Small Diaphragm Condenser Microphone

E

ex351d

Member
I am about to buy my first matched pair of small diaphragm condenser microphones. I was looking into the Rode NT5MP but I would like to consider alternative mics in the similar price range. Mics that I already one are:

Dynamic:
Shure SM57, SM58,
AKG D112

Condensor:
SE X1

Please mention a couple of alternatives and your experience with these mics. Also some advantages/ disadvantages would really help. I generally record rock.
 
Perhaps you could tell us a bit more about what you are going to mainly use them for and we could be a little more confident in advising you............but for me.......the Oktava MK-012's have been great and VERY useful for lots of different scenarios. You can find a matched pair fairly easily. I'd just be VERY careful about getting them from Ebay. Just my 2 cents.
 
Mainly as drum overheads, also I may use it with acoustic guitars and I don't know about any other application of them that I could use in a rock recording scenario. Preferably brands that I can easily get in Europe. Also, I prefer buying new gear rather than second hand stuff.
 
I can also recommend the oktava mk-012's, great all round mics, a friend of mine has them and I now want a pair since hearing them, they aren't horribly bright like the rode's. Make sure to get them from thomann though!


I had to sell my rode nt5 pair because I didn't like how bright it sounded, I couldn't get them to work very well with my setup.
 
I went on a sdc binge a few years back I wound up with pairs of Shure SM81, AKG C451e, MXL 603 (modded and unmodded), Neumann KM184, and some others. Based on all that I also recommend Oktava MK 012. I use most of those other ones too, but if I had to keep only one pair it would be the 012s

I did mod mine by swapping the ceramic coupling capacitors for polystyrene ones and I think that made a nice improvement - mine were a little harsh with the ceramic capacitors
 
In that price range, I also like the Oktavas, and Studio Projects C4. The C4's are bright, but not the annoying bright of the Rodes. More like the not so annoying bright of the Neumann KM184. There's a fine thin line between overly bright and high end detail. I used to use the Oktavas or the C4's, depending on the sound I wanted. When one was wrong, the other was usually right. In the end, the C-4's got replaced by a pair of Neumanns, which are somewhat better. And for the difference in price, they should be.
 
So I looked a bit around, the Studio Projects C4 are a bit expensive. The Oktava MK012 are in the price range, that have only the 10 dB pad package. So are the MXL 603S with shockmount. Actually the 603 are quite cheaper. But I would like to know if I would be better off with the Oktava. In the price range of the MXL I found the SE electronics SE 1A, that come with a stereo bar.
 
I might take some flack for this but why not check out the Behringer C2 set? I've had that set for almost 10 years now, mainly for acoustic guitar recording, and have had good results with them. They're a little "airy" but a slight EQ cut in the upper-mids and highs and they give you a usable sound for $60. When I got them the set came with the stereo bar for X/Y setup, too. $60... But, in my defense, I've never used the Oktava mics.
 
I was in the same boat just a few weeks ago, I went with the Behringer C2 set; and so far I am pleased with the sound!
 
I know Behringer are cheaper compared to competition but I had bad experience with anything I had (they failed, and had to pay lots of money for repairs) so I'm a bit weary about getting anything from them, I'd rather pay something extra and get a bit more confidence that it shall work fine. I know that this may vary according to other person's experience, but I have a endough budget to get something I can be more confident it would work.

I think I found new par of MXL 603.
 
If you like your sE X1, have a think about a pair of sE1A SDCs. They're nice sounding mics, in the same family as the X1 but with the slightly brighter, more detailed sound you get from an SDC.

From the same manufacturer, a friend has just bought a pair of sE5 mics. I haven't heard them yet but he has similar tastes to me (and some of the same mics I own) and he's raving about his new purchase. They're now on my "want to try/buy" list.
 
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