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Gear / Technical Help => Microphones & Setup => Topic started by: Charlie Miller on September 30, 2017, 09:35:36 AM

Title: AKG C34
Post by: Charlie Miller on September 30, 2017, 09:35:36 AM
Here’s a nice ‘old’ microphone. It’s a AKG C34 which was used by The Grateful Dead on stage for many years. It was used M/S as Mickey’s overhead mic. The last time it was used was July 9, 1995 at Soldier Field. When I powered it up it worked perfectly. No static at all from the controller box. I used it on stage for some Kimock shows and the results were stunning. I’ll post some links soon. I was told that I can buy the mic if I promise not to resell it, after all, it was used on stage by the band.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BynlChBOY6RsVWE3c1JGVUJPaDA (https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BynlChBOY6RsVWE3c1JGVUJPaDA)

Edit:
One of the band members threw up in the road case that the mic came in, so they removed the foam padding. Wouldn’t tell me which member
Title: Re: AKG C34
Post by: Charlie Miller on September 30, 2017, 11:00:47 AM
I wish I had taken a pic of the controller before changing the settings. I think it was Omni + fig8.
Title: Re: AKG C34
Post by: perks on September 30, 2017, 12:04:39 PM
Did Healy run an AKG stereo mic at the board? I have some pics of friends standing in front of one inside the SBD area fence from McNichols 1990. I had always thought that was where the audience came from in an Ultramatrix recording. Sweet mic to own. A museum piece really.
Title: Re: AKG C34
Post by: dactylus on September 30, 2017, 01:07:28 PM

Nice mic and a piece of history!  Thanks for posting Charlie!!
Title: Re: AKG C34
Post by: Charlie Miller on September 30, 2017, 01:24:46 PM
Did Healy run an AKG stereo mic at the board? I have some pics of friends standing in front of one inside the SBD area fence from McNichols 1990. I had always thought that was where the audience came from in an Ultramatrix recording. Sweet mic to own. A museum piece really.

Don Pearson and Howard Danchik from Ultrasound ran the AKG C42 at the board M/S and mixed it with a delayed board feed. They also made 4-track VHS tapes where the board is digital pcm audio on the video track and the ambient mics are on the audio track. I have a bunch of these which I’ve mixed down.
Here’s an example: http://db.etree.org/shn/138723
Title: Re: AKG C34
Post by: kindms on October 01, 2017, 08:08:09 AM
Did Healy run an AKG stereo mic at the board? I have some pics of friends standing in front of one inside the SBD area fence from McNichols 1990. I had always thought that was where the audience came from in an Ultramatrix recording. Sweet mic to own. A museum piece really.

Don Pearson and Howard Danchik from Ultrasound ran the AKG C42 at the board M/S and mixed it with a delayed board feed. They also made 4-track VHS tapes where the board is digital pcm audio on the video track and the ambient mics are on the audio track. I have a bunch of these which I’ve mixed down.
Here’s an example: http://db.etree.org/shn/138723

in your example above im pretty sure rocksuitcase was at this show running akg422 from the section

nevermind same venue same date just 1985
Title: Re: AKG C34
Post by: spyder9 on October 01, 2017, 12:23:37 PM
Fantastic mic!  I always wanted one.   They have ck1 capsules in them.  I heart the ck1 sound. 

Just hit the record button, then sit back and laugh......    :D

http://www.m221b.com/AKGC34/AKGC34.html
Title: Re: AKG C34
Post by: spyder9 on October 01, 2017, 12:24:53 PM


Edit:
One of the band members threw up in the road case that the mic came in, so they removed the foam padding. Wouldn’t tell me which member

My guess would be Billy....
Title: Re: AKG C34
Post by: yug du nord on October 01, 2017, 03:00:18 PM
...so there "might" be Jerry DNA in that box??!  :hmmm:    :thinking:    :guitarist:
Great score man...  somehow, ya gotta keep it! 
Title: Re: AKG C34
Post by: kindms on October 03, 2017, 07:04:31 PM
haven't been able to stop thinking about the dead running a c34 m/s mic as an overhead drum mic

like it was nothing kind of thing

what other band would spend the $ and time to do it like that ? Phish maybe

Title: Re: AKG C34
Post by: Charlie Miller on October 03, 2017, 09:35:04 PM
haven't been able to stop thinking about the dead running a c34 m/s mic as an overhead drum mic

like it was nothing kind of thing

what other band would spend the $ and time to do it like that ? Phish maybe



They actually had three overhead mics. One above each drummer and one in between. As for the C34, it was used over the big drums in the back.
Title: Re: AKG C34
Post by: kindms on October 04, 2017, 07:17:51 PM
haven't been able to stop thinking about the dead running a c34 m/s mic as an overhead drum mic

like it was nothing kind of thing

what other band would spend the $ and time to do it like that ? Phish maybe





They actually had three overhead mics. One above each drummer and one in between. As for the C34, it was used over the big drums in the back.

charlie. do you happen to have an idea on how these were mixed ? I always do my M/S decoding after the fact. So what did they do run a m/s decoder on the fly and just adjust width etc and go with it ?
Title: Re: AKG C34
Post by: Charlie Miller on October 04, 2017, 07:50:08 PM
haven't been able to stop thinking about the dead running a c34 m/s mic as an overhead drum mic

like it was nothing kind of thing

what other band would spend the $ and time to do it like that ? Phish maybe





They actually had three overhead mics. One above each drummer and one in between. As for the C34, it was used over the big drums in the back.

charlie. do you happen to have an idea on how these were mixed ? I always do my M/S decoding after the fact. So what did they do run a m/s decoder on the fly and just adjust width etc and go with it ?


The ran it m/s with the mid dial set to omni and the side as fig8. If you're using it live on stage, you have to decode it live.
Title: Re: AKG C34
Post by: Gutbucket on October 17, 2017, 04:29:33 PM
Cool mic, especially with that provenance.  The foam story just makes for icing on the cake.

A local university often runs one at stage-lip for their jazz band performances in their "good hall" and it's always cool to check it out and see what patterns the controller box is set to.
Title: Re: AKG C34
Post by: gormenghast on October 17, 2017, 11:56:23 PM
Would love to hear the Kimock recording. 

Title: Re: AKG C34
Post by: EmRR on December 09, 2019, 12:10:30 PM
MS with omni and 8.   Dig it.   I like the way that combo sounds when it's appropriate.  With the open height above the GD, it would surely work, and give the most bass from the drums. 
Title: Re: AKG C34
Post by: jcable77 on December 09, 2019, 02:48:42 PM
Mike Rivard ran a c34>DAP1 for a long time.
https://archive.org/details/delf1998-03-24/1998-03-24+Club+d'Elf+set202.flac#