comments on my next round of mic purchasing

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dragnalus

New member
at this point, i have a very limited mic collection with a similarly limited budget, but over the next 2-3 months i anticipate having around $600 to upgrade my mic collection with.
what i have now: 1 rode nt1000, 1 mxl603s, 1 atm25, 2 sm57s.
what i've been thinking of getting: either a pair of sd condensors (SP C4s are looking good, $370 new) and a multipattern ld condensor (SP C3 seems to be the cheapest, around $240 used), or another mxl603s and a bunch of dynamics (421, re20, m260).
everything will be running into a soundcraft 200b board, then into an otari mx5050 8 track when needed for that "analog" sound, with everything eventually going into a delta1010. i'll probably be working mostly with indie/punk rock type bands, but i'm definitely open to recording other types of music, from bluegrass to hip-hop. thanks for any comments,
nathan

note: i should add that i don't really like the mxl603s, i've found it too bright and hollow sounding for my taste on overheads and acoustic gtr.
 
I'd suggest that you take that money and put it in a 6 month 'certificate of deposit' with your local bank so it doesn't burn a hole in your pocket... then save some more and then start looking at some of the potential options.

You seem to have a fairly decent collection of 'day to day work horse' kind of things... I have a feeling that with a bit better budget and a bit more time investment in the 'shopping' process you could find yourself a seriously cool and useable tool that you'll have for the rest of your career...

Best of luck with it.
 
I think that's a good strategy.

Instead of looking to find some mics . . . let them find you.

Wait untill you hear something that blows you away, and ask what mic / mics they used. After a while you might start noticing a pattern . . . like one or two mic models keep popping up on stuff you really like the sound of.

Rather than rolling the dice on a mail-order bride, fall in love with a mic first.
 
thanks for the quick responses.

fletcher, you're someone who really seems to be on top of their game from my internet trolling and tapeop reading, and i value your advice. the thing is, i really want to be set up to start doing the best sounding mid-level quality recordings i can within the next few months, as that's the time frame i'm looking at as far as moving into a pretty kickass space that a friend and i are working on. i feel limited by what i have now in that i have no way of getting a matched stereo OH drumkit image (used the nt1000 in front and mxl603s over drummer's right shoulder on most recent recording, worked but would like to have more options), i don't have anything omni that i could dedicate to a room mic (or OH), and i just plain want more good mics to be able to handle various situations, soon. my strategy at this point is to buy used whenever possible so that i can resell for around the same price when i have more money to upgrade with (has actually worked pretty well so far, sold a mixer for more than i paid on ebay). but if you really think that i should make do with what i have until i can afford a lawson 47 or something, then i'll do my best to take that approach.

chessrock, i'll try to do that, especially with local releases. although i think buying cheap on ebay and trying something out for awhile has it's merits also..
 
Things like 'dissimilar' overheads aren't necessarily a bad thing... FWIW, I've used dissimilar overheads for years.

While it's all well and good to surround yourself with as much hardware as possible, the fact of the matter is that if you surround yourself with good hardware, it'll last you your entire career.

A lot of the 'banjo mart' kind of items that are available are things you'll end up "out growing" in a couple of years. When that happens you'll have pretty much wasted the money expended on picking up those items.

At least in my world, it's better to have a limited quantity of serious quality tools than it is to have a large quantity of limited quality tools.

The real key is to gain experience and determine which tools will indeed reinforce the musical statements you're trying to achieve, and which tools are more hype than substance and will become an impediment to the musical statement in years to come.

Again, best of luck with the search.
 
dragnalus said:
my strategy at this point is to buy used whenever possible so that i can resell for around the same price when i have more money to upgrade with . . . i think buying cheap on ebay and trying something out for awhile has it's merits also..
Click to expand...

You don't need our help, because you're already doing it the smart way. Seriously, your strategy and mine are the same, and it's worked out great for me. Let us know if/when you run accross any keepers.

In the meantime, be on the lookout for some oktava mc012s. You might like them a little better than the 603. They're not quite as bright.

If you have a little more money to spend, you can find Earthworks pairs on ebay from time to time. Those tend to be ruler-flat in terms of their response, so you won't hear all that extra high end boost going on.

