The best gear for a vocalist on a budget
Are you a vocalist with a bigger vocal range than bank balance? Well you’ve come to the right place. Here’s everything you need to get up and running with your singing career… and all for less than £800! Monitors/headphones You’ll need to listen back to your recordings on proper speakers or monitors while recording with […]
Are you a vocalist with a bigger vocal range than bank balance? Well you’ve come to the right place. Here’s everything you need to get up and running with your singing career… and all for less than £800!
Monitors/headphones
You’ll need to listen back to your recordings on proper speakers or monitors while recording with headphones. Either way we have some great options…
ADAM Audio T5V
Price £299 (pair)
Contact https://www.adam-audio.com/en/
We said: “The T5V offers superb sound at an astonishingly low price. The accurate, wideband delivery betters some designs at many times the price. It’s a brilliant product.”
Yamaha HPH-MT8
Price £170 (street)
Contact www.yamahaproaudio.com | Yamaha 0844 811 1116 (UK)
We said: “These phones stand up to models that cost a lot more – a great buy.”
IK Multimedia iLoud Micro
Price £218
Contact www.ikmultimedia.com
We said: “These are probably the smallest proper monitors around so great for the travelling singer/songwriter.”
Focal Alpha Range
Price £185
Contact SCV Distribution London 0330 122 2500 | www.focalprofessional.com
We said: “The clarity, accuracy and sheer audio quality this monitor provides is rare indeed at this price point.”
Microphone
A great microphone is the obvious choice for a vocalist and a very personal one, and there are some fantastic budget options…
Aston Origin
Price £199
Contact Sonic Distribution | www.astonmics.com
We said: “This is a great mic for your vocalist and performs well with guitars and piano.”
Apogee Mic 96k
Price £185 (street)
Web www.soundtech.co.uk
We said: “A proper mic that plugs into your iOS device delivering the quality you’d expect from Apogee.”
Shure SM58
Price £92
Web www.shuredistribution.co.uk
We said: “Every vocalist needs one. Whereas the Shure SM57s is for your instruments, a Shure SM58 to keep your vocalist happy. Sorted.”
Lewitt LCT 440 Pure
Price £219
Web www.lewitt-audio.com
We said: “The LCT 440 Pure is a great option, providing an open, balanced signal which could easily be used to record all manner of voices without any trouble. An excellent choice.”
Interface
You’ll need something betwixt mic and computer to connect them up. Luckily you won’t need too many connections, but they need to be good quality ones…
Tascam iXR
Price £124
Web http://www.tascam.com
We said: “The iXR, however, is something of a revelation. Here you have a unit that costs just £124 and delivers great results both as a desktop interface and as a fantastic iOS one too. Honestly, this is just a ridiculously small amount of money for what you get.”
Focusrite iTrack One Pre
Price £95 (street)
Web uk.focusrite.com
We said: “Use pro mics without external power. That and quality Focusrite preamp makes this one of the best mobile devices we’ve looked at.”
Audient iD4
Price £190
Web www.audient.com
We said: “Focuses on audio quality rather than gimmicks. This is attractive, sonically impressive and fiendishly useful.”
PreSonus Studio 26
Price £156
Web http://www.sourcedistribution.co.uk
We said: “The bottom line is that Studio 26 has an incredible amount of power, loads of features, a high quality build and software you won’t get with other manufacturer’s interfaces. And all for a shade over 150 quid. Bargain.”
DAW
The centre of your vocal studio is your computer or iPad’s DAW, so here are a couple of desktop and mobile DAW choices…
Steinberg Cubasis 2
Price £49.99
Contact www.steinberg.net
We said: “It’s one of the best DAW experiences to blend old school sequencing with new school touch and with one of the iOS interface recommended here is great for recording and arranging vocals.”
Apple Logic Pro X
Price £199
Contact www.apple.com
We said: “You simply get more for less with Apple Logic and for vocalists its comp recording features and channel strips set up for recording are great options.”
WaveMachine Labs Auria Pro
Price £34.99
Contact auriaapp.com
We said: “The most ‘pro’ app here – and the ideal choice if you’re in a band and want to record gigs or studio sessions.”
PreSonus Studio One
Price £344
Contact www.presonus.com
We said: “Loads of content for a variety of genres and the all new version 4 has some great new ways to compose and arrange including a new Chord Track feature to keep you in key.”
