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Mics you / I own, what's good?


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It does sound great. What do you use yours for?

 

been a strange year for me, looks like that will continue into 2021. Mine are still factory sealed.

 

That's why I've spent time setting things up.

 

I can flick a couple of switches, fire up the toys and start tracking. I don't do it often enough but there is progress.

Hope you get time to play soon!

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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Today I sold a CAD Equitek E-100 (2), and a CAD M9. Why?

 

They were both good sounding mics but I didn't bond with the logistics of using them. The E-100 uses batteries to provide as much current as is needed to the condenser capsule. The batteries are charged by phantom power.

This means it can be used without phantom power for a few hours. It also means that forgetting to switch the mic off will result in a fairly time consuming re-charging event. I've done that twice now, enough. The switches make popping noises when engaged, not surprising. I don't need a pad or HPF on the mic, I have those on mic preamps. I tried a clip on pop filter and it was pretty good but the Blue pop filter is much better. I only have one of those, moving it around it just extra time spent. Last but not least, I didn't have a shock mount for this mic and didn't want to pay for one. Somebody else will enjoy it, it's a good mic.

 

The M9 is a tube condenser mic, with an extremely long 6 pin XLR cable to hook up from the mic to the power supply, which is a good sized and heavy box that requires AC power. Using it requires hooking up 3 cords instead of 1 and the 6 pin cord is really long, inconvenient in a small home project studio. It is also very expensive to replace. Changing the tube did not change the tone much if any, I am not sure how much of a "tube tone" the mic really has. Same story with the pop filter as above but it does have a nice shock mount. Best performance comes from turning it on and letting the tube warm up for 15-20 minutes, harder to be spontaneous with that factored in. It did sound really good and somebody else will have fun with it.

 

Today I also bought a pair of Neat Worker Bee mics from Sweetwater. I have a King Bee and it's a great mic. I don't have a pair of anything, sometimes that is a good thing to have. At $89 each these are a screaming bargain, very well reviewed. And, they are simple. No switches. One mic cable to hook up, they come with quality shock mounts (same as the King Bee) and snap-on pop filters that work well (same as the King Bee).

 

I simplified my studio life and I'm looking forward to the changes. Even little things make a difference. I can set these up to record acoustic guitar and leave them. If I want to toss down a track or two it won't take long to fire things up.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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Selling mics is tough for me. :confused:

 

I have this pair of Soundelux U195s. I never use them - not because I don't like them, there are just other mics I tend to like better. I've moved to sell them a few times, but just can't seem to do it.

 

I have no problem selling off other gear...wonder what's holding me back on the mics? :idk:

 

dB

:snax:

 

:keys:==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <==:rawk:

 

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Selling mics is tough for me. :confused:

 

I have this pair of Soundelux U195s. I never use them - not because I don't like them, there are just other mics I tend to like better. I've moved to sell them a few times, but just can't seem to do it.

 

I have no problem selling off other gear...wonder what's holding me back on the mics? :idk:

 

dB

 

 

Me too!!!! I thought about selling the two mics listed above, photographed them, started a listing and stopped. Then I talked myself into it and went ahead. They didn't last long so I had no opportunity to change my mind.

Today I'll ship them both out. And, Sweetwater will probably have tracking for my Worker Bees by days-end as well.

 

I usually get the new thing before getting rid of the old thing, in case the new thing isn't "it" or I can keep them both. This time I jumped in, I should know what I have done soon enough. I feel positive about the change, I know the logisitcs will be simpler and I love my King Bee. So does one of my creative partners, she would say "Let's use the Bee mic" having picked it out based on playing tracks back. Now I just have it set up to start with.

 

I really didn't have any problems with the way either CAD mic sounded.

 

Since I do have a very few mics that I pretty much want to keep no matter what, I am inclined to try and add to that part of my accumulation. I'll keep my Shure KSM8, it's attributes are subtle but I find it very useful.

 

I am very curious about these new mics that allow you to record separate tracks from each side of the capsule and create your own patterns in software. Austrian Audio and Lewitt both offer one.

