Good mics for a Contralto based voice?

Matsuban

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So i feel like its finally time to say good bye to my faithful blue snowball, But i'm not really sure where to start! I've skimmed some of the previous threads on this topic, But i'd love to have some more personalized responses. I recorded this quick one shot sample to show what i sound like without any editing or harmonies yatta yatta;
https://clyp.it/nmco1wjh

It's not meant to be good, But hopefully it'll give a basic ideal of my vocal weight and tone and etc..
As a contralto, I think a mic made for higher vocals would be best. I can go as deep as B2, But its not as natural as my voice which hangs out in the C3~G4 range.

Also i'm sorta on a budget because of christmas, So cheap mics are best, But if its more expensive thats ok, i'd just have to save up for it ;A;
Thanks for the help!!!
 

Cdra

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What's your range of cheap? I've used a couple of different mics for my voice (similar range) and had results that I was happy with, but it's all a matter of how much you want to actually spend.
 

Matsuban

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under 150$ if possible, i'd love for it to be around 75$~85$ range haha;;;
 

na4a4a

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A good mic for a low female?
Okay in you case here are a list of mics you can look into, assuming you want usb.

MXL 008
Nady usb-1c
Nady usb-1cx

These mics should all sound similar, it depends what is available for you.
The Nady 1c amd 1cx are the same mic just the cx has am aesthetic update.
The Nady usb-1c can be had for around $73.

If you are interested, @bio owns the Nady mic and he may be able to give you some examples.
Even though he is male it should still give a decent idea of how it sounds.

If you can, I suggest buying a cheap popscreen as well. Any old one will do they are all basically the same.

Avoid anything like the Blue Yeti as the low end drops off amd tends to make semi-lower voices hollow and distant. Even though a large portion of people will suggest that mic.
 

HoneyPai

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For deep voices, I highly suggest the Blue Spark, it comes in xlr and usb so you have options there, it could be a little pricey, as I see your budget is $150, the spark usually sells for 175, but if you look around, you could find it for under 100.
If you buy the spark xlr, I suggest buying the blue icicle xlr to usb converter if you don't want to spend an arm and a leg for a $150 that sounds identical to the icicle, the one thing I have to say now is tgat the icicle gets a bit warm pretty fast, not hot, but warm.

With that being said though, it's always good to look around for mic test and review videos, since you can actually hear what different voice types sound like with a particular mic and judge whether or not the certain mic you come across is good for you.

I know that's a given and almost everyone knows that, but some people don't take that into consideration and then end up buying a certain mic because it was highly suggested, and then they get upset when the mic doesn't mesh well with the user's voice. It happens.

I wish you luck in your search for a mic
 

na4a4a

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If you follow HoneyPai's advice then I'd like to add onto it.

The Blue Spark Digital is the USB model, the non-digital model is xlr only.

While the Spark Digital (and the Nady I suggested) does come with a desk stand it will be beneficial to get a floor stand so you can stand whilst you record.
The On Stage Stands MS7701B/MS7701 and the MS7700B/MS7700 are great options that are well priced and built well.
If you want a desk stand then On Stage Stands makes a good desk stand that extends very tall if the one's included aren't good enough.

Also, if you choose to got the XLR route then I suggest going against the Blue Icicle. The Icicle is fragile and prone to breakage. There are also problems with electronic buzz in your recordings on certain units.
If you need an affordable interface then you can look at the Behringer U-Phoria UMC22 for $40.

The mics I suggested are very flat/linear in their sound while the Spark will sound a tiny bit warmer. It's up to preference, The MXL/Nady should be pretty much neutral with everyone. A lot of people don't like the warmth of the Spark while many do, it depends on what your voice sounds like and also preference. They're going to be fairly similar in some ways.

Don't be afraid of buying mics used! It's a great way to save a lot of money!

If you were to squeeze for XLR then that actually opens up a huge variety of mics you can actually get in almost every price range. But at the same time USB is easier for most.
 
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HoneyPai

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The only other thing I have to add
As a response, I still suggest the Blue icicle if you go the xlr route and don't want to buy something that you'll only use the xlr to usb for.
But it's your decision, just something to think about.
 

Matsuban

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A good mic for a low female?
Okay in you case here are a list of mics you can look into, assuming you want usb.

MXL 008
Nady usb-1c
Nady usb-1cx

These mics should all sound similar, it depends what is available for you.
The Nady 1c amd 1cx are the same mic just the cx has am aesthetic update.
The Nady usb-1c can be had for around $73.

If you are interested, @bio owns the Nady mic and he may be able to give you some examples.
Even though he is male it should still give a decent idea of how it sounds.

If you can, I suggest buying a cheap popscreen as well. Any old one will do they are all basically the same.

Avoid anything like the Blue Yeti as the low end drops off amd tends to make semi-lower voices hollow and distant. Even though a large portion of people will suggest that mic.

I'm not a female....... it says on all my profiles i am male dude
 
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na4a4a

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I'm not a female....... it says on all my profiles i am male dude
Oh sorry, you said contralto in the title so I assumed.
What I recommend/suggest is still the same, regardless.
 
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Matsuban

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Oh sorry, you said contralto in the title so I assumed.
What I recommend/suggest is still the same, regardless.
Its fine, I appreciate the suggestion! I'm not too sure i understand the thing about standing when recording, I've never done it... Does it matter to stand while recording? Also i don't understand the difference between XLR and USB. Can you explain? Also i've never heard of the brand you are reccommending, But i've been googling around and they seem ok!! Which one do you have? I may have accidently missed that, So i'm sorry if i did.
[doublepost=1482356956][/doublepost]
The only other thing I have to add
As a response, I still suggest the Blue icicle if you go the xlr route and don't want to buy something that you'll only use the xlr to usb for.
But it's your decision, just something to think about.
Oh, I'm pretty interested in the blue icicle!! I've heard its really good, And i kinda wanna stay with blue because i'm nervous about trying other brands. Where did you get yours? What were the prices like? I've also heard good things about audio technica, Do you know anything about them?
 
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HoneyPai

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Don't be nervous to try other brands! But my icicle was only $32 and I got it off ebay, sometimes ebay can be sketchy but that's also where I got my super cheap Spark, like I said earlier though, the icicle did get warm pretty fast I noticed, but I recorded for an hour today and it stayed at the same temperature I believe. It does it's job, it does feel very fragile though and it feels like it could break if you bang it against something, but I don't think you're going to be swinging it around and banging it against walls, the build quality seems cheap, but it still works, it makes me happy and does what it's meant to do. I really like it so far.
 

na4a4a

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Standing while recording usually makes it easier to project your voice "proudly" and more foreward. So that way it's easier to get good, consistent volume and tone.

And I actually don't use the MXL or Nady since I use XLR. I use a Shure SM7b with am inline booster and UR22mkii.

I suggest anything but Audio Technica unless you want something muffled. I owned their AT2035 (same as the at2020 more or less) and it wasn't that great...

XLR is a balanced connection, it has two duplicate signals that are flipped onto each other to cancel out interference.
Not only that but it allows you to upgrade without replacing everything at once.
Then again, it really doesn't make sense to go cheap with XLR as you will eventually be replacing everything all at once anyways...

EDIT: fixed some typos, autocorrect really butchered this post.
 
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