Jedi Posted November 24, 2002 Share Posted November 24, 2002 Whatz the scoop on this mic? I want to use it for my vocals. I heard one yesterday and it sounded nice and warm to my ear. Anybody have any experience with this mic? Any other mics would you suggest for a warm lead vocals. I'm looking for a old warm sound, like ol' Donny Hathaway records. Thanks in advance, Lincoln Ross Dead Black Jedis "All conditioned things are impermanent. Work out your own salvation with diligence." The Buddha's Last Words R.I.P. RobT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
where02190 Posted November 24, 2002 Share Posted November 24, 2002 IMHO the Rode NTK is probably one of the best mics in the price vs what you get category. Superb sound for vocals, especially when combined with a tube stage preamp. (Like the TL Audio C-1) It is also excellent on reeds. Hope this is helpful. Hope this is helpful. NP Recording Studios Analog approach to digital recording. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedi Posted November 24, 2002 Author Share Posted November 24, 2002 Thanks Where, You're the man. I forgot to ask for a good mic pre combination with the RodeNTK. I thought if I put it through a tube mic pre it would be too much. What's the TL Audio C-1 going for? Any other pres you think could work good with this mic? I'm thinking of grabbing it, because I tested it a little yesterday and I can't get it out of my head? It sounded nice and warm to me. Thanks again bro, Lincoln Ross Dead Black Jedis "All conditioned things are impermanent. Work out your own salvation with diligence." The Buddha's Last Words R.I.P. RobT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-_dup1 Posted November 24, 2002 Share Posted November 24, 2002 The NTK is a great mic, and DEFINITELY a lot of bang for the buck... The only thing negative I can say about it is that it has just a *tad* bit of a hyped high end (I'd prefer something a just a little less bright for vocals), but it'll give you a good sound to work with. I've heard nothing else in its price range which sounds as good. Before I bought it, I did a lot of comparison on my vocals and acoustic guitar with the NTK, TLM 170, U87 (!), and Audio Technica 4033... The NTK won out as far as clarity/detail of sound and just... the "niceness" of the overall sound. I don't have any preamp suggestions; I've only got the so-so Mackie 1202 (non VLZ) preamps and the (better than the Mackie) Digi 001 preamps. There's too many other things I want/need for my studio that take higher priority than preamps, unfortunately... But you can't go wrong with the NTK. Just be aware that it is a tube mic, and the tube within the mic can/will go bad and will need to be replaced one day. Mine already needed to be replaced, but it was still under warranty. I think it costs around $40 to get the tube replaced by Rode; I don't know if you can buy a replacement tube and install it yourself... Seems like it'd be possible, but does anyone know for sure? (The next time my tube dies, it won't be under warranty...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted November 24, 2002 Share Posted November 24, 2002 Hmm, I don't think your tube should have gone bad already. It was probably a bad tube to begin with. If you do have to have it replaced again you might have the mic looked at more carefully. I'm interested in getting an NTK as well, though! They do seem like great mics especially for the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AudioMaverick Posted November 24, 2002 Share Posted November 24, 2002 Yep, the NTK (as well as the NT1000) has an emphasis bump around 5K and 12K. You can put a little EQ dip there to down the hype. The NTK uses a *6922* twin-triode tube ( [url=http://www.rodemicrophones.com/usermanuals/ntkum.pdf]Rode NTK Manual (PDF)[/url] )... an over-the-counter item at most music stores. But, I am not sure if they would be close to the *hand selected and graded* level of Rode. The case comes apart pretty easy. When I was picking the Rode, earlier this year, EQ had an article rating the NTK & NT1000. I can't find it, but here is the one on ProRec.com -- [url=http://www.prorec.com/prorec/articles.nsf/files/60D13B8C0E0AFA5986256A1D005425AB]ProRec.Com -- Rode NtK & NT1000 Reviewed[/url] . Check the second page of the article to see the insides... I personally went with a pair of NT1000s and tube preamp combo. I prefer the tube inline on vocals, and not in the chain for instruments (such as strings, room mics, and drum overheads). I have had very good things to say about them, since I got them! "It's all about the... um-m-m, uh-h-h..