I am also kinda "drooly" for the Roswell Colares. I want one, someday!!!!

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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Selling mics is tough for me. :confused:

 

I have this pair of Soundelux U195s. I never use them - not because I don't like them, there are just other mics I tend to like better. I've moved to sell them a few times, but just can't seem to do it.

 

I have no problem selling off other gear...wonder what's holding me back on the mics? :idk:

 

Good microphones seem to hold more of their value than other-than-vintage other audio gear. To me, that makes them worth while selling if I really don't use them, because I wouldn't lose as much cash as if I was selling, say, an M-Audio interface, or an ADAT recorder.

 

That's my theory. In practice, I can't remember ever selling anything from my audio gear collection. That's why I have so much stuff that I don't use any more. Problem is that none of it is "famous-vintage" so if I tried to sell it either I wouldn't get any bites or I would get so little money for it that it wouldn't be worth the time to make the deal. On the other hand, if you wanted to get a DAT or PCM-F1 tape converted to WAV files, you'd be happy that I never sold that gear. I work cheaper than Iron Mountain. ;)

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Good microphones seem to hold more of their value than other-than-vintage other audio gear. To me, that makes them worth while selling if I really don't use them, because I wouldn't lose as much cash as if I was selling, say, an M-Audio interface, or an ADAT recorder.

 

That's my theory. In practice, I can't remember ever selling anything from my audio gear collection.

 

The good microphone paradigm has been shifting for the last few years. The classics will remain so - Neumann U-47 or Telefunken 251 will always fetch big $$$$ and be a "bragging rights" mic for a select few who've made it up into rarified air.

There will always be "sleepers", great mics that punch above their weight and can be had used for bargain prices.

SM58 and 57 have always been valuable but never worth much even new.

Improved communications access, improved technology in design and manufacturing and an overall increase in companies who make/have made for them/sell microphones means that competition has never been this fierce in the microphone sector.

Some mics continue to hold value well - AKG 414 series mics are a good example.

 

And some things just simply slip through the cracks and go unnoticed (Peavey 520i) or circumstances make them available at absurd prices (the Neat Worker Bees I just bought new for well under half of original street price).

 

Compare the availability, quality and pricing of ribbon mics to 15 years ago. Consider what it means when Sweetwater puts Sennheiser MD421 mics on sale new for $199.

The AKG D224E mics that you and I own are pretty rare in working condition, very good microphones and a bit of a cult classic in an obscure way. There is currently nothing like them available on the marketplace and it is unlikely that anybody will produce them with condenser mics being all the rage these days. They will hold value or go up as time goes on. For now I intend to keep mine, it is useful here.

 

CAD mics like the ones I just sold are a bit off the beaten path. The company was an early adapter to offering value for lower prices. Their R+D Dept had/has some forward thinking engineers who introduced new and useful tech. Someday I'll probably get one of the most recent iterations of the CAD E-100 series - the E100S. It gets uniformly excellent reviews and can be had in the $400 range all day long if you don't mind used gear (I don't). The noise floor is so low it might as well not exist.

 

I am grateful for the variety and still learning which mics will perform well in my own situation. Until I can improve my isolation from external noise, some mics fare much better here than others. Trial and error on the lower end of the scale can inform what might be useful up the ladder a few rungs.

 

I am patient, this is an evolutionary process for me. I'm in a good spot now, that took some time.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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Consider what it means when Sweetwater puts Sennheiser MD421 mics on sale new for $199.

 

October 2020 is the 60th anniversary of the famed Sennheiser MD421, which is why Sennheiser dropped the price for a short while. Had nothing to do with Sweetwater, plenty other retailers were selling this microphone for the same price.

Hope you were able to pick up one or 2 at this price. As for me, I passed. Most other did not. The mics are backordered until December 2020 as of this writing.

:nopity:
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Consider what it means when Sweetwater puts Sennheiser MD421 mics on sale new for $199.

