Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

Mics you / I own, what's good?


Recommended Posts

Yeah, I have a feeling I'll end up being happy with whatever I end up getting. I'm pretty easy to please and obviously can't really try things out or visit friends in studios right now. Plus, my room is all new too, so I don't even really fully know what I'm looking for, or the extent of how I'll end up using it. Ha.

 

Lauten is the company I know the least about of the ones I listed. The concept of the Atlantis sounds super interesting but the Clarion is already on the high end of my budget, so I'll likely be out on that one for now.

 

I am probably leaning towards either the WA-47 or 67 currently, just based on the known commodities of the originals and reviews both online and from folks IRL that say that Warm has come about as close to nailing them as possible. I'm generally a fan of pieces of gear described as "creamy". :D I'll need to read more reviews on the Mojaves and Lautens before pulling the trigger though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites



Yeah, I have a feeling I'll end up being happy with whatever I end up getting. I'm pretty easy to please and obviously can't really try things out or visit friends in studios right now. Plus, my room is all new too, so I don't even really fully know what I'm looking for, or the extent of how I'll end up using it. Ha.

 

Lauten is the company I know the least about of the ones I listed. The concept of the Atlantis sounds super interesting but the Clarion is already on the high end of my budget, so I'll likely be out on that one for now.

 

I am probably leaning towards either the WA-47 or 67 currently, just based on the known commodities of the originals and reviews both online and from folks IRL that say that Warm has come about as close to nailing them as possible. I'm generally a fan of pieces of gear described as "creamy". :D I'll need to read more reviews on the Mojaves and Lautens before pulling the trigger though.

 

You'll love a new mic or two, mics are an essential and you are shopping in a range with lots of great options and lots of competition so lesser products are not likely to survive.

If you are lucky to be of a certain temperament, you'll be done and can happily proceed with recording.

 

Or you could be like many of us, looking for different sounds and mics that are suited for such. I've been working with a female vocalist and early on I put up 4 different mics - one after the other - and did takes of her singing.

We tried a Shure KS8, a Neat King Bee, a CAD D-82 ribbon and a CAD Equitek E-100 (2). Then we played them all back a few times and listened. I heard my choice early on and said nothing. After a couple more times through, she picked the same mic - the Shure KSM8. It's a dynamic mic designed for live work, not a purpose built studio mic. For all that, it sounded great on her voice. That said, none of them sounded bad at all. Her second choice was the D-82 ribbon. That's a sleeper in my book, not expensive and not an all around mic but really nice for certain things.

 

I sold the Equitek and don't miss it. For medium diameter condenser mics I got a pair of Neat Worker Bees and I prefer them over the Equitek.

Still, you gotta start somewhere and you'll get a great mic in the range you are choosing.

 

I hope you'll come back and let us know which one you got, how you like it and what you like about it. Gotta love having Dr. Mike step up to the plate and offer vetted suggestions too!!!! Cheers, Kuru

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a bunch of mics, and I'll likely get there eventually! I GAS for mics and outboard gear almost as hard as keyboards. I was looking back on some of my input lists from my recording class in university and still can't quite believe what I was allowed to mess with there. No vintage stuff, but some insane gear (course they moved to a new campus two years after I graduated and splurged hard on a new studio). I recorded a few singers this summer for a project and rented an Aston Spirit and a 414. The 414 was the clear winner on the female folk/country vocal, whereas the male R'n'B vocal was a closer call. Ended up using the Spirit for that one. Those are both great mics, but as I mentioned over in KC, I can either borrow or rent those at a moment's notice, so I'd rather go for something not already in wide circulation.

 

I'm hoping that this mic will be good enough that I won't really want or need to compare and contrast to other mics, lol. At least for a while. Like I said, a workhorse multi-purpose mic. I'm trying to go low-cost/DIY on a lot of other things for now (eg my cinder block thread) so that I can spend a decent amount on this puppy and get something that will hold musical and monetary value for some time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Amen to all the above!

 

I've recently had a bit of a logistics setback and for an unspecified period of time my studio set up has been put away while an organic growth problem is being remediated in the room I had the studio.

I don't want construction dust on my gear, it would have been in the way and I have no good reason to let anybody know what is here.

