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luigi
Posts: 15
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 Posted - Sun Jun 29, 2003 2:53 am
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Hi all,
After reading several threads, (and because I have a rather limited budget), I am somewhat influenced by most to buy the Folio Notepad mixer as opposed to the MiaMIDI mixer for doing my radio-commercials voice-overs.
Before placing my order with B&H for the Folio notepad, as well as for their recommended mike - "Shure
PG58 QTR Cardioid Handheld Dynamic Handheld Microphone" (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/product/124320/SOFNP/REG/1477), I need to know if this is just "sales talk" or if this is really a good mike for voice-overs.
For those that have real knowledge and practical experience with the Folio and other mike for voice-overs please advise.
I was somewhat convinced that voice-overs the condenser type mikes were better than the dynamic type mikes  ?!?.
Please excuse me of my ignorance:blush: in this field.
Thanking all in advance for the help.
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SteveG
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 6695
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Posted - Sun Jun 29, 2003 4:21 am
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| Quote: |
Shure
PG58 QTR Cardioid Handheld Dynamic Handheld... I need to know if this is just "sales talk" or if this is really a good mike for voice-overs. |
The Shure mic will do you no favours at all with the spoken voice - it is a singer's mic. Read what I said in the other thread about this. And forget the 'handheld' bit - you cannot do voice-overs like this! Yes, it's sales talk. The Shure doesn't even attempt to produce a flat response, and even according to the manufacturer's response chart, it tilts up all the way to several kHz. For speech, especially male speech, this really doesn't look good. Unless you get into some of the more expensive dynamic mics that were actually designed to do the job, you are not going to produce satisfactory results without using a lot of EQ. And without decent monitors, you are going to have difficulty with this.
You are better off with a mic that is inherently going to produce a more accurate sound - certainly to start with. People tend to notice a lot of detail in speech - which is why a condensor is inevitably going to produce a better result. You would even be better off buying that really cheap Samson CO1 studio electret than the Shure, IMHO. Shops only really want to sell you the stuff that they are going to make the most money out of - by and large, the 'matching' advice should be taken with a large pinch of salt. Sometimes, if you are lucky, you will find a store assistant/clerk who actually knows what he's talking about who will give you good advice, but they are rare, and how do you know when you've found a genuine one, anyway?
| Quote: |
| After reading several threads, (and because I have a rather limited budget), I am somewhat influenced by most to buy the Folio Notepad mixer as opposed to the MiaMIDI mixer for doing my radio-commercials voice-overs. |
The MiaMIDI is not a mixer - it is a soundcard. You put it in the PC and fed the output of the Spirit Folio Notepad into it - you need both items.
In general...
On this forum, a number of us who don't sell this stuff for a living, and have no particular axe to grind about it unless it is technically justified, have made suggestions - these are based on experience of using this sort of kit, rather than making a profit out of selling it. I would have thought that common sense might suggest that this sort of advice was more likely to be if real value than anything that an advert, however persuasive, said. So yes, your ignorance is excused, but only as long as you try not to be taken for a sucker by some of these adverts.
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luigi
Posts: 15
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Posted - Sun Jun 29, 2003 9:49 am
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SteveG, many thanjs for the advice.
I agree with your statements that's why I want to avoid entering into a store and speaking directly to a salesman who just wants to empty his stock.
Can you recommend a chain of products that have been tested and seem to match perfectly for "spoken voice". That is, from the mic to the PC (mic, pre-amp, EQ, compressor, EQ, PC input card, etc) as well as a voice enhancement software.
In other words, if you were going to buy for yourself and that your limit was $1500 to $2000 (excluding the PC).
Thanks
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SteveG
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 6695
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Posted - Sun Jun 29, 2003 11:17 am
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Assuming that you don't want to spend a fortune, then you could get the following:
Audio Technica AT4033 mic - approximately $400
Spirit Folio Notepad - about $150
Echo Mia or Audiophile 24/96 soundcard - about $150
Cool Edit Pro 2.1 - $249
Samson Resolv 65a active monitors - $299
Suitable leads - mic lead, mixer to sound card leads, sound card to monitor leads - say $75 if you get some decent ones
Mic stand - about $30-40?[/list:49c21d562f]
That lot adds up to less than $1400, and will keep you in business for quite a while. Some might question the choice of the monitors - and the Samsons are not absolutely perfect, but they havehad quite good reviews, and are going to be waybetter than computer monitors. And they are affordable. If you reallywant to go cheaper here, there are the 50a's which will save you about $80, but I haven't seen a single review of them at all. They are powered monitors, and since you can adjust the soundcard output volume, you can connect them straight to the output, or use the tape return to monitor through the mixer. See the Notepad homepagefor more details.
