Skip to main content

Exactly how does better equipment make the sound better? Does it make the singer sound better?I dont understand how can better equipment make singing better...if it does at all?Can soemone thoruhgoutly explain to me how the singing gets better.

ps=am not talking about instruments. I know of course better instruments will make the sound better. But i want to know how singing can change from a cheap 20 dollar mic to a expensive 100 something dollar mic.

Comments

anonymous Sun, 02/12/2006 - 13:10

Well, a better mic won't give a singer better pitch, but it may capture more accurately that singer's voice. Or it may accentuate or de-accentuate some frequencies, making the voice sound fuller or thinner.

That said, your question is extremely vague and general. It's analogous to asking "Will a better car make driving better?" You're going to get answers like "Maybe, not maybe."

anonymous Sun, 02/12/2006 - 13:35

No i meant as in quality of the sound. So what your saying is a better mic will capture a singer voice fully.And what about amps. Is there a difference in amps and how it makes the singer sound ..PA systems or wutever used?

I also have another question. Will a audiortirium will some natural reverb included? Does nataral reverb occur at all in live singing even in small rooms with small amps? or reverb can only be added with special effects. And if there will be natural reverb how much natural reverb is in a audiortirium?a decent sized one wit bout 300 to 400 seats or so...

anonymous Sun, 02/12/2006 - 15:58

musicrocks wrote: No i meant as in quality of the sound. So what your saying is a better mic will capture a singer voice fully.

Generally speaking, yes. That is to say, a "better" mic can mean improved reproduction or enhancement of a singer's voice

And what about amps. Is there a difference in amps and how it makes the singer sound ..PA systems or wutever used?

Again, generally speaking, yes.

I also have another question. Will a audiortirium will some natural reverb included? Does nataral reverb occur at all in live singing even in small rooms with small amps? or reverb can only be added with special effects. And if there will be natural reverb how much natural reverb is in a audiortirium?a decent sized one wit bout 300 to 400 seats or so...

This depends on the singer's proximity to the mic and the mic's response. Generally speaking, if the singer is close to the mic, the mic will pick up more of the voice than it will the room's ambience.

I don't know how to quantify the amount of reverb in your auditorium. I'd venture to say there will be a significant amount of reverberation which will trail off slowly.

If you want to record the reverb too, I'd suggest micing the room as well as your singer. I seems like your knowledge of this stuff is rudimentary, so I'd also suggest bringing on someone with live recording experience to help you. Things can get complicated and only experience will work you through.

moonbaby Mon, 02/13/2006 - 11:50

While spending more money on ANYTHING doesn't guarantee "better quality"...
A "better"mic will have less handling noise (that rumbling you get as the mic moves around in your hands). That's because the manufacturer has added extra components to the guts of the mic to minimze that sort of noise.
A "better" mic will have a tighter, smoother, more controlled pick-up pattern, and that will mean less feedback in high-volume situations.
A "better" mic will hold up to the tortures of the stage...being tossed around, thrown into the air, dropped off a mic stand on to a concrete floor, etc...
A "better" amplifier will deliver more power without distortion, will hold up to the demands of being carried around, thrown into a van, etc.
That's why old fogies like myself get mad when the "youngsters" defend the "cheap stuff"...Been there, done that.....

anonymous Sat, 02/18/2006 - 06:10

musicrocks wrote:
I also have another question. Will a audiortirium will some natural reverb included? Does nataral reverb occur at all in live singing even in small rooms with small amps? or reverb can only be added with special effects. And if there will be natural reverb how much natural reverb is in a audiortirium?a decent sized one wit bout 300 to 400 seats or so...

yes there will be some natural reverb (depending on the room) but it will affect everything, not just vox.... it really all depends on your room and placement in it. in other words, any reverb the room is responsible for will be on the whole mix, vox, guitars, drums, whatever else you have.

sheet Sat, 02/18/2006 - 07:12

musicrocks wrote: No i meant as in quality of the sound. So what your saying is a better mic will capture a singer voice fully.And what about amps. Is there a difference in amps and how it makes the singer sound ..PA systems or wutever used?

I also have another question. Will a audiortirium will some natural reverb included? Does nataral reverb occur at all in live singing even in small rooms with small amps? or reverb can only be added with special effects. And if there will be natural reverb how much natural reverb is in a audiortirium?a decent sized one wit bout 300 to 400 seats or so...

Mics: Mics are not rocket science, and better is subjective. Usually cheap mics (IMO) have handling noise issues, cable connector issues, pattern control issues, and build quality issues. Some have sounded fine aside from that, on specific applications.

There have been some Shure SM57 and 58 knock-offs from China that sound really close, but they failed in the categories mentioned above, but you could buy 5 for the price of on 57 or 58, and THAT was the only positive selling point.

But a 58 up against an AT Artist series, Neumann 105 and then a Samson or Avlex 58 copy and tell me what you want for your vocal.

Amps: Amplifiers amplify. If they are performing as designed, you should not hear any difference in sound between any two amps...PERIOD. It has been proven at shootouts across America. A Peavey will always sound like a Crown which will always sound like.... This is where ignorance and bigotry kicks in and tells one that this is an incorrect statement. But it is scientific fact. What makes an amp a good amp is reliability and power consumption efficiency. That's it.

Now, I cannot dispute that there is a difference in sound between topologies, which can effect amplification of transients, etc. Some class of amplifiers are better for music than others. I would take a class A/B over a D or G any day.