 

October 2020 is the 60th anniversary of the famed Sennheiser MD421, which is why Sennheiser dropped the price for a short while. Had nothing to do with Sweetwater, plenty other retailers were selling this microphone for the same price.

Hope you were able to pick up one or 2 at this price. As for me, I passed. Most other did not. The mics are backordered until December 2020 as of this writing.

 

Good info! I saw it and moved on so no other vendors. Makes sense. I have a beat up older one, still more or less the same model as the new one. Great mic, love it up close to the edge of the cone on guitar amps. Better than a 57, which is not bad at all. I can do what I want to do with the mics I have now - including the pair of Neat Worker Bees that should be here Thursday. Everything else is onesies, a pretty nice range. I like having different ones.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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  • 2 weeks later...

My mic stash has changed a bit and I've learned more about a couple of them so here is an update.

 

I sold the Azden shotgun mic, the Audix OM2, CAD Equitek E-100-2, CAD M9 and I'm going to try a couple of things with the Audio Technica - maybe it gets sold too. I gave the Fender mic to a friend, she needed a mic and it's not bad at all. Thinned the herd a bit and used most of the money to buy another mic pre and...

 

A pair of Neat Worker Bees. Sweetwater still has them for $90 each with free shipping. My pair showed up last week, I mounted them on a stereo bar on their included shock mounts and set them up AB. Great setup for acoustic guitar, just for one.

 

Shure KSM8, I am working on a project with a female lead singer. We tried the KSM8, Neat King Bee, Heil PR40 and CAD D82 (ribbon). We both liked the KSM8 the best and the D82 came in second. With a Blue pop filter about 1 1/4" inches off the front of the grille and her back a couple more inches, all she has to do is raise her head up slightly when she supercharges her voice and it still picks up an accurate tonal range without plosives or sibilance. The cardioid pattern is accurate over a huge frequency range and the proximity effect is very well controlled, it doesn't "thin out" or get "boomy" the way most cardioid dynamic mics do, a real improvement. I've been consistently happy with the KSM8, I started using it for my main live vocal mic before Covid and it delivers there better by far than anything else I've owned. So that's a win, and a keeper.

 

AKG D224E. We've all heard so many times that you just don't aim a mic at the soundhole of a guitar. Having tried it with other mics and having been in the room with somebody else tried it, it's easy to understand why. Most of the time that "technique" will deliver an unusable boomy sound, not real pretty and impossible to control. The D224E can be aimed straight in from about 6 inches back and it sounds just like a guitar. Not high output but a Cloudlifter fixes that problem. I'm pretty sure you could use it on just about anything and get a nice sound with it. I'm lucky to own one and will keep it too.

 

Last but not least, for my voice I also really love the Neat King Bee. The snap on pop filter (genius idea) works great and I can use the proximity to good effect if I am careful to find the sweet spot and stay there. If I'm singing a low part and move in a bit closer it really fills it out nicely. I should have bought another one when they were $100, I may have to pay a little more and get one anyway.

 

That's it for now, unless opportunity rears it's head again...

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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I promised some months ago I would report back on my purchase of a Roswell Mini-K47, my first serious recording mic. I've finally made a full-length video using it for percussion and vocals. The song is clickable-link-> Marie Laveau <-clickable-link, by Shel Silverstein, who wrote everything from "A Boy Named Sue" to best selling children's poetry.

 

Of possible interest to this board: It's my first-ever one-man-band video, the fruit of some 30-50 hours of learning to use Reaper, the first DAW I ever tried to actually learn and use. For that matter this is the first time I have ever shot video on my Nikon DSLR, let alone extracted it and integrated it into a multi-picture production.

 

I never would have gotten anywhere near this but for the help and encouragement of MPN folks during this past Covid season. So if it's bad, the blame is partly yours.

 

Seriously, thanks, especially to those who tolerated my temporary hijacking of the thread.

-Tom Williams

{First Name} {at} AirNetworking {dot} com

PC4-7, PX-5S, AX-Edge, PC361

 

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I promised some months ago I would report back on my purchase of a Roswell Mini-K47, my first serious recording mic. I've finally made a full-length video using it for percussion and vocals. The song is clickable-link-> Marie Laveau <-clickable-link, by Shel Silverstein, who wrote everything from "A Boy Named Sue" to best selling children's poetry.

