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Author Topic: Busman BSC 1- worth buying?  (Read 17680 times)

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Offline Belexes

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Re: Busman BSC 1- worth buying?
« Reply #30 on: January 08, 2011, 07:44:51 AM »
Cheap mics can make great recordings. I have taped with my Busman's at shows with guys using Neumanns, DPA's, etc and prefer my Busmans.

The overall feeling on this board is that a $5000 - $7000 setup can't be topped and the ones who shell out the most make the best recordings.  ::)
Busman Audio BSC1-K1/K2/K3/K4 > HiHo Silver XLR's > Deck TBD

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Offline rjp

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Re: Busman BSC 1- worth buying?
« Reply #31 on: January 08, 2011, 08:26:13 AM »
Cheap mics can make great recordings.

Absolutely. Sure, my AKG P170s aren't top-of-the-line, and the Vienna-built AKGs have objectively better specs (S/N ratio, for instance), but I've been happy with the results I've had using the 170s - even more so with the Littlebox in the chain. Even if I do make an upgrade (multipattern LDCs are on my radar, maybe a pair of AT4050s), I'm going to keep the budget AKGs in my arsenal.

Just like anything else in audio, as you spend more, you get diminishing returns.
Mics: AKG Perception 170, Naiant X-X, Sound Professionals SP-TFB-2
Preamps: Naiant Littlebox
Recorders: Olympus LS-10
Interfaces: Focusrite Saffire Pro 14, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2

Offline Javier Cinakowski

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Re: Busman BSC 1- worth buying?
« Reply #32 on: January 08, 2011, 11:15:28 AM »
I bought darn near every budget and chinese mic available when I started this hobby. I found some great values and pulled some nice tapes.  That said, I could have saved myself a ton of time and money by investing in a world class pair of mics from the start. 

If you really can't afford akg or schoeps or you don't need the ego boost that those manufactures provide users, I would highly recomend the AT405x series microphones.  Not german, but the japs certainly do a better job than the chinese.  The 4051 sdc and the 4050 ldc can hold their own against any microphone imho. 
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Offline Todd R

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Re: Busman BSC 1- worth buying?
« Reply #33 on: January 08, 2011, 11:48:56 AM »
Cheap mics can make great recordings. I have taped with my Busman's at shows with guys using Neumanns, DPA's, etc and prefer my Busmans.

The overall feeling on this board is that a $5000 - $7000 setup can't be topped and the ones who shell out the most make the best recordings.  ::)

I guess I'd disagree with you here.  I think this board is very supportive of all tapers and people here I think do a good job overall encouraging people in the hobby no matter what price level they're invested in.  (I also think that if someone made what frankly is a somewhat inflammatory comment as yours but turned around and said with rolled eyes that somehow these people with cheaper mics seem to think they're able to make good recordings, then lots of people would call that poster out.)

I'm sure I could be easily be put into the category of gear slut, and I've owned a pretty large number of different mics.  Trying out different stuff is definitely part of the fun for me of this hobby.  And especially with the availability of multi-channel recording, I've done quite a bit of controlled comps of mics myself, using a wide array of "cheap" mics and expensive ones.  For me, while the cheap mics can sound very good, in the exact same circumstances, the expensive ones sound better to me.  The cheaper ones sound good, but the more expensive are better.  And this holds true for even the very expensive over the expensive. (For instance, I definitely preferred my Gefell m210s over jwmod AKG 463's, and preferred the m210's over my now "new" Beyer mc950's, though I decided to sell the Gefells and keep the Beyers to pull some money out of the rig.)

There are probably tapers who just get the expensive gear and assume it makes the best recordings.  But especially for tapers on this board who are very involved in the hobby and like to think about it and post about it, expand their understanding, share their experiences, etc, I think many or most of these tapers who use expensive gear do so because they slowly upgraded over time, not just to waste their money, but because they found the extra investment was worth it, since it sounded better to them.

