Topic: Advice for new mics purchasing for stealth recording

[leykis 101]

HI,

I am going to do a major upgrade of my recording gear.  I have a budget of $500 and up (I am getting a large inheritance and this is my one splurge)

I have been looking but all of the high end mics look like big honking units not ideal for stealth recording.  I am not tied to one maker or brand either.  (and btw will be upgrading recorder to something else as my zoom h1 probably cant handle what I will buy)

[Datfly]

Welcome.
You have many options

This below may be about the best you can get for the price and it covers a wide range
of taping scenarios. However be sure to check out the Yardsale as you can get some great deals there!

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=159385.0

Church Audio March Break SALE!

9200 Package with ca-14 card and ca-14 omni $250 + Shipping.
Ubb and ca-14 card and ca-14 omni $150 + Shipping.

Shipping to the USA $24.00 Shipping to Europe via air mail $20.00

Please email me directly for sales info and ordering.
sales@church-audio.com

[cashandkerouac]

pretty hard to go wrong with the new AKG active set up from Jon at Naiant (http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=160205.0).  excellent rig and super big bang for your buck. 

- AKG ck61 or ck63 caps ($300-$400)
- Sony M10 recorder (about $200)
- Naiant Tinybox ($239)
- Couplers and active cable from Jon ($150 - $200 depending on cable needs)

great rig for stealth or open taping, and very compact as well.  it will all fit in a small to medium sized camera bag for easy transport.

if you want to spend more $$$ you certainly can... Sennheiser MKH8040s or Schoeps MK4, MK41 are great choices at a much higher price point.  the Sennheisers don't require active cables, but the Schoeps will.
     

[willndmb]

there are some small dpa in the yard sale and b+h has the m10 on sale right now for 200

[F.O.Bean]

Depends on what bands you tape, what size venues, where youre usually located in venue, etc, etc, etc........

[leykis 101]

thanks for the replys, I generally tape all kinds of bands in various venues (from small clubs to the big outdoor festivals).

anyone have expirence with the

http://www.core-sound.com/bk/1.php 

it has the dpa 460s that was recommended, and has the small size I am looking for (not afraid to spend that kind of money if they are that good)

[NotoriousTIMP]

I used to use their Core Sound Binaural microphone set[url] and absolutely loved them (I'm currently trying to track down a used set in time for the new HTDA tour thats going down next month) Core-Sound makes a solid product and I highly recommend them......the only issue is that the cables on the mics are a tad too long for my tastes and tangled pretty easily. Hope this helps!

[F.O.Bean]

Simple answer. Church audio ca14 mics and a battery box/preamp

[adrianf74]

There are as many possibilities here as there are active users around these parts. 

The Core Sound HEB's are good mics (they're made with DPA 4060 or 4061 mics) and probably one of the most cumbersome (and large/heavy) battery boxes known to mankind.  There is a set of 4060's that a guy in Europe is trying to sell and with everything included, it's a good price ($550).

As DatFly pointed out, Church Audio has a sale going on right now... you can get a battery box and both CA-14 card and omni mics for $150 + shipping.   The CA-14 omnis are "close" in sound to the DPA 4061's -- several people have commented on this (including myself) -- however they are a lot bigger than the 406x mics.   If you want something a little smaller from Chris, he also has the CA-11 Series II omni which (according to Chris) is better sounding than the CA-14 omni.  I'm waiting on my pair so I can't comment on this but I don't see him going out on a limb like that.  That mic, with battery box, is $120 + shipping if he has any left.

I'd strongly consider going with Chris, however, you need to understand that he's a one man operation and your build time will generally be about four weeks PLUS shipping time.

If you're going to consider the DPA 406x/Core Sound HEB mics, a lot is changing in the world of "007."  Many people here will say the AKG active setup with CK61 or CK63 cards sound better than than the 406x mics but they are considerably bigger.   I was going to go the 406x route but decided some sort of "actives" solution is a better use of my money.

