Topic: Stealth mic upgrading

[poorlyconditioned]

I also recommend the CMC8's.  I'm a professional opera singer taping my own rehearsals/performances in all sorts of different spaces and these mics have performed beautifully across the board - they're pretty cost-effective and versatile since you can stealth them if necessary (as I do) or use them out in the open if you get them rigged up to some kind of stand.  I believe you can get assorted caps for them, too- I use the omnis, but if memory serves you can card and hypercard caps for them too.... Check at Soundpros website.

If you REALLY want to upgrade, though (and want to spend a lot more!) the DPA 4060s are without question the best of anything I've heard (including much larger studio mics) - just stunning.  In fact, I recently heard a professionally-recorded NPR broadcast and the quality was nothing like the kind of quality Tenorichards gets w/his DPA stealth setup.

+T for singing *and* for recording yourself.  Excellent!

  Richard

[divamum]

tx for the props!  I am but a lowly n00b, but I'm enjoying learning howto use the technology nd also how much REALLY recording myself is improving my singing.  Digital equipment makes a HUGE difference - it's so easy (and so much higher quality) than tape and even MD was.   The weird thing though, is once you start taking the recording part seriously you'll be onstage doin' your thing and suddenly  think, "gee I wonder if I set the levels right for this scene?" or turning to where you know your friend/spouse/whoever is sitting with teh gear and worrying more about what the TAPE will hear than the live audience...........

 

[Belexes]

I stumbled across this thread and I have a set of CMC8's.  Are the DPA 4060's a considerable upgrade? I like the CMC8's, but may want to try something else in the future.

[Von Recklinhausen]

First of all, +T (and don't mention it again, just read about them here  http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=2298.0

Next, if everyone on this board expressed themselves as well as you do, I'd want them all to be "alien"

<snip>
PS.: Sorry for my poor English (but I am an alien).

Just as a clarification, the SP-CMC-8s are not the AT853 model, they are the AT943....quite a bit smaller.  For their price, I love them.

Audball is correct. Two different mics.  I have both and the only reason I keep the AT853s is that I only have the hyper caps for them.  Otherwise I use the 943s exclusively.  I think they perform much better and are stealthier due to their size.  Don’t' let size fool you as the DPA 406x are even smaller.

But...why not? My starting point is that I have got very good results in an opera recording with some very basic microphones. Perhaps I am so beginner that any recording looks like very satisfying to me. I only want less self-noise in quiet recordings, but i don't want to lose stealth carrying a battery box or a phantom power source.

<snip cause it was asked and answered>

The size of a battery box should not be a huge concern.  They are normally only 4cm x 8cm x 3cm, although you can find smaller devices at Sound Pro's site.  The thing that the bat box will help most is the noise level of your recordings.  Instead of running your mics into the mic-in, which powers the mic with a paltry (and noisy) 2-3v (maybe), you run them into a bat box and then into the LINE IN jack on your MD.  A significant improvement in noise levels will be heard. Trust us on that.  The bat box is normally only going to cost around $60-$75us so it won't kill you.  Another alternative would be something like the small pre amp that Church Audio sells through its Ebay store.  Do a search on that and you'll find it.  That will replace a bat box and perhaps give you the gain you seek for the extra quiet acoustic material.  I'd guess a batt box would help in any case and it's something you could resell without taking too big a hit.

Finally, you may want to visit this link and go to the site link contained therein.  A very good selection of quality comparisons of 3-4 diff mics, two of which are mentioned here.

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=52094.0

If it were me starting over I may be tempted to try the Sennheisers you mentioned.  Good Luck, and don’t worry about the MD aspect at all.  That will only cause you “trouble” if you start claiming that your MD recordings sound better than someone’s Schoeps>V3>722 pull!

Thanks for the +T explanation. Even I see I have already got five! Wonderful!
Finally, I have just  ordered the Microphone Madness Senheisser MKE2.s. I hope I will get it in about 15 days. As soon as I have made some recordings, I will post to say my impressions.
By the way (and I don't mean that Minidisc is better than other recording devices), if somebody is interested in getting a Hi-MD at a good price, it will be useful to know that Sony has discontinued the minidisc system in Australia, and they are just now inmersed in a "massive liquidation". Those interested can direct to:
http://www.minidisc.com.au/
http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=12686

[zowie]

By the way (and I don't mean that Minidisc is better than other recording devices), if somebody is interested in getting a Hi-MD at a good price, it will be useful to know that Sony has discontinued the minidisc system in Australia, and they are just now inmersed in a "massive liquidation". Those interested can direct to:
http://www.minidisc.com.au/
http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=12686

I'd gotten some email from somewhere that said that Sony was bailing out on the MD format.  Not surprising.  Thanks for the tip. +T 

Since Sony IS the MD format, that would mean the end of it.  But I wouldn't let that influence my decision at this point.  Similar rumors were spead a few months ago on the MD boards only to be followed by new rumors that it was not so.

Also, bailing out of the Autralia market does not by a long shot equate to bailing out of the format!  Lots of products are only sold in certain markets but not others because they are profitable in some places but not others.  John Deer doesn't sell combines in Brooklyn and Mrs. Stahl's doesn't have a store in Iowa but we'll  have lots of farm equipment and knishes long into the future.

[vince]

P.S. How can I make my avatar less huge?

profile>forum profile information>replace your current link with this link in your picture profile
http://taperssection.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=48120.0;attach=24277;image

[Von Recklinhausen]

P.S. How can I make my avatar less huge?

profile>forum profile information>replace your current link with this link in your picture profile
http://taperssection.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=48120.0;attach=24277;image

I got it! At last I am a normal person! Thanks a lot, Vince.

[spyder9]

Get the AT853RX's (phantom) and fahgeddaboudit.....................