Everyone has different tastes and hears things differently. Probably thankfully for my wallet, I just do not and never have preferred the sound of schoeps.  And while I like the sound of DPAs, not really that much better or even better at all to my ear than my Milabs.  I'm sure others on the board running their expensive rigs actually listen critically to their recordings and like the sound they get.  If others like you are lucky that your tastes and your ears are tilted towards cheaper gear, that's great for you and your wallet, but that doesn't make anyone who spends $5,000+ on gear wrong.  You're sitting there thinking your recordings sound better (to you), and those with the $5,000-$7,000 gear are sitting there thinking their recordings sound better.  They don't have to be wrong for your to be right.
Mics: Microtech Gefell m20/m21 (nbob/pfa actives), Line Audio CM3, Church CA-11 cards
Preamp:  none <sniff>
Recorders:  Sound Devices MixPre-6, Sony PCM-M10, Zoom H4nPro

Offline yug du nord

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Re: Busman BSC 1- worth buying?
« Reply #34 on: January 08, 2011, 12:59:55 PM »
^I'm no authority and could very well be wrong..... but doesn't Busman upgrade the critical internal guts....  which creates his own sonic signature?  I don't know how much difference it actually makes, but I'm pretty sure that Chinese mics don't feature van den Hul wiring.

I agree.... not all Chinese mics are the same.  That's why it can be a crap shoot with em......  poor quality control.

Semantics probably, but when I'm talking about chinese mics, I'm talking about components from china, particularly bodies and especially capsules.  I've heard some allusions to busman's new modified capsules, so I don't really know about those, but the BSC mics had originally been made using chinese bodies + capsules.  Busman definitely had his own stamp on them, either by specifying what electronics went into them or by stuffing and soldering them himself (don't know which one it is).

I hear what you're sayin......  but I have been under the belief that Busman solders and stuffs his own guts into into those Chinese manufactured body sleeves.  I could very well be wrong......  but that is what I've always thought for some reason.  And the caps are most likely the same Chinese caps found on other mics......     not sure about that either, but it seems that way.  It sounds like he's "re-working" those Chinese caps to shape em sonically and aesthetically into his own creature......  but not sure on that either. 
I'm a heavy Busman fluffer.....  but there are some unanswered questions surrounding his goods.

This is probably "nit-pickin".....   but if I were to call the BSC1's anything...  I guess it would be "Chinese-machined, USA made/designed"....  but that doesn't really have any flow to it.   :P   

I'll say this.....  after listening to mainly Schoeps sources for the past 6months or so, I still fully enjoy my Busman sources......  IMO, that's gotta say somethin. 

I also think that  "less expensive" mics are not usually being driven by a "world class" pre-amp/ADC.....  which highly affects the end results IMO.

I look at it this way....  the BSC1's might not be in the same league as the "world class" mic manufacturers.......  but Busman created a "budget" mic that what might lack in "tech-specs", it makes up for in musicality. 
.....got a blank space where my mind should be.....

Offline acidjack

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Re: Busman BSC 1- worth buying?
« Reply #35 on: January 10, 2011, 01:11:46 PM »
I bought darn near every budget and chinese mic available when I started this hobby. I found some great values and pulled some nice tapes.  That said, I could have saved myself a ton of time and money by investing in a world class pair of mics from the start. 

If you really can't afford akg or schoeps or you don't need the ego boost that those manufactures provide users, I would highly recomend the AT405x series microphones.  Not german, but the japs certainly do a better job than the chinese.  The 4051 sdc and the 4050 ldc can hold their own against any microphone imho.

This is where I was too - I bought a lot of different kinds of budget mics and ended up wasting a lot of money - at least as much as I paid (used) for the rig I have now.

These kinds of conversations always take a somewhat unfortunate turn about cost of mic vs quality of mic, etc. etc.  Expensive mics cost more not just because they have fancy names on them, but because they perform better, in an objective sense (whether you like the "Neumann sound" or "Schoeps sound" or "DPA sound" or not, each of their top-of-the-line products is, objectively, a better-manufactured and better-performing product those of most of their competitors).  But the user, and the user's objectives, are also pretty important.  A Ferrari is also a much better car than my 1999 Chevy.  However, in getting from point A to point B a few times a week and carrying stuff, my 1999 Chevy is as good, if not better.  And I bet that Mario Andretti driving my 1999 Chevy could probably still smoke me driving a Ferrari....   
Mics: Schoeps MK4V, MK41V, MK5, MK22> CMC6, KCY 250/5, KC5, NBob; MBHO MBP603/KA200N, AT 3031, DPA 4061 w/ d:vice, Naiant X-X, AT 853c, shotgun, Nak300
Pres/Power: Aerco MP2, tinybox v2  [KCY], CA-UBB
Decks: Sound Devices MixPre 6, Zoom F8, M10, D50

