AT3525 & NT1, Differences?

S

SevenSamurai

New member
I'm about to purchase the Art Tube MP, along with a large diaphragm, studio condensor for mostly vocals.

I've done enough research to debunk the Shure 58 as a vocal recording mic -- but I'm not too keen on what the specs differences means in terms of vocal recording quality. Any opinions on these two, and what the differences might be?

Otherwise I'll be picking the prettiest one, so I'm in need of help, heh.

~Dakota Goldsworth
 
Well, pretty much the $200 average the AT3525 or the Rode NT1 would cost me. I'm definately getting an Art Tube MP, so there's $100 already -- but I've got $200 left after that where I'd be able to invest in a good vocal mic. Not mind-blowing, just good. I've been recording on the free Fostex X-18's microphone, so anything's a step up.

~Dakota Goldsworth
 
The Oktava MC319, eh? I'll have to keep my eye out at places like eBay for that one, at the extra $80.

I've found the OKTAVA MK219, which supposedly lists for $599.99 -- but I haven't check into it. Thanks for the suggestions.

~Dakota Goldsworth
 
Warning in regards to Oktava products:

Oktava is known for not having very high quality control. Do a search here in the mic forum under "Oktava MC319". You'll find more information about Oktava in general and about the difference between getting an Oktava mic from a place like Guitar Center and the place The Sound Room.

If going to buy on ebay, find-out where it's from (for all Oktava mics). If it's from The Sound Room, go for it. AFMckay's would be probably the next best, then Planesong. I wouldn't buy it if it's from anywhere else.
And don't buy it if it's from Guitar Center; they get various qualities there. If going to buy an an Oktava from Guitar Center new, make sure you listen to all they have in stock first. Even at that, I' personally would only buy an Oktava new from The Sound Room and not buy it used if it wasn't new from The Sound Room.
 
Heh, man. You ask about the AT3525 and the Rodes NT1, and you get responses about the Oktava MC319 and the Marshall MXL2001P. I was kinda hoping I was at the end of a dark tunnel here. :-)

~Dakota Goldsworth
 
I bought a Marshall MXL2001P off of ebay (it's a new mic) with the spider shockmount for $179 including 2 day shipping. I have only been able to use it for a few days but am very happy for the price. It will definitely be a step up from the Fostex! :)

Do a search on ebay for MXL2001 or for the seller thdsound if you are interested. He has them on there often in Dutch auctions, usually in batches of 5.

sb
 
SpamBurglar:

I'm glad you're happy with the MXL2001P. However, I, along with a lot of people feel the 2001 is not a very good mic for the money when compare to most mics in it's price range.

Don't get me wrong. It's one to consider if you haven't considered it yet. But I have, and didn't like it on vocals at all. I actually like my old AKG C1000 better than the 2001P on vocals. I did like it quite a bit on electric guitar cabs; go figure.

These are stictly my opinions, but I have seen many out there (here, r.a.p., etc) who feel the same or even more negative.
 
Hay Recording Engineer,

A quick question (nothing to do with the topic). I arn't trying to be offencive or anything :eek:, but i've been woundering for a while, do you work for the Sound Room or Oktava? I've never used there products so i can't really say how good they are.

Thats all, thanx :)
omnipotent :D

[This message has been edited by omnipotent (edited 04-26-2000).]
 
It's a fair question; one I've anounced to this board many 'a times without anyone ever asking (other than just joking). But for the record of those who missed-it or for the newbies to this BBS:

I do not work for either The Sound Room or for Oktava (or any company related to or associated with music other than my own); my "ever-so-growing" project studio (still very small if you really wanted to know) in my garage and living room (Resonance Frequency Recording) and the band I play in (The Hand Merchants).

I am simply a extremely satisfied customer of Oktava Products from The Sound Room; and I know (not personally) many "pretty-known and more" recording engieers and recording equipment manufactuers and designers from the rec.audio.pro newsgroup who put their trust in Oktavas from The Sound Room only as well; they are the ones who pointed me there in the first place because of their great experiences with them. And go figure, I'm doing the same thing on this BBS due to my experiences from them.

Don't get me wrong. They are not some magical and budgetable mics which beat-out all other mics all the time. I'm just trying to get people to consider them as an option along with the others they are considering; and most of the time, especially for the "lower-budgets" the are giving; and then sometimes, even for the "mid-budgets". Seriously. I think they are beyond a good run for the money.

