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Gear / Technical Help => Microphones & Setup => Topic started by: greenmtnsrider on March 12, 2013, 11:57:43 AM
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Hi there - I've been looking around for some mics to start taping as im looking to get away from getting the straight soundboard pull at my local club. I came across the AKG Perception 170's and they seem to be about the right price for my budget. Has anyone used these to any extent that they could give me some good feedback on the pros and cons of these mics? I'm looking at the stereo pair which i can get relatively cheap right now through multiple outlets. Ive also looked at the CA-14's and those seem pretty good as well. I have a preamp, albeit an m-audio audio buddy which does the job and will be running a Tascam DR-2D. Any help is much appreciated. Thanks!
I also need a battery supply to run the preamp as I dont want to run on shore power if I dont have to, but its not necessary as I have access to power next to the light board I run at the club...
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I don't know anyone who has run 170's, or if they did, they didn't keep running them. I don't generally recommend that new tapers jump into an unknown mic, because if it doesn't work it's especially frustrating to someone who is just starting out.
Most condenser mics are designed for studio use, meaning drums or guitar etc fairly close to the instrument, and maybe with a frequency response tailored to that situation. Very few mics are designed for ambient recording at a distance, and I think over time the horde of tapers have tried most of figured out which ones are good for that purpose, and which ones are not. I'll use Shure SM81's as an example... possibly the most common mic for overhead drums on stage, but I don't know anyone who uses them regularly for ambient taping, except perhaps a house sound guy who just happens to have them and nothing else.
My suggestion is to look for something that has hundreds of tapes on archive.org, and listen to them, and pick one you like. Some decent low cost mics that you might find in the yard sale for something like $200 a pair are:
- Studio Projects C4's (which use phantom power)
- Nakamichi CM300's (which use special batteries)
- AT853's, ones with phantom adapters.
- Busman Audio BSC1's
.... I'm sure there are lots more, someone throw out other ideas. All the gear I have, and I have a lot of it, has been purchased used, mostly from the yard sale.
In general taper's mics fall into 2 categories:
- mics with have XLR connectors, and frequently phantom power, and low impedence. I'll call these "big mics" Example: the 170's
- mics which run on "plug in power" of something like 3-12v, frequently plugging into a 1/8" miniplug jack. Example: CA-14's
My suggestion is to pick one or the other, and don't try to mix and match. I'm not saying it can't be done, but in my experience, a newbie who tries to mix and match big preamps with small mics, or big mics with little preamps frequently ends up very frustrated. You have a preamp and recorder with XLRs, stick with mics with XLR's.
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Funny you mention the Shure SM81's...The house sound guy has these and has lent them to me to tape some stuff around town...
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I was going to pick up a pair before I found an older pair of AKGs on Craigslist that worked out well.
Here's some shows on archive.
http://archive.org/search.php?query=AKG%20170%20AND%20collection%3Aetree
Could sound nice in the sweet spot... always a gamble down here on the low-end of fidelity :)
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Im always in the sweet spot as the SBD is more to the right of center and the light board is more centered. So the sound could possibly be pretty decent.
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Though no one uses the sm81, it is great for what we do. I think tapers are frequently guilty of groupthink in the negative sense. We use what we use. But there may be great stuff out there that no one uses, just because no one uses it.
If you don't need multiple polar atterns, The 170 looks promising, try it! The HF bump might be perfect. And they cost in the ballpark of a schoeps mounting solution for a *pair.*
http://www.akg.com/picture.php?txt=For%20image%20download%3A%20right%20click%20image%2C%20click%20%22Save%20Picture%20%28Image%29%20As%22%2C%20click%20%22Save%22.&pic=/mediendatenbank2/pspic/hires/93/perception475563715c572.jpg
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The Avantone CK-1 is also a good choice in this range. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=867157&is=REG&Q=&A=details
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I was going to pick up a pair before I found an older pair of AKGs on Craigslist that worked out well.
Here's some shows on archive.
http://archive.org/search.php?query=AKG%20170%20AND%20collection%3Aetree
Could sound nice in the sweet spot... always a gamble down here on the low-end of fidelity :)
My suspicions were confirmed listening to some of those sources. They sound a little thin to me which is what I'd expect from the lower priced AKG mics. They are not horrible sounding though. Being an AKG lover I prefer the sound of the C-460's and C-480's.
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you may be able to find a set of AKG SE300's w/CK91 caps close to the price of the perceptions. This will allow you the flexibility to run other patterns down the road as well. Check ebay frequently they come up often for cheap
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Thanks for the advice everyone! Scored a lightly used set of AKG SE300/CK91's for short money today. See you all out there...
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Great choice! Look forward to making many great recordings with your new mics!
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good call on the 391's I love mine and have made some nice recordings with them ;D
next...keep an eye out for a set of ck93's :P
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Thanks for the advice everyone! Scored a lightly used set of AKG SE300/CK91's for short money today. See you all out there...
Good choice. The blue lines were my 3rd set of mics about 15 yrs ago and I still like the 92 when I run omni center.
Have fun and listen to the advice here b/c there really is A LOT of knowledge. . . but most importantly listen what you hear from your recordings for the best advice. . .
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Thanks for the advice everyone! Scored a lightly used set of AKG SE300/CK91's for short money today. See you all out there...
Be sure to fill out your membership card over at Team AKG linked below . . .
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=141495.0
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Yup, DG makes some good recordings with the AKG SE300/CK91's.