New (to me) mic(s) day!!!

[KuruPrionz]

Worked a trade for a couple of mics today. I had about $82 in the item I traded, a Turkish long neck baglama saz. Very nice instrument but I wasn't going to learn to play it. Thrift store score, total includes shipping.

 

Today I received 2 mics in return.

CAD Equitek E100 (2) medium sized diaphragm condenser mic

CAD D82 ribbon mic.

 

They both sound nice, are very different from anything else I have (and from each other).

 

Both in excellent condition and fully functional. I will get a new set of rechargeable 9v batteries for the E100 (2) soon since I don't know the history. The battery compartment is clean, always a good sign.

A nice sounding mic, clear but not overly bright. The high pass filter is welcome for vocals.

 

The D82 will be a treat with a pop filter, I ran it into a Cloudlifter CL-1 and it made my voice sound huge. Should be good on speaker cabs and hand drums too.

 

Anybody have experience with either of these?

 

[Dave Bryce]

Never used any of the CAD mics. Have heard good things though...

 

dB

[StudioMicZone]

I have a pair of the E100(2)s as well as a pair of the original E100s. I love these mikes, they are hyper cardioid which may be advantageous for isolation. Definitely replace the batteries, Nimh work well, they supply the extra current needed to the op amp circuitry for recording high-level signals and loud transients. It's a good addition to the mike locker.

[KuruPrionz]

I have a pair of the E100(2)s as well as a pair of the original E100s. I love these mikes, they are hyper cardioid which may be advantageous for isolation. Definitely replace the batteries, Nimh work well, they supply the extra current needed to the op amp circuitry for recording high-level signals and loud transients. It's a good addition to the mike locker.

 

Thanks Grave Bryce and StudioMicZone for your responses.

SMZ, I do plan on getting new batteries soon, they are not expensive. Most of the ones I see on eBay come with a charger, maybe that is faster than using phantom power to charge them? Once they are charged it should be easy to keep them charged. I get that it is good to drain them once in a while too.

 

I do like the E100 (2). The D82 had a much different sound than any of my other mics. My current favorite has been the Shure KSM8 into the Cloudlifter and I will always have a use for that mic. It is an extraordinary dynamic mic.

 

The new owner of the saz is very pleased with it, gotta love a win/win!!!!

 

[Dave Bryce]

My current favorite has been the Shure KSM8 into the Cloudlifter and I will always have a use for that mic. It is an extraordinary dynamic mic.

Agreed.

 

What do you use it to record, primarily? Do you have a favorite preamp/chain you pair it with?

 

dB

[KuruPrionz]

My current favorite has been the Shure KSM8 into the Cloudlifter and I will always have a use for that mic. It is an extraordinary dynamic mic.

Agreed.

 

What do you use it to record, primarily? Do you have a favorite preamp/chain you pair it with?

 

dB

 

I pre-preamp it with a Cloudlifter CL-1, carefully position a Blue pop filter 1" away and go from the CL-1 right into a Presonus Quantum. The noise floor from the mic/line might as well be non-existent.

I have carpeted cement floor (ground floor) so I can get way without fancy shock mounts for the most part since this is a home project studio and I am usually the only one in the room. I do put a 16" square of stout packing foam (with "pyramids" on it) about 6" behind the business end of the mic to cut down on other stray noise, that works well without becoming cumbersom.

 

The great thing about the KSM8 is the extended sweet spot. I can be a couple of inches away from the pop screen when I sing and it still sounds great (well, great for being me singing...). The proximity effect is closer to an omni mic, even if you get right up on it you get nowhere near the same bass boost that you get with most cardiod dynamic mics. At about 3 inches out with the pop filter, I don't have problems with sibilence or popping my Ps. Very nice.

 

While I mostly use the KSM8 as a vocal mic, I would not hesitate to try it on anything and everything. I have a project studio in a condo. I am on the end so just one neighbor above and one to the side. There can be considerable freeway noise, something I am addressing little by little. I've grown accustomed to either close micing (very close) or running things direct when possible.

