Greg Blaisdell wrote on Wed, 06 May 2009 12:20 |
As someone who has used and sold just about every mic mentioned on this thread, my pick for acoustic guitar and vocals in the $200 price range would be the ADK A6. I found the A6 to be more natural sounding on my Lead Singer and Taylor Guitar than the Shure KSM27, and smoother than the Rode NT1000 or NT1-A which are both transformerless. The A6 also has a cleaner midrange than the Oktava 012. The Shure SM81 works well on acoustic guitar too, but it will cost you about $100 more, and can't double as a vocal mic like the A6. AT4040 is more money too. As with almost any other type of product, if you want to get the best bang-for-your buck you've got to stray away from some of the "name brands". They all make some great mics, but you will pay more at each level. Best thing to do is actually try out a few different models and decide what YOU like on YOUR acoustic guitar. Find a dealer that lets you try them out in your own studio for a few days so you can pick a favorite. I didn't like the midrange on my Oktava 012s, but maybe YOU will... |
Halfway Competent wrote on Wed, 06 May 2009 13:46 |
The OP never specifically mentioned acoustic guitar. Why can't an SM-81 double as a vocal mic? What didn't you like about it in this application? Shure offers a pop filter accessory for it: ( http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/Products/Accessories/us_pro_A8 1G_content) Considering that the SM-81 is often used for miking choirs, this would seem to be a vote FOR its use as a vocal mic. And, as I stated before, I used one of my SM-94s ($180 street) for vocals and it worked out quite well. |
Greg Blaisdell wrote on Wed, 06 May 2009 15:31 | ||
I own an SM81 and still use it often, so I'm not against it in any way. When the original poster said "vocals and acoustic instruments" it seems I read "vocals and acoustic guitar". Not careful reading on my part, but acoustic guitar qualifies as an acoustic instrument. I retract the statement that an SM81 "can't double as a vocal mic." Of course it can be used for anything you want to use it for. Personally I don't often reach for a small condenser as a lead vocal mic, but they are certainly used on vocals, especially choirs. But as an owner of an SM81 and an ADK A6, I hold the opinion that I'd rather have an A6 for "vocals AND acoustic instruments" than an SM81 (if I had to choose just one). If you can buy them both you will find many uses for both of them. I'll post an A/B comparison soon of the SM81, A6, and a few other mics on various acoustic instruments and vocals at http://hearthegear.com/ so folks can hear the difference. All of you folks should post your own clips too. Like I said in my original post, people should make their own judgements by listening. All I can do is give my own opinion based on my own experience. Feel free to disagree with me. That's what these forums are for. |
Jim Williams wrote on Wed, 21 January 2009 08:49 |
Got $39.95? MCA SP-1 www.pssl.com |
Michael_Joly wrote on Wed, 03 June 2009 07:09 |
The SP-1 uses the same KM-84-inspired SDC capsule and basic Schoeps-style circuit as found in the popular 22mm SDC mics like the 603/604, CM-90, 180/185, GXL1200 etc. But this capsule performs better (less peaking 7kHz peaking) in the larger, side-address headbasket of the SP-1 than in the pencil mics. The relatively low open area of these pencil mics' body vents cause HF peaking.The effect of pencil mic vent size on capsule HF peaking was used by Neumann to make the KM-184 brighter than the KM-84 - even though both mics use the same capsule. A brief note about this body vent effect can be found in the Acoustic Features paragraphs of the KM-184 page. |