Topic: Your least favorite mics. Why?

[acidjack]

Taking a cue from mshilarious' idea in the "favorite mics" thread...

Of course, given the wide range of prices, it's important to compare apples to apples, but people have ones they don't like for sure (see, e.g., the famous "Schoeps sound like mud" meme).

In live recording, a user can be as much a problem as the mic.  But one mic, even in its price range, that IMHO always sounded like crap was the Coresound Cardiods.  I often got good results with the Coresound omnis, but I was never able to pull a very good tape with the cards....

Similarly, I have not enjoyed the sound of the AT 853 hypercards at all.  Some apparently swear by 'em, but every time I've used them, I have regretted it.

[fmaderjr]

I've only used the hypercards when far back in a fairly large (a few thousand seats) indoor venue. Sounded great every time.

[newplanet7]

 

[darktrain]

This one's a no brainer - Giant Squid Audio Mics- THEY ALL SUCK

[jlykos]

Anything besides Microtech Gefells.

Because they don't sound like Gefells.

[rokpunk]

I cant stand the AKG blue line series or the c3000's. Yet, I LOVE the 460's. Go figure.

[fmaderjr]

This one's a no brainer - Giant Squid Audio Mics- THEY ALL SUCK

You're right Robb. You sold me a pair real cheap (half price or so, so you obviously have a conscience). Good thing I was buying them for a friend who would never know the difference. I bet he never even used them, so we all made out OK.

I guess it's no secret why Darren Nemath (Giant Squid) never shows up posting here and we hear from Chris Church on a regular basis.

[darktrain]

This one's a no brainer - Giant Squid Audio Mics- THEY ALL SUCK

You're right Robb. You sold me a pair real cheap (half price or so, so you obviously have a conscience). Good thing I was buying them for a friend who would never know the difference. I bet he never even used them, so we all made out OK.

I guess it's no secret why Darren Nemath (Giant Squid) never shows up posting here and we hear from Chris Church on a regular basis.

Only giant squids i ever had i sold on ebay for 15 bucks, that was before i found this board to give me some quality info

[illconditioned]

[names left out to protect the innocent]

There was a funny incident on the Micbuilders board a couple years back where one vendor of mics who may or may not be mentioned above asked the board how to build a mic that could be phantom powered inside an XLR connector.  Another vendor of mics exposed that individual by saying it sounded like he was trying to copy the designs of yet another vendor of mics.  A further reply suggested that the first vendor start by learning Ohm's Law    It was fairly brutal, but funny.

I was not a participant, but I've always published my schematics, so no big deal to me either way . . .

[/names left out to protect the innocent]

Yeah, publishing schematics is great.  Combine that with excellent workmanship and you've got a winner product.  After seeing the {little,big}box pictures, I'm going to get one eventually.

  Richard

[fmaderjr]

Only giant squids i ever had i sold on ebay for 15 bucks, that was before i found this board to give me some quality info

Sorry Robb. Guess my memory is going bad in my old age.

[darktrain]

Only giant squids i ever had i sold on ebay for 15 bucks, that was before i found this board to give me some quality info

Sorry Robb. Guess my memory is going bad in my old age.

No sweat, maybe you got them off ebay

[goodcooker]

The least favorite mics I owned were AT853.
Didn't like the sound at all.

[chris319]

1. Any low-price, mass-produced ribbon mic from overseas. The quality control just isn't there. You have to spend as much or more than the original cost of the mic for ribbon tensioning, removal of the internal stuffings and a high-end transformer.

2. The Electro-Voice RE85. The worst-sounding "professional" mic ever created. I used to work at a TV station that used one. It was so bad it made some of these SM58 knock-offs sound like Schoepses by comparison.

[oudplayer]

those newish AKGs - c1000, c3000. Icepick meat forehead... 

And, have to mention those Sony stereo mics (9xx series) - "your sound source from inside a pillow"

[dactylus]

Anything besides Microtech Gefells.

Because they don't sound like Gefells.