Topic: Low budget stealthy microphones for small/medium venues - Omnis or Cardioids?

[Kikushi]

Hey, my first post

I've owned a Tascam DR-05x recorder for a few months now and I've taped a few shows with only that but now I'm looking to upgrade a bit with a relatively low budget (<100€). I'm looking for stealthy microphones.
Reading through topics here I've narrowed my choices down to :

• Giant Squid (Omnis or Cardioids)
• Core Sound Low Cost (Binaurals or Cardioids)

My main concern is around the choice of Omnis vs Cardioids. I've seen people say omnis are generally preferable. For my case I'm aiming for rock/jazz/funk gigs of small to medium size. I've also seen recording stereo with Omnis that are too close isn't ideal at all (phasing issues).
Would it be better to simply record with an Omni mic in mono, or opt for the cardioids? What if I happen to record close to the stage/there's a lot of crowd noise around me?

I'd love to have some opinions about this :p
Thanks for reading this, have a nice day!

[robgronotte]

I have used the Core Sound Cardioids (not low cost ones) for years and love them. I personally prefer cardioids for all circumstances except when you're outdoors and can be tight by the PA.

I also have the Tascam DR-05 (not x, but probably the same internal mics).  They are omnis, and sound better than I had originally expected. I don't think you're going to be able to find omnis for that price level, so really there is no point in you buying more omnis.

[robgronotte]

Also, maybe someone else knows more about the issue, but I have never heard of phasing issues from being too close. I am usually as close as possible, in small to medium sized venues, and I have never had any problems. I think recording in mono would be a very poor preventative measure and also would defeat the purpose of binaural microphones.

[mrfender]

Recorded a lot of shows mainly with CA-14 and AT853 cards.  The few times I ran omnis of each, even i what I thought was a perfect spot for them, the sound was kind of poor.  You can blame operator error but I'll probably never run them again.  Go with the cards, they cover most every situation.

[adrianf74]

Avoid GSAL mics like the plague - I used them about twenty years ago and they're definitely not worth it. I haven't looked at Core Sounds Binaurals since I owned them back in the '90s. I'm sure they've improved since then but there are other options out there that are probably more robust.

There are better options out there (Church Audio CA-14 Omnis if you must).  Or look for something similar from Sound Professionals. 

As for omnis vs. cards -- it depends.  I like omnis up close and cards further back.  if you've got drunk wooks surrounding you, the omnis will pick up their yammering.  I use both (or versions of them).

[nulldogmas]

It really depends on the venue and your position — I own both cards and omnis, and I now keep a list of venues and which ones to use where. (The tl;dr is "If it sounds really great to your ears, it's probably good with omnis," but even then YMMV.)

I'll second what Mr. Fender said above, that cards are in general more resilient in lots of situations, so if you're only going to own one set, they're probably better. Though I would not go with the Core Sound Low-Cost Cardioids, which I used for years and which are both very trebly and fairly fragile. CA-14 and AT853 cards are both sturdier and have much fuller sound.

[robgronotte]

Unfortunately, the regular Core Sound Cardioids are also fragile, but I love the way they sound.  A good number of people think they are too trebly, but I don't like bassy live recordings, and I know I have some high frequency hearing loss (most people who have gone to concerts for years likely do as well).

[heathen]

Save up a bit, sell some plasma, scrounge for scrap metal, and get the Line Audio CM4 mics with a cheap preamp.

[adrianf74]

Save up a bit, sell some plasma, scrounge for scrap metal, and get the Line Audio CM4 mics with a cheap preamp.

This is a better, more robust option. My CM3's aren't leaving my side as there are times where I need them.

[morst]

I've also seen recording stereo with Omnis that are too close isn't ideal at all (phasing issues).
Would it be better to simply record with an Omni mic in mono, or opt for the cardioids?

Phasing issues would never be so bad that you would need to ditch the other channel, especially with your skull as a baffle between them...
Plan to run stereo as soon as you can afford the second mic!

[DavidPuddy]

I've also seen recording stereo with Omnis that are too close isn't ideal at all (phasing issues).
Would it be better to simply record with an Omni mic in mono, or opt for the cardioids?

Phasing issues would never be so bad that you would need to ditch the other channel, especially with your skull as a baffle between them...
Plan to run stereo as soon as you can afford the second mic!

Yep, the stereo image is surprisingly good for ~6 inches. Maybe I just have a dense head!

Definitely grab that second mic, but in the meantime, Izotope Ozone has the ability to make a fake stereo effect using delay and other stuff I don't understand.

[Kikushi]

Alright thank you all for the answers! I think I'll look at the other mics mentioned here, find recordings to hear their quality, I might wait a bit and buy something more solid even if less cheap.

[robgronotte]

Alright thank you all for the answers! I think I'll look at the other mics mentioned here, find recordings to hear their quality, I might wait a bit and buy something more solid even if less cheap.

Are you on DIME? I have posted many of my masters recorded with Core Sound Cardioids there.
Another good idea is to go to the Live Music Archive and search for recordings made with particular microphones.