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halljams Posted November 24, 2002 Share Posted November 24, 2002 I have and NTK and it sounds great with my tube pre. [url=http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/373/mitt_stehlin.html]Here[/url] is my friend mitt, who was helping me try out different combinations of some of my gear. You can hear an NTK on his beatiful voice as well as a C1,, NO EQ NO COMP(just a tad of verb), although i used different pres, you can still hear the difference quite clearly. Pardon the sad guitar sound on El Jinete, it was the "Blue tube pre"(a poor choice). :) Check out SUPERVIBE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSD Posted November 24, 2002 Share Posted November 24, 2002 I have a NTK and I really like it. It is a bit bright so you have to be careful on what you use it on but for the $495 I paid for it, the quality rates up there with my more expensive condensors. I used it once on a acoustic bass guitar along with a pickup and the combination made it sound great, the clack of the strings was brought out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
where02190 Posted November 24, 2002 Share Posted November 24, 2002 I find that for vocals, position the mic below the singer, so they are singing jsut over the mic as opposed to directly into it, and the high end hype issue is moot. You also get a nice warmth from the chest resonance, creating richer, fuller vocals. I ran the NTK thru a DBX 1086 mic pre, and it sounded very nice too. The C-1's you can find used for around $800USD, I think they are about $1200 or so new. The HHB Radius is also a good choice for the NTK. Hope this is helpful. Hope this is helpful. NP Recording Studios Analog approach to digital recording. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedi Posted November 24, 2002 Author Share Posted November 24, 2002 Thanks everyone, I'll be grabbing one sometime this week. Halljams, Thanks for that link, bro. I tried listening to it here, but my connection sucks. I'm going to check it out over my mother's house. AudioMaverick, Thanks for that review. This mic looks like it'll fit perfectly. Where02190, Thanks for that info, bro. You know I appreciate it. I feel real comfortable dropping the 5 bills for this piece. Thanks again everyone, Lincoln Ross Dead Black Jedis "All conditioned things are impermanent. Work out your own salvation with diligence." The Buddha's Last Words R.I.P. RobT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saucyjack Posted November 25, 2002 Share Posted November 25, 2002 Jedi, I agree with everyone else.....nice mic for the price,can be a little edgy at times. Look around you should be able to find one for less than $500. Smell the Magic www.Katp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88Fingerz Posted November 25, 2002 Share Posted November 25, 2002 I don't think it's too bright at all! It's bright, with an overall steady balance of lows/mids too...plugged into my Vintech Neve 1272...great option to my studio Projects C-1. I have no shame...just awesome sounding mics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duhduh Posted November 25, 2002 Share Posted November 25, 2002 [quote]Originally posted by where02190: [b]I find that for vocals, position the mic below the singer, so they are singing jsut over the mic as opposed to directly into it, and the high end hype issue is moot.[/b][/quote]He's exactly right. Worked the same for me. A sibilant singer will really bring out the highs in this mic. But have them sing over it and no problems. I bought the NTK from suggestions on this forum. One of the best purchases Ive made. This mic smoked the TLM-103 but was suprisingly similar to the GT-66. Almost exact. "Meat is the only thing you need beside beer! Big hunks of meat and BEER!!...Lots of freakin' BEER." "Hey, I'm not Jesus Christ, I can't turn water into wine. The best I can do is turn beer into urine." Zakk Wylde http://www.hepcnet.net/bbssmilies/super.gif http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/15_1_109.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparksongs Posted November 25, 2002 Share Posted November 25, 2002 Yes, it is fairly simple to replace the tube on an NTK. Just unscrew the mic body, then swap the tubes. However, exercise care with the plastic piece at the top of the tube that holds it in place. Just be careful and it's a relatively easy thing to do. As far as tube replacement, you might want to try [url=http://www.tubestore.com,]www.tubestore.com,[/url] as they carry tubes in all price ranges (they also have the same Sovtek tube that came in my NTK). Personally, I use JAN Military tubes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Throatsinger Posted November 25, 2002 Share Posted November 25, 2002 Here's an mp3 of a great f vox recorded with an NTK, very little eq. Also used on the flute. It absolutley kills on overheads, sounds great on everything I've tried 'em on, including bass cabs. http://content.1sound.com/play.php?ArtistID=14164&SongID=787&ListenType=hi&name=Big_Sky-Remembering_the_Vision Steve Sklar/Big Sky Steve Sklar http://khoomei.com http://www.bigskyrocks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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