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[LukeSmith]

Hi all,

I'm involved in setting up a new commercial studio in england, and I'm currently trying to come up with the equipment list for the investors..

at the moment i'm trying to decide/work out what mics to go for.. bearing in mind that i know very little about mics anyway!

the options that i have so far include..

4 sennheiser E604
2 Neumann U87
1 sennheiser 421-U4
1 akg C414b xls matched pair
1 royer R121
1 SE electronics Gemini
I'm not sure about a kick mic.. perhaps the E602?


this list is from a couple of lists that others have researched and I'm just trying to define what the best choices are.. I want to have the capability for quality recording of as many instruments/styles as possible.. and some voiceover work..

What do the knowledgable people think!

also, do you think there's any place/reason for sm57/58s in a studio? or would you recommend other options?


thank guys.

Luke

[LukeSmith]

it moved!

[Adam Miller]

LukeSmith wrote on Tue, 08 November 2005 11:27

Hi all, I'm involved in setting up a new commercial studio in england, and I'm currently trying to come up with the equipment list for the investors.. at the moment i'm trying to decide/work out what mics to go for.. bearing in mind that i know very little about mics anyway! Luke

May I be so bold as to ask why you're spec'ing mics for a commercial facility without a good level of prior knowledge?

Your basic list seems pretty sound; pairs are always more useful than single mics though, I'd go with two R121s at the expense of summat else. A pair of small diaphragm condensers is a must in a commercial studio imho.

Quote:

also, do you think there's any place/reason for sm57/58s in a studio?

Absolutely. The most ubiquitous mics live, in the studio, anywhere... Essential. Snares/amps/toms/talkback/punk singers...
You've got a decent list of standard issue mics there, but very few people are in absolute agreement- do searches for them on these boards.

Adam

[compasspnt]

Exactly what Adam said.

[Frob]

why 4 604s?
2 at the most i would say
4 kel hm1 especially if your only getting one 421

for a kick a lot of people know the akg 112 and the shure beta52


but really all this will sound horrible if you dont have a good list of mic pres as well, are you doin the mic pres? if so what is your list? budget ect...

[Vertigo]

The e604's are predominantly tom mic's and come in packs of 3, so 3-4 sounds about right if tom-mic'ing is to be their intended usage.

-Lance

[compasspnt]

Frob wrote on Tue, 08 November 2005 14:46

but really all this will sound horrible if you dont have a good list of mic pres as well, are you doin the mic pres? if so what is your list?

With all due respect...Why?  How about just one kind of excellent mic pre, such as when studios only had a Neve console, or an API, or one of several other brands?

Why must there be a list?

How about a couple of L200 racks full of API 212's?

I do understand what you mean, and that everyone these days has to have lots of "flavours," but just because they might be using one good console, that dopesn't mean it will sound horrible...

[floodstage]

Don't know about the SE mic, haven't used it.  The rest you mentioned are nice mics and would get used regularly.

Definitely get a couple 57's.  There are a number of uses for them where they are as good as anything you could use regardless of price.

Might want to look at Beyer M-88 and Shure SM-7 also.  Great mics.  Many, many uses for both.

[Frob]

after re-reading his orginal post, i would still ask what pre's they are planing on buying. he does not say if they are using a console or mixing in the box, or any thing about that i still feel as though my statment is more then valid.

i would not think it nessesary to make sutch a comment, but the 57 statment through me. also ive found that a bigger advantage can be found in the right pre then the right mic.

[Phil]

Could I have the names of the investors who are willing to put up money for microphones selected by someone who, by his own admission, knows "very little about mics anyway"? If they're willing to shell out money like that, well hell, I could use a few bucks myself.

[LukeSmith]

Well, I'm alright on the rest of the studio equipment, just learning about mics though.. which is why I'm asking for advice from people rather than just buying whatever I see first.. no need to be so acerbic!


As far as a Pre goes..

I was looking at the Avalon AD2022, with An AudientASP008 for simultaneous multitrack recording... However this is the are i haven't looked into too much yet.. so again, any suggestions would be welcome! as long as they're constructive.



thanks guys.

[LukeSmith]

...Or.....

how about a combined mic-pre/A-D convertor like the Crane Song Spider?

anyone had any experience with this?


cheers..

[Tidewater]

CS stuff is great, no idea about that piece.

I don't like 414s.

Here are a couple odd mics out: E609, and Blueberry. I bought a Blueberry to record a big fat guy, worked like a cherry.

I think everyone should have a pair of 609s, pair of (early) 451s with ck1, and ck5 capsules, with pads, and another 57.


M

[LukeSmith]

DivideByZero wrote on Wed, 09 November 2005 12:30

I bought a Blueberry to record a big fat guy, worked like a cherry. M

haha,
and isn't that what its all about at the end of the day

I think the Spider might be stretching the budget actually..

I'm now thinking of a Neve 1073dpa and an Avalon VT737 SP...


any good?

also, what is it you don't like about the 414s?

thanks chap.

[Vertigo]

Quote:

Here are a couple odd mics out: E609

Black-face, right? I can't find a single use for the silver - sounds like garbage on everything... The black-face is VERY sweet though, I just picked up another a few weeks ago

I'm starting to think our friend Luke is a Troll...

-Lance