

[Sean McCoy]

I agree that talent and technique with inexpensive gear will always trump the lack thereof with expensive stuff. This is true whether we're discussing voiceovers, music, or anything. But I will say that, as one who has frequently solicited auditions from groups such as Voice123, all other things being equal, I'll take the one with the better sound quality. This can, of course, involve other factors beyond the mic and preamp, such as acoustics, background noise, etc.

[Ian Alexander]

I agree that talent and technique with inexpensive gear will always trump the lack thereof with expensive stuff. This is true whether we're discussing voiceovers, music, or anything. But I will say that, as one who has frequently solicited auditions from groups such as Voice123, all other things being equal, I'll take the one with the better sound quality. This can, of course, involve other factors beyond the mic and preamp, such as acoustics, background noise, etc.

Great points. I'd rather have cheap gear in a good environment than great gear in a live room. If all else fails, try standing with your back to an open closet.

[Dave Labrecque]

Great points. I'd rather have cheap gear in a good environment than great gear in a live room. If all else fails, try standing with your back to an open closet.


I agree that talent and technique with inexpensive gear will always trump the lack thereof with expensive stuff. This is true whether we're discussing voiceovers, music, or anything. But I will say that, as one who has frequently solicited auditions from groups such as Voice123, all other things being equal, I'll take the one with the better sound quality. This can, of course, involve other factors beyond the mic and preamp, such as acoustics, background noise, etc.

+1.

I would only add that even if the talent and performance is great, there is a minimum threshold of gear quality below which I can't use the recording. I'm afraid Don LaFontaine into an SM-58 would not cut it. Well, maybe Don LaFontaine (after all, he's Don LaFontaine). But I would not be happy about it.

Yes, I'm aware the Mr. LaFontaine is no longer doing voice-overs.

http://www.freeinfosociety.com/media/images/2932.jpg

My God... is that an MXL?