 

I'm planning to post a "minimalist home recording" thread soon, today a Steinberg UR22mkII interface should arrive. I'll pick a couple of inexpensive mics, monitor on headphones (possibly a mono mix speaker too) and keep moving forward.

I will be doing more exploring of my MIDI options, I have lots of soft synths, a Fishman Triple Play on one guitar and a couple of small keyboard controllers. A single USB cable and you can record music, it's an aspect I need to figure out and utilize.

 

No matter what I do, I always learn something new that I can use moving forward. I haven't taken any classes on recording, that would be awesome. At the same time, it is clearly not an "all or nothing" deal and great music can be recorded with fairly humble gear. Cheers, Kuru

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lauten is the company I know the least about of the ones I listed. The concept of the Atlantis sounds super interesting but the Clarion is already on the high end of my budget, so I'll likely be out on that one for now.

 

I am probably leaning towards either the WA-47 or 67 currently, just based on the known commodities of the originals and reviews both online and from folks IRL that say that Warm has come about as close to nailing them as possible. I'm generally a fan of pieces of gear described as "creamy". grin I'll need to read more reviews on the Mojaves and Lautens before pulling the trigger though.

 

Full transparency here: I just get twitchy at the mention of Warm Audio. This is due to the fact that when the company first started, it had not yet established a good reputation in the field for its gear, and simply looked like another firm churning out cheap and obvious ripoffs of gear by other companies. (Some people even called them "the B*hr*ng*r of pro audio".) This was exacerbated, from my perspective as a pro audio journalist and the head of a team of gear reviewers, by Warm Audio's refusal to provide review units to the magazine.

 

Clearly Warm Audio products have stood the test of time and are now quite commonly used, but as a result of my experiences, I have no data to offer.

 

Oh don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a bunch of mics, and I'll likely get there eventually! I GAS for mics and outboard gear almost as hard as keyboards. I was looking back on some of my input lists from my recording class in university and still can't quite believe what I was allowed to mess with there. No vintage stuff, but some insane gear (course they moved to a new campus two years after I graduated and splurged hard on a new studio). I recorded a few singers this summer for a project and rented an Aston Spirit and a 414. The 414 was the clear winner on the female folk/country vocal, whereas the male R'n'B vocal was a closer call. Ended up using the Spirit for that one. Those are both great mics, but as I mentioned over in KC, I can either borrow or rent those at a moment's notice, so I'd rather go for something not already in wide circulation.

 

I'm hoping that this mic will be good enough that I won't really want or need to compare and contrast to other mics, lol. At least for a while. Like I said, a workhorse multi-purpose mic. I'm trying to go low-cost/DIY on a lot of other things for now (eg my cinder block thread) so that I can spend a decent amount on this puppy and get something that will hold musical and monetary value for some time.

 

With that use case spelled out more clearly, let me ask you this: would you consider a workhorse mic that will do a great job for you and that isn't on that list?

 

I am a huge proponent ofsome truly worthwhile microphones that are either overlooked by folks trying to hunt down imitations of vintage mics, who believe that good mics have to be expensive, or who might not have spread their net far enough in doing research.

 

A few examples:

 

The Roswell Pro Audio Mini K47 remains the single best value in condenser mics, aside from perhaps the Aston mics (which you've already said you're not a huge fan of, although the Stealth is pretty damn cool). All the Roswell mics are flat-out great values, but my personal fave is the Mini K47. The Delphos II might not sound like what you're after, and the Colares is out of your price range, but the Mini K47 is a keeper.

 

Another option along those lines is Austrian maker LEWITT, which consistently creates microphones with brilliant fit and finish and truly excellent and flexible sound. They consider themselves the true successors to AKG, and I for one find it hard to argue with them. Even their ultra-cheap mics (and I do mean ultra-cheap!) are highly competitive, far and away the best choice for anyone on a limited budget. Check out the LCT 441 FLEX, which I consider the best multi-pattern mic for under $500 in the world.... and for the price, the LCT 440 PURE is basically impossible to beat.

 

At these prices, it's a no-brainer to have as a second mic, because you're always going to want a second mic to compare. No single mic will ever make everyone completely happy for everything!