You don't need any more software - Cool Edit Pro is quite sufficient. Personally, I'd go for the Mia soundcard - but I have one, so I'm biassed... but it does have sensible input connectors, and is very easy to interface with the Spirit. The Spirit mic pre has phantom powering, and the Audio Technica should run straight into it with no problems at all. And get a pop shield for it, and make sure that it comes with the basket/cradle suspension.
Oh, and get a decent pair of headphones. There are plenty of decent Sennheiser ones, or you could get Beyer DT250s, which have the advantage of verylittle leakage around the cups, and you can wear them comfortably for ages. Don't skimp on cheap headphones, though. One good thing about them from a voice point of view is that you can use them to refine your technique much more quickly than just about anyother method! Yes, it ishelpful to listen to yourself on headphones.
If you shop around, you should be able to get the stuff on this list at the prices I've indicated - more or less. It isworth shopping around, though.
And that should be enough to be going on with, I think. It's not definitive, and some might argue with it. But it will do what you want, and in some style.
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AMSG
Location: Sweden
Posts: 594
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Posted - Tue Jul 01, 2003 5:11 pm
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Steve is totally right (as usual:)). That Shure PG58 isn't a bad microphone. I own some PG microphones to record drums. But that Shure is indeed a microphone for singers. Take a look at Shure's site. You'll find some more info and good microphones there.
PG stands for performance gear and is according to Shure excellent for live (band) recording.In other words, these are robust mic's but not probably not 'delicate' enough for voice over's.
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GoodSound
Posts: 1
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Posted - Mon Jul 07, 2003 9:20 am
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I recently put together a Voice-over setup for my Girlfriend who had very little money to spend. The setup sounds great and she got out for under $200.
On sale at Musicians Friend
Octava MK-219 Large Diaphram Condensor Mic. $69 US
Behringer Eurotrack Mx602A Mini Mixer - $59 US
Cable for Mic -$9 US
Hosa 1/4" Phone to Mini 1/8"plug 10 Foot patch cable $8 US
Mic Stand with Boom $29 Us
Sony MDR V150 Headphones -$19.95 (Best Buy)
Being a professional Sound Mixer for over 30 Years I was totally blown away by the quality available with the above priced hardware.
I would expect to pay over $2000 for such a setup using mainline Name brands. Mixer was quiet and Mic was smooth and clean had great proximaty effect. It's no U87 but for the price you can't go wrong.
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djwayne
Location: USA
Posts: 583
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Posted - Mon Jul 07, 2003 9:43 am
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Speaking of the U-87, I went to Neumann's website and found an exploded veiw drawing of the U-87 and found that the interior is set up similar to the Superlux CM-H8A I just bought. The exterior of the Superlux is modeled after the Shure KSM 32 another good quality mic. I don't know how close the circuitry of the Superlux and the U-87 is, but the sound checks I've been doing on acoustic guitar have been coming out excellent !! I did an A/B test comparing a recording of a Martin D-18, thru the Superlux run thru the Tubessence pre-amp, to Buddy Guy's new CD, and with a very little eq and reverb, I was at a loss to hear any difference. Point being, the inexpensive large condenser mics now on the market, sound really good !!!
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SteveG
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 6695
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Posted - Tue Jul 08, 2003 4:09 am
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| GoodSound wrote: |
I recently put together a Voice-over setup for my Girlfriend who had very little money to spend. The setup sounds great and she got out for under $200.
On sale at Musicians Friend
Octava MK-219 Large Diaphram Condensor Mic. $69 US
Behringer Eurotrack Mx602A Mini Mixer - $59 US
Cable for Mic -$9 US
Hosa 1/4" Phone to Mini 1/8"plug 10 Foot patch cable $8 US
Mic Stand with Boom $29 Us
Sony MDR V150 Headphones -$19.95 (Best Buy)
Being a professional Sound Mixer for over 30 Years I was totally blown away by the quality available with the above priced hardware.
I would expect to pay over $2000 for such a setup using mainline Name brands. Mixer was quiet and Mic was smooth and clean had great proximaty effect. It's no U87 but for the price you can't go wrong. |
It sounds fine for $200, but the Folio notepad has audibly better preamps than the Behringer. The Oktava mics certainly are a bargain, although their normal price seems to be a little higher than this... like a fraction under $80, even from Musician's Friend now.
The reason for the AT4033 recommendation (apart from the fact that it fits with luigi's budget) is that it is built in a way that works well for radio - it has a lot of internal work done to it to minimise any sort of handling and vibration noise, so if you are working in less than ideal conditions, it's good. And one thing that has been noted about Oktavas is that they are quite susceptible to this. So yes, the sound is good, but some of the other features... well sometimes you have to do a bit of work!
And, it has to be said, AT quality control is pretty good. Oktava manage better than the Chinese do, certainly, but you still really need to check the mic you're actually getting, as opposed to the showroom model.
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Experts advice (mike/mixer for voiceovers)