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[floodstage]

Trumpetman2 wrote on Wed, 11 October 2006 21:08

vegas4ever wrote on Wed, 04 October 2006 15:13 I know I'm asking for a beating but, after reading the new Tape op, and there article on K35 againts the U87 and the K35 leading on most situations, I got curious and call a couple of friends one with a Rode Tube something, another had the U87 and another a T149, and we did blind test all night well not to brag but the K35 came on top 8 of the 12 trials.   Pardon my ignorance...but what the $%^%$% is a K35?

A google search on K35 microphone reveals the following:

http://www.karmaaudio.com/reviews.htm

[Dom3735]

It is in our nature to want more and more mics,
but remember, you're not doing an exposition when recording,
So, let's make room for some blue chips in your closet.

Identify you application needs, then try & buy
whats worthing it. I think about 10 mics will probably cover
all you recording needs. I prefer 6 great mics to 60 shitty ones.

The idea here is to spend money at the right place.
You'll always gets what you pay for.

If you want some great all-around mic, without a huge
price tag, I strongly recommend Rode mics.
Buy a pair of NT-1000, a NT-4, a pair of NT-5, a set of shure beta drum mics and be happy.

cheers!

[vegas4ever]

[quote title=Dom Berg wrote on Thu, 12 October 2006 08:37]

The idea here is to spend money at the right place.

I Agree!

You'll always gets what you pay for.

Can't Agree with this!

I do believe that in the last 5-10 years the area of "mics"  became a open market, the line between Boutique mics and radio shack has been shorten, and new "cheap" companies with fresh products are giving a hell of a fight. Dont take this the wrong way but, do you let the price tag tells you how good a piece of gear sound? because if thats the case your passing on some real nice equipment, like the RNC,MXL 603,SM57 to name a few.
"You'll always gets what you pay for": works for Cars, Women, and preamps.

[rphilbeck]

Audio Technica 40 Series line up, Shure Sm57, and Sm7.  Investigate those tools and pick the ones that best serve your needs.

I don't know why people on tight budgets even bother with anything else!

-Robert

[vegas4ever]

Sm7....Umm...what do you used that mic for??

[hargerst]

I've used the SM7 for just about everything in the studio at one time or another.

[joeq]

[quote title=vegas4ever wrote on Wed, 04 October 2006 09:19 (wife wont complaint if I go ohh it was just $399 or $499 but if I say $1500 them she may go postal)
[/quote]

you have enough cheap mics.  Buy that $1500 mic you have your eye on and break the news to your wife $500 at a time.   Show her a mic you already have and say it was $499.   Repeat two more times, then go get that mic you really want.

[chrisj]

Why don't you have a SM58? Don't you do rock vocals? 57 isn't exactly the same.

Why don't you get a 58 and another 57, do the remove-transformer mod on the 57, and then go about getting the more expensive mics?

Got any Sennheiser e609? Interestingly bright and lean for a cheap dynamic. You can see the real mic this is modeled on, in old Pink Floyd videos around 1972.

[vegas4ever]

chrisj wrote on Sat, 14 October 2006 23:20

Why don't you have a SM58? Don't you do rock vocals? 57 isn't exactly the same. Why don't you get a 58 and another 57, do the remove-transformer mod on the 57, and then go about getting the more expensive mics? Got any Sennheiser e609? Interestingly bright and lean for a cheap dynamic. You can see the real mic this is modeled on, in old Pink Floyd videos around 1972.

I had my eye on the e609 for a little bit but I never heard it, so I will provably go get it this week, I heard the mic is good on toms also any luck with anything else bysides Caps?

[Buzz]

Microteck Gefell UM70 !!! about 6-700$ on Ebad when they come up BUT a killer mic for the price , it uses the M7 capsule from the U87 line and works on ANYTHING !!!! just ask W Wittman

LAter
Buzz

PS: he turned me onto these mics and I would buy another one ( have 3 already )

[Kris]

AT 4047 always 'works'.

