ECM8000 vs. Realistic PZM

iqi616

iqi616

Yet another Mike
The Realistic (Tandy/Radio Shack) PZM always represented great value for money for recording bang for the buck. Is there anyone out there who owns a pair of ECM8000s and a pair of PZMs and has done a head-to-head (especially for drum overheads)?

I know the ECMs are cheap but I already have a pair of PZMs that have done me well for over 10 years and I'd rather put the money towards a C1.
 
correct me if I am wrong - this is a general PZM question - but I thought with PZM mics, you had to have them against a wall or something?

Or, against a surface..

Like, against a piece of wood or glass - or on the board of a piano..or something.

How would you use them as drum overheads?

I don't know much about PZM, would like to get some to play with. Any info you could give me about PZM uses in general or some tips on them would be cool..
 
The PZM already has a "soundplate" so you dont need to have them against any suface.

They are a bugger to mount though being flat like they are and they sound a bit washy and harsh but compared to a dynamic mic the a great for cymbals!

The ECM8000 would be a far better choice but good results can still be acheived with the PZM.
 
I dont own the ECM's but I do use the PZM's for overheads.

I just recently made a wooden device that holds two PZM's at a 90 degree angle from each other and mounts on a mic or boom stand. IF I can figure out how to attach a pic, I will do so.

They work real well for overheads as well as for acoustic guitars. THe device I made was based on an idea I saw on Harveys page for PZM's. I just made a smaller version that could mount on a mic or boom. Basically two boards mounted 90 degrees, with a block behind them to keep them from brakeing. 1 PZM gets mounted on each face of the 2 boards.

I find the PZM's to be a little to sensitive at times (and I'm not talking about thier feelings). You can gain a lot of room noise if your not carefull.

For acoustic guitars I place the center of the two mics just a little closer to the neck than over the sound hole. I get a real nice stereo effect with out the mic hassells of other mic's.

****GUITAR *
*****/ \
PZM*/__\ PZM
*** / ***\

Trying to get this diagram to work instead of a picture
 
I own both of these, I havent yet done this test. The Pzm mounts on a piece of plexiglass and can hang from the cieling or just mount on the cieling. They both make great overheads but your options on positioning the ecm8000 is better.

I have also read an artical where the two pieces of plexiglass are put at a 90 degree angle and the results on accoustic are astounding. Im dying to try this after my new studio is done.

I wouldnt be suprised if the elements are the same one based on the size of these. Maybe Harvy can confirm this(Im not going to take mine apart just because of curiosity).
 
From what I understand the Radio Shack units were licenced by Crown. I own 2 R/S and 1 Crown and they look identical.

I did have a guy do the XLR conversion on mine. Also I drilled a small 1/8" hole in each corner of the plate to mount with screws on the wood or plexi device. NO adverse problems with that technique.
 
I have a pair of PZM's from radio shack, I just mounted them to the ceiling of my studio to use as drum overheads. I also have ordered a set of the ECM-8000's, so maybe when I get them I will do a comparison of both.
 
Im Curious if the combination may sound cool as well. My new room is under construction right now so there will be no fixing them to the cieling until that part is done.
 
wes480 said:
correct me if I am wrong - this is a general PZM question - but I thought with PZM mics, you had to have them against a wall or something?

Or, against a surface..

Like, against a piece of wood or glass - or on the board of a piano..or something.

How would you use them as drum overheads?

I don't know much about PZM, would like to get some to play with. Any info you could give me about PZM uses in general or some tips on them would be cool..
Click to expand...

My favoured mounting technique is masking tape. For vocals/guitar/sax I usually just tape the backplate to the wall at an appropriate height. This also effectively doubles the size of the room you're recording in because you don't get any reflections off the wall it's taped to. For singers it's handy because you can tape the lyrics above the mic to make sure they keep their heads up.

For recording amps with room ambience, I just lay it on the floor on some carpet. You can use a towel bunched up on the side away from the amp to control the room sound a bit.

For overheads I just rig up a suspension mount from the mic stand using (you guessed it) masking tape.

I know one guy who permanently mounted one inside his kick-drum but I never heard the results of that.

As ever the thing to do is experiment with position and different mics to find the best result.

I believe Tandy/Radio Shack still sell them. 10 years ago they were dirt cheap but I've no idea about prices for them these days.
 
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