 

That said, there are a few very rare but still obtainable mics that are completely under the radar. Returning to LEWITT, their top-of-the-line designs are dead brilliant while still being relatively affordable. The LCT 840 is an unsung hero among multi-pattern tube mics, and the LCT 640 TS may be the most application-versatile mic in its price range. With the ability to separately record and mix its two diaphragms from one recording pass, it gives you access to all kinds of applications that a single mic can't do, or can't do as well.

 

If you really want a genius mic that is (barely) inside your price range but that I guarantee no one else has... the Microtech Gefell M 930 (sold here at Vintage King but available elsewhere if you prefer) is such a good mic that our best mic reviewer got a pair, reviewed them, and informed us that he would never do another mic review -- because no other mic he had, even those twice as costly, could measure up, and that would color all future reviews he'd do.

 

Finally, it should be noted that a few very famous mic makers are extraordinarily frustrated by the fact that everyone wants them to rebuild classics rather than innovate! One such example is Neumann, whose U 47 fet and U 67 reissues have totally swamped such amazing microphones as the great-sounding and highly versatile TLM 107 and, more in your price range, the truly exceptional TLM 102. I think it's a crime how often brilliant mics like these get overlooked because everyone's whining after remakes of old designs, no matter how good they sound.

 

I hope this helps rather than hurts your search.

 

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just get twitchy at the mention of Warm Audio. This is due to the fact that when the company first started, it had not yet established a good reputation in the field for its gear, and simply looked like another firm churning out cheap and obvious ripoffs of gear by other companies. (Some people even called them "the B*hr*ng*r of pro audio".) This was exacerbated, from my perspective as a pro audio journalist and the head of a team of gear reviewers, by Warm Audio's refusal to provide review units to the magazine.

 

Clearly Warm Audio products have stood the test of time and are now quite commonly used, but as a result of my experiences, I have no data to offer.

 

Warm Audio started their business making mic preamps and then spread out to other studio gear - compressors, equalizers, a couple of DI boxes, and then, lately, microphones. As a new company, they had some folks there who knew what they were building and understood where they could cut corners and where they shouldn't. I tried to get one of their now discontinued Tone Beast preamps for review on the basis that I did detailed technical reviews as opposed to "sounds great with" and they turned me down, just like Dr. Mike. I wouldn't hold that against them. I've been turned down by a lot of companies. But making mics good requires some pretty specialized experience, and my sense, unless they've hired some mic experts, is that their experience and talent lies in the hardware box area.

 

That doesn't mean that they can't make a decent mic. It's hard to make a bad one these days if you have a good capsule builder and understand what not to do when making the case. But there are a lot of choices for classic-themed mics.

 

While I don't have any Lauten mics, I like the folks there. They have some creative designs and they understand that classic mics aren't always the best way to capture modern music.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Mikes, that helps a lot.

 

I can't personally vouch for the Warm mics, but I will say that I have yet to hear someone who dislikes them. I've heard people prefer other companies' clones as far as outboard gear, but from what I hear about the mics, they seem to be producing very good stuff.

 

I had had Roswell on my list, but they faded after Canadian distribution dropped off recently. My list of candidates so far was mostly based on what I could get from Long & McQuade/Cosmo/Moog Audio up here. Sometimes ordering from elsewhere just gets complicated. However, I now see that Roswell has direct ordering with free shipping all over North America. And a very attractive mixed pair package offering a slight rebate on the individual prices of the K47 and K87. Plus, our guy dB works with them, if I'm not mistaken. Rising fast in the polls for sure. Considering I'd be getting two mics for less than I was preparing to spend on one, I may end up ordering in the coming days, if the GAS doesn't somehow fade by sleeping on it.

 

The Gefell looks amazing, and the LEWITT stuff looks suuuper interesting. At the price, I might end up picking one up later. And yeah, I feel kind of ridiculous scratching Neumann off the list, but my impression (as wrong as it may be) was that their modern mics in my price range were a little overhyped/bright. Please feel free to correct me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Roswell K47-K87 package has tempted me often.

In addition to Roswell, Matt McGlynn also leads Microphone Parts aka Mic-Parts.

They sell kits to build mics and also sell capsules, circuit boards and parts kits to hot rod a "donor" mic.

 

https://microphone-parts.com

 

If one is reasonably handy with a soldering iron, you can build or hot rod a mic for a lower cost than buying a completed mic.