That is why when someone is looking for a budgetable mic in the $200US range, I still really suggest at least looking into Oktavas from The Sound Room only because I wish The Sound Room was around and someone would have pointed me in that direction when I was first starting-out; about to buy my first small-diaphragm condenser mic for example.

I bought 2 AKg C1000s then (I still have 'em stil use 'em in a pinch; but thinking of selling 'em for part of the cost for a matched-pair of DaviSound's DS-1950s) and now they sit in my mic cab most of the time because their job has been takn by a matched-pair of Oktava MC-012s from The Sound Room.

In my opinion, it's worth the little more savings and wait to save the extra $100 (max. w/shipping) for one MC-012 or $250 (max. for a matched-pair w/shipping) (if you live in the US; even then, it's still worth.

Then there's the huge versetility of the Oktava MC-012s. 3 polar patterns? Then, there's the M1/M3 for $350 when you're ready for the large-diaphragm upgrade.

Hopefully this has answered somthing.
 
Actually, i think i've seen you say that before. It's just i see you brag about them in nearly every post you make, in the microphones forum; i have to wounder if you have some seceret deal with them or somthing. :confused:

Any way I'm glad you've found a product that works so great for the price, I wish I could find somthing simillar. :)

omnipotent :D
 
Secret deal? Huh.
I guess after seeing me say it a dozen of times and my damn near year here has not established any credibility with you.
That's OK. I'm not going to take it personally (I don't take much anyway); not that you care if I take it personally or not.

If you really want to know... I'm a Russian spy trying to get everyone to buy these Oktava microphones from The Sound Room ONLY because every Oktava product from The Sound Room ONLY is full of a nuclear ingredients. And once we get rid of them all, Mother Russia is pressing the button.

Actually... I'm a "Trillionaire" who has filled every Oktava product from The Sound Room ONLY with one million dollars.

Or maybe... Just maybe... I'm a really satified customer of The Sound Room who wants to share it with homerecording.com as hundreds (yes, literally hundreds) of satisfied customers of The Sound Room from the rec.audio.pro newgroup has done with others (how do you think I heard of them?).

You say you see me going around here bragging about them? Call it what you want... I still won't be ashamed because I know what it really is; for the benifit of others, not for me, which is what bragging is.

For the record... Most questions about microphones (just about all questions) on this site ask for recommendations for "reasonably low budget" products. That's what I'm doing when I recommend adding Oktavas from The Sound Room ONLY to people's list of considerations.

Maybe from now on, I should recommend microphone products such as Neumanns, and Microtechs, and Manleys, and Josephsons, and Schoeps, and Soundfields, and DPAs, and B.L.U.E.s, and Hamptones, and etc. And don't forget to have them all modified to the best of Stephen Paul's ability for about $16k-20kUS.

Nah... I think I'll stick to my Oktavas from The Sound Room ONLY!
 
You know, I always suspected you were a Russki stuffing Oktavas with large-denomination notes, but hey! we're all brothers (and sister brothers) in recording here, right?

You've probably mentioned this before, but to save me a long, tedious trawl through the archives, what do you use those Oktavas for?

[This message has been edited by dobro (edited 04-28-2000).]
 
Hey Recording Eng!!

I've also noted your posts touting the Okatav MC012's [from the Sound Room ONLY! just kidding :-) ] and I, for one, believe that you are simply a satisfied customer who wants to share his good fortune with others of us who are struggling to make a good home recording.
However, I do have a question about the choice of the MC012. I realize that, given any situation, depending on the voice, preamp, effects, song, etc. almost any decent mic can sound great. But since the MC012 is a small diaphragm condenser, if I only have the budget for one condenser mic for vocals (at least for a while), shouldn't I go with a large diaphragm mic, possibly the NT1 (which is about right for my budget)??

PS - with my totally nasal, weak highs, mostly pretty good at background singing - but occasional lead singer voice, would you think one mic would be better than another for me?

mutt
 
dobro:

Well... Let's see... For the matched-pair of Oktava MC-012s:

As hi-hat or ride mics when I very rarely mic the hi-hat or ride in a more than the "3-mic set-up" + the "opional snare mic (when needed) along with the "3-mic set-up"". A lot of times as drum overheads in an ORTF configuration when I have more than the "3-mic set-up" + the "opional snare mic (when needed) along with the "3-mic set-up"" and I don't want/need to mic the hi-hat or ride. As drum overheads in the "3-mic set-up" + the "opional snare mic (when needed) along with the "3-mic set-up"" in an ORTF configuration when I feel it would be better to utilize my matched-pair of Neumann TLM103s elsewhere; which is what I usually like to use when I am miking a drum-set with the "3-mic set-up" + the "opional snare mic (when needed) along with the "3-mic set-up"" in an ORTF configuration. I want to try MS once I get an encoder. Then again, I could use the "phase-switch technique" with board or stereo preamp.