My recordings on nyctaper.com: http://www.nyctaper.com/?tag=acidjack | LMA: http://www.archive.org/bookmarks/acidjack | twitter: http://www.twitter.com/acidjacknyc | Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/acidjacknyc

Offline Shawn

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Re: Busman BSC 1- worth buying?
« Reply #36 on: January 10, 2011, 02:43:26 PM »
I would love to own Busman or Peluso mics, but can you expect the longevity of AKG out of them???
ever tried to get a pair of AKG ck1x caps serviced by AKG? I have. AKG laughed at me and said no. Just buying one of the big dog brands doesn't mean much.

Offline twatts (pants are so over-rated...)

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Re: Busman BSC 1- worth buying?
« Reply #37 on: January 10, 2011, 04:16:20 PM »
I would love to own Busman or Peluso mics, but can you expect the longevity of AKG out of them???
ever tried to get a pair of AKG ck1x caps serviced by AKG? I have. AKG laughed at me and said no. Just buying one of the big dog brands doesn't mean much.

How old are the ck-series caps???  Where will Busman and/or Peluso be in that many years from now??? 

I'm not stating that AKG has phenomenal service, just that in the long-run you'll probalby be better of with an AKG than you would with a Busman Audio... 

Terry
***Do you have PHISH, VIDA BLUE, JAZZ MANDOLIN PROJECT or any other Phish related DATs/Tapes/MDs that need to be transferred???  I can do them for you!!!***

I will return your DATs/Tapes/MDs.  I'll also provide Master FLAC files via DropBox.  PM me for details.

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Re: Busman BSC 1- worth buying?
« Reply #38 on: January 10, 2011, 04:26:16 PM »
I would love to own Busman or Peluso mics, but can you expect the longevity of AKG out of them???
ever tried to get a pair of AKG ck1x caps serviced by AKG? I have. AKG laughed at me and said no. Just buying one of the big dog brands doesn't mean much.

How old are the ck-series caps???  Where will Busman and/or Peluso be in that many years from now??? 

I'm not stating that AKG has phenomenal service, just that in the long-run you'll probalby be better of with an AKG than you would with a Busman Audio... 

Terry

to be fair, Doug isn't dead. I get your point, and it's a valid one; in that statistically you are more likely to get service on older products with bigger names. True, but it's a gamble, and Oade is an example of that.
"This is a common practice we have on the bus; debating facts that we could easily find through printed material. It's like, how far is it today? I think it's four hours, and someone else comes in at 11 hours, and well, then we'll... just... talk about it..." - Jeb Puryear

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runonce

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Re: Busman BSC 1- worth buying?
« Reply #39 on: January 10, 2011, 04:58:04 PM »
^I'm no authority and could very well be wrong..... but doesn't Busman upgrade the critical internal guts....  which creates his own sonic signature?  I don't know how much difference it actually makes, but I'm pretty sure that Chinese mics don't feature van den Hul wiring.

I agree.... not all Chinese mics are the same.  That's why it can be a crap shoot with em......  poor quality control.

Semantics probably, but when I'm talking about chinese mics, I'm talking about components from china, particularly bodies and especially capsules.  I've heard some allusions to busman's new modified capsules, so I don't really know about those, but the BSC mics had originally been made using chinese bodies + capsules.  Busman definitely had his own stamp on them, either by specifying what electronics went into them or by stuffing and soldering them himself (don't know which one it is).

I hear what you're sayin......  but I have been under the belief that Busman solders and stuffs his own guts into into those Chinese manufactured body sleeves.  I could very well be wrong......  but that is what I've always thought for some reason.  And the caps are most likely the same Chinese caps found on other mics......     not sure about that either, but it seems that way.  It sounds like he's "re-working" those Chinese caps to shape em sonically and aesthetically into his own creature......  but not sure on that either. 
I'm a heavy Busman fluffer.....  but there are some unanswered questions surrounding his goods.

This is probably "nit-pickin".....   but if I were to call the BSC1's anything...  I guess it would be "Chinese-machined, USA made/designed"....  but that doesn't really have any flow to it.   :P   


I think the original idea was based off his modifications to the Avantone CK1s. Later - I think Bus learned some of the ins and outs of working with Chinese manufacturers and was able to spec out and import his own product.