I recently stumbled into an MXL mic at the thrift store, under $25 out the door, fully functional and sounds pretty OK but I'm pondering replacing the capsule and the circuit board and having a really nice mic.

Another possibility, not for everyone but I thought I'd mention it.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Roswell K47-K87 package has tempted me often.

In addition to Roswell, Matt McGlynn also leads Microphone Parts aka Mic-Parts.

They sell kits to build mics and also sell capsules, circuit boards and parts kits to hot rod a "donor" mic.

 

https://microphone-parts.com

 

If one is reasonably handy with a soldering iron, you can build or hot rod a mic for a lower cost than buying a completed mic.

I recently stumbled into an MXL mic at the thrift store, under $25 out the door, fully functional and sounds pretty OK but I'm pondering replacing the capsule and the circuit board and having a really nice mic.

Another possibility, not for everyone but I thought I'd mention it.

Matt is a great human being and I am glad that Roswell has finally got some traction in the market. He is not always the best liked person among manufacturers of the mics that his kits improve. ;)

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Mikes, that helps a lot.

 

I can't personally vouch for the Warm mics, but I will say that I have yet to hear someone who dislikes them. I've heard people prefer other companies' clones as far as outboard gear, but from what I hear about the mics, they seem to be producing very good stuff.

 

The people who look seriously at Warm Audio are in a higher tier, by and large, than those who buy, say, B*hr*ing*r gear because it's super-cheap and nothing else matters. The company probably wouldn't be doing as well as it is if its products stank, but again, I have no personal data.

 

I had had Roswell on my list, but they faded after Canadian distribution dropped off recently. My list of candidates so far was mostly based on what I could get from Long & McQuade/Cosmo/Moog Audio up here. Sometimes ordering from elsewhere just gets complicated. However, I now see that Roswell has direct ordering with free shipping all over North America. And a very attractive mixed pair package offering a slight rebate on the individual prices of the K47 and K87. Plus, our guy dB works with them, if I'm not mistaken. Rising fast in the polls for sure. Considering I'd be getting two mics for less than I was preparing to spend on one, I may end up ordering in the coming days, if the GAS doesn't somehow fade by sleeping on it.

 

I have never been a huge fan of the U 87, and I haven't tried the Roswell version. I can only speak to the Mini K47, which I love. The new Mini K47 KD looks very interesting, but I haven't tried that either.

 

The Gefell looks amazing, and the LEWITT stuff looks suuuper interesting. At the price, I might end up picking one up later.

 

Before the LCT 640 TS came along, the only mics out there that let you split the signals from the diaphragms and process them separately were the Townsend Labs Sphere L22 (which is a freaking amazing mic, truth to tell, but possibly out of your price range) and the original ELM-A mic from the Swedish maker Pearl Labs (now part of Milab again after the split several decades ago). But it's still as spendy as it ever was. Quality costs.

 

The LCT 441 FLEX is a total no-brainer. It not only brings mics with a wide variety of polar patterns into the hands of many musicians, but it does so at a freaking stupidly low cost for how good it sounds.

 

And yeah, I feel kind of ridiculous scratching Neumann off the list, but my impression (as wrong as it may be) was that their modern mics in my price range were a little overhyped/bright. Please feel free to correct me.

 

The TLM 103 will peel your face off your skull. The TLM 102 is much more balanced.

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I was THAT close!

 

Last night I jumped in at the end and bid on a cosmetically challenged Shure KSM44 with case and shock mount. Seller had great feedback and all if there is a problem all a buyer has to do is check "Not as described" and eBay will make the seller pay return shipping so there really is no risk. Besides, that is a GREAT mic.

 

It was at around $205 and with 6 seconds left I threw down $327.77. It sold for $330 and change, a screamin' deal if it is in fact fully functional as described.

 

So it goes...

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Update: I am disposing of my Radio Shack condenser. I played back that channel from a live multitrack recording and the mic is breaking up. It was cheap in 1981, had a good life... (gotta start somewhere)

 

I've had my share of cheap mics. Some of them are so bad they are good. Some of them are great until they die. RIP Radio Shack condenser.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

NMD - New Mic Day. Well, soon anyway. I ordered an Aston Element from Sweetwater, they are waiting for a shipment. Having read the reviews in Tape Op and Sound on Sound, and the description of the crowd-sourced critique/evolution of this mic, it sounded like a great choice to add to my humble mic locker. Active moving coil (dynamic) large diaphragm. Some minor quibbles regarding the shock mount but the reviews are consistent on the excellent sound, quiet performance and ability to handle loud sounds without overloading while being sensitive enough to use for softer sounds.

