I haven't tried the two you mentioned but I had a GT66 for a while and it was pretty nice.

You really should consider a solid state mic though since you already have the Brick. The GT66 was pretty "tubey" which is nice with most pre's.

Try the Shure KSM series or the Audio Technica 40-series. Great mics in both lines.

I have owned the GT66, Rode NTV, Rode NTK, Neuman TLM 103, AKG 414, (I have not tested the K2) but these mics are generally all in the $500 US dollars range with the Neumann and AKG almost double.

The GT66 has a good deal of artificial color but its an interesting mic if you like that sound. I love all these mics and find them very listenable, especially thru a tube pre. The point is well taken regarding a tube mic pre being joined with a solid state mic instead of a tube mic (redundant) but not necessarily a bad thing. The Neumann (non tube) is a very, very good vocal mic but the Cascade v55 valve tube is special and it's price (under $500) makes it very appealing. I doubt its "the best" mic out there for $500 but its the best thing I've heard and literally smokes the ones I've owned, K2 excluded.

I know they give a 30 day trial but I can't comment on overseas shipments. Very, very warm on vocals, very open, great presense and better on Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Drums, etc. than the others. I did notice the mic can be a bit bright when you get right on top of it but about 6-7 inches away, it hits a sweet spot and sits in the mix well too. You'll have to get other testimonials. I'm biased. I love this mic.

Hey Grooveteer!

I have a few ideas/suggestions.

First, I'll tell you that these mics are very different but both very nice mics. Second, I'd like to challenge the notion that a tube mic or tube pres will make vocals sound round and creamy or fat or warm or thick or anything else used to describe them. True, the GT Brick is a great preamp and has a tendancy to bring out some seriously good sympathetic distortions from its tube. However, mics rarely have enough distortion generated by their tubes to make them "warm, thick," etc.

Most tube gear really only "comes alive" with distortion when you push the gear, such as cascading channels on tube pres or driving the input stage while lowering the output stage to keep volumes in check.

So, I suggest that you look for ANY mic in that price range that will be a quality microphone. You will be much happier with your decision if you pick a mic based on quality and overall sound rather than choosing a 1 trick pony b/c you like how it sounds on one type of voice. (That's not to say that either of these mics are 1 trick ponies, but they are more limiting than some of the other high quality mics on the market.)

My recommendation would be to invest in a quality vocal mic such as:
AT 4040, 4033, 4047, 4050, 4060
AKG - C414 (either version)
Audix - SCX 25
Neumann - U87 (any of the versions), TLM 193
Gefell - M930
Brauner, Lawson, et. al.

You will find that using a quality mic with good placement techniques, quality preamps (which you already have) and good conversion will give you a smooth, beautiful sound. The next piece of the puzzle is to avoid using bad outboard or PC based processing gear.

Please, don't get all caught up in the tube buzz. Sure they're cool and sexy, but for the most part, in a microphone for vox, you would never be able to tell the difference. At this point, let me put in a plug for the AT4040 and the Audix SCX25. These two mics are so awesome sounding (and well built!!), it's hard to imagine they're as cheap as they are.

J.

Thanks all.

Food for thought here.

Interesting points on the tube mic thing, Cucco.

I guess I will just have to try all of these mics :wink:
The store will let me take them home to test them, so that's what I'm going to do. I'm not really in a rush.

BTW: I do not have a commercial studio, I will be recording my own voice most of the time. I'm looking for a mic that fits my voice.
(probably a broken Behringer B1)

Thanks again.

Hey Grooveteer:

Since you are in the EU (correct?) you should check out the prices on the Gefell stuff. They're fantastic and will cost you far less than they would me.

J.

I have a couple of k2's and they are very versatil. the fact that you can variably go from omni-crdioid to figure 8 means that you can find a setting for almost any voice. I've gotten real good results for female vox about 7 pm between omni and cardioid and male vox around 11 am

the pair is also a killer combo for percussion. I've been recording a latin project with them (congas, bongos, timbals, other assorted percussion) and we are extremely happy with the sound.

m

I think you should get a groove tubes gt66, a pentode tube mic (cardiod only), mmmmmmm I got one of those a month ago and boy does it sound amazing, it was $500, and well worth it imo.

It is so full on an acoustic gtr that i recorded and nice and clear on.

http://www.songramp.com/view.ez?sampleid=31041 this is the first thing i recorded with it, i have just a little hobby studio, i'm not a pro or anything but you should check it out.

signal chain is

gt66>vtb1>hhb radius 30(mild compression settings)>into my dps24 adc in. and the only eq on this entire recording is the 70hz low cut on the vtb1.

and the gtr and all vox were recorded with the same signal change, just different levels.

You want creamy? Without a doubt I would recommend the Peluso 22 251.

I had a K2 and it's a good mic. But after a comparison with the Peluso 22 251 and 22 47 I sold the K2 immediately afterwards.

I'm not a Peluso affiliate, don't sell gear, etc. I just love the mics for what they are.........really good.