I am getting ready to buy either a rode nt1, c3000, or 4033. All of which require phantom power. currently I am recording into a sony minidisk that has 2 XLR inputs, with mic/line trim. Will these produce the power or do I need to buy a mic pre. I plan on buying a roland vs880 soon, is it the same deal, or does it have power for the mics?
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do I need a mic pre?
- Thread starter bunnyfunk
- Start date
If your sony minidisk has mic/line trim's, sounds like it has a preamp - how good it is I have no idea. As for the phantom power, does it mention this in the sony manual? If it does not provide phantom power, then you will need a phantom power supply. I don't know if the Roland 880 does or not. Maybe someone in the Roland Forum knows.
[This message has been edited by Emeric (edited 01-24-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Emeric (edited 01-24-2000).]
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bunnyfunk:
You really ought to add n Oktava MC319 from The Sound Room only, for $279US to your list of considerations.
You really ought to add n Oktava MC319 from The Sound Room only, for $279US to your list of considerations.
the roland 880 and 880ex do not supply phantom power, which you will need for any professional condenser mic. the 1680 does have xlr inputs and phantom power, but the pre's in that unit are not quite of the quality you might want. most of us who use the roland workstations use outboard mic preamps with phantom power, and outboard compression, since the compression circuits in the rolands come after the ADA converters, so you might introduce digital distortion before ever getting to the compressor. all three of the mics you mention are pretty good entry-level large diaphragm condensers. i owned a pair of the c3000s for a while, and have used the 4033 on several occasions. all of those mics have a significant upper frequency lift that works well for acoustic guitar, but sometimes adds too much harshness for vocals, especially in a digital environment. you can warm up the mics a little by using a tube mic preamp, but the less expensive tube preamps often add a gritty sound that doesn;t really help much for vocals. often female vocalists do better with a warmer mic to start with - a good ribbon mic, tube mic, or even a large diaprhragm dynamic such as the sennheiser 421 or EV RE-20 (like broadcasters use). try to avoid EQ as much as possible - much better to start with the right mic.