I doubt he does much but test bodies - not sure if he makes any adjustments to the caps. But - I'd be certain he's not sitting around soldering mics together.

Offline twatts (pants are so over-rated...)

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Re: Busman BSC 1- worth buying?
« Reply #40 on: January 10, 2011, 07:08:14 PM »
I would love to own Busman or Peluso mics, but can you expect the longevity of AKG out of them???
ever tried to get a pair of AKG ck1x caps serviced by AKG? I have. AKG laughed at me and said no. Just buying one of the big dog brands doesn't mean much.

How old are the ck-series caps???  Where will Busman and/or Peluso be in that many years from now??? 

I'm not stating that AKG has phenomenal service, just that in the long-run you'll probalby be better of with an AKG than you would with a Busman Audio... 

Terry

to be fair, Doug isn't dead. I get your point, and it's a valid one; in that statistically you are more likely to get service on older products with bigger names. True, but it's a gamble, and Oade is an example of that.

Oh yeah, despite what I've said, I own ADKs and an Oade Mod... 

I think there needs to be a balance struck between longevity/servicability and economy...  Personally, I think the BSC-1s are worth it, but others may not...  Someone looking to upgrade in a few years, its probably a great deal...  Someone that's going to keep them forever, maybe ot so... 

Oade is a great example of someone that is not a big name, but has relatively good service...  But on the other end of the specturm, there are the JKLab boxes...

Terry

***Do you have PHISH, VIDA BLUE, JAZZ MANDOLIN PROJECT or any other Phish related DATs/Tapes/MDs that need to be transferred???  I can do them for you!!!***

I will return your DATs/Tapes/MDs.  I'll also provide Master FLAC files via DropBox.  PM me for details.

Sony PCM R500 > SPDIF > Tascam HD-P2
Nakamichi DR-3 > (Oade Advanced Concert Mod) Tascam HD-P2
Sony MDS-JE510 > Hosa ODL-276 > Tascam HD-P2

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Offline newplanet7

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Re: Busman BSC 1- worth buying?
« Reply #41 on: January 10, 2011, 10:30:18 PM »
How old are the ck-series caps???  Where will Busman and/or Peluso be in that many years from now??? 
Terry
The ck1x series are not in production anymore. They went with the AKG remote set-up with the mk46 remote cables
for an active style set up.
The ck(uls) 61, 62, 63 are still being made.
MILAB VM-44 Classic~> Silver T's~> Busman PMD660
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Offline Busman Audio

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Re: Busman BSC 1- worth buying?
« Reply #42 on: January 11, 2011, 11:30:39 PM »
 I modify most of the components to my chosen types and values and rewire all the mics. This happens here. I also solder everything using WBT solder and use high quality tools.  My products speak for themselves. If you want to spend more money on mics that is fine with me I do keep busy and this is my business for life.  When I started out doing this I thought about the fact that if I started releasing products I did not want to leave my customers high and dry down the road and so I am committed to staying around.

My mics are originally from China yes but are they even close to that once you get them. NO.

It is always up to you to decide what is better for you. Everyone hears differently and that is the magic of music, everyone can have a different experience good or bad.

By the way, here is a link to some comparison files of the new capsules and a sample from the BASR1 stereo ribbon
http://www.busmanaudio.com/audio_samples.htm
Busman mics of all kinds>some type of busman modified recorder.

"Just Mod It"

Offline yug du nord

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Re: Busman BSC 1- worth buying?
« Reply #43 on: January 12, 2011, 12:54:05 AM »
^Hey.... good to see you around Chris......  nice updates to your site!  Busman ROCKS.
.....got a blank space where my mind should be.....

Offline jbell

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Re: Busman BSC 1- worth buying?
« Reply #44 on: January 12, 2011, 07:24:21 PM »
Due to snow I haven't worked all week, so I have been catching up on editing shows.  I have been listening to some of my pulls when I was runing Avantone Ck1s modded by Busman and I am very pleased with the results.  The modded Avantones are similar to the BCS1 mics.
Mics: DPA ST4011ER & 4018ER
Preamps: DPA MMA 6000 | Audioroot Femto
Recorders: Sound Devices Mixpre-10 II | Sony PCM A10

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