I also use one Oktava MC-012 in omni, over the shoulder when I mic an acoustic guitar in mono; it's one of the possibilities I always try.

I use an Oktava MC-012 in hyper-carioid, nearly paralell to the flute, and 9"-12" above the flute when miking a flute. The last time I did this, it just wasn't sounding right. So I replace it with a good-old AKG C1000. We like it better so I used that. There's one of those rare occassions.

I use the Oktava MC-012 in omni (when close) and cardioid (when farther back), vice-vesra when in my iso-booth, when miking a Native-American Indian flute.

Well that's what I use the Oktava MC-012s for. There's another big use for them... And that is stereo-miking a performance. I know the Dave Matthews Band use to use these for miking all there concerts (they most likely still do), if that means anything to you.

And then there's the Oktava MC319. Notice I usually don't recommend this mic if it's veretility they are looking for. I consider it more like a specialty-mic. I like it on male nasally vocals and on female vocals which are a bit too piercing. When people describe their voice as a variation of nasally or something, and they put in there that they don't particularlly like that aspect of their singing-voice, and say they'll being using it as their main vocal-mic for them, then that's when I recommend the Oktava MC319. And I always throw-in the fact that it doesn't exaggerate the high-end like a lot of mics do (which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you're looking for.
 
mutt:

If you already have a "decent" small diaphragm condenser mic, then yes, I recommend you look at large diaphragm mics for vocals.

However, I've noticed that most people here, in this microphone forum, on this site, didn't/don't already have any condenser mic sand were/are looking/asking around for a condenser mic in a "reasonable-low" price range. Oh, and it must be very versetile because this will be my only "decent" condenser mic and I don't see myself buying another mic for quite a while since it took me "X-long" to save-up enough for the one I want to buy now.

All this is completely understandable and is how I felt when I was shopping around for my very first condenser. They ended up being two AKG C1000s. Yeah they were a huge improvement over the SM58s and 57s I had used (didn't own) in the past. But now, I see and use mics in the $300US range (the price the C1000s when I bought them) which were around when I bought my C1000s, and the C1000s get blown away. Add in versetility, you got yourself a bargin. And that's what I found in the Oktava MC-012s from The Sound Room.

And I've said the difference between Oktavas from Guitar Center and Oktavas from The Sound Room many times. Yeah Oktavas from the Sound Room are more costly, but that's something I'm willing to pay for, a garuntee (I've never been able to spell that word; it doesn't even look right) of Oktava's full potential since their quailty control is so bad. Think of Taylor Johnson at The Sound Room as an Oktava modifier (because that's what he does to get the Oktava up to his exception (expected specification); and that's something I trust; his expectations and his buiness.

But I think I may even be wrong about Oktava quality control. I'm not sure. I've heard something about the ones obtained by Guitar Center are "rejects", "the left-overs", and "the sifted through" by sellers who get first choice because they buy in much larger bulk. If you realy want to know the full, accurate story of Oktava, then I suggest you contact Taylor Johnson by phone or e-mail and have him tell you the full scoop on Oktava. Make sure you ask any thing he forgot to go over. You might even want to e-mail him and leave your phone number aned he might just call you out of the blue like he did with me. I didn't even ask for him to call (he already had my phone number). I'm glad he did, we talk for a least 30 minutes.
 
Hold on there, Recording Engineer,

I think "bragging" was probobly the wrong word, and i wasn't questioning your credibility, I don't think you would ever go out of your way to sell a faulty product. Also I do care if you take it personaly, I'm hear for fun and knowlege i don't want to make enemys :). I guess the idea just poped into my head because i never knew why you always said "from sound room ONLY!" after mentioning the mic's.

Any way peace :). I belive you are a satisfied customer, and may even have considered looking at buying one for my next mic, if i lived in US.

omnipotent :D

PS. Funny reply....I liked it.

[This message has been edited by omnipotent (edited 04-29-2000).]
 
Hot damn,

You people sure can dance around a question until no end without giving some answers.

ANYONE OWN or have HEARD the differences between the AT3525 and the Rodes NT1? I'm starting to lean towards the Rodes NT1, because I've seen more positive things about it, but I figured I give the AT3525 a shot if it's worth it. Any opinions on that?

~Dakota Goldsworth
 
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