who needs high priced mics
http://www.archive.org/details/waybacks2008-09-01.Panasonic_WM61_Omnis
indoors balcony rail split about a foot
Hey Seth,
You make a great point.
Can people really tell the difference between your style mics and schopes when its the same music, same location, same recorder, etc. I would like to think I can but I know I can't at all.
Good music + good mic position + good PA mix would generally make the best type of recording. If I get a pair of schopes and take them to a slipknot show [insert crappy music here] I can probably get a good recording but the music will be crappy.
happy taping!
I agree that 90% of it is performance, then placement, then room/PA/soundsystem.
But I also observe that if you have an imperfect placement and/or soundsystem, a better mic will still give a "listenable" recording. I think it comes down to the fact that humans have a great ability ot "filter out" noise (the so-called "coctail party effect"). But to filter out noise, they need to be able to hear it clearly. So, a "clean" recording of a slightly bad room might sound better than a "muddy" recording of the same room. This is just my own theory, but I've certainly made a lot of recordings in less than ideal situations.
Another point is diminishing returns. The $2 Panasonic capsule is actually very good, and this was not available just a few years ago. These are reasonable quality and consistent (due to mass production). But if you spend $100 or even $1000 for a mic, you will get an improvement in sound. How far you want to go is up to you, though..
By the way, I have some Panasonic recordings at my website
http://Soundmann.com. Now I'm particularly fond of the Countrman B3, which are about the same size as the WM61 capsule, but they have (imo) a much more detailed and natural sound than the Panasonic. Of course they are approx $150 each, so not for everyone.
Richard