[yngve hoeyland]

Here it goes, my top 5 cheap all-round condenser microphone shoot-out results:

1. Rode NT2a (or NT2000)
2. Studio Projects C1
3. Neumann TLM 103
4. Rode K2
5. SE Electronics Z5600A

I've used all of these for guitars (nylon, steel strung and electrics), drums (oh's), upright bass, grand piano, room mics, hammond, but most importantly all kinds of vocals, ranging from intimate whispery norah jonesy stuff to hard-headed rock'n roll singers that have redefined my idea of high SPL's. They all stand up to, or better still if you have the budget, complement mic cupboards filled with mics that are ten times the price.

Bear in mind that this is all my personal opinion. None of the A&R's, artists, producers, mix engineers or anyone else for that matter, have complained about the sounds that these things capture. They just work.

Hope someone can use this.

[Ryan Leigh Patterson]

pair of Rode NT5s.... usefull in many apps...

Rode Nt1000, again, not great, but versitile.

a pair of used AKG 414-EBs

Shure sm7 of course

used Sennheiser MD-421 (multiples)  

used AKG D112

used shure sm57s of course

[jdier]

there are a lot of great responses here already but I will answer as though I am first to reply.

AKG 414 - Used is $500 and it is a LDC that has been used for years.  I also have a Studio Projects C3 which is really nice, but once I got the AKG 414 it became what I turned to when I wanted a condenser.  

Because it is such a well known entity it gives me a lot of confidence when using it.  If my C3 was not working in an application, I found myself blaming the mic... if the 414 was not working, I blame myself.  That said, what I have learned from using the 414 has made my usage of the C3 much better.

Shure SM7 - This was my first good dynamic (if you do not count SM57's) and it has turned out to be a great mic for me and my applications.  It is now the first mic I put up for Vocals and I also used it for bottom of snare when I ran out of other mics and it worked well there too.  

I have tried it on guitar cabs a bit and it worked kinda like a 57 but I did not like it as much.  I really think it is killer for vocals for me.

RE20 - I was not sure I was going to like this but a deal came up that I could not pass on and this has turned out to be a real winner for me.  

I just used it last night on a vocal of mine where I had to harmonize with a guy who has a much deeper voice than mine and when I got up right on the grill (1") it gave me a great full sound that was exactly what I wanted.  

I have also used it on a project that was entire band in one room with all amps in the room to mic a bass cab.  I went into that project with the Bass DI'ed and mic'ed and thought that I would only use the DI.  When the tracking was done the RE20 on the bass cab was perfect.

I have not had a chance to use it on bass drum yet, but it is obviously many people's first choice for kick also.

Sennheiser 421 - I added this one early and use it anywhere that the 57 is close but not quite right.  Many times I will wind up with it as a second mic on a source if I have an open channel and it is not being used.  Successful on guitar cabs (maybe the 57 is on the grill and the 421 is a foot to 18" back) or top of snare along with a 57 (very well might be positioning, but it typically gives me a fuller sound through the low end, not quite as midrangy as the 57... sometimes it works, sometimes it does not.)

----------

I could go on and on, but you will eventually run out of money, so that is my list of mics I would put on your short list.  What I really like about the mics I have listed above is the fact that they are staples in pro studios so they give me great confidence and force me to use my head, not my pocket book, to solve my problems or get my sounds.  

Having these great mics on hand has taught me a lot about mic placement and technique (along with reading posts by Harvey, Fletcher and all the other great people on these boards.)  Ultimately I have learned more about how to use all of my mics whether they are expensive or inexpensive, classics or flavor of the day.

Hope this list helps or is at least a good reference.

[beauarts]

I agree with the sm7 and re20 but if you're using a sennheiser dynamic, try the 441.

You can sometimes find a used Neumann km140 for ~$500.

I haven't heard it but some peopel have mentioned the beyer mc930. A beyer m160 can be very useful.