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Author Topic: Which mic to choose?????  (Read 7170 times)

Kentro

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Which mic to choose?????
« on: September 13, 2007, 11:31:33 AM »

Hi all. I'm either going to buy the AKG Perception 200, The Audio Technica 3035, MXL 2001 or MXL 2003, or Behringer B1. I'm doing the rock/acoustic thing. Can you guys point me in the right direction. It's too confusing!
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hargerst

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #1 on: September 13, 2007, 11:43:27 AM »

I'm not sure about the others, but I would avoid the MXL 2001.  The MXL V67 would be a better choice.
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Harvey "Is that the right note?" Gerst
Indian Trail Recording Studio

Kentro

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #2 on: September 13, 2007, 11:49:07 AM »

awesome. I'll take your word for it. We'll scratch the 2001 from the list. I'm leaning towards the Audio technica.
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A.J.

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #3 on: September 13, 2007, 11:56:09 AM »

Hi Kentro,

I'm not sure about the AT3035, but I picked up an 4033 on ebay and I think it does pretty well on the acoustic/rock stuff.

Best of luck!

Harland

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #4 on: September 13, 2007, 07:25:57 PM »

What about a Rode NT-1A? Lots of people rag on them but one of your choices was a Behringer, after all.
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Malcolm Boyce

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #5 on: September 14, 2007, 01:02:14 AM »

The 3035 is the "best" of what you listed there.

Hipper features, useful on more.  Excellent bang for buck.
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Tomas Danko

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #6 on: September 14, 2007, 02:21:46 AM »

Harland wrote on Fri, 14 September 2007 00:25

What about a Rode NT-1A? Lots of people rag on them but one of your choices was a Behringer, after all.


To be honest, the Behringer B1 LDC is a better and more versatile choice than the Rode NT-1A. Or a Studio Projects B1 at that price range.

Still, a second hand Rode NT1000 is an even better choice.
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Kentro

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #7 on: September 14, 2007, 02:25:10 AM »

yeah i'm thinking the 3035 might be the one to choose.
I've read a lot of reviews about the Behringer mics and a lot of them say the mics can become faulty quite easily. I've heard good things about the Studio projects B1 as well. Apparently it isn't so good on vocals though. Has anyone used the MXL 2003?
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hargerst

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #8 on: September 14, 2007, 09:00:13 AM »

Kentro wrote on Fri, 14 September 2007 01:25

Has anyone used the MXL 2003?

I have; it's a good mic, but a little bright.
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Harvey "Is that the right note?" Gerst
Indian Trail Recording Studio

Kentro

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #9 on: September 14, 2007, 02:13:03 PM »

I'm using a Focusrite platinum voice master pre. Pretty sure I could dial out a lot of the high end on the in.
Still wonder why the cheaper mics always seem to have the high end bump.
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Kentro

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #10 on: September 15, 2007, 01:19:59 PM »

Thanks for all the advice so far guys. I'm also looking at an AKG C2000B. Keep the opinions coming!!!!
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hargerst

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #11 on: September 15, 2007, 01:59:39 PM »

Kentro wrote on Fri, 14 September 2007 13:13

Still wonder why the cheaper mics always seem to have the high end bump.

It's caused by diaphragm tensioning; similar to tuning a drum head - a VERY SMALL drum head !!
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Harvey "Is that the right note?" Gerst
Indian Trail Recording Studio

Vertigo

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #12 on: September 15, 2007, 04:32:40 PM »

I can speak for the 3035. I think of it as the "SM57" of the LDC family. Cheap, might not be the perfect choice for any given source, but it never sounds bad. It's a fairly neutral mic, which is why I think it sounds pleasant on any source. Depending on the style of music, a good engineer could definitely do an entire album using only 3035's and get respectable results.

I've outgrown mine, although I've still kept it around the last few years and included it in every vocal mic shootout. It's always gotten positive remarks during the shoot-outs, and every singer has liked the sound of it (it really does sound usable/good on every voice). It hasn't been chosen in a few years, but that's only because I have some really nice LDC's that wind up edging it out.

You'll like it on acoustic guitar and vocals, and I've gotten some great sounds on drums and bass instruments out of it as well.

BTW - you're probably going to outgrow that Focusrite soon. You should be considering a mic pre as your next future purchase. I've got a Focusrite Platinum around that I haven't used in several years (it's probably going on the bay soon). It's a really boring pre, although I did use it for voice-overs for a while (with the 3035 coincidentally) and got decent results.

-Lance
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Kentro

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #13 on: September 16, 2007, 01:44:02 AM »

Thanks for the info Lance. 3035 could be the choice. The focusrite has been ok. I bought it over a year ago. I haven't really played around with it too much. What would you recommend as a replacement in the US$300 - $400 price range?
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JP Gerard

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #14 on: September 16, 2007, 12:11:55 PM »

Hey folks!
Well, a lot of made in China mics are bright because they're made that way. Most "virtual manufacturers" will order the same old Neumann capsule copy with the cheapest transformer less electronics. That capsule was designed to be used with an EQ network in mind, so when you use that capsule with a totally flat head amp or worse, a head amp that has poor low frequency response, you end up with a mic that has a really crazy treble peak (sometimes up to 10 dBs around 12K-15K or so). If for some reason, instead of making copies of the Neumann K87 the Chinese factories made copies of the K89, Chinese mics would've never got such a bad reputation. Of course, some people add to the problem by requesting unreasonably low production costs, so poor quality components are used, internal construction is not too good, soldering quality is bad, capsule assembly suffers, QC stops being a priority... so really, you need to shop around because a LOT of mics come from China these days and no, they're not all born equal. The subject is vast and I won't get into it in more details now but it is interesting... kinda...  Twisted Evil
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JP Gerard
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Kentro

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #15 on: September 16, 2007, 02:19:57 PM »

Good info JP!
I'm thinking I'll buy something a little bit more expensive.
I'm looking at an AKG C2000B which I'm about %90 sure I wanna buy.
The reviews I've read have all been very positive about this mic.
I just purchased two matched MXL 603 small condensers. Looking forward to recieving those in the mail!

