I finally got my dream mic

[CyanJaguar]

does anyone remember when I considered either getting a budget mic now or waiting till the end of the semester for a mic I really liked?

http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/sho...ighlight=shure


well, I got it. I'll tell you right now. I am so glad that I waited cos this mic is so worth the wait. Unfortunately or fortunately, it was not the tlm 103. Its a better mic.

The only hints I can give are that:
It costs over $1000 for the entire package with shockmount. I bought it brand new, with special cable.
It won mic of the year.

So, look forward to some posts. I'm going to enjoy this christmas up in here

[Bear'sGnFission]

Just a wild guess, does it come from Latvia?

Bear

[Imagine]

($1000) Is it the AT4060, how about AKG's Solidtube or Blue's Blueberry?

[Tekker]

You're not going to make us wait until Christmas are you?!?



-tkr

[Rthodox]

It cost over $1000, comes with a shockmount.......hmmmmm!
The first ever made C1?

[Bear'sGnFission]

"Special cable" is the giveaway hint. BLUE sells their own cabling in several grades. It's gotta be the Blueberry, which is very distinctive within it's price class, a quite impressive mic. Wouldn't mind having one, myself.

Bear

[Henri Devill]

HUMMMMMMM. Elation KM901?...Neva. MK51? TLM193 ??Gold plated SM 57...Spill IT! LOL


Don

[Wide Awake]

I was thinking the Dragonfly, but it has it's own shockmount and is less than $1000. It's definitely the Blueberry.

Congratulations. You're now officially a gear snob.

[Gidge]

mic of the year - im thinking Dragonfly

but that would mean he terribly overpaid for it

[KHAN]

Originally posted by CyanJaguar

It costs over $1000 for the entire package with shockmount.

I got it!!!

Four C1's

[Queue]

Actually 4 C1's would only be $916.00

Queue

CJ, I'm glad you FINALLY got yourself a mic, you've been "looking" for a while...

[tubedude]

Geez dude, how RUDE!
What is it? At least email me and let me know....

[frank_1]

Stop your bragging and tell us which mic it is, MoFo.... LOL>>>>

[ruebarb]

Did Neumann come out with a newer budget mic lately?

Seems lately like all the best mics are in the $300 class..Rode NTK - Studio Projects C1 - interesting

RB

[lucid]

shure ksm44? 32?

[dobro]

Nah, bullshit. He's spent *so much* time choosing this mic that he isn't going to just *tell* us which mic he got. No sir. We gotta guess.

Okay, I'lll guess. SM 58? Nope - it's got a special cable. NTK? That's got a special cable AND a preamp as well. Yes, I think that's it. After MONTHS of dithering (and we're not talking moving down to 16/44 here) Cyan finally got a Rode. Trashed 'em for donkey's years and then went ahead and bought one after all.

Tsk.

There's nowt so strange as folk.

[CyanJaguar]

I've not been able to get online since I am out of the dorm. I was also testing out the mic.

Well, I guess that was not too hard to guess. Its a blue blueberry. I've been lusting for the dang thing for too long. I even wanted to trade my sytek for one at one time.

I am sure glad that I did not pay $1200 for the package though. It cost me less than $1000.

Ok, after using it for 24 hours, I have some initial opinions.
You can hear that dastard cable, and I dont know if thats a good thing. It imparts a certain high end that is brighter than any other cable I've used. This may be good for a dark mike, but a bright mike like the blueberry, I not so sure. It also imparted that same high end to my 4033. I had to switch out cables for a mellower tone. THe cable looks great though.

THat pop filter? Not good enough. It works well from about six inches from the mic, but If you are singing about 1 inch from the mic(you need to be at least 3 inches for bass boost) it does not sufficiently stop the pops.

What I like:

THe case is pretty darn impressive.
THe shockmount is special. It works verry well

Now , the sound:

Its better than all the mics Ive ever had, but its not the existence and conclusion of microphone technology. Its controlled sound is better than the more inexpensive models, in that it does not have the high end tinniness of some mics or the vaguery of others. Its very detailed and real and extremely quiet. THe question now is -was it worth the asking price?- I am yet to find out.It has a lot of high end "air" which i am not really a fan of.It seems they were trying to emulate certain expensive mics which I have never heard myself. I prefer the rolled off sound of a royer. I have heard some cheaper mics come somewhat close, including some for less than $300, but in the long run, I will see if its worth it or not. Its sound is not far from a u87 I heard sometime ago, but that u87 was going into a focusrite which is not the best of preamps

I think its a vocal mike only. It captured a friend's guitar amp quite well, but we got better results with the 4033 on that.

[Imagine]

CJ,

What's with the special cable?

Imagine

[tubedude]

Cyan- Hey, if that mic turns out to NOT be what you were after, do yourself a favor and at least try out a Soundelux U195. They are about $1200 I think. I'm not recommending it, for I havent heard it, but I have more than 100 reasons to think that you should try it out at least, so just trust me on this one. The TLM-103 is still a good buy, in my opinion, and matching it to the right pre can make it perfect for anyone. The TLM-103 I can recommend.

[tubedude]

By the way, if there is too much top end on it, but the realism and clarity is stunning enough to keep it around, check into a REAL high voltage tube preamp, as many of them can kinda roll off that top and warm things up a little. One of the favorite preamps for a lot of people that think the TLM-103 is too bright is that Peavy VMP-2, believe it or not, and its cheap. I've done some investigation into that thing, and it seems to be a really good design and not a single person dislikes it that I can find. Or, maybe hunt down a good deal on the Red compressor, it kinda thickens the top up, or brings it down some, or something that is indescribable until you hear it.
Good luck, looking forward to some posts!

[Imagine]

CJ,

Concerning the Blueberry, the only way to define weather a mic is quality to one's own taste, is to have it in a mix. I bought both the Blueberry and TLM-103. I sold the BB after a couple of days and the TLM, well I didn't particularly like it on female vocals. The mids were pushed and it didn't have the warmth I was looking for. Another fine mic, you might want to look into is the Audio Technica AT4060. I've tried it on many applications and found it to be extremely versatile and warmth to sizzle any track. For whatever it's worth, "Sting" used it on his last 2 albums. It may be a good place to start.

But if you're into the "Blue" products, the "Blue Bottle" mic, is a totally different animal with eight different interchangeable capsules, one of the best mics on the market, but this baby ain't cheap, so let's leave this puppy out of the equation.

Before you put any money into a 103, do yourself a favor and give the 4060 a try.

Imagine

[CyanJaguar]

hey tube,

I hear you. I thought of the vmp-2 as a perfect match for the blue. If I get blessed maybe.

I heard the vmp2 and I like it as much, maybe better than the langevin DVC. It plain sounds sweet and big at the same time. Its also a color I wont mind slapping accross all my tracks if it happened to be the only pre I had.

THe soundelux? I've heard awesome things about it as well. I heard it once and I must say it sounds good. It can be had for about $995. Maybe in another two years.