Condenser recommendation

T

tikka308

New member
I'm looking for a condenser mic to record electric guitar though a fender hot rod deluxe (setup is a firebox (soon to buy a preamp for it) through an iMac G5.

I originally bought a Sennheiser MD421 but am unhappy with how it records on the firebox (I have to turn the gain WAY up and have little-to-no head room to play with...) (see https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=187418 ) for details.

I have ~$1000 budget - but that needs to include a preamp too (unless I continue to use the pre's on the firebox).

I DO NOT plan to record other instruments - just electric guitar through an amp.
 
I'd say get a higher gain preamp first. I don't own an MD421, but they are a good guitar cab mic. Ribbon mics often sound great on cabs too (Royer R121, AEA84, etc), but they need a lot of gain as well.
 
scrubs - any rec's on a preamp? I love the sound of a good tube preamp, but can't say I really know what I'm talking about...
 
tikka308 said:
scrubs - any rec's on a preamp? I love the sound of a good tube preamp, but can't say I really know what I'm talking about...
Click to expand...

Well, I have a Groove Tubes The Brick Preamp ($400, new) and love it for that application. However, I just checked the specs on the Firebox preamps and they have +45dB of input gain, with an additional +12dB (for a total of +57dB) available with the "boost" switch engaged. The Brick only has +55dB. That should be enough for recording electric guitar (& most sources, honestly), unless you just have your amp set really quiet. I think the sound quality of The Brick would far surpass the firebox pres, though. Are you using the boost switch? How loud is your amp?

Other good pres in your pricerange:
Speck
RNP (Really Nice Preamp)
 
This might be part of the problem - I live in an apartment building and need to keep the amp at a comfortable room level. It's definitely not quiet, but likewise it's not loud. It's just loud enough to get the tubes sounding warm. Maybe - for this reason - I should steer away from the sennheiser and get a ribbon or condenser - versus trying to "fix" the problem with a preamp?
 
Like I said, ribbons will need probably more gain than the 421. Condensers are possiblity (AKG C414B comes to mind), but the real solution would be to:

1. Get a smaller amp: They make 5 and 10 watt tube amps that you can overdrive without making your neighbors mad.

2. Build some sort of amp isolation box

3. Get a higher gain preamp - like I said, the 421 is good, so I don't think throwing a bunch of money at a new mic is going to solve the fundamental problem of a weak preamp.
 
Amp Isolation Box

I ditto the amp isolation box. You have a nice mic and a decent pre there.

I've found that if you build a box, make sure it's not touching the floor, AND put it in a closet or something you might do OK...

There's always amp modelers...
 
Yo Tikka- I like Scrubs's solution #3. If you don't have a preamp with enough gain to deal with an MD421, maybe you should buy a preamp. BTW, I've had really good luck on small amps and cabs with AKG C2000B, which I prefer to the C414 in that role.-Richie
 
They do have good pre's - but this is a step up (although still modest compared to many). Also, I'll be able to get the extra gain needed for the MD421 (because it's a dynamic mic) with the extra pre.
 
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