Any way you slice it, even if you wanted a preamp (which you really don't need for rock shows), you could spend between $150 and $250 on a rig from Chris (if you get a preamp, you'll need a 1/8" cable to connect the deck to the preamp so don't forget to add about $25) and then you can spend $200 at B&H and get a Sony M10.   

I remember the days when I bought a portable DAT deck ($1000) and CSB mics ($300).  That would be worth over $2000 today and for under $400, I could have two sets of mics, a battery box and an excellent recorder.   How things have changed.

[Arni99]

After I sold my 4061's 1 year ago, I ordered the 4060 today.... 311 Euro each.
Still have my SONY PCM-M10 and the DPA MPS 6030 power supply with microdots.
On April 6th the next rock-indoor-show will be taped...yeehaaa  .
Don't use my SP-CMC-8 that much anymore as the sound (bass) is to thin ....at least for me.

[F.O.Bean]

After I sold my 4061's 1 year ago, I ordered the 4060 today.... 311 Euro each.
Still have my SONY PCM-M10 and the DPA MPS 6030 power supply with microdots.
On April 6th the next rock-indoor-show will be taped...yeehaaa  .
Don't use my SP-CMC-8 that much anymore as the sound (bass) is to thin ....at least for me.

Smart move but I would've looked into church audio ca14 mics first

[Cheesecadet]

After I sold my 4061's 1 year ago, I ordered the 4060 today.... 311 Euro each.
Still have my SONY PCM-M10 and the DPA MPS 6030 power supply with microdots.
On April 6th the next rock-indoor-show will be taped...yeehaaa  .
Don't use my SP-CMC-8 that much anymore as the sound (bass) is to thin ....at least for me.

Good Move!  I know a lot of folks around here like the CA-14's but they still don't compare to the DPA406x in my opinion.  At least not to these ears. 

[Arni99]

After I sold my 4061's 1 year ago, I ordered the 4060 today.... 311 Euro each.
Still have my SONY PCM-M10 and the DPA MPS 6030 power supply with microdots.
On April 6th the next rock-indoor-show will be taped...yeehaaa  .
Don't use my SP-CMC-8 that much anymore as the sound (bass) is to thin ....at least for me.

Smart move but I would've looked into church audio ca14 mics first

Had Church audio mics some years ago but DPA's are on another level in my opinion.

[Ultfris101]

I'm in agreement. If you have the money to spend the DPA 4061's, a DPA preamp with microdot connectors and a Sony M10 or similar small recorder is a great setup giving you a lot of fexibility for what it sounds like you want to do.

I like the church mics I have and highly recommend them. They are very economical but they do take longer to build.

While I haven't been doing low pro stuff as much as I used to, the DPA 4061s are very nice and SUPER small. I was shocked at just how small once I had them in my hand.

I had a microdot > miniplug adapter cable made by Chris Church to let me use DPA 4061s with the Church 9200 preamp I already had. Works great.

I think either the 4060s or 4061s will work for you, the latter have lower sensitivity and thus you're less likely to overload at a loud show. Consider you might be in situations where checking levels is difficult so think about whether you'll be taping at a loud club mostly and want to be safer.

I also have AKG actives and I like them a lot too but I run them on a stand. They're bigger over all than I want to deal with for  recording.

So, if you have the money, I think you'll be happy with a rig built around DPAs.

[swordfish]

Don't use my SP-CMC-8 that much anymore as the sound (bass) is to thin ....at least for me.
Had Church audio mics some years ago but DPA's are on another level in my opinion.

Don't we compare apples with oranges...omni with card caps

I owned the SP-CMC-8 and have the DPA 4061+Countryman B3 in use...I don't like to use omnis in small clubs anymore due to the chatter/noise/clapping around me...I prefer the CA 14 cards even when the bass is thinner, but you are able to change that in post at the PC nowdays...if I record theater plays or Jazz concerts or open air shows if prefer the omni mics I own ....because usually the crowd is quite during the songs and you can lower the applause between songs also in post...

Hi Arni...you gave me some good advice in the German minidisc forum a few years back... thanks for that....I am waiting on the new CA 11 II omni from Chris at the present...will test it... and than I will clean up my mic "compartment" and sell some of my mics in the yard sale....