 

I have no idea when it will ship but probably fairly soon. I can wait. I'll critique it after I've tried a few things. It might become my one mic for the affordable small studio thread.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice! I don't have experience with that one, but Aston makes great stuff at an even better price.

 

If it's as good as the reviews suggest, it's really something. Haven't seen any used ones yet, it's new. And the combination of the 10 year warranty from Aston and the 2 year warranty from Sweetwater makes it a safe gamble at worst.

I'd have to pay shipping to return it but that won't be bad at all.

 

The reviews indicate it has sensitivity and frequency response similar to a condenser mic, a transient response similar to a dynamic mic and a full sound similar to a ribbon mic.

I'm fond of dynamic mics for vocals because they are more forgiving of plosives and sibilance.

 

As I said, I'll mini-review it once I've tried a few things. Very much looking forward to it!

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will just leave this here.

 

[video:youtube]

 

No comment from me. (None needed.)

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's funny Dr Mike, are you perhaps insinuating something that only you with your vast knowledge of what actually goes on in audio gear manufacturing plants across the world would know and an ignorant bubba like myself would ask dumbass questions like this one about? :laugh:

 

Cuz, like ... spill the beans if there are any. Unquiring minds want to know.

 

By the way, I bought a Behringer mixer a LONG time ago. It sucked, plus I didn't like it. I sold it, then it probably broke. Many years later I bought a use Behringer cheap-ass "reference" omni mic that looked just like a real one for almost nothing at Goodwill. It sucked but I already knew that and sold it on craigslist for enough to go drink some beer. That was a pretty good mic, if you like beer.

 

I never have and never will own another Behringer product. I do have a crappy Pyle short mic stand though, it mostly works to mic a guitar amp, which I almost never do. Used it Thursday for a live stream. I think I paid 4 or 5 buck for it and it's been worth every penny.

 

Is the Aston the same thing only worse? I'se full growed and has my diaper on so it's OK to tell me. lol...

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I ordered an Aston Element from Sweetwater, they are waiting for a shipment. Having read the reviews in Tape Op and Sound on Sound, and the description of the crowd-sourced critique/evolution of this mic, it sounded like a great choice to add to my humble mic locker. Active moving coil (dynamic) large diaphragm.

 

I wonder what's really behind the grill. The days of reviewers taking a microphone apart and describing its workings in detail seem to be lost in the past. I know what "active," "moving coil," and "large diaphragm" mean in microphonese, but I'm not sure why Aston is using such mystery in describing it. One review I read mentions that the diaphragm is unusually thin for dynamic mic. Is there are a real voice coil attached to the diaphragm? Or perhaps is it like, or something like the Fostex "Printed Ribbon" mics where what serves as the voice coil is printed directly on the surface of the diaphragm, with nothing hanging off the back and sliding over a magnet? Fostex also makes headphones with that same technology.

 

I'm all for creative microphone design and engineering but I'd like to have some idea of what it has besides voodoo.

 

Dr. Mike - Are you hinting that the Aston Element is a copy of something else? Or that other Aston mics are copies other existing mics with, perhaps a clever addition like the aiming light on their small Starlight? They do seem to be focused on switches that change the voicing of the mic so the reviewer can say something like "didn't require any EQ."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I ordered an Aston Element from Sweetwater, they are waiting for a shipment. Having read the reviews in Tape Op and Sound on Sound, and the description of the crowd-sourced critique/evolution of this mic, it sounded like a great choice to add to my humble mic locker. Active moving coil (dynamic) large diaphragm.

 

I wonder what's really behind the grill. The days of reviewers taking a microphone apart and describing its workings in detail seem to be lost in the past. I know what "active," "moving coil," and "large diaphragm" mean in microphonese, but I'm not sure why Aston is using such mystery in describing it. One review I read mentions that the diaphragm is unusually thin for dynamic mic. Is there are a real voice coil attached to the diaphragm? Or perhaps is it like, or something like the Fostex "Printed Ribbon" mics where what serves as the voice coil is printed directly on the surface of the diaphragm, with nothing hanging off the back and sliding over a magnet? Fostex also makes headphones with that same technology.

