Record Vocals With A Condenser Microphone
When recording vocals, the quality of the microphone that you use is extremely important. It's impossible to "fix" a badly recorded vocal with studio tricks. There's really no substitute for the use of a quality microphone.
There are two major types of microphones: condenser mics and dynamic mics. When recording in the studio you should choose a condenser microphone (what to use live is another story to be told by another website!)
Condenser microphones require "phantom power" to work. Any decent audio interface should definitely include a phantom power option. The quality that you get on your recording is also greatly effected by the quality of your microphone preamp and high quality mic preamps can be purchased as well. But the first consideration should be getting the best condenser mic you can afford.
There are two types of condenser mics. Large diaphragm and small diaphragm. You will want to choose a large diaphragm condenser mic for recording vocals as they will give vocals a more "warm" tone.
Interestingly different instruments sound better recorded with different types of microphones (you probably don't want to hear this as it just means more stuff you need, right?) For example a cello sounds best recorded with a large diaphragm condenser mic and an acoustic guitar sounds best with a small diapragm condenser mic.
There's a huge range in quality & price within the studio vocal microphone market. There are cheaper models like the Sterling Audio ST51 which currently has a retail price of $200 and then there are far more expensive models like the legendary Neumann U87 which retails for $4,398.
Obviously you get what you can afford. Generally the better the microphone, the more expensive it is.
CLICK HERE to shop for condenser microphones online.
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