A reminder that I am a noob... (KAM Crystal)

exhnozoaa

exhnozoaa

New member
So I bought a cheap bright mic... A KAM Crystal (third mic on http://kaminstruments.com/studio-mics.htm).

I had been looking for a good deal on a V67g or something, but stumbled upon this and impulsively bought it instead. Listening to the samples on the KAM website (
mainly), I originally liked the brightness, but now I'm afraid and freaking out.

I haven't opened it yet (I haven't even received it yet). I'm considering trying to flip it on eBay and just eating the shipping without opening it... Or I could open it, try it, not like it, and sell it for even more of a loss since it would be used. Or I could open it and end up loving it.

What do y'all think would be my best option? Has anyone tried this microphone?

P.S. I was looking for a mic for baritone vocals, if that has any relation to whether or not I need to think about keeping it.

I only paid $50, so it's not that much... But I only work part time, so it is a significant amount of money to me.

This whole situation is just a fun reminder that I am a young noob.
 
I would have gone with the MC3 or the C3 Though with the MC3 you would have had 3 microphones for the price of one.


Monetary value is always a hard thing to consider. Some people would throw the paper down just to try it out while others would only have that much to spend the rest of this year on gear.

I will cost you $10. to send it back ..... I say try it out. Or call the company and tell them you decided to not want it any longer they usually say just refuse the package and have the shipping company send it back.
 
I'll probably end up keeping it... I probably wouldn't do much better with a different mic at this stage in life. YouTube is proof that a noob can make any mic sound like crap :P. I haven't even used a LDC before (well, I borrowed an AT3035 for like 5 minutes once... and I sang into a pair with a choir). It will be a fun adventure.

I don't really have money to spend on any recording stuff. I mean, I do, but I really need to save it for tuition next semester. But I get short spurts of GAS sometimes :P.
 
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In respect to buying gear that turns out to be something other than what we wanted or expected, we are all noobs...
 
I received the microphone today. I'm at work, so I haven't gotten to try it yet, but it looks and feels nice :P.

I ordered a B-stock (for cosmetic reasons) microphone, but the included "certificate of quality" says that this one is A-stock. However, there is one tiny scratch next to a screw, but it's only a couple millimeters long.

This model didn't have a frequency response graph posted online, but there is one on the box, and it doesn't look as bad as I feared it might. I would post a picture, but they moved the scanner to another computer.
EDIT: Actually, it does look kind of bad... almost a 10dB peak just over 10kHz

Though I had strongly considered not keeping it, now I can't wait to try it.
 
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Too much thinking, not enough listening.

Go try it out. Put the graphs away and forget them

If you like the sound you've got a keeper! If not, cross that bridge when you get there.

Good luck with your first ldc.
 
So now I've gotten to play with the microphone a bit...

It sounds really good on my acoustic guitar. It's a cheap guitar, and it usually sounds kind of muddy, so I guess the extra brightness isn't that bad for it.

I feel like it sounds kind of thin on my voice... But some simple EQ seems to help. Maybe it would be better without EQ in a more complex mix... we'll see.
 
It's not uncommon for people using condenser mics for the first time to think they sound a little thin, especially if they are used to mics like SM58's. Quite often the thin translates to clarity and you can hear a really clear vocal for the first time. There is also some experiment with distance from the mic as getting in a little closer can sometimes warm it up. I sometimes have trouble with new singers in the studio saying that the sound off the mic does not sound like they do in rehearsal, this is cos they are used to hearing a beaten up dynamic mic :D

You will find that a good high end in the mic will translate well when you mix.

Alan.
 
There's only one way to learn, we all make mistakes, nothing to be ashamed about.

Just make sure you're learning off every experience, wether pos or neg.
 
I scanned the frequency response graph in case anyone is interested.

KAMCrystal.jpg

I played with the mic a bit more of course... It's really easy to clip. I need to use almost no gain on my MobilePre USB. I haven't used it much with my DMP3 yet because I have been having issues with setting proper gain there...
 
Yeah... Some pretty loud singing. Quieter parts are fine.

I probably just fail at gain staging, especially coming from the ECM8000 which needs much more gain.
 
What exactly does *work* mean? I already took it to work with me. It didn't know anything about how to do web development :(
 
On the loud passages move your head up and away from the microphone - it's kinda like an automatic volume control to head off clipping. ;)
 
moresound said:
On the loud passages move your head up and away from the microphone - it's kinda like an automatic volume control to head off clipping. ;)
Click to expand...

I did try a bit of that late, and it helped.

I need to work on studio performance in general. Last night I had an amazing live performance, but when I tried recording later, it was definitely lacking. I always thought I would be better at expressiveness while recording alone than with an audience, but it seems to be the opposite.

I'll just get work on that with my new mic :)

What do you think of taking my stuff to an auditorium for acoustic and environmental reasons? I have access to one that seats around 200 people and is used mostly for plays and vocal recitals. I could also use one that seats over a thousand people... Recording in large spaces is good, right?
 
It's good to experiment but after thinking some ideas out to their fullest first you tend to know what to expect.
 
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