 

Of possible interest to this board: It's my first-ever one-man-band video, the fruit of some 30-50 hours of learning to use Reaper, the first DAW I ever tried to actually learn and use. For that matter this is the first time I have ever shot video on my Nikon DSLR, let alone extracted it and integrated it into a multi-picture production.

 

I never would have gotten anywhere near this but for the help and encouragement of MPN folks during this past Covid season. So if it's bad, the blame is partly yours.

 

Seriously, thanks, especially to those who tolerated my temporary hijacking of the thread.

 

That was awesome!!!! Great tune and you sang it well. Cracked me the hell up, that one did!

 

Is there a link to the video yet? Or did whatever converter I just used on my Mac turn it into an audio file?

Either way, kudos and I can hear that the Mini K47 is an excellent mic.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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Is there a link to the video yet? Or did whatever converter I just used on my Mac turn it into an audio file?

Either way, kudos and I can hear that the Mini K47 is an excellent mic.

It's a Mac vs .webm filetype thing. My sister had the same problem.

When Reaper rendered it as .mov, the file was huge. I'll see what format I can reasonably post for Mac users -- mebbe mp4?

 

(A few minutes later)

 

Okay, I've converted it to a quicktime .mov file. Try this link.

-Tom Williams

{First Name} {at} AirNetworking {dot} com

PC4-7, PX-5S, AX-Edge, PC361

 

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Is there a link to the video yet? Or did whatever converter I just used on my Mac turn it into an audio file?

Either way, kudos and I can hear that the Mini K47 is an excellent mic.

It's a Mac vs .webm filetype thing. My sister had the same problem.

When Reaper rendered it as .mov, the file was huge. I'll see what format I can reasonably post for Mac users -- mebbe mp4?

 

(A few minutes later)

 

Okay, I've converted it to a quicktime .mov file. Try this link.

 

I know all about the endless Mac and files for Billy G box conundrum. Been using Macs at home since 1997.

Cool video, love the song and you tell the story well. Who did the screaming part?

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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Who did the screaming part?

Special Guest Vocalist is Dr. Howard Dean. The song is by Shel Silverstein, who also wrote "Sylvia's Mother" and "A Boy Named Sue."

 

Shel Silverstein is one of the greats - he also wrote the Unicorn covered by the Irish Rovers and The Cover of the Rolling Stone.

 

Last but not least he wrote a song that is sufficiently vile that I hesitate to post a link... but - proceed with caution, you have been warned. Not safe for children or at work or to those who live a more pristine lifestyle than yours truly. It cracks me up but I'm pretty easy.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMuQTN7Xo4w

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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Last night I did some test recording, me playing acoustic guitar and trying to sing.

 

I used the Neat Worker Bees in AB placed underneath my converted storage tub mic isolation box, I have then very close to the bottom (outside) of the tub, well back from the edge and aiming downward at the guitar, a mostly successful attempt to reduce the vocals in the guitar tracks. Singing can still be heard but it's pretty minimal.

 

I played a 12 string, a nylon string and a 6 string with steel strings. All of them sounded very much like the instruments that they were. It is a nice setup for recording acoustic guitars. They are a mainstay here so I will just leave the mics set up like they are.

 

I've got the Shure KSM8 devoted to vocal duty at this point. It goes into a Cloudlifter CL1, then to a Blue Robbie mic pre which has an ART Levelar set to compress just a bit in the effects loop. That is a keeper vocal sound, it stays for now too. Still picks up a bit of acoustic guitar but not bad. If needed I can always record guitars and vocals seperately, it's fast and efficient to record both at once for a "guide track".

 

I put the Sennheiser MD421 on a Peavey Vypyr VIP3, the amp may be subject to change depending but the mic stays, it's a better guitar amp mic than an SM57. I have line in and plugin options for guitars too and use them depending. If I want to record after "quiet hours" start here I can keep on going.