Also, be on the lookout for good deals you might find on an Audio Technica 4050. I really like that mic a lot. For the money, it's the best multi-pattern LDC on the market, imho. The Audio Technica 4033 is sort of the cardiod-only little brother to the 4050, and those are very good all-purpose utility type mics that sound great and can usually be had around $200 used.

Another good multi-pattern is the CAD M179. If I had the choice, I'd rather have the 4050, but the 179 is still very good, and you can usually find those for about half the price of the 4050.

As far as loading up on a bunch of good dynamics goes, I would try and get ahold of chessparov . . . see if he responds, or PM him and get some of his thoughts. He's the resident expert on getting incredible ebay deals on great dynamic mics.
 
i would step to some sturdy dynamics and i would get a nice low cost ribbon as well.


a beyer m160 ribbon will take you pretty far for $325 used (one just went on ebay for that) or for $350 or so from musicians-gear.com. the usual beyer mics are all great- m201, m88, m69, m260. all are mics that pro studios keep in their locker and cost pretty little.

i like EV mics as well, the 408/308/468 eggshell series is one of my favorites. i use my 408 all the time for guitar, bass, snare, toms, and vocals. the re20/pl20 of course. i have an re15 that i am selling right now for $50. (i have seen them go on ebay for up to $80) it is a super useful mic. pretty subdued sounding, very natural. great for classic sounding acoustic guitar. i love it for background vocals...

the sennheisers of course are great. 421 and the 441.

anyway all of these you will find a use for. you can get a couple for your $600. and you can make all of it back if you dont like them.
 
Chessrock, thanks for the compliment.

There's a strong collector streak in me, so it's much more practical for me to get a selection of good dynamics to experiment with, rather than worrying about dropping that U47! :)

Some other cool dynamics;

1) Beyer Soundstar's-both the MKII (M400) and X1N
(a BBS member here may be getting my X1N shortly)
2) EV 635a omni
3) EV RE16 (just scored two for $30 each on e-bay)
4) EV 666 (predecessor to RE-20)
5) Shure 546 (a Unidyne III with SELECTED 545 capsule)
6) Peavey PVM 520i large diaphram (got 2 might sell one)
7) Shure SM7 or SM7B
8) Sennheiser 431
9) Sennheiser e855
10) Shure SM77 (not a typo!)

Chris

P.S. Didn't see your RE15 on e-bay or in the "for sale"
section here. Assuming it's in good condition/no dents,
with the mic clip, I'll take it-UNLESS dragnalus wants it!
 
Just wanted to add that although I've been fortunate in scoring some nice e-bay deals, for obtaining expert advice the pro's who post here, like Harvey or Fletcher, would be much better qualified to give you practical guidance than moi.

At the point where I can judge individual vocal tracks pretty well,
(enough to be mildy dangerous in a pro studio :))
but don't have the proper expertise/experience to judge that compared to other (instrumental) elements in a mix.

Chris
 
You're on the way to enlightenment.
I do a fair amount of bluegrass and use my SM7B,
RE-20 and EV-468 a lot. The 468 is pretty nice
for close micing the mandolin, as the swivel
head lets it get close to the instrument.

Everyone needs some Sennheiser 421s.
I really think the BeyerDymanics M201 is a great
deal, about $200, works well for drumkits and amps
(kinda a SM57 ++) and I find it handy
for spot micing instruments in the bluegrass group.

Ribbons are cool. I got a Beyer M500 used for about
$250 and like it a lot. Or save a little more than
your budget and get the new AEA R84.
 
Well, for that traditional nasal bluegrass tenor sound,
an SM58 will do just fine. I use the SM7 to
tone it down on my tenor.

I've not had it all that long, but the Beyer M500
seems to require that the singer pay attention.
If they work the mic, control plosives, etc.
it sounds wonderful. It but can pick up
all their bad habits truthfully as well.
 
Sinatra liked the M500 when performing live.
It's been said that when a voice sounds good on a SM57,
it usually sounds even better on the M500-if you're looking for
smoother sound.

Chris
 
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