Victoria Lloyd of Sacramento-based Claire Voyant has been recording and performing vocals since the mid 1990s -- making dreamy, introspective pop with sometimes subtle and sometimes soaring vocals. Lloyd, Ben Fargen, and Chris Ross released their self-titled (and self released) debut in 1995. Since that time they have released several full length CDs and a CD of remixes (featuring remixes by VNV Nation, Front 242, Covenant, and Haujobb). Lloyd was also half of HMB -- the other half being Daniel Meyer of Haujobb.

Lloyd talked to Gearwire about the microphones she uses live and in the studio. Live she uses a Neumann KMS 105 which she owns.

"I actually use this for all of my scratch recording too. It's an incredible microphone. Sometimes clubs don't know exactly what to do with it and it's phantom power needs, but it has such a buttery high quality sound," she says. "It gets my low end and softer vocals to cut through any mix."

She changes gears from the scratch vocals and the live mic when she is recording in the studio choosing a Blue Blueberry.

"I tried a series of Microphones one day at Robert Rich's Studio, all lined up to see which worked with my voice," says Lloyd. "I tried the Dragonfly, the Neumann TLM-103, and some Royer ribbon mics and found that the Blue mics just worked with me. [An] A-T [Audio-Technica] 4033 was used to make Our first two albums, ST and Time & The Maiden."

Lloyd says that she purchased the Blueberry for the studio because of the low price in addition to the sound. That never hurts. If you can find a microphone that makes you sound good and doesn't break the band -- buy it.

If Lloyd hits the lottery there is another mic she would like to be using but like most musicians she doesn't have piles of unused money laying around.

"[The] AKG C-12 is my dream Microphone. As soon as I have five thousand dollars, I'll own one. I don't know what it does, except make my voice sound like magic," she says. "I imagine it does that for lots of people, and that is why it is a classic, expensive microphone."

There have been mics -- not necessarily awful ones -- that just have not worked with Lloyd's vocals.

"Some microphones just don't work well with my voice, like the CAD mics," says Lloyd. "They accentuate a really annoying frequency and make me sound whiny."

This is something to keep in mind when choosing a mic to record or one to buy. Do not go on what it sounds like when someone else is using it. Just because Robert Plant sounds good singing through it doesn't mean you will too.

Lloyd uses some effects on her vocals live and in the studio. Live she uses the Lexicon MPX-1. In the studio she adds UAD plug-ins and other effects.

"I love the goo. Delay/Reverb patches with some chorus when I feel like it," she says. "Normally Chris mixes in the vocal effects with the Stereo mix that is fed to the soundman-person. In the studio--well I use everything. The Lexicon is there, the UAD plug ins; Dreamverb, Plate 140, Kaoss Pad. Really whatever Chris has and wants to try is what we use. The UAD plugins are a necessity and really are amazing. The pre amps make a difference too with either the Presonus MP20 and the Focusrite ISA 428."

The new Claire Voyant CD Lustre uses all of the above and will be out in 2008.

"Since it takes us forever to make an album, we are happy that it's sounding really good. I think Lustre will be our best album yet." says Lloyd.

Keep an eye open for Lustre on Metropolis Records