 

Next up, since I have another gooseneck in the mic iso tub and I love the Neat King Bee on vocals, I'm going to get that one up and running too. Easy to record 2 different mics and choose after the fact.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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Blue Encore 300 mic is on it's way. $60 delivered, used from a reliable seller.

 

I had one of these and really liked it but there was some intermittent sputtering so I sold it a few years ago. I know of 4-5 others in this area and none of them sputter. Probably my mic cord or whatever we were using for phantom power.

 

I don't expect to have problems with this one. It may become my primary live mic and find some use in the studio as a vocal mic as well.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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The Blue Encore 300 arrived. I fired up the studio and plugged it into the Focusrite ISA One, which is still the best mic preamp that I own.

I put headphones on and dialed up the mic.

It sounds big (most mics do through the ISA One) and clear. I get the impression that the small diameter condenser diaphragm is well back in the headshell - reducing proximity effect to a pleasant fullness in the lower frequencies. The self noise is very low and the pickup of external noise is extremely low as well.

 

I am going to record with it, an excellent vocal sound. I will also consider using it for live work. First step there is to test it with my Fishman Loudbox Performer - phantom power is 24 volts on that and may not be enough.

I mentioned that I used to have one of these, I did have some problems with it live, probably not strong, clean phantom power since many PA mixers do not provide that properly.

 

One of the open mics I hosted had 3 of them and they always worked well. A friend has another and no complaints. Now I have one again, very nice mic and available at reasonable prices used. I'd recommend it.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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This needs to be posted here: https://www.audiotestkitchen.com/blog-list/chris-lord-alge-make-your-own-choice?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CLA_blog_launch&utm_content=button

 

Disclaimer, I have no connection with Audio Test Kitchen, other than that I recently became a free member. The CLA video is interesting and not too long.

 

We not only have more choices now than have ever been available before, the criteria for selection is much more precise and reliable information.

 

That said, we all still have to use our ears, our needs, our wants and our budgets to make good decisions for our situations. I know many of you have access to much better rooms than mine, and are striving for different results than the ones I am working towards. I'm stretching a meager budget, there are some real bargains out there if one keeps their eyes open and is FAST!

And sometimes something turns out to be really good for some unintended purpose, experiment with your toys!!!!! Cheers, Kuru

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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I'll be moving into a new slightly bigger space at the end of the month. My room will be going from more of a practice room to a project studio. I picked up a pair of C451bs near the beginning of the pandemic for a good deal (stimulus cash anyone?), but I'll be looking to get something with a larger diaphragm once I make the move. SM7Bs are cheaper than I thought (I'm aware it's a dynamic), but there are a lot of options out there nowadays as far as solid entry-level LDCs. I also recently picked up an open box Antelope interface, so I may be taking a longer look at their modeling mics than I have in the past. A friend of mine loves his Slate VMS.
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Those 451s are nice mics, great start! I don't have a good pair of SDC yet, some day. Ideally that can be both cardioid and omni.

 

Honestly, most of my mics are "opportunity buys" and I keep my eye out for that. That said, it is the start of a process - some of the mics I've picked up a bargain prices are great finds and others not so much.

One of the reasons I try to go cheap is exactly that, if I don't find a use for a mic I got cheap I can do well when I sell it and seek out something else.

 

Sweetwater still has Neat Worker Bee mics for $90 each. I picked up a pair and they are keepers. I was testing everything else I had for acoustic guitar with mixed results but these just sound great for that. Medium diaphragm electret mics, which means they are not so picky about phantom power and will run fine on lower voltages or current loads. I would certainly buy them again.

 

I picked up a Neat King Bee for $99 but that deal has ended, just watched a used one sold by a fairly newbie seller on eBay go for $350. That is a large diaphragm condenser mic and really good although a bit heavy.

If you get an SM7, get a Cloudlifter too, I wish I'd had one when I got my SM7. Cloudlifter will serve you well for any dynamic or ribbon mic you have, it's a great tool.