 

I'm all for creative microphone design and engineering but I'd like to have some idea of what it has besides voodoo.

 

Dr. Mike - Are you hinting that the Aston Element is a copy of something else? Or that other Aston mics are copies other existing mics with, perhaps a clever addition like the aiming light on their small Starlight? They do seem to be focused on switches that change the voicing of the mic so the reviewer can say something like "didn't require any EQ."

 

It could be like the Fostex, I have no idea. It could also be like the Fishman Fluence guitar pickups, which use "coils" on PCB instead of wire wound around a bobbin. Difference being Fishman shared images of the structure they use so there is no mystery. But yeah, it could be a printed coil. It may have a unique spider or magnet structure. I'm not going to take the mic apart to find out. Eventually somebody will.

 

The Heil PR-40 dynamic mic has a large diaphragm and a big sound to go with it. Pretty sensitive to plosives and sibilance. A pop filer is essential for vocals. A foam windscreen would probably be good but you'd need a HUGE one to cover the front grille. It sounds HUGE on drums or bass amp speakers and very clear on acoustic guitar if you position the mic so it doesn't get boomy. A great mic, a bit more costly although I got a used one for $180 locally.

 

The Aston Element has no switches, a point in it's favor in my opinion. I prefer to have pads and HPF on my mic pre. A multi pattern switch would need to be on the mic but I don't have much use for an omni or figure 8 in my present situation. As noted, I'm on the hook for return shipping at worst and a small, lightweight mic package won't be too bad.

 

I'm a fan of dynamic cardioid mics simply because they work very well in my environment. I can sing closer and get a much better signal to noise ratio. That's what my iso-box and "blanket fort" experiments were about, finding other ways to reduce external noise.

 

Reviews in Tape Op and Sound on Sound were a notable influence on my decision to buy a Shure KSM8 and I don't regret that purchase at all - it's a great mic. Yes, a lot more money than an Origin. There are lots of people using SM57s for everything and those are under a hundred on sale.

 

Not sure what Dr Mike is up to, it is noted that the title to a couple of my threads has changed in Forum view but not when you log into the thread. Where this thread is concerned, I get the impression Dr. Mike wants more discussion about expensive mics. I'm all for that, even if I can't afford to buy one yet (and maybe never). But I don't have much to add to that conversation. There are new mics I've asked questions about but nobody who's actually owned one has ever chimed in with confirmation. I did see that our pal Pat Waara is learning his Townsend modeling mic, maybe I can get him to post here once he's got more experience with it. That is an interesting microphone beyond any doubt.

 

So yea, Dr Mike - lay it on us!!!!! :laugh:

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Speaking of affordable mics..."

 

Some of them make good hammers.

Some of them have cooties.

Some of them need new homes.

 

We are entering a great time to sell excess inventory. I've sold a few of the mics that were on my list in the first couple of posts.

As I grow familiar with others, I find that some of them are good sounding and useful but not all of them.

 

I sold a couple of CAD mics that didn't get the sound I wanted a while back and got a pair of Neat Worker Bees. They are better for acoustic guitar than what I had.

Up another rung of the ladder but it's a tall ladder, very tall. And I am a slow climber.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, I started this thread with the full intention of including EVERYBODY and ALL microphones. Consideration is towards "what is this mic good for?" It doesn't matter in the slightest what a mic costs if it isn't the right one for your need.

 

At the same time, I can only share what I know from personal experience and we are all different. I do learn from everybody and I hope somebody's learned something in this thread. I'd love it if more microphone owners chimed in.

I have reservations about "Speaking of affordable mics" drawing as much attention as "Mics you and I own...what's good?" I never intended this thread to be about price. To keep it going, I've ended up posting by far the majority of the posts so taken as a whole it does represent how I go about things. That said, I could have let it just sink off the page like most threads and there have been lots of views, which is awesome.

 

So...

 

There are two different types of signal to noise ratio in my world. There is the "internal" signal to noise ratio - noise generated by all components of your recording system. Mics do have "noise floors", a level of noise coming from the microphone even if it is in a sound proof room and there is no external sound.

 

Having quality power conditioning is critical, a must-do.