 

Other favored dynamics would be my EV PL95 which I think is a bit of a sleeper. That can be a good vocal mic too. And my (don't laugh!) Peavey 520i super cardiod dynamic, it's a large diaghragm mic with a neo magnet and a huge low end. Proximity effect makes it a dificult choice for vocals but it is fantastic for micing various instruments. It can also be had for very reasonable prices considering the quality so it is truly one of the great sleeper mics.

 

And now I have a MDC and ribbon mic to play with, fun!!!!

 

Edited to add - I also have a Shure Beta 87a, a friend knocked it over onto cement and is getting it fixed, it died. I found an Azden SGM 1x shotgun mic at a thrift store for $14, it uses a AAA battery and is fully functional with the wind screen. Haven't used it enough to say much about it. Last but not least, an omni Audio Technica condenser mic that was design as a table mount for conference rooms. I've lost the model number but when I looked it up it cost a couple hundred. Ebay score, the seller was remodeling a conference room and had a few of these he was selling as salvage - $16 delivered. It is a nice guitar mic but picks up EVERYTHING so it has to be close or there will be background noise.

 

That is pretty much my mic locker. I have a couple of dynamics I use live, they might be good drum mics but I don't get loud here.

 

 

[KuruPrionz]

My current favorite has been the Shure KSM8 into the Cloudlifter and I will always have a use for that mic. It is an extraordinary dynamic mic.

Agreed.

 

What do you use it to record, primarily? Do you have a favorite preamp/chain you pair it with?

 

dB

 

My second answer. I own an HHB Radius 40 but it needs a new pot (just some soldering at this point), lots of the pots are scratchy and I haven't really missed it since it got taken out of the rack. I like things to be simple, right now my entire rack consists of the PreSonus Quantum and one Cloudlifter CL-1.

 

In addition, I have both the FMR RNP and RNC. Thursday evening I soldered up a couple of short TRS cables. I had long cables and they were just clutter so I cut one into two short ones and added new TRS plugs.

 

I will see if there is any improvement using the FMR stuff, just haven't gotten around to hooking them back up yet. In the past I've had good results inserting the RNC into the RNP, putting it in Super Nice mode with a ratio of 1:4, Threshold, Attack and Release set according to the source. It is a simple rig and makes a couple of channels more versatile.

 

I recently got the PreSonus Quantum, was using MOTU interfaces before that. The headphone amps on the Quantum are MUCH better sounding to me, clearer, bigger and more range of volume.

I think the preamps are a bit cleaner as well. Neither PreSonus or MOTU preamps are "character" pieces and neither is the RNP. The main advantage for me in the past was that I could hook up a couple of mic cables in the back and run line or instruments into the front - which automatically switched away from the mic inputs. That was handy. The PreSonus has two inputs on the front that take an XLR or phone plug and can be switched from Line In to Instrument In. That is even handier!!!

 

On the other hand (3 hands?), it would be nice to have a subtle, transparent bit of compression going in sometimes. Not enough to be obvious, just to help prevent "overs" and bring the quiet passages up a bit. I don't like to use much compression going in but a little can improve the track.

 

In other but related news, I recently emailed the owner at FMR and inquired about maybe there being an FMR RNEQ so the three pieces could make a stereo channel strip. I got a positive response and gave him my opinion as to what features I would like. The RN series are all 1/3 rack so you could mount them in a single rack space. It would be nice to just have a single unit with no cabling needed to connect units, something with a high pass filter at the input and the ability to switch places with the compressor and the EQ. I have no idea if any of this will come to pass, I can use what I have now and wait and see.

[Mike Rivers]

I've wanted to try some Shure KSM8s at the folk festivals that I work. Most of the performers aren't professionals and often don't get close enough to the SM58s. The KSM8 is touted (and KuruP mentioned) as sounding pretty much the same over a greater working distance than the typical stage vocal mics. Trouble is that without star performers, the budget remains in the SM58 range. Shure isn't exactly handing them out for publicity. I've tried.

