Mic recommendation ~$400 or so...

Hey all;

Wow.... SO long since I've been here....

Looking to buy a mic to add to my collection. Here is what I currently have:

Rode NT1 (usually main mic for most featured instruments, esp vocals)
Sennheiser e602 - large diaphragm dynamic - great for kick, bass cabs, etc.
SM57 (x2)
SM58
Sennheiser e835 - I use this where people traditionally recommend a 57, and also on live vocals.
Behringer ECM8000 (x2) - small-diaphragm omni condensors - decent enough for drum overheads.
AKG D80 (if somebody could tell me WTF this mic is for, I'd be grateful. It doesn't sound good on *anything*)

My goal is to get something that I don't already have, within a budget of about $400 or so.

Considering:
Rode NT2K, Rode NT2-a - both variable pattern LD condensors. They would allow me to maybe "bump up" a bit from the NT1, but also to partner with the NT1 to provide a stereo pair for overheads, and would offer a figure-8 pattern that would allow me to try some M/S stuff.
Studio Projects CS5 - basically the same rationale as above.
M-Audio Solaris - same as above
Sennheiser MD421 - guitar cabs, toms, etc. - a completely different beast from anything I own currently. Perhaps more limited use, though.
Rode NT5 (or NT55) - pair - I don't own any medium-diaphragm condensors, and these are sold as matched pairs, which is nice. They are also more cardiod than my Behringers, as well as a measurable step up.
Rode NTK or Studio Projects T3 (used) - I don't own a tube mic at all.


Anyone with any experience with these, or any other suggestions?

Thanks!

CT
 
A pair of the NT55 will cure you of any other SDC's for the immediate future. You're going to have to spend a little for a tube mic. Miktek CV4 is really good. ADK TT also right up there. Of course theres lots of fet based mics but seem to like the one you have.
 
They're all great mics. I recommend the SE2200a though.

Looks interesting, though I can't readily find a Canadian dealer for them. Looks like they're distributed by Fingerprint Audio, and the only Ontario link is for Long and McQuade Music, but there is no mention of SE on the Long and McQuade website.

CT
 
A pair of the NT55 will cure you of any other SDC's for the immediate future.

... which is exactly why they're on my list. 8)

You're going to have to spend a little for a tube mic. Miktek CV4 is really good. ADK TT also right up there. Of course theres lots of fet based mics but seem to like the one you have.

I have a line on a Studio Projects T3 for $399. The NTK is closer to $600, but if I found one used, it could easily be in the ballpark.

CT
 
This post seems very....very familiar lol or should I call you...axeman! haha

I have no idea what you're talking about. Who is axeman?

I still vote on the NT2k

I may be leaning in this direction. From what I gather, it is the same as the NT-2a, except it has variable patterns and frequency roll-off instead of 'notched' patterns and roll-off settings. The flexibility may be worth the extra $$.

OTOH, I could save the extra $$, buy an NT-2 or a Solaris or something, and have enough left over for a Sennheiser e906. (I could go as high as $600....)

Thanks!
CT
aka "axemanchris" LOL
 
Welcome back, Chris (definitely not Axeman) Consider Shure SM7. You really don't have a badass dynamic- or- a pair of Studio Projects C-4's. They are better instrument mics and better overheads than anything you have right now.-or- AKG C2000B- A wicked versatile mic- good for vocals, cabs, percussion, acoustic instruments, almost anything except bass and kick. Good luck-Richie
 
Hey Richard. I adopted the username "axemanchris" back in the day when a bunch of us from over here started to populate RP. I also use it on a couple of other forums.

I am intrigued by the SM7. It definitely IS different from anything I currently have, and its reputation speaks for itself. It's also in my price range.

The SP C-4 mics are almost $100 cheaper than the NT5 pairs, and also offer (I'm guessing) interchangeable capsules for omni or cardiod. That's nice. I wonder how they stack up in terms of performance.

The AKG2000B - the price is right, but I'm not what I would use it for, right off.

Thanks for the replies!

CT
 
Yo Chris (Axeman)! SM7 is a great mic. It wants a lot of clean gain though. If you can give it 60db (at least), it rocks. Also a great live vocal mic, which very few people are aware of.
The C-4's do come with omni and cardioid capsules, shocks, and the flight case, and they are very comparable to the NT5's. C2000B- no one knows what to use it for, because it is so damn versatile. It's what I put up on almost anything when my first choice is already in use, which is saying a lot, considering I've got a fair number of mics in house, including B.L.U.E. Kiwi, C414, NTK, SM7b, KM184, MK319, Baby Bottle, Bluebird, and V67G. The only thing it is guaranteed to be used on is guitar cabs, usually with a dynamic as well.-Richie
 
Sounds like the Steinberg and the SM7b would get along just fine. Here's another great endorsement for C2000B- Although I make no claims that it's a Neumann or whatever, I don't know of a single person who has used it that thinks it sucks and is useless. It suffered from being part of a series of mics that weren't great performers. C3000B (so what?), C1000S (good nightstick/sex toy), C4000B (an "OK" mic, but outclassed by AT4050 and other mics in the same price range). It's also just about the only relatively inexpensive condenser you can buy that doesn't have a European-made capsule in it. They tried to discontinue it and direct people to the Perception series, which are made in China, but it has a small faithful following that won't let it go away. It is particularly popular in Europe as an orchestral spot mic. You can stick it on an oboe, a bassoon, strings, brass, piano, harp, whatever, and get good results. I have a pair, and they make excellent overheads. I use it on Djembe, acoustic guitar, and especially female voiceovers. The part that surprised me is that the only thing it is my #1 mic for is *cabs*, which runs against most traditional thinking. Who would've thunk?-Richie
 