 

Using higher quality cabling can make a difference. Keeping your cable runs short and avoiding proximity between audio and power cabling is essential.

 

I've got a good handle on all of those aspects and the mics I like all have low noise floors. In some situations, I'd be done.

 

But there is more. Right now at 7:23am there is a constant background sound of literally hundreds of vehicles cruising by at 60-80 mph. There are times of day when it is louder and times when it is softer.

Sound treatment for good acoustics is important, I've made some notable "hillbilly improvements" and plan on doing a more concerted effort on the soon to be dedicated room for studio work.

 

BUT, Sound Proofing is something that doesn't come cheap and I would need a buttload of it to keep out external noise. All of my windows and boundary walls/ceiling (the floor is OK) need 100% total sound proofing, which also means silent HVAC and temperature control. That is not going to happen.

 

I could stop recording here. That is not going to happen either. How do we improve the External signal to noise ratio? One simple way is to get closer to the microphone and choose your pattern carefully.

Over the last 10 years I've tried various microphones. I had a Shure KSM44, KSM27 and Rode NTK at one point. Not high end mics but nowhere near the low end either. A new KSM44 is $1000 any way you slice it. And it is a GREAT mic.

I doubt a $4000 Neumann is 4 times better, probably more like 3-5% better. The Neumann has a much higher "bling" factor which could matter if you are engaging clients. That's not my purpose so it doesn't mean much.

 

Condenser mics are at their best for vocals if you can give them some distance. In a sound proof room or a location with low external noise, that is a great sound. If you get too close it's really difficult to control plosives and sibilance. Going off-axis helps but only if the pattern of the mic is frequency consistent. Not all of them are although more expensive mics tend to be better in that regard.

 

Ribbon mics? Similar considerations plus with few exceptions you are dealing with a figure 8 pattern so the sound of your room makes a big difference.

 

Time and again, I've found that moving coil dynamic mics and some condenser mics that are intended for live vocal use (Shure Beta 87 or Blue Encore 300) can be used much closer - which provides a usable signal to noise ratio in my circumstances. I still use a pop filter OR a foam windscreen (Yes, I know that is generally frowned upon) but closer to the mic and I sing closer.

 

I have a Shure KSM8 and it stands out as a favorite but it took some time to appreciate what is so great about it. The control over proximity is phenomenal. No matter how close you get to it, it will not get boomy or overly bass. At the same time, if you back off a bit because you gonna howl, it does not thin out significantly until you back up more than 6". The cardioid pattern is very well controlled throughout the frequency range - condenser mics that are closer to omni at lower frequencies and closer to hypercardioid at higher frequencies are pretty common, they won't deliver the same tone off axis. The KSM8 doesn't sound much different until you are pretty far off axis, that makes it easy to sing and get a keeper take.

 

At this point, I am more shopping for other flavors of the type of microphone that has proven to work well under my less-than-ideal circumstances. I would expect others in different circumstances to select mics that work well for their situations and I learn from hearing about those situations. At the same time, I gotta keep it real for where I am.

 

Hence the curiosity about the Aston Element, it's a moving coil cardioid mic and purported to have a different flavor of sound. I don't expect to be gobsmacked by it, I wasn't with the KSM8. I have hopes that it could find a home here.

Someday I want to try the Beyer M88 as well, lots of love for that mic by a chosen few.

 

While my Neat King Bee does work pretty well with my homemade iso box, the box is stashed in the closet for the time being while I go through some maneuvers to create a new space for it. Meanwhile, I intend to keep recording.

Which means - dynamic mics with cardioid patterns. There aren't $1,000 and up mics in that category and if there were they would be collectable rather than utilitarian. The mic Elvis used comes to mind...

 

Here is a list of the 20 most expensive microphones on the market today. ALL of them are condenser mics, they are simply more expensive to produce. And I'm sure they all sound great. I'm also pretty sure they would pick up EVERYTHING here and that would not be good.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's funny Dr Mike, are you perhaps insinuating something that only you with your vast knowledge of what actually goes on in audio gear manufacturing plants across the world would know and an ignorant bubba like myself would ask dumbass questions like this one about? :laugh:

 

Cuz, like ... spill the beans if there are any. [...] I never have and never will own another Behringer product. I do have a crappy Pyle short mic stand though, it mostly works to mic a guitar amp, which I almost never do. Used it Thursday for a live stream. I think I paid 4 or 5 buck for it and it's been worth every penny.

