Topic: Avantone CK-1 Hyper fluff

[thunderbolt]

I'm pretty impressed with what this little inexpensive mic can do.  The hyper cap is especially good!  Take a listen....

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/63277689/Life%20Less%20Ordinary.wav

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/63277689/Bron-Y-Aur%20Stomp.wav

[bryonsos]

Nope, the omni cap is the best. I have too much gear in my locker, I should sell my CKs, but I can't for some reason. Probably because they sound fantastic.

[thunderbolt]

No argument there, Bryon.   Def the best cap of the bunch.  I'm just amazed at what this cheap hyper can do when you're forced to put it into service.

[bryonsos]

Best sub $500 pair out there IMHO.

[deadheadcorey]

love'em. run nothing but the hypers 

[ScoobieKW]

Well ya know it depends.

Love the hypers in the back of the room or in the Neptune Theater here in Seattle.

Love the cardioid caps closer

Love the omnis onstage

Haven't found a time when I wanted the subcardioids yet.

[newscane]

I figure this is a good thread to pose this question.  Taping the DMB shows in FL later this month, as I typically do every year.  I've always run the cards, but was thinking about running hypers.  I'll be taping from the stacks, at varying distances depending on the show (but still relatively close).  Should I stick with the cards, or give the hypers a go?

[thunderbolt]

Are you dissatisfied with the sound of the cards, or do you just want to experiment? 

As you probably know, using hypers (with the exception of the best quality mics) involves a tradeoff in sound quality.  Chatty crowds, barking dogs, and freight trains (at frequent but unpredictable times) are a regular occurrence at one venue I go to, so I often use hypers there.  Oh, yeah, there was also a siren (like they use for tornado warnings) that went off in the middle of a recent show.   Lots of ambience on the recording, though.

My advice is to bring both sets of caps and make a decision after you've surveyed where you'll be sitting.  If there's a warm up band (or even just the PA), perhaps you could make recordings with each and see which you like better, although it can be a challenge to listen critically in the field.

[newscane]

Are you dissatisfied with the sound of the cards, or do you just want to experiment? 

As you probably know, using hypers (with the exception of the best quality mics) involves a tradeoff in sound quality.  Chatty crowds, barking dogs, and freight trains (at frequent but unpredictable times) are a regular occurrence at one venue I go to, so I often use hypers there.  Oh, yeah, there was also a siren (like they use for tornado warnings) that went off in the middle of a recent show.   Lots of ambience on the recording, though.

My advice is to bring both sets of caps and make a decision after you've surveyed where you'll be sitting.  If there's a warm up band (or even just the PA), perhaps you could make recordings with each and see which you like better, although it can be a challenge to listen critically in the field.

I've been pretty happy with the cards.  Just wondering if I can make it better.  As I said, I'm taping DMB, with a notoriously chatty/loud crowd, hence my interest in the hypers.  Although, I'm also looking at a stand extension, and that might help resolve the crowd issues...

[thunderbolt]

You know, it's been interesting for me recording at one this one venue quite a bit.  The FOH is quite talented and he is able to get a clean mix.  I started out using AKG 483s there, and now I'm using AT4050s cardioid/DIN.  I do jack the stand quite high (about 11 feet).  However, for this venue, the better sound of cardioids vs. hypers has me willing to take more chances with crowd noise and environmental weirdness.  I really have had less of a problem with crowd noise than I thought I might.  Here's a show I taped recently with the AT4050s:

http://archive.org/details/SnarkyPuppy2012-06-16.FLAC16

I can certainly deal with the limited crowd noise present.

Hypers have their place, but I do think for me that going with the widest pattern I can get away with, in the right venue, is where I'm heading.  Being able to tape repeatedly, with the same excellent FOH, really enables me to get a handle on different mics and patterns, and I'm still learning.  But in the case you describe, where the venue or environment may be unknown or unpredictable, sometimes you just need to minimize potential problems, and that is at times the best approach.

[runonce]

You know, it's been interesting for me recording at one this one venue quite a bit.  The FOH is quite talented and he is able to get a clean mix.  I started out using AKG 483s there, and now I'm using AT4050s cardioid/DIN.  I do jack the stand quite high (about 11 feet).  However, for this venue, the better sound of cardioids vs. hypers has me willing to take more chances with crowd noise and environmental weirdness.  I really have had less of a problem with crowd noise than I thought I might.  Here's a show I taped recently with the AT4050s:

http://archive.org/details/SnarkyPuppy2012-06-16.FLAC16

I can certainly deal with the limited crowd noise present.

Hypers have their place, but I do think for me that going with the widest pattern I can get away with, in the right venue, is where I'm heading.  Being able to tape repeatedly, with the same excellent FOH, really enables me to get a handle on different mics and patterns, and I'm still learning.  But in the case you describe, where the venue or environment may be unknown or unpredictable, sometimes you just need to minimize potential problems, and that is at times the best approach.

I've always thought the "crowd cutting" abilities of hypers is a bit exaggerated...