Matched pair or stay with what I've got?

[therage!]

I’ve been thinking about getting a matched pair of small diaphragm condensers for recording acoustic instruments. Something like Studio Projects C4’s.

I already have an AT 4033 that does give me pretty good sound on acoustic guitars so what I’m wondering about is would my money be better spent on getting something like a SM81 or even go a little higher and get an AKG 451, and combine that with my 4033. The matched pair deals on those C4’s looks great but can they hold up to an SM81 or 451?

[Rodger Hartlett]

I would go with the studio projects.I mean after all we have two matched ears so you should have a good matched pair.and apple.

[timboZ]

Originally Posted by Rodger Hartlett

........after all we have two matched ears .........

How do you know your ears are matched.
Did you have them tested?

[jerfo]

I'm going to give the dreaded "response that nobody who's aching to buy new gear wants to hear." I offer my apologies in advance...

How good is your tracking room? Is it bright, muddy, or somewhere in between? If it's something less than ideal, than you may wish to allocate some time and money into improving it. The would include general absorbtion (OC 703 and 705 insulation, for example), bass traps, diffusors, and so on. I mention this because improving the sound of your room may improve the quality of your recordings infinitely more than any one piece of gear will, especially when you're dealing with quieter acoustic instruments.

However, if you did end up getting either an SM81 or AKG 451, I doubt that you'll be kicking yourself over the decision in a few years. Both mics have a history of working very well on acoustic guitar, and both are staples in countless professional studios. I'm sure that you could pair either one with your AT 4033 and get a very nice stereo image - you may want to read the recent thread in which folks discuss their acoustic guitar mic'ing techniques.

I'll also paste some of Dan Richards's initial impressions of the C4 vs. the AKG 451, with the hopes that he won't mind:

The C4's are more forgiving and I think one of the big pluses for the way they're tweaked is that if you're recording in a room that is acoustically less than stellar, the C4's can help smooth out the edges. And in that way, the C4 could also be termed a warm and colored-sounding mic – which also works well to tame some of the harsh transients coming off of cymbals.

Just like some people like the AKG 451 on acoustic, but feel it's too bright for drum OH's – I feel that C4 is excellent for drum OH's and may or may not - according to your taste – work as well on acoustic. Though you can certainly use it on acoustic, and the color and character of the C4 might actually help "glue" the acoustic track nicely in the mix.

I stole that quote from this message thread: http://studioforums.com/eve/ubb.x/a/.../751104099/p/1 . I hope that some or all of this helps you!

- Jerfo

[therage!]

Originally Posted by jerfo

I'm going to give the dreaded "response that nobody who's aching to buy new gear wants to hear." I offer my apologies in advance...

How good is your tracking room? Is it bright, muddy, or somewhere in between? If it's something less than ideal, than you may wish to allocate some time and money into improving it. The would include general absorbtion (OC 703 and 705 insulation, for example), bass traps, diffusors, and so on. I mention this because improving the sound of your room may improve the quality of your recordings infinitely more than any one piece of gear will, especially when you're dealing with quieter acoustic instruments.

Absolutely right!

And my current room is not the room I'm staying in so I'll be focusing room treatment to my new room.

Good ideas, thanks Jerfo

[tdukex]

I'd keep the 4033 (a good acou instrument mic) and buy one other nice, versatile mic (maybe a 4050). A lot of people record acoustic instruments without using matched pairs. Given one or the other (matched pair or two diff versatile mics), I will take two versatile mics that compliment each other. Of course it would be nice to have a pair of C4s, which are supposed to be very, very good.