 

I've got a thread up about modeling mics, all speculation since I don't own one. The Antelope and the Townshend Labs systems are both by far the most attractive to me - they both have a 5 pin connector with a cable that terminates on the other end with 2 XLR plugs. You are recording both sides of a dual diaphragm capsule simultaneously and separately so you can either use the modeling software to duplicate the pickup pattern as well as the tone of other mics or you can use the mic as it is and adjust the pattern used after the recording. That seems very useful to me, an attractive feature that the Slate products do not have.

 

For dynamics, I LOVE the Shure KSM8, the Heil PR40 and my super lucky score - AKG D224E. All are quite different and all sound great on various things.

I also have a CAD D82 ribbon mic that is better than it should be for the price. I did a mic test with a vocalist who can really sing and we both liked the Shure KSM8 best and the CAD D82 next, with the Neat King Bee taking 3rd place. I was a bit surprised by that but there was a consensus even if only 2 sets of ears. A third listener has confirmed that they really like the sound of the KSM8 as well.

 

Pop back in whenever you have something to share or an interesting question, I'd like to see this part of MPN grow - mics are truly important tools! Cheers, Kuru

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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Loving this thread and glad folks are contributing... I haven't added any new mics so I can't really jump in, although if anyone has questions about any of the mics in my teeny tiny locker, feel free to ask.

 

I have three dynamics: a Shure SM57, a RØDE PodMic, and a Placid Audio Copperphone Mini.

I have two condensers: a Roswell Mini K47 and a Lauten Audio LS-208.

 

Can you tell I mainly do voiceover work?

Dr. Mike Metlay (PhD in nuclear physics, golly gosh) :D

Musician, Author, Editor, Educator, Impresario, Online Radio Guy, Cut-Rate Polymath, and Kindly Pedant

Editor-in-Chief, Bjooks ~ Author of SYNTH GEMS 1

 

clicky!:  more about me ~ my radio station (and my fam) ~ my local tribe ~ my day job ~ my bookmy music

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Loving this thread and glad folks are contributing... I haven't added any new mics so I can't really jump in, although if anyone has questions about any of the mics in my teeny tiny locker, feel free to ask.

 

I have three dynamics: a Shure SM57, a RØDE PodMic, and a Placid Audio Copperphone Mini.

I have two condensers: a Roswell Mini K47 and a Lauten Audio LS-208.

 

Can you tell I mainly do voiceover work?

 

No, one could use those mics for many things and succeed. My first truly humble home studio consisted of a pair of SM58s, an original Tapco 6 channel mic mixer (Greg Mackie probably soldered it) and a converted Teac 7" reel to reel that had 4 track heads wired for stereo in both directions without flipping tape. I rewired it to full 4 track and had to put micro switches in to turn tracks on and off or it would shatter your eardrums when recording (too stupid to disconnect speakers!). I made an "album" with that setup - the Albert Fish Memorial Children's record. Some great stuff on there, it was awesome to be young, carefree and assume a belligerent but humorous posture. The posture remains but is less convincing when one is a good humored old guy. So it goes.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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  • 1 month later...

Today I found an MXL 1006 BP with case, hard stand mount, a foam windscreen and a nice 10' mic cable (Neutrik ends and Belden Custom Microphone Cable 2IC) at Value Village. They had it tagged for $30 but I got 20% off so $24 and tax.

 

I tested it with my Yamaha MG12/4 FX mixer. It works. There was quite a bit of noise but there is quite a bit of noise right now in the condo - freeway noise, refrigerator noise, upstairs vacuum cleaner noise - so at least some of the noise is the mic picking up sounds. I did try both the phantom power from the mixer and a fresh 9v battery (the BP stands for battery power).

 

I'll do more testing in my isolation box. It has plenty of output and doesn't sound like the reputation that inexpensive Chinese mics have for being hyped in the high frequencies and a bit harsh sounding.

