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Author Topic: Your favorite Mics? Why?  (Read 27983 times)

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Offline page

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Re: Your favorite Mics? Why?
« Reply #45 on: January 22, 2010, 09:56:04 AM »
Already said it once, but it bears repeating:

Nevaton MK49 are quite possibly the best SDCs I've ever heard.

My new LDC faves are Milab DC196.  Between the two I'm not sure I'll ever need anything else.

I really thought about getting a pair of Milab's last year... I'll admit that I'm smitten with them.
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Offline mblindsey

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Re: Your favorite Mics? Why?
« Reply #46 on: January 22, 2010, 09:28:07 PM »
mterry's phish audix pull's are pretty damn good.  mic?  pre?  environment?  i don't know, but those recordings from his run have caught my attention.
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Offline frogger

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Re: Your favorite Mics? Why?
« Reply #47 on: January 23, 2010, 04:51:44 PM »
As everybody has already said, this is a very subjective topic dependent on a variety of situations.  That said, I've got several mics I've loved over the years.  Miss my Nak 300's (guns, omins, & cards).  Between the 3 caps they covered a variety of recording situations and sounded great.  Have a pair of Sonic Studios DSM-6P that I bought 20 years ago.  Made a lot of great stealth recordings with them over the years but I've just replaced them with some Nevaton MCE400's that sound incredible.  Just made my first tape with them last night and I'll be using those for stealth and open recording.  I've heard several other Nevatons and they all sound very good.  Also have a pair of AKG414's that I absolutely love in the right setting.  I also have a pair of Schoeps CMC4's with MK41 caps and I love those too.  Gotta get me some more caps for them when I have the cash, but gotta get a R44 first   :D!  Like others have said, listen to what others have used, plug into a variety of mics and see what sounds good to you.
Chuck

Offline tcf

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Re: Your favorite Mics? Why?
« Reply #48 on: January 23, 2010, 10:21:55 PM »
I'm glad you like the Nevaton 400s,  I recently picked up a pair and can't wait to run them.  I love that I can run them off of the Microtracker Phantom Power.  It makes for a pretty small rig. 

Tom

Offline DSatz

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Re: Your favorite Mics? Why?
« Reply #49 on: January 24, 2010, 12:34:22 AM »
For live stereo recording without "spot" microphones, small-diaphragm condenser microphones are the only type that I would ever want to use. At any relatively normal recording distances in any relatively normal recording venue, a surprising amount of the sound reaching the microphones is reflected sound arriving off-axis, so the off-axis response is far more important than it would be (for example) when spot-miking a vocal soloist in an acoustically isolated studio environment. And physics dictates that the larger the microphone, the less good its off-axis response will be.

Experience also tells me that no one directional pattern is always best. I can't fathom the idea that a person is supposed to be a partisan of one particular recording technique, independent of the actual acoustical situation that one is recording in or the type of music or the arrangement of the performers in the space; there's too much variation in all of the above for any one recording technique to be preferable all the time. So my options are (a) many pairs of separate microphones (at least one pair for each pattern), (b) a pair of switchable-pattern microphones, or (c) a pair of microphones that can accept interchangeable capsules with different directional patterns.

Of these three I prefer (c) over (a) for economic reasons, as well as feeling like it would be stupid to own 20+ complete microphones when owning just one or two pairs (with however many interchangeable capsules) will do equally well. And I prefer (c) over (b) because the only switchable-pattern microphones with a full range of patterns (at least omni, wide cardioid, cardioid, supercardioid and figure-8) are dual-diaphragm, which means that their patterns on the omni-to-cardioid side of the ledger won't be nearly as consistent across the frequency range as what is available from single-diaphragm microphones or capsules (i.e. the off-axis response issue again).

So I've been a real fan of high-quality, single-diaphragm, modular condenser microphones (i.e. those with a sonically neutral amplifier and a range of interchangeable capsules), which I've used since the early 1970s. I started with the AKG C 451 E series (CK 1 and CK 2 capsules), then Neumann KM 83s and 84s, and then found the Schoeps CMT 30/40/50 series, which was soon superseded by the Colette series, which they still make.

I suppose if I absolutely had to give up all but one type of microphone that I own, I would keep my pair of Schoeps three-pattern (omnidirectional, cardioid, figure-8) microphones that I bought in 1973. But then I would severely miss using wide cardioid, "open cardioid" or supercardioid microphones in situations where I feel those patterns are called for. And sometimes an "axially" addressed omni or cardioid is preferable to a "radially" addressed microphone (though the reverse can be true as well). So I hope that it never comes to that kind of decision in reality.