Could be good to hear some stories of the "supposed" worst mics everyone has used that suprisingly turned out to sound very good.
I used to think you had to spend over $500USD to get a decent sounding mic. Seems like everything has changed for the good.
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compasspnt

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #16 on: September 16, 2007, 04:13:58 PM »

Yeah, now you should really spend over $5 for real quality.
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Larry Villella

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #17 on: September 17, 2007, 01:09:59 PM »

What JP is too modest to post is that his Belgian designs have solved the problem of high frequency hype.  You might want to consider one of JP's designs like the ADK Hamburg Edition or the new A6 and S-7.

Call me biased, but after 40 years of collecting condensers, I am constantly impressed  by the gear JP creates.
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vegas4ever

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #18 on: September 18, 2007, 11:19:51 AM »

In your price range there only 2 mics that I have ever encounter,  and will used again,  the AKG perception and the Karma K35... hope that helps...
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Kentro

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #19 on: September 18, 2007, 02:15:29 PM »

Well... i'm still very confused.
Audio Technica 3035, AKG C2000B, AKG Perception 200, MXL 2003. Is there one that everyone generally thinks stands out from these??
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compasspnt

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #20 on: September 18, 2007, 02:47:45 PM »

Not really.
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vegas4ever

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #21 on: September 19, 2007, 04:31:30 PM »

Kentro wrote on Tue, 18 September 2007 13:15

Well... i'm still very confused.
Audio Technica 3035, AKG C2000B, AKG Perception 200, MXL 2003. Is there one that everyone generally thinks stands out from these??



thats like asking: if honda-toyota-nissan Is there one that everyone generally thinks stands out from these??



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hargerst

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #22 on: September 19, 2007, 05:26:34 PM »

Kentro wrote on Tue, 18 September 2007 13:15

Well... I'm still very confused.
Audio Technica 3035, AKG C2000B, AKG Perception 200, MXL 2003. Is there one that everyone generally thinks stands out from these??

Well, it's still not too clear as to what your goal is.  When you say it's for a "rock/acoustic thing", what exactly do you mean by that?  How does your new MXL 603 pair fit into the "rock/acoustic thing"?
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Harvey "Is that the right note?" Gerst
Indian Trail Recording Studio

Kentro

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #23 on: September 20, 2007, 11:34:24 AM »

hargerst wrote on Thu, 20 September 2007 07:26

Kentro wrote on Tue, 18 September 2007 13:15

Well... I'm still very confused.
Audio Technica 3035, AKG C2000B, AKG Perception 200, MXL 2003. Is there one that everyone generally thinks stands out from these??

Well, it's still not too clear as to what your goal is.  When you say it's for a "rock/acoustic thing", what exactly do you mean by that?  How does your new MXL 603 pair fit into the "rock/acoustic thing"?


Hey hargerst. Well I play in a rock band with a foo fighters type sound. I also write songs that I play just with me and an acoustic guitar. So I was looking for a mic I could give a good yell into and also mic some cabs. whilst also sing fairly quietly into as well.
I've actually gone ahead and bought an Audio Technica 3035. From everything i've read on all the forums and professional reviews it seems like the one of the better value mics for the price range.
I bought the MXL 603s for recording the acoustic guitar. Apparently they sound a lot better than their price range suggests.
The only mic i've ever owned is an SM58, I've borrowed a Rode NT1A & SE electronics mics before from friends and had a lot of success with them. They were just out of my price range unfortunately. The price i paid for the audio technica is a steal so I'm looking forward to them arriving in the mail soon.
THANKS FOR EVERYONE'S HELP & ADVICE!

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Kurt Foster

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #24 on: September 20, 2007, 03:19:52 PM »

The mics that sound good to me on guitar cabs have never sounded good on vocals. I haven't had much exposure to ribbons (because they are so fragile and that scares me) so don't lump them in with my comment.

My favorite condenser of all time for guitar cabs is the KEL HM-1 .. nice and flat ...no sizzle-y crackle-ies  .. what comes out of the amp is what goes to tape. Cheap .. at about $130 street.

Since you didn't spend a lot on the guitar mic, you can now probbaly afford to spring for a used ATM 4033 ... with those 2 you should cover a lot of ground.

kurt

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Dave Martin

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #25 on: September 20, 2007, 10:38:12 PM »

Kurt Foster wrote on Thu, 20 September 2007 14:19

The mics that sound good to me on guitar cabs have never sounded good on vocals. I haven't had much exposure to ribbons (because they are so fragile and that scares me) so don't lump them in with my comment.



They aren't THAT fragile - I use 'em on loud guitar amps all the time, and the carried one in the floorboard of my car (in a cloth bag) for 1100 miles for a photo shoot. And used it Tuesday. It's fine. (That, by the way, was an RCA 77dx; the new ones from Crowley and Tripps and AEA are a lot sturdier, I think...)
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Jack Schitt

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Re: Which mic to choose?????
« Reply #26 on: October 01, 2007, 07:46:17 PM »

Kentro wrote on Sun, 16 September 2007 01:44

Thanks for the info Lance. 3035 could be the choice. The focusrite has been ok. I bought it over a year ago. I haven't really played around with it too much. What would you recommend as a replacement in the US$300 - $400 price range?


Groove Tube Brick kicks ass in that price range.
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