Yo Chris (Axeman)! SM7 is a great mic. It wants a lot of clean gain though. If you can give it 60db (at least), it rocks. Also a great live vocal mic, which very few people are aware of.
The C-4's do come with omni and cardioid capsules, shocks, and the flight case, and they are very comparable to the NT5's. C2000B- no one knows what to use it for, because it is so damn versatile. It's what I put up on almost anything when my first choice is already in use, which is saying a lot, considering I've got a fair number of mics in house, including B.L.U.E. Kiwi, C414, NTK, SM7b, KM184, MK319, Baby Bottle, Bluebird, and V67G. The only thing it is guaranteed to be used on is guitar cabs, usually with a dynamic as well.-Richie



Putting one up in front of an accordion this weekend!
 
Considering:
Rode NT2K, Rode NT2-a - both variable pattern LD condensors. They would allow me to maybe "bump up" a bit from the NT1, but also to partner with the NT1 to provide a stereo pair for overheads, and would offer a figure-8 pattern that would allow me to try some M/S stuff.
Studio Projects CS5 - basically the same rationale as above.
M-Audio Solaris - same as above
Sennheiser MD421 - guitar cabs, toms, etc. - a completely different beast from anything I own currently. Perhaps more limited use, though.
Rode NT5 (or NT55) - pair - I don't own any medium-diaphragm condensors, and these are sold as matched pairs, which is nice. They are also more cardiod than my Behringers, as well as a measurable step up.
Rode NTK or Studio Projects T3 (used) - I don't own a tube mic at all.


Anyone with any experience with these, or any other suggestions?

Thanks!

CT

Have a pair coming in next week I'll let you know what I think.
 
Thanks for the continuing responses. Appreciated!

So....

Reconsidering another LDC altogether for the moment. My NT1 could most certainly be improved upon, but may instead look at:

SM7 (you know, if it's good enough for Michael Jackson's lead vocals on the Thriller album....) ($389 new at my local shop)

AND

either a single C2000B or a pair of SP C4's. ($299 and $399 respectively)

The neat thing about a pair of C4's is that they are, well... a pair. I could only afford to get a single C2000B.

The SM7 would give me another option for what appears to be damned near anything - kick, guitar cabs, lead vocals, toms, bass, brass, etc. This would make (at least for now... ) looking at a Sennheiser e906 or MD 421 a little redundant.

OTOH... I like the versatility that could be afforded by a figure 8 mic. (M/S, for instance)

If I got another variable pattern LDC, I could use that and the NT1 as drum overheads... and THAT would probably be something! (which would, for now, make the SDC's a little bit redundant....)

Any thoughts there?

Thanks!
CT

(my budget could be expanded upwards slightly if I had good justification...hoping to keep it around $600 before taxes, but...)
 
I considered the RE-20, but it seems a little less versatile than the SM7. It is a different beast from the sM7, but I fear it is a little too close to the Sennheiser e602 that I have, which would sort of put it in the category of "a little more of the same."

Unless my impression of that mic is mistaken...

CT
 
Thanks for the continuing responses. Appreciated!

So....

Reconsidering another LDC altogether for the moment. My NT1 could most certainly be improved upon, but may instead look at:

SM7 (you know, if it's good enough for Michael Jackson's lead vocals on the Thriller album....) ($389 new at my local shop)

AND

either a single C2000B or a pair of SP C4's. ($299 and $399 respectively)

The neat thing about a pair of C4's is that they are, well... a pair. I could only afford to get a single C2000B.

The SM7 would give me another option for what appears to be damned near anything - kick, guitar cabs, lead vocals, toms, bass, brass, etc. This would make (at least for now... ) looking at a Sennheiser e906 or MD 421 a little redundant.

OTOH... I like the versatility that could be afforded by a figure 8 mic. (M/S, for instance)

If I got another variable pattern LDC, I could use that and the NT1 as drum overheads... and THAT would probably be something! (which would, for now, make the SDC's a little bit redundant....)

Any thoughts there?

Thanks!
CT

(my budget could be expanded upwards slightly if I had good justification...hoping to keep it around $600 before taxes, but...)

You can buy the C2000B all day long on ebay for 199 shipped to the North Pole if you want...
 
I'm a little wary of eBay, but I'm not against it. I only buy in Canada, though, now, as whenever I have had stuff shipped to me from the US, I have paid through the nose on duty, making it really not worth it.

There's a person who is selling a couple for $259/ea, plus $11 shipping. It costs $299 at the retail store I deal with, and they will give me 30 days to return it if I don't like it. So, even in this case, it's not worth the effort. I'm sure stuff will come up, though.

@moresound - I know the RE-20 is most "renowned" as a kick mic and for broadcast "radio announcer" vocals. This is what the e602 is also. How is it different? I mean, I know that no two mics are the same, but how is it different enough from the e602 for me to justify an additional purchase of $429?

CT
 
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