A quality mic for "loud" applications

Justin2

Justin2

Member
Hey all, I am looking to purchase a microphone for an ADR studio that is great for recording screaming/yelling. Something that holds up and doesnt distort. A shotgun would be great, because then I could use it for location recording. Thanks!
 
You have a lot of choices... Many mics can do 130db levels (which is loud)... most of the quality of the recording will be determined by what you have after the mic. Ideally you'll want a clean pre-amp, possibly a little compression, and I'd record at 24/96 with a lower then normal level at the pre-amp. All that should give you the headroom to turn your yell-fest into something clean at normal playback volume.
 
The ADR supervisor on TITANIC had an RE20 for exactly that use. I lusted for awhile and ended up getting a Heil PR40. It has the same scream handling ability but is a bit cleaner and more useful on voice in general. THat would be my recommendation.
 
A dirt cheap choice is the Shure SM57. They're $99 everywhere and can definatly handle loud. (It's THE snare drum mic, after all.) The quality of your preamp will be crucial, however. A bad preamp will produce bad results. A good preamp will produce good results.

Is it the best choice? Probably not. But I don't think you'll find anything cheaper. Besides, for the price, it's not bad to have one lying around.
 
I second the sm57 or RE20. Both dynamics handle high SPLs and have a decently transparent sound. Beware of proximity effect with these mics.

I don't think you are going to get what you want with a shotgun.


Jason
 
Sennheiser MD421 is another good choice, along with my vote for SM57s. RE20s are more flat and neutral response-wise, while 421s and 57s have built-in HF boost due to their origins as PA mics. It's part of what makes them effective on close-miked snare drums.
 
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