Because it can run on a single 9v battery I suspect it may be a permanently charged plate electret condenser mic - those do not require as much voltage. I tried it both ways with the Yamaha mixer, didn't make any difference I could hear. The fancy cable has that stupid rubber gasket on it that makes it almost impossible to plug it in all the way, I wanted to test the mic so I grabbed a cheap cable a friend gave me.

 

Variables, must eliminate. I'll figure it out. It's not high end by any means but I thought worst case I could just get my money back out of it and move on. Then I found a K&M boom stand at Goodwill for $10 so it was a good trip in any case.The only thing I could find online about this mic is this:

 

https://www.mixonline.com/recording/mxl-microphones-376987 (well down the page):

 

"MXL 1006BP

January 2002âAT AES NYC, MXL"s 1006BP is an added twist to the

market of inexpensive, cardioid, 1-inch-capsule condenser mics. A

9-volt battery compartment allows the 1006BP to be DC-operated for

sampling or remote recording, or phantom-powered in the studio. Retail:

$119.."

 

Edited to add - I took a look at the Microphone Parts Mic Upgrade page and they have a ton of MXL mics listed but not this one.

I'll shoot Sir Mike an email when I have a few bucks and see if he has anything that will fit.

I wouldn't mind it being a "donor mic" although it is a bit of a curiosity in it's own way now.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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One thing to remember about a "donor mic" is that the shape and inside damping of the basket has a lot to do with the sound of a mic. Mic Parts has tested certain capsule and donor body combinations and came up with certain combinations that produce a useful microphone. But you can't expect one of their K47 capsules in any ol' body to sound like a U47.

 

I read some netlore (which means it might or might not be true) that Neumann has copyright or patent (or both) protection for the dimensions, angles, sound transmissivity, and internal reflection paths of the U87 head basket, which prevents U87 clones from having an exact copy of the body.

 

That's not to say that you might make a more useful mic out of the MXL 1006, but you won't know until you try.

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One thing to remember about a "donor mic" is that the shape and inside damping of the basket has a lot to do with the sound of a mic. Mic Parts has tested certain capsule and donor body combinations and came up with certain combinations that produce a useful microphone. But you can't expect one of their K47 capsules in any ol' body to sound like a U47.

 

I read some netlore (which means it might or might not be true) that Neumann has copyright or patent (or both) protection for the dimensions, angles, sound transmissivity, and internal reflection paths of the U87 head basket, which prevents U87 clones from having an exact copy of the body.

 

That's not to say that you might make a more useful mic out of the MXL 1006, but you won't know until you try.

 

I suspect my mic is a variation of another mic and otherwise identical with the exception of the battery powered option and possibly the capsule as mentioned above. I am aware that 48v phantom power is relatively low current and a 9 volt battery can be used to provide a higher voltage with the right circuitry. So it may well be one of the standard capsules rather than an electret.

The paperwork the mic came with does state that it has a "wide" cardioid pattern and may be prone to feedback if used for live performance.

 

I don't know enough to know if the capsule itself can be a source of noise? If so, I might want to replace it. I suspect the rest of the circuit, there are two circuit boards inside.

I thought the capsule sounded pretty smooth and full, I liked the sound but the noise has got to go.

 

I'm sure Matt (not Mike!!) McGlynn can steer me in the right direction if I provide some sharp photos of what I am working with.

If not, I can probably get $35 for it on craigslist in a few days and keep the mic cable. On to the next!!!!

 

Recently the same thrift shop had an AKG Perception 220 but they wanted $80 for it and it doesn't get great reviews as-is. A replacement capsule would have been about $170.

Depending on with version (earliest version preferred) you may not be able to replace the other key component to bring it up to snuff. Somebody else's problem, it sold last week and I have no regrets.

 

There was considerable external noise yesterday when I was testing. I'll try it in my ISO box in the next couple of days and see how it does. It may be that the "wide cardioid" goes almost omni on lower frequencies and it's simply picking up EVERYTHING. My Shure KSM44 did that, long ago and far away. It was so good it was bad. Hmmm...

