Expanding my mic collection - what to invest in?

M

M-Bass-M

New member
Hi,

I'm relatively new to home recording, and my plan is to build up my equipment over time. Currently the only mic I have is a Sure SM58, and so I'm looking to invest in some more mics. My plan was to invest in a pair of stereo matched small condensers, and a single LDC. The LDC would act as my main vocal mic, while the condensers would give me versatility.

For the matched condensers I was thinking either Rode NT55's or SE Electronics sE4's. For the LDC I am open to recommendations. My budget is £1,500 / $2,000.

So, my questions are:
1. Is investing in the stereo matched condensers a good idea, or would you invest in a different type of mic?
2. Given the budget, what recommendations would you make?

Thanks in advance

Mark
 
moresound said:
For a SDC pair may I suggest the Oktava MK-012 ;)
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big fat +1 on the MK012's; a pair with the cardioid, omni, and hypercardioid caps will go a long way and for about £250 for a matched pair they're pretty unbeatable imo. is it worth investing in a matched stereo pair?; imo, yes! like you said, it'll give you a lot of versatility

as far as LDC's in your price range go there are soooooooooooooooooooo many options that will cover most bases so i'd say have a read though the forums (they're discussed so much) and find sometime that fits you needs.

my suggestions are the Rode K2, Avantone CV12, sEZ3300a, AKG C414, Neumann TLM102 or TLM103.
 
Thanks for the responses and recommendations - the MK-012 certainly seems a good investment, particularly with the extra capsules to really add versatility.

As for the LDCs, the C414 and TLM103 seem a bit more expensive than the Rode, the Avantone and the TLM102. I know it's very subjective, but what would I be getting in exchange for an extra couple of hundred quid or so?
 
M-Bass-M said:
1. Is investing in the stereo matched condensers a good idea, or would you invest in a different type of mic?
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It depends on what you're recording, but for me a stereo pair is essential.
I often reach for a pair of sm81s for:
Guitars, banjos, ukeleles, violins/violas, shaken percussion etc

M-Bass-M said:
2. Given the budget, what recommendations would you make?
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I can't really comment on LDCs, but I can personally recommend the sm81s for a real honest pair of SDCs.
I've used the mk012s as well with cardioid capsules and have been trying to justify buying a pair ever since.

I got the impression they were a little more flattering than the 81s. Could someone confirm that?
I've only ever used them in a pretty nice room though, so that might have interfered with my perception.
 
Well ..... just went through a SDC selling spree - thinning the herd of Shure SM81's and SM94's which are very nice but wasn't sure if they were within your budget.
I myself went with the purchase of a bunch of Shure KSM 137's and 141's! They are great!!!!
 
M-Bass-M said:
As for the LDCs, the C414 and TLM103 seem a bit more expensive than the Rode, the Avantone and the TLM102. I know it's very subjective, but what would I be getting in exchange for an extra couple of hundred quid or so?
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tbh i've not tried the tlm103 and i've only heard the avantone CV12 and haven't had any hand on uses but between the others that i have tried, as you said, it almost comes down to personal preference/intended use/flavour. they all have pro's and con's and the £150 price difference, imo, doesn't make a huge quality difference.

The Rode K2 is smooth, quite sweet highs, and i've found it to be great on most vocals. it's also not overly valvy which means it can suit a wide range of applications. it can be a bit harsh on some female vocals but so can many others, it's just playing the "right mic for the right woman" game.

i'll put my hand up and say i don't personally like the C414 on vocals. to my ears it sounds thin and lifeless. but alot of people swear by them and they are really nice on acoustic guitar and as drum overheads. plus, the 5 polar patterns, multiple pads and low cuts make them very versatile. if you don't need the extra polar patterns (which are very useful) then the C214 is essentially cardioid only version.

the TLM102 sounds really nice and clean but is cardioid only, which may not be a problem but if you only have a couple of mic's i'd personally try and cover all bases. however, from the reviews i've seen of the TLM103 alot of people seem to prefer the TLM102 over the TLM103.

the sEZ3300a is a great all rounder and it gets a lot of use where i work on vocals, acoustic guitars, bass amps, etc but it's never "wowed" me in the same way as some other mic's in a similar price range (but seeing as they're now only £200 rather than £400 they're a solid buy). tbf, i'm a big fan of sE for making workhorse mic's but i've not found one that really makes me go "blimey that sounds AMAZING!"

