Its going to be hard to direct you towards specific models since the human voice varies so much. I'd take a look at some of the tube rode mics, maybe ant u185 by soundelux the mics you're using are of a lower quality and aren't going to make you're voice any more flattering thats for sure. See if you can buy from a place with a good return policy and try a few out

Try a sound rental house. The good ones have a large selection of all kinds of mics. Tell them what you are doing and theyll probably steer you in the right direction. People who work at equipment rental houses tend to be real "hum heads", so they will probably have lots of opinions.

Oktava 319's are ok if you get lucky and get a good one- Theit QC sucks and they are not consistent. I have 2 and one is great, the other one so so.
The Rode mics usually sound real good for the $$$- get the NT2A- it had the capsule of the K2 for about half the price. Don't get the NT1 though- it sounds a lot like the oktava and if you did not like that sound you won't be happy with it.

If you get a brick pre and the NT2A you should have a real good recording chain for under the $$$ you want to spend.

So..what's wrong with Knopflers' voice?

Ahhh, but if you can play guitar and write like him...there you HAVE something!

x2 for the Brick/NT2a.. makes me sound like Placido!! :wink:

Thanks guys.
Tried an SM58 the other day. No way.
Problem is that my voice lacks "body" the way real singers have and again tends to add muddiness at the lower range.
Made up a store with a Brauner Phantom C in demo. Praised by some people but don't know if that would fit.

guitarplayer

The biggest problem you may have is your voice. If you're voice tends to be more laid back and muddy then that may actually come out even more with better mics but you really won't know until you try. But if all else fails spend a couple hundred bucks and have a vocal coach try to fix your problem.

yeah i think your best bet is to improve your singing, it can be done.
you cant train to be an amazing singer unless you have amazing talent but I think you can get by, as long as you use your diaphragm, sing past the microphone loud to the wall behind it, and breath well concentrating on your belly, not your chest as much
hope this helps

Improving your singing is always a good idea. 4 years of singing classes took me from "real lousy" to "OK". So there's hope for everyone. :lol:

What you also learn besides breathing techniques is controlling the resonance to make your voice sound fuller. I also used to pick real high notes, but discovered that I'd better sing in a little lower range, producing a more solid sound.

I tried the SM58 too and didn't think it fit my voice. The SM58 Beta was a lot better for my voice, I now use the Sennheiser E865 (the Sting condenser mic).

Like everyone has said already, practice makes perfect and when I was learning to sing I always found it most beneficial to be completely alone where no one could here and just sing for a half hour or so every day. Lack of confidence is also something that will hide a natural talent you may already have. Keep that in mind.

Aside from that. a nice warm humbucking sound helps to smooth some freqs that are otherwise accentuated by a powered condenser . You may want to audition the Electrovoice 767N/D. It's not harsh in the mids, not as "revealing" and doesn't boost in the high's. Could be one of the reasons Zakk Wylde uses the EV dynamic line for his live vocals.

Don't give up either. Stick with it.