Topic: New SDC pair for a semi-pro. Suggestions?

[bloud]

Well, it is good to see companies listening.  In particular, people who design the mics.  Thanks for the input.

  Richard

No problem. and If I were in the market for a pair of FET SDC's to tour with, I would look to Schoeps or DPA.

[TNJazz]

Take this suggestion with a grain of salt as well.

Nevaton MC49

I do rep them, but the reason I do is that I bought a pair on my own dime and liked them so much that I wanted to work with them.

I will never sell my pair (unless of course the 2012 prophecy comes true!)

[dactylus]

Take this suggestion with a grain of salt as well.

Nevaton MC49

I do rep them, but the reason I do is that I bought a pair on my own dime and liked them so much that I wanted to work with them.

I will never sell my pair (unless of course the 2012 prophecy comes true!)

^^
Agreed on the Nevaton MC49's!!

 

[jaycdunn]

Those Nevatons look bitchin' and one day I'll own a pair. Dual diaphragm huh? Cool. But for now, I've been looking at which SDC pairs I can get from Sweetwater on that 3-month payment deal. Maybe I'll just grab a pair of Shure KSM137 or SP C4. That way I'll have something decent enough but won't have to worry about them too much.

[jaycdunn]

I've decided to get a Shure A27M mount instead of a horizontal stereo bar. It seems better to me, plus it should mount directly onto the Manfrotto BAC1004 stand, as both have 5/8" thread. I'm still thinking about trying that Omni-Mid-Side recording technique, we'll see. Either that or just a pair of cards in NOS or DIN.

[johnw]

I've decided to get a Shure A27M mount instead of a horizontal stereo bar. It seems better to me, plus it should mount directly onto the Manfrotto BAC1004 stand, as both have 5/8" thread. I'm still thinking about trying that Omni-Mid-Side recording technique, we'll see. Either that or just a pair of cards in NOS or DIN.

i don't think that stand has a 5/8" thread, but it does have a 5/8" stud. You're gonna need the rapid adapter if you want to use an A27M. AFAIK none of the Bogen/Manfrotto stands have a 5/8" thread although some do have the 3/8" thread. If you want a 5/8" thread, you will need to look into the Shure stand or order one from APIC.

[jaycdunn]

Okay I'm glad I asked, because I wasn't sure about that. I've never used a lighting stand for a microphone before. Thanks!

So does Shure have a lightweight stand that's good for concert taping? And what does APIC stand for? That's all the newb questions I'll ask for now. 

[edit] Ah, I see the Shure S15A stand must be what you're talking about. How does it compare with the Manfrotto? [end edit]

[johnw]

I've never owned the Shure stand, so I can't comment on it, but there are reviews on the B&H site. It is designed to do what we do, so I'd say it probably works ok. I do have a small APIC stand, and I like it. They didn't have a website at the time, and the site I found kind of sucks. I'd definitely call them - they can do a custom stand pretty much however you want.

As far as stands go, you have to find the balance between maximum height and folded closed length. More sections usually keeps the closed length down but I've found that more sections decreases stability at greater heights.

Here's APIC's site


http://estore.conceptheaven.com/clients/apic/estore/scripts/default.asp

[SmokinJoe]

I have a Shure S15a stand and it's pretty solid and light weight, but the twist locks are kind of a pain in the ass.  If you can buy a used one cheap, go for it, but if you are paying top dollar for a new one, I'd go for something else.  There are a ton of "light stands" available on Ebay for $50 or less which make great mic stands.  Get one with a 1/4-20 or 3/8-16 thread at the top and then get the little adapter for 5/8-27 for your Tbar.

[jaycdunn]

Yeah I've read some reviews on the Shure S15A stand. A few people had issues with the adjustments on the telescoping sections. In another thread on here, someone said their Manfrotto aluminum stand fell apart piece by piece over time. Whatever I get, I need it to arrive by Saturday December 26th at the latest. B&H has a big discount on 3-day shipping, so I'll probably order from them.

I've bought some pretty expensive studio gear over the years, so $150 for a mic stand isn't a big deal for me. I'm not rich or anything, just saying...

Also, apparently the SP C4 mics now come with a pretty nice stereo bar. So if I order those, I may not need the Shure A27M for now. I've got to decide on all this stuff and place my order(s) today. If I try the Omni-Mid-Side technique, I will be mounting 1 Royer SF-12 (I've got the Royer shockmount for it too) and 1 AKG 414. I'm pretty sure the A27M will accomodate that configuration. It would be the Royer on bottom with the AKG on top, in what looks similar to a Blumlein setup.

[jaycdunn]

I think I'm gonna try a pair of the Shure KSM137. They're $600/pair, which is only $200/mo for 3 months at Sweetwater. Supposedly has a discrete class a output stage, and the frequency curves look pretty good actually.

[jaycdunn]

Ah, I see that the KSM141 pair is only $200 more. Those look pretty sweet. Good advice! That's only about $70 per month on the payment plan. Looks like they're not in stock right this moment though.

In any event, if I don't manage to put some cash in my account by tomorrow morning, it looks like I won't be able to get the KSM137 pair in time for the Miami shows either. In that case I'm not sure what I'll be bringing. I wonder how much juice my Neumann U64 power supply requires? I'll have to ask Bill Bradley.

[edit] Even if I could power them, the cables I've got for my U64's are stupid long. I'll have to go with something else. [end edit]

[Nick's Picks]

I'd seriously consider the Beyer rec.
http://www.beyerdynamic-usa.com/en/music-performance/products/microphones/studio-mikrofon.html

nice, warm mics.  would excel in a studio, I would think.