[KuruPrionz]

I've wanted to try some Shure KSM8s at the folk festivals that I work. Most of the performers aren't professionals and often don't get close enough to the SM58s. The KSM8 is touted (and KuruP mentioned) as sounding pretty much the same over a greater working distance than the typical stage vocal mics. Trouble is that without star performers, the budget remains in the SM58 range. Shure isn't exactly handing them out for publicity. I've tried.

 

Between having my mic for a while and having read about it on Shure's website - there is more to the sweet spot than proximity effect. The cardiod pattern is nearly perfect in terms of fequency response. This means that the sweet spot extends almost 90 degrees to either side of the mic. At home with headphones on I have confirmed that you could easily be off to the side without compromising vocal tone in any drastic way.

 

It might be possible to reduce the number of mics needed for a folk festival since you could have backup singers double up on a KSM8 and still sound great.

 

I tried mine live a couple of times, I found that the frequency response is very smooth, which is certainly not what most of us are used to hearing. SM58 (and most mics intended for live use) have a peak of some sort in the mids to increase clarity. We added mids on the board, problem solved. One of the reasons I love this mic for studio work is you can tailor your tone to the voice you are recording. I also like the rejection of extraneous noise provided by a true cardiod pattern and the fact that you can back up a bit without losing a full tone. In my condo with the freeway nearby I can't do the "sealed chamber with the mic 3 feet away from the vocalist" thing that works so well with LDC and ribbon mics.

 

For all that, having used a Cloudlifter CL-1 on the KSM8, I would not want to use just the mic by itself. I got my Cloudlifter at a pawn shop for $70 in like new condition. I'm guessing nobody knew what it was so it sat too long and I got a deal. I've also used it for live work on my EV PL95 and that sounds fantastic, much better than the mic by itself (which is pretty low output).

 

Being able to get plenty of output with your preamp gains in the 9-12 o'clock range is a game changer, that's the benefit of the Cloudlifter. Full, uncolored frequency response and reduced noise.

 

I've heard it works wonders on an SM58 but I don't have one to try.

 

[Dr Mike Metlay]

Cloudlifters are like the magic mojo sauce for all kinds of mics. My Shure SM57 through a CL-1zi beats many of my condenser mics, some of them quite pricey, as a voiceover mic for radio spots and podcasts.

 

BTW, good catch on those Equitek mics. CAD is a much underrated company and the e100 (both versions) is a treat.

 

[KuruPrionz]

Cloudlifters are like the magic mojo sauce for all kinds of mics. My Shure SM57 through a CL-1zi beats many of my condenser mics, some of them quite pricey, as a voiceover mic for radio spots and podcasts.

 

BTW, good catch on those Equitek mics. CAD is a much underrated company and the e100 (both versions) is a treat.

 

 

Thanks!

I have batteries on the way for the E100 since I don't know it's history. I've also cleaned up my vintage AKG phantom power unit (made in Switzerland!). Very soon I will try a Cloudlifter on a condenser mic. I opened up the AKG and the audio is cabled directly from input to output, the phantom power is in parallel on the inputs (2 discrete channels). My interface provides phantom power but I could also power both the mic and the Cloudlifter from the AKG if I wanted to do so.

 

The D82 ribbon sounded great through the Cloudlifter. I may eventually want one of each, I've read about putting two ribbons 90 degrees from each other and I want to try it. LOVE a good stereo recording.

 

[matthew mcglynn]

CAD is a neat company with an interesting history. They used to make their own large-diaphragm capsules in Ohio. Their Equitek circuit is pretty impressive too.

 

Their entry-level mics are less interesting; the GXL series mics that I've seen are just standard China designs.

 

I have not tried the D82, but if that's your first ribbon I can easily imagine that it adds a very different sound to your collection!

 

The KSM8 is a really cool mic, too. I got to see a little bit of the R&D behind that mic. A lot of engineering went into it, and the result is predictably great. That's a mic only Shure could have made.