You are so cool for having this forum! What are your favorite mic/preamp combos for female vocals? What does Ingrid use? What would you use on a voice like Norah Jones or Lucinda Williams? Thanks!

Aw thanks! Just trying to keep up with Joneses.

My vocal chain for ladies is generally either a Pearl TM1 or a Mojave MA200 microphone into a Neve Portico 5012 Preamp and then into a Neve Portico 5043 compressor. Ingrid uses the MA200. I’ve tried the TM1 on her, but it sounds too round. This is the thing, and this is all general, nothing EVER ALWAYS works:

If a singer has a very round voice, as in not many painful frequencies, you’re gonna want to use a mic that picks up those higher frequencies better. The Mojave (a u67 style mic) has a lot of hype, so it works great on mellow round singers, as it brings out tons of detail without any pain. Use this on a louder harsher singer, and your ears are gonna be in a world of hurt.

The TM1 (a u47 style mic) is a very round mellow mic that mellows the harshness of a louder more aggressive singer. For example, a singer that I work with whose voice packs a wallop is April Smith. Check her out if you don’t know her, she’s amazing. If I put up a hyped mic like the Mojave in front of her, I’d blow the listeners’ ears out. But a nice big smooth round mic like the TM1 brings out the body and massages the higher frequencies into a place where her voice sounds huge.

My attitude is usually to use a mic that has the opposite characteristics of the source. If the source is harsh, use a mellow mic, and vice versa.

On Nora Jones, I’d use a mic like the Mojave. On Lucinda Williams, I’d pull out the TM1.

Ask me anything

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