 

Is the Aston the same thing only worse? I'se full growed and has my diaper on so it's OK to tell me. lol...

 

Dr. Mike - Are you hinting that the Aston Element is a copy of something else? Or that other Aston mics are copies other existing mics with, perhaps a clever addition like the aiming light on their small Starlight? They do seem to be focused on switches that change the voicing of the mic so the reviewer can say something like "didn't require any EQ."

 

Not sure what Dr Mike is up to, it is noted that the title to a couple of my threads has changed in Forum view but not when you log into the thread. Where this thread is concerned, I get the impression Dr. Mike wants more discussion about expensive mics. I'm all for that, even if I can't afford to buy one yet (and maybe never). But I don't have much to add to that conversation. There are new mics I've asked questions about but nobody who's actually owned one has ever chimed in with confirmation. I did see that our pal Pat Waara is learning his Townsend modeling mic, maybe I can get him to post here once he's got more experience with it. That is an interesting microphone beyond any doubt.

 

So yea, Dr Mike - lay it on us!!!!! :laugh:

 

:noway::doh::freak:

 

What the stinking goat cheese just happened here? I go away for a few days to finish some videos and I come back to a nuclear meltdown of completely wrong assumptions? DUDES!

 

Okay, from the top: the video was a commentary on the Behringer 57 clone and nothing else. I didn't comment further because I felt that Behringer needed no further comment.

 

How the hell did Aston get dragged into this conversation? Did people somehow connect a previous post to my video, which is a Formal Logic 101-level post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy?

 

To be very, very, very clear: I love Aston mics and I love Aston as a company. They're one of the few firms doing something genuinely original in this damn industry and they deserve all the props they get for every mic they make. They are by no means imitations of anything anywhere except in very general terms (i.e. they're, you know, microphones), and I consider them one of the absolute best values in terms of genuine pro-level quality for entry-level prices anywhere, right up there with Roswell and LEWITT.

 

Seriously, guys. James Young is one of my best friends and I'd give him a kidney if he needed it. His company broke away from sE Electronics for a reason. I don't want any shade cast his way, even by accident.

 

So there, I've laid it on you.

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And no, I also never said or implied that I only want to hear about expensive mics! Criminy...

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK Dr Mike, my apologies for wondering about UFOs full of Abominable Snowmen who reside inside the hollow Earth, waiting to save us from Armageddon. Rodak is waiting at the opening with death rays aimed anyway, we are doomed.

 

But, what's with the thread names displaying differently in All forums view vs just opening the thread?

Are you an innocent man, standing blindfolded against the wall, waiting for the firing squad? :laugh:

 

I'm really more curious than anything else but I think this thread did very well with the original name and I'm skeptical about the new one to be honest.

 

If somebody buys, say a Roswell Colares and thinks it's too expensive for them to post about it in the "affordable mic thread" that would be unfortunate - especially since that is one of the mics I sort of have the droolies for. A stereo ribbon mic? Ain't none of them kind going cheap!!! I'd have a blast at a future (post vaccination) location with that puppy!!!

 

Is it some other sneaky MPN'er messing about or is it your doing? I promise I'll never start a Behringer thread on MPN, ever. I may make an occasional disparaging comment - except in the Keyboard Corner where some very fine people on both sides own and enjoy Behringer keyboards. I have other ways to poke fun there.

 

I am relieved to know you consider Aston a viable option, I'm looking forward to hearing my voice with the Element.

 

And yes, we are still pals - why wouldn't we be? I'm honored to be here, truly. I'd almost given up on forums entirely except for quick sneaks to gather information about products I might be considering.

I will say that the Telecaster forum and Talkbass are generally both very civil and on topic, the only thing they lack is a more global view of audio.

https://www.tdpri.com/forums/

https://www.talkbass.com

 

The same is true of the pedal steel and banjo crowds, they just want a place to talk about their music and instruments. MPN could cover all that and much more, we got rock star moderators and forumites with deep knowledge of random and arcane topics. I've learned a LOT on here and I am grateful.

 

So beans? Can spill? Or is more detective work needed? Cheers, Kuru

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...