Hi all, can't believe I've been a member here over 9 years, but after periods of lurking on and off during that time, this is only my first post.
I have been collecting recordings for about 10 years now (since the first days of sharingthegroove.org), and finally bought an Edirol HR09 about 5 years ago. Its internal mics have served me pretty well over the past few years. However, I'm finally in a position to get some mics and move my recordings up a notch or three, but which ones??? I have been reading and rereading threads here now for nearly a month, but am still undecided
To make things easier, I'll try to provide all the info up front. So what do I need?
Source Genre: Regular dimeadozeners will recognise the user name and know my usual recordings tend to be classic 60s rock, folkie singer-songwriters or modern fingerstyle guitar, but I'm not adverse to jambands like Govt Mule or SCI, or some all out heavy rock and classic/modern prog. Fans of Jon Gomm, Preston Reed etc will also know that that percussive style throws out some evil bass frequencies guaranteed to oversaturate/distort your recordings in the same way as a Motorhead gig will - it is this problem that I really want to be able to overcome.
Venues: Everything from sedate sit downs to loud raucous clubs (often with overloud PAs) to larger concert venues or occasional festivals. Whenever possible, I also try to get seats in front of the PA to get a more direct recording.
Budget: Only about $250-300 max as I have to factor in the bloodsucking leeches at the HMRC, who will add on approximately another 30% in customs fees and handling charges when I buy from the US or Canada and import into the UK.
I'm tending towards Church Audio - possibly the omni/cardioid combi package with CA14s. However, if I go down the CA route, it appears from reading many posts here, the CA11s might be better, possibly with interchangeable capsules, or indeed just a set of each type of 11s. There is also the question of the 4.7k mod - does it suit cardioids or omnis better? My other possible is Sound Professionals (but dog knows which ones). There may be further alternatives...
With upwards of 10,000 boots in my collection, I have listened to many recordings done with all these different bits of gear, most good, some great. I see lots of praise for both these companies, but as I can only realistically make a mic purchase once, I need to make sure the kit will serve my purposes.
For those of you who are using these rigs, or indeed Chris or the SP guys, any advice will be appreciated, either in the thread or via PM. The simple question, if you're still reading this, is this: with $300 maximum to spend, what would you buy?
Thanks in advance.