--best regards
« Last Edit: January 24, 2010, 10:02:53 PM by DSatz »
music > microphones > a recorder of some sort

Offline frogger

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Re: Your favorite Mics? Why?
« Reply #50 on: January 24, 2010, 12:58:03 AM »
I'm glad you like the Nevaton 400s,  I recently picked up a pair and can't wait to run them.  I love that I can run them off of the Microtracker Phantom Power.  It makes for a pretty small rig. 

Tom

A friend has a pair of the Nevatons (and other of their mics too).  I've always enjoyed his recordings so when I saw that the last of these was available before the model change, I knew I had to get them.  Here's the recording of Eilen Jewell I made with them last night.
http://www.archive.org/details/EilenJewelSellersvilleTheatreSellersvillePa

Chuck

Offline tcf

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Re: Your favorite Mics? Why?
« Reply #51 on: January 24, 2010, 02:45:18 PM »
Chuck, Those samples sound AWESOME.  For such a small microphone, your recording sounds great.  I'm glad you were able to pick up a pair before they changed the mc400 design.

Tom

Offline TNJazz

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Re: Your favorite Mics? Why?
« Reply #52 on: January 24, 2010, 07:54:05 PM »
wow

Excellent sounding samples!
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Offline dactylus

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Re: Your favorite Mics? Why?
« Reply #53 on: January 24, 2010, 08:30:49 PM »
Chuck, Those samples sound AWESOME.  For such a small microphone, your recording sounds great.  I'm glad you were able to pick up a pair before they changed the mc400 design.

Tom
^^
the new design may be even better, if not, why redesign them?

 ;)
hot licks > microphones > recorder



...ball of confusion, that's what the world is today, hey hey...

Offline frogger

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Re: Your favorite Mics? Why?
« Reply #54 on: January 24, 2010, 09:34:16 PM »
^^
the new design may be even better, if not, why redesign them?

 ;)
The new design may indeed sound better but the size was a consideration for me as these will be used for stealth as well as open taping in the right circumstances.  Either way, I'm very happy with the sound of these mics.
Chuck

Offline frogger

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Re: Your favorite Mics? Why?
« Reply #55 on: January 24, 2010, 09:36:48 PM »
Glad people like the Eilen Jewell recording with the Nevaton MCE 400's.  I was very happy with the recording and blown away by the artist.  I highly recommend checking that band out if you have the opportunity.
Chuck

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Re: Your favorite Mics? Why?
« Reply #56 on: January 25, 2010, 06:31:57 AM »
^^
the new design may be even better, if not, why redesign them?

 ;)
The new design may indeed sound better but the size was a consideration for me as these will be used for stealth as well as open taping in the right circumstances.  Either way, I'm very happy with the sound of these mics.
Chuck
^^

Gotcha - hopefully the new design will not be significantly bigger.   ;)

hot licks > microphones > recorder



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Offline TNJazz

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Re: Your favorite Mics? Why?
« Reply #57 on: January 25, 2010, 08:24:43 AM »
Chuck, Those samples sound AWESOME.  For such a small microphone, your recording sounds great.  I'm glad you were able to pick up a pair before they changed the mc400 design.

Tom
^^
the new design may be even better, if not, why redesign them?

 ;)

They're being redesigned for other uses (film, I think).  Why they're making the barrel longer I have no idea though.
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Offline Gutbucket

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Re: Your favorite Mics? Why?
« Reply #58 on: January 25, 2010, 06:34:50 PM »
Chuck, Those samples sound AWESOME.  For such a small microphone, your recording sounds great.  I'm glad you were able to pick up a pair before they changed the mc400 design.

Tom

That recording does sound good.  And I really dig the performer, her vocal inflections and banter reminds me a bit of Karin Bergquist from Over The Rhine, with more of a rockin' Texas rather than contemplative Ohio angle.  I'll be keeping an ear open for her.  Thanks Chuck.

I have to call you on the small mic comment, Tom. Why shouldn't a small mic sound every bit as good or better than a larger mic? especially for what we do? You seem suprised that one could.

Can someone point me to more information on the mc400 changes?
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Offline muj

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Re: Your favorite Mics? Why?
« Reply #59 on: January 25, 2010, 07:39:04 PM »
great recording!

 

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