I wanted the avantone CV12 but was on a hardcore budget and so settled with the CK7 which is actually perfect for my personal needs (and my voice)

i can never remember the websites but there are plenty of places on the net where you can hear clips from a range of different mic's on different sources. it may also be worth seeing if you can borrow some mic's to play with
 
witzendoz said:
If you have some spare lunch money buy a pair of these.

They are now my go to drum overheads mics, and I still don't believe it!!

Alan.
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i really want a pair of the silver bullets but stupid UK postage and import duties ruin everything :( I saw a pair on evilbay in the UK for £79 which seemed steep but after doing the math to work out postage and import duty it seems about right.

why are all the cool budget american mics not easily available in europe? :(
 
Justsomeguy said:
i really want a pair of the silver bullets but stupid UK postage and import duties ruin everything :( I saw a pair on evilbay in the UK for £79 which seemed steep but after doing the math to work out postage and import duty it seems about right.

why are all the cool budget american mics not easily available in europe? :(
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Take a look at THESE microphones!
 
moresound said:
Take a look at THESE microphones!
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strangely i've been looking at both the red12's and green12's after speaking to a chap just down the road from me about them. $5 postage worldwide and apparently no problems with shipping...... when i have some spare money again at the end of the summer these are high on shopping list after some new monitors :)
 
i just love the idea of the used shotgun shell. if ever you needed a mic to inspire a musician i think something like this would work a charm.... or scare people..... either way, it's a good thing :D
 
Justsomeguy said:
i really want a pair of the silver bullets but stupid UK postage and import duties ruin everything :( I saw a pair on evilbay in the UK for £79 which seemed steep but after doing the math to work out postage and import duty it seems about right.

why are all the cool budget american mics not easily available in europe? :(
Click to expand...

Thats strange, the post to Oz was very reasonable (I did buy some other stuff as well from them), in Oz we don't pay duty if the item is below $1000, it cost more in paperwork, however they are looking at changing this as local companies can't compete (read that as the middle men that do nothing can't get their 100% mark up).

Ask them to post the mics as "technical samples for evaluation" that may kill off the duty, after all you are evaluating them?

Cheers
Alan.
 
witzendoz said:
Thats strange, the post to Oz was very reasonable (I did buy some other stuff as well from them), in Oz we don't pay duty if the item is below $1000, it cost more in paperwork, however they are looking at changing this as local companies can't compete (read that as the middle men that do nothing can't get their 100% mark up).

Ask them to post the mics as "technical samples for evaluation" that may kill off the duty, after all you are evaluating them?

Cheers
Alan.
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how much was postage to Oz? i just had a look again and it seems cheaper than it was. it works out about £15 which suddenly doesn't seem so bad, as seeing as the mics are only £22 suddenly that seems more than fine. i'm still not sure about import duties but i know people who have been stung for buying stuff for £100 and some have been caught out by extra charges when the courier has paid the import duty and then charged the person and extra £20 on top of the import duty :(

the guy i was speaking to about the red12's said the guy marked it as either as "gift" or something else and had no problems with import stuff.

i've just found all the government customs and import VAT info, i'm gonna have a read and see how much they may add

EDIT: turns out it's no customs duty because it's under £135 but i would have to pay UK VAT at 20% as it's over £18.01....

so, quick math; £22 for the mics, 20% vat = £4.40, plus £15 postage = £41.40 ...... actually still incredibly cheap for a pair of good SDC's that are so small i can put them anywhere!
 
The Post was supposed to be US$15.95 for 2 x mics and 2 x K-pads (another good item), but I also ordered a pop filter and ended up having to send an extra US$20 as the package went over size (did not read the fine print). This was back in Aug 2011 for the price could have changed, actually I bought the bullet's on special back then for US$29 pair, unbelievable.

Last weekend I tried different overhead setups (XY / Y and spaced) with mics that should have been great, could not help myself ended using 2 bullets as spaced pair and it was the best drum sound out of all the setups.

Alan.
 
witzendoz said:
Last weekend I tried different overhead setups (XY / Y and spaced) with mics that should have been great, could not help myself ended using 2 bullets as spaced pair and it was the best drum sound out of all the setups.

Alan.
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oh man, don't say things like this, it's my better halves birthday in a month and i'm saving desperately to get her a new camera......





Single use cardboard cameras are the same as SLR stuff right :p
 
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