Spending $250 on a mic. How about AKG c535EB?

Feanor IV

New member
Hi there,

I'm going to give up to $250 for a mic, and I was thinking about AKG c535EB. The bad news is I cannot try it, so I'm going to need only some *general* advice. My voice is generally quite high-pitched (tenor) and I'm singing mostly with a very clean voice (or at least, I try to), lots of head voice and falsetto. I've heard some mp3s out there, with some tests, I was also considering SP C1 and it didn't really catch my attention (the SP C1), so I'm pretty much into 535. Any opinions?

Cheers,
Menelaos
 
Feanor IV said:
Hi there,

I'm going to give up to $250 for a mic, and I was thinking about AKG c535EB. The bad news is I cannot try it, so I'm going to need only some *general* advice. My voice is generally quite high-pitched (tenor) and I'm singing mostly with a very clean voice (or at least, I try to), lots of head voice and falsetto. I've heard some mp3s out there, with some tests, I was also considering SP C1 and it didn't really catch my attention (the SP C1), so I'm pretty much into 535. Any opinions?

Cheers,
Menelaos

The 535 has "2dB rise between 7 and 12kHz to project vocals in front of the mix" the C1 also has a very significant bump. That's not what I'd be looking for for a 'high pitched' tenor voice. But if you're looking for a george micheal type vocal maybe that's just what you want - he uses the sm86 I think.

- I sure someone will pipe in here with a recommendation for a tube or ribbon mic ->
 
Would this be for recording or live?

Live, it is a great mic. I own 4 of them. It is loud and extremely warm. In fact, depending on your PA system it might be too much. I used to run that mic into my studiomaster powered mixer and out my klipsch speakers. However, when I upgraded to an Allen & Heath board and FBT's it was too bottom heavy. I ended up using Beta 87's.

If this is for studio use, though, I would definitely recommend a LDC. If you were to A/B almost any LDC against the c535 you would see that there is almost no comparison. For $250, you might be able to pick up a used NT1000, for example...
 
justharold said:
Would this be for recording or live?

If you were to A/B almost any LDC against the c535 you would see that there is almost no comparison. For $250, you might be able to pick up a used NT1000, for example...

I disagree with that. The c535 stacks up pretty well to any LDC mic i've used in the same price range. It's got great detail, moreso than alot of inexpensive condensors i've used. It can be sibilant on some vocalists, so i would definetly try it out before buying. I would not pay 250 US for the mic. Ebay should get you one for 50 to 75 less than that. The 535 is a "live" mic just like the sm57 or MD421 is a "live" mic - they both can get used in a studio setting with good results.
 
I'll split the difference, and as most here know, I use a fair amount of AKG mics. The 535 is one of the best live vocal mics made. I also agree that it is not often my first choice as a studio mic. That doesn't mean it won't work in that role. I'd say, if you are looking for a stage mic for smaller gigs, just do it. If you are looking for a studio mic, consider CAD M179 or AKG C2000B or Audio-Technica 4033 or 4044.
 
Some dynamic mics that can sound terrific (<$250) on a high tenor are;

1) Electro-Voice 635a omni (very good overall tone)
2) Electro-Voice RE15 or RE16 (smooooth)
3) Beyer Soundstar MKII aka "M400" or Model 400 (smooth/SM7-ish tone)
4) Beyer M88 (be wary if you're prone to sibilance/Neumann-ish tone)

The first two choices are easier to use if your microphone technique isn't that far along-particularly compared with the M88.

Also, don't give much weight to MP3's. You'll only know when you try the
microphone out what's needed to get a good vocal cut out of it.
Every voice has different "peaks and valleys" and they interact individually to different mics, let alone the pre's used.

Chris

P.S. In the unlikely event you don't like one of these choices, by buying
used, you stand to get around what you paid.
(sometimes more!)
 
Agreed -MP3s are useless - I'd put more far more weight in a 10 second wav than a 10 minute mp3. MP3 compression is a process of abbreviation and approximation - not what you want when you trying to choose a mic.
 
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