Taking a suggestion and looking at multi-pattern LDC's - starting a list

S

Shiny Rhino

New member
I had recently posted about looking for a pair of SDC's for acoustic guitar recording. It was then suggested that I do away with the matched pair and look at getting 1 SDC and 1 LDC multi-pattern.

I've decided on a Avantone CK-1 SDC which has 3 interchangeable capsules and is reviewed quite well. Now I need to compile a list of LDC's to check out. I would really like the mic to shine on acoustic guitar, but be able to handle vocals well too, (something that may be great on some voices and not on others is acceptable).

So far, I'm looking at:

-SE Z5600a
-AKG C4000B
-CAD M179
-Avantone CV-12 (because I've heard such great things about it in general)

What else should I be looking at?
 
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There was a how-to vid posted elsewhere on HR; the pro producer/engineer recommended RIBBON mics for recording acoustic guitar, esp. when the guitarist is also the vocalist and you want to record them both in one take (but on different tracks.) He demonstrated how ribbons have very poor off-axis pickup, so the mic basically filters out the vocals and records the guitar, or vice versa. I had always thought of ribbons as old school, only good for special effects- shows how much I know, eh? So, you might want to consider ribbons.
 
For the price of a C4000B, you can find a used C414B-ULS, which I consider the better mic, across the board. CAD M179 is my budget choice- it's one of the only cheap multi-pattern LDC's that doesn't totally suck. C2000B is a lovely mic, and would do what you want, rather well, but please note- it is not a large diaphragm mic, and it is not multi-pattern. It is a small diaphragm cardioid mic which, unlike most small diaphragms, is good on instruments *and* vocals. Shure KSM44 was mentioned above. It is about the same price as an AKG C4000B, and is an excellent multi-pattern LDC. The obvious one left out? Audio-Technica AT4050. I consider the C414 the best guitar/instrument mic of the group, the KSM44 the best vocal mic, and the AT4050 perhaps the best compromise. For the record, I don't consider C4000B a *bad* mic. It's just outclassed by the C414, AT4050, and KSM44. Good luck-Richie
 
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Weird. thought i posted something....turns out it didn't actually work. I'm now thinking a pair of Avantone CK-1's or SP C4's which both have interchangeable capsules and would cover my stereo needs. Then a quality multi pattern. Looks like the AT 4050 might be the right choice, if I wanna spend that much... which I kinda expected.

Is the quality of the AT 4050 worth the increased price over the M179, or would the M179 be a better buy?
 
Shiny Rhino said:
Is the quality of the AT 4050 worth the increased price over the M179, or would the M179 be a better buy?
Click to expand...

Answer- Yes, it's worth it (IMHO). And- I'm a bit of a fan of the C-4's. They were my standard small diaphragm stereo pair until they got replaced by a pair of Neumanns.-Richie
 
I'm looking into this too:

Rode NT2a - apparently used for lead vox on Madonna's "Confessions on a Dancefloor" album
M-Audio Solaris - MassiveMastering on here loves it.
Studio Projects CS5 - Harvey Gerst, I believe, said good things about this one.

CT
 
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