Spoken voice with SDC

[DAGGILARR]

I want to record spoken voice (me) and I have only a pair of MXL 603s mics. I do have both omni and cardioid caps. What would be the best way to go? I will be recording into Logic via a Focusrite Saffire Pro 24.

[The Elf]

Put a cardioid cap on one mic and an omni cap on the other and record both simultaneously. That way you can choose the one you prefer later.

Plosives are a real problem with SDCs, so I would speak directly to the omni (with the best pop shield you can rustle up) and have the cardioid pointing in from above/below/the side.

Find/create the best environment you can to record in. The deader the better. Spoken work is very tricky to record well.

You will likely find that the omni sounds subjectively more natural, whilst the cardioid sounds more flattering and 'voice of god' (depending on proximity).

[DAGGILARR]

Thank you, thats so helpful. Will the little foam bulbs suffice as a pop shield? any ideas what works for a DIY version?

[The Elf]

Will the little foam bulbs suffice as a pop shield?

Almost certainly not, but give them a try.

any ideas what works for a DIY version?

TBH I would be looking at my very best pop shield for this sort of job, because a pop on a spoken word recording can be tough to fix. You could try the old DIY trick of a stocking/tights stretched over a coat hanger, but I'd double-layer it at the least. You'll only know by giving it a go.

[Hugh Robjohns]

If you can place the mic where it is away from the plosive blasts, you won't need the pop screen and you'll get a better sound. Mount the mic at forehead height looking down, for example.

Remember that an omni mic will need to be 1.7x closer to the source to achieve the same free-to-diffuse sound ratio (ie room tone) as a cardioid.

Also, the omni won't suffer bass tip up variations if the speaker moves back and forth wehile they read...

I'd go with an omni, personally, if the room acoustics can cope.

H

[James Perrett]

Plosives are a real problem with SDCs, so I would speak directly to the omni (with the best pop shield you can rustle up) and have the cardioid pointing in from above/below/the side.

Whenever I'm recording spoken word (or most vocals for that matter) I always try to get people to sing/talk across the mic. Have the mic pointing towards the mouth but off to one side. If the performer has problems with singing/talking into space then I'll set up a dummy mic for them to use.

[The Elf]

Plosives are a real problem with SDCs, so I would speak directly to the omni (with the best pop shield you can rustle up) and have the cardioid pointing in from above/below/the side.

Whenever I'm recording spoken word (or most vocals for that matter) I always try to get people to sing/talk across the mic. Have the mic pointing towards the mouth but off to one side. If the performer has problems with singing/talking into space then I'll set up a dummy mic for them to use.

+1

I almost always use a dummy mic just to avoid the problem. I find it helps the performer to have a mic to 'aim' at, even if they know it's not active.

For speech I often use a shotgun mic to one side - you can get a great sound that way.

[Hugh Robjohns]

For speech I often use a shotgun mic to one side - you can get a great sound that way.

Yep... that's one reason why the film and TV guys work that way!

H

[DAGGILARR]

Thanks everyone for all the advice, much appreciated