Topic: SP-CMC-4U mics from Sound Professionals

[boojum]

I am curious about these mics.  They are made from AT U853 cartridges and from that alone I would assume they have a pretty good sound.  Has anyone experience with these?  What are their strong points and their weak points?  They have a 30 day return policy which tells me they believe in their product.  But is their anything to make me wary of these folks?  There are some loonies in this business and I do not want to go through all the hassle of a bad supplier.  TIA     

[Dede2002]

As far as my experience with Chris goes, SP is a very reliable company. I've bought stuff from him once. No problems at all. Very good produtcs, very good comunication.

[bconnolly]

SP is super reliable, thorough, and professional.  No worries buying from them.

[Javier Cinakowski]

Yep, Sound Pros is just fine with me!

[mrsoul]

Chris at Sound Pro has always been helpful with any returns or even just answering questions about mics, etc.  Never once had a problem since 2003 in dealing with them.

M

[blindman]

I have the original SP-CMC4's.... pre-"U"'s... and they work great. I have had nothing but good experiences with the people at Sound Professionals.

You can get the cables termintated with different types of connectors depending on your need. There are several 1/8" connector varitions and then there is XLR connectors with Phantom Modules. Talk the people at SP and they will fill you in on the pros/cons of each. The 1/8" with a battery box is the simplest setup. There are differences in the self noise of the mics and the SPL handling depending on how you power them... so you can get the best fit for what you intend to record.

You should also check out the mics offered by Chris Church, who is a member here. Look here... http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,79928.0.html If you have specific questions, send him a note or post it here and people will answer your questions I am sure.

But if you have already decided on SP-CMC-4U's, I can tell you they are fine mics and I have had no problems dealing with the company at all.

[mrruin]

I have the U853 caps with slim bodies and they are fantastic, I love them. If you want to check out recordings you can look on Dimeadozen and search for the NIN shows from vienna this march. There is a sample provided with each torrent there so you can get an idea of what it sounds like. The recordings have been post processed though. But I can only recommend them, great set of mics for stealthing.

Also, SPs is a very good company with excellent customer service. No worries buying from them.

[SmokinJoe]

I have a similar set I think the model is SP-SPSM-6 which are AT-853 (pre U?) on flexi things that look like bug antennae.  I like them in general, they are quite sensitive, but I have overloaded them a couple of times, at which point everything sounds like crap.  I'm talking way FOB, like 20' from stacks.  And that's with an SP 12v battery box.  If I back off a bit, they sound great.  Normally I run them batt box > line in on my R-09.

I had a couple of shows in the archive which came out pretty well:
http://www.archive.org/details/Assembly_of_Dust_2007-03-17.at853
http://www.archive.org/details/gptn2007-03-11.at853.flac16f
Hope that helps.

[mrruin]

To have them perform to their potential you really need a 3 wire bbox or a 4.7k mod then overloading is not an issue anymore.

[redbook]

is there any kind of sonic comparison between U853 and the classic AT853s?

[stevetoney]

To have them perform to their potential you really need a 3 wire bbox or a 4.7k mod then overloading is not an issue anymore.

If you don't know what he means, these mics tend to distort in really loud Sound Pressure Level situations.  It's a common issue and the fixes mentioned are simple and inexpensive.  I have the mics you're considering and I also recommend them highly...great bang for the buck and one of the very most popular mics in that price range.  I had a warranty issue with a product I bought from Sound Pros about 3 years ago and they were ALL over it...they were very responsive, timely and considerate.  Customer service is fantastic.  No worries whatsoever with either the product or the company.

[boojum]

To have them perform to their potential you really need a 3 wire bbox or a 4.7k mod then overloading is not an issue anymore.

Anybody want to tell me how to build these fixes?  Are there plans here on the board?  And if the 4.7k mod is neccessary, why hasn't AT done this??  What does the 4.7k ohm resistor do?  Just curious and would welcome any help on the mods.  Also, I use OKM II's now without any overload problems.  I do not listen to heavy metal and the like.

Cheers   B)

[stevetoney]

To have them perform to their potential you really need a 3 wire bbox or a 4.7k mod then overloading is not an issue anymore.

Anybody want to tell me how to build these fixes?  Are there plans here on the board?  And if the 4.7k mod is neccessary, why hasn't AT done this??  What does the 4.7k ohm resistor do?  Just curious and would welcome any help on the mods.  Also, I use OKM II's now without any overload problems.  I do not listen to heavy metal and the like.

Cheers   B)

The resistor mod increases the headroom of the mics so that they can handle the really high sound pressure level shows.  This mod isn't required for the mics to work for you.  I don't have it on my mics and I recorded at least 100 shows with my SP-CMC-4 (which I typically just call AT-853s).  I only had maybe 3 shows booger up on me.  The thing is, the resistor mod is so cheap that it's really silly not to have it done.  I just make sure that if the show is really loud, I don't setup close to the speakers.  Also, if you're in a really big room where the bass can sometimes fool you with the amount of SPL, that's a situation where these mics fall down a little without the mod.

Chris Church on this list is the person to talk to about the mod.  He does it for $10 excluding parts and shipping.  He's in Canada, so the mod costs around $25 or $30 (when you include shipping back to you in the States).  I will have it done to my mics just to have peace of mind that they won't sound OD on me in the future.

BTW, you mention that you don't listen to metal...the shows that I tape successfully with these mics are more in the vein of jam bands at club shows.  The volume can get fairly loud, but not to where the ears ring when you leave the club.  Generally, at that 'fairly loud in the club' level, the SPLs are OK, but that's when I start to worry that the AT-853 are on the verge of going over the edge.  Like I said, $30 would be worth it to me.  Incidently, I've only been reading here for the last several months and I have upgraded my rig but I still have the AT-853s...this is why I haven't sent Chris my mics yet...just hasn't reached the top of my rig investment priority list.

Another BTW, I think if you PM Chris he can give you details of the mod.  I know it's been written about many times in the mic forum, so if you do a search...say on '4.7 resistor' or something similar you might hit paydirt.

[Javier Cinakowski]

And if the 4.7k mod is neccessary, why hasn't AT done this

Because when Audio Technica sells the mics they are terminated in a mini xlr, thus not requiring this mod.  You only need the 4.7k for mics that are terminated in a 1/8" plug.

A better question is, why doesnt SoundPros do this mod?  You will have to figure that out on your own... 

[Church-Audio]

And if the 4.7k mod is neccessary, why hasn't AT done this

Because when Audio Technica sells the mics they are terminated in a mini xlr, thus not requiring this mod.  You only need the 4.7k for mics that are terminated in a 1/8" plug.

A better question is, why doesnt SoundPros do this mod?  You will have to figure that out on your own... 

Its actually my mod That might be part of the reason..... The other part of the reason might be the fact that it does increase your noise floor. this mod should only be done if you are recording shows between 95db to 118 db I personally hope no one is recording above 105 db but I know that there are a lot of sound engineers that do 110 all the time... This is not a mod for people that wish to record classical or really quiet acoustic stuff.. Or nature recording with out the use of a good external preamp to minimize the noise floor..

Chris