 

That aspect has been Advantage - Dynamic mic for me, although the pair of Worker Bees I am now using for acoustic guitar seem to be pretty directional and work great for their intended purpose.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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  • 3 weeks later...

Curious if anyone here has experience with any of the following mics:

 

-WA-47

-WA-67

-WA-87

-WA-251

-Avantone CV-12 (either the original or the BLA version)

-Mojave 200/300 (or the FET versions)

-Lauten Clarion FC-357

 

If you have experience with the originals, or other mics by one of these companies, or recommendations for something similar not listed, feel free to chime in too! I know there's a bit of a range between some of these but I'm just browsing for the moment.

 

Just for reference, I currently own a pair of C451 Bs and an SM58. Looking for a workhorse LDC that will cover vocals, percussion, piano, acoustic guitar, amps, the works.

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Curious if anyone here has experience with any of the following mics:

 

-WA-47

-WA-67

-WA-87

-WA-251

-Avantone CV-12 (either the original or the BLA version)

-Mojave 200/300 (or the FET versions)

-Lauten Clarion FC-357

 

If you have experience with the originals, or other mics by one of these companies, or recommendations for something similar not listed, feel free to chime in too! I know there's a bit of a range between some of these but I'm just browsing for the moment.

 

Just for reference, I currently own a pair of C451 Bs and an SM58. Looking for a workhorse LDC that will cover vocals, percussion, piano, acoustic guitar, amps, the works.

 

When I was at RECORDING, we reviewed some of these (everything but the Warm Audio stuff). Some thoughts:

 

The primary problem with the Avantone is that it's not a real AKG, which seems to matter to some folks more than how it sounds, which is excellent. You should also look into Vanguard Audio Labs, a company that spun off from Avantone to be its own thing and is producing exceptional mics for the price (and they're exceptional people to boot).

 

The Mojave mics have a lot of fans. The tube versions have a nice weight to them that many folks prefer to the FET versions, but there's just enough variation to make a particular choice a matter of using your ears. Some folks even talk about differences between the 300 mics in cardioid mode and the 200 mics, if you want to get finicky. Still, you can't go wrong; David Royer is the main designer and Dusty Wakeman runs a tight ship, and the mics have great fit and finish and are reliable.

 

And then there's Lauten. In my opinion and speaking purely from my own perspective, Lautens represent perhaps the best value of all of these mics in terms of specific applications. I own three of them: a pair of Torch tube SDCs that I use for various instrument miking applications, and an LS-208 for some of my voiceover work. If you're looking for a more general-purpose LDC with a lot of flexibility, the Clarion is a good choice but the Atlantis is well worth the extra cash... its internal voicing switch is not at all a gimmick, but literally turns it into three distinctly different mics. The switch doesn't put in filters or anything like that, it actually changes the circuit topology and components. Kind of slick, actually.

 

Hope this helps!

Dr. Mike Metlay (PhD in nuclear physics, golly gosh) :D

Musician, Author, Editor, Educator, Impresario, Online Radio Guy, Cut-Rate Polymath, and Kindly Pedant

Editor-in-Chief, Bjooks ~ Author of SYNTH GEMS 1

 

clicky!:  more about me ~ my radio station (and my fam) ~ my local tribe ~ my day job ~ my bookmy music

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Thanks Mike, that indeed does help, even if it doesn't narrow down my search much. :D

 

I'll let y'all know what I end up settling on!

I guess the main takeaway is that any of those mics will work well for you; there are other criteria, not least of all the radical difference in cost among them, with the Avantone (or better yet Vanguard) costing just over half of what the Lauten costs...

 

Anyway, good luck, and yes please, let us know about what you get, AND about how it's working for you.

 

mike

Dr. Mike Metlay (PhD in nuclear physics, golly gosh) :D

Musician, Author, Editor, Educator, Impresario, Online Radio Guy, Cut-Rate Polymath, and Kindly Pedant

Editor-in-Chief, Bjooks ~ Author of SYNTH GEMS 1

 

clicky!:  more about me ~ my radio station (and my fam) ~ my local tribe ~ my day job ~ my bookmy music

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