Thanks!
BTW I’m working more on singing Lead/Harmony Ala “George Harrison” style.

EVERY time I try each Beatles Lead/Harmony part…

I always lean towards George’s part totally.
I finally realize that he was kinda the Glue between Paul and John.
(With his “Soft” 2nd Tenot/fuller High Baritone registers)
Chris

Plus I “double” a lot of Vocals onstage Live with another Singer/same Part.
An old Beatles vocal trick 😉

Sounds great.
Guessing he’s on the Shure ‘32.
Generally a nice Vocal Mic.

I just like the added Mojo of the handmade capsule/Transformer IIRC Ben’s daughters wind it!!)

47 “Softening” also includes Sibilance/Nasality BTW.
Like Neumann’s own Marketing…

Particularly effective on Crooners (like me) and Shouters

No “pushing air” (mouth area etc.)
If you learn “Breath Stops”
Name coined by Legendary Soprano/Master Instructor Lilli Lehman.

Breath stops also keep excess air away from the Vocal Cords and Nose.

Caruso said NEVER to direct the Tone into the nose!! (He was a pretty good Tenor/NO mic)
Chris

Unless you're Ross or Petty lol I also think some singers sound real good when they are out of breath...

Trying to "liven up" my non-Vintage 58 with the Triton Germanium here.
IMHO the OP would probably like her SM7 more with this
(this flavored Line Booster nicely brightens these mics)

Just a little portion of "Melissa" here.
58>Germanium>Onyx Pre.

First half just Lite .4% Plate, Moderate De-Essing and Medium MJUCjr. Compression.
2nd half same "one take vocal totally RAW.
Chris

I’m also going to recommend Gefell. Get the Gefell UM-70 if you can find one within your budget or get the new iteration without the transformer: the UMT-70. No one will be able to tell the difference. They both sound impeccable. Very detailed, clear, crisp, and never harsh.

Another one is the Chandler Type L. I love the way this mic sounds and I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t get the capsule from Gefell as it has that pedigree to it’s sound.

Not sure how Treated the OP's room is

A narrow Pattern LDC mic (like the Elly Studio).
Or getting up close to an Omni ala EV 635a/RE50 or Variable D_like RE20...

Might meet or beat any Neumann/Gefell
Chris

The opposite might also be worth considering. In other words, some judiciously applied EQ and de-essing might be all you need to get the sound you're after.

It sounds as if you have a fair bit of studio experience, but we can only guess at your level of mixing skills.

If you were to post up a snippet of a vocal take, you might get some processing pointers that could make your life easier. Just a thought.

Based on what I'm reading, you're looking for a more mellow mic under $800.

If you liked the general tone of the WA-8000 (C800) outside the high end, then I'd stick with U67/87-style mics, since the C800 was just Sony's take on a U67, without any of the top-end filtering to darken it.

I recommended the Beesneez B87i because:

- The K67/87 style capsule in it is as good as anything I've heard from Neumann.
- It emulates a darker vintage U87, so you're in a similar sonic space.
- They're on sale right now for $560, which is borderline criminal for something handmade with the sum of its parts.

As for alternatives:

Stam does a killer U87 clone too, but they can take some time to ship, so not where I'd go if you're looking for a primary day-to-day mic.

Lastly, the Aim Inspire sounds really good based on the demos I've heard. It's brighter than an 87, but that might be the perfect middle ground between the super bright WA-8000 and the much more mellow B87i.

Hope this helps!

I believe I never crossed an Atlantis..
(but I crossed the atlantic several times… that’s for our friend Chess )

lauten audio have some good sounding mics in their line (like their inexpensive la320), but generally speaking they don’t have the same build quality of the ones I mentioned above.
They are made overseas (or at least their bodies scream china), and have not the same quality as Neumann or the other ones I’ve mentioned.
BUT to be fair, some (most?) of their mics sound pretty good, and are quite inexpensive..
so it’s not so a bad deal.. especially if you’re very budget limited.

My point is that some of these might not have the same value over time, so might not be the best “investment” of your money afterall..
That’s why I tend to suggest quality stuff, that can stand the test of time and might/will hold its value better (in case of Neumann the value might even go up).

on the other side, what really counts is that you can find a mic that works for your source, and this is not always a matter of price or prestige, it depends from the source..
some sources can be recorded with just about anything, others are much more “picky”..

Anyway, after having selected few candidates you’ll need to find a way to test them with your voice.. it is the only way to know which mic works for YOU.
Despite of all the blabbering on the forums.

I hope this helps,

howdy

Cheu

Oh I actually tried the chewing gum! Didn't really work for me but I picked up some dental wax today, so will be trying that! I'll look into Activite Ribbon, don't think I ever tried one, thank you!

On the ribbon side of things, the Coles is a great mic imho.. (is not active, so you need a good preamp as already said), BUT you also need a decent sounding room.. because of the figure 8 polar pattern of the ribbon, the room will be more “exposed” than a regular cardioid mic.

Another good ribbon mic brand is Extinct Audio, they do have several models, and some are also quite affordable..
Steven Tavener, the owner, is a great guy, very responsive and with his other company Xaudia fixes old ribbon mics.. good quality stuff at a good price..

No Hype Audio Ribbons are also not bad, especially considering their low price.. it’s a very responsive company, jp is on these forums as well, great knowledgeable guy.

(on the expensive side of things, the new Melodium 42n that Kerwax put out some time ago is also a very nice sounding ribbon for vocals.. (but at a different price point).

But as said a ribbon mic have a very different delivery (or sound) than a c800 or modern sounding condenser..

For that type of sound, without harshness, the first candidate to test out should be the Ehrlund.
Milabs, TLM67 and if everything fails a Coles.

howdy

Cheu

Proper Breathing.
LOL!

I have never tried an Advanced Audio LDC but I see a few on Ebay etc. for $700 ish - anyone chime in?