Going on a mic run... NEED HELP!

E

emergencyexit

New member
Ok guys, before you all get to bashing, telling me that they only way you can tell me what mics I should get is if you were in my studio with my set up and the particular project I am recording at the time, hear me out. I've been doing this for about 3 years now with more or less the same mic set up and I've learned what these particular mics sound like very well. As of right now my locker consists of 5 sm-57s, 1 ksm 27, 2 Kel Hm-1s, 1 Beta 52, and 4 mxl 603s (4 might seem unreasonable, but I swear this mic works for everything! I think of it as the 57 of SDCs). I've produced many recordings with these, and I'm starting to get the hang of when they sound good, where to place them ect. Me and my friend who run the studio, are going to run up to guitar center today to try some stuff out, but there is only so much you can hear in a store. We've got jobs besides the studio shit and we've got cash our only question is what mics would best benifit us. I'm thinking we are in serious need of an other large diaphram dynamic, and possible an other large diaphram condensor. I'd also love a mic other than the 57s to use on guitar cabs that doesn't sound wayy to muddy or hyped. And lastly, a cheap but durable ribbon mic would help a lot. So here is what we have our eyes on: 1 Sm-7 ( we do a lot of metal vocalists), an Audix i5, a sennheiser e609 and possible one of those new shiny boxes. As for LDCs there are too many that I have my eye on to name but the one at the top of my list is probably an AT 4050. My question for anyone who can answer is are these good choices? Do you have other suggestions? I'm really looking for anything that will compliment my set up and I feel that these mics will. If you need anymore information about my set up feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer. Thanks in advanced for your help.

Ben
 
before I was finished reading the post, I already had the SM7 and the 4050 in mind to recommend.....then I read a little more and decided I didnt need to recommend them.....carry on....
 
sm7b for metal vocalists is a good idea. i have a friend who records a lot of metal and that is his mic of choice for those kinds of vocals-- apparently a lot of metal/screamo singers like to use proximity effect to beef up their sound, and if someone is going to be screaming/spitting/growling into a vocal mic, I'd personally rather it be something like that instead of a condenser with a senstive capsule diaphragm.
i personally like the audix i-5 a lot for guitar amps. i also liked the sm7b for guitar amps too, but kind of prefer the sound of the i-5-- if you search, a board member here did some great shoot outs between the sm-57, i-5 and sennheiser a while back.
for ldc, i'd really recommend checking out the oktavamod mk-219pe or mk-319pe. you can either get a mk-219 or mk-319 used and send it for modding, or buy one new. if you need a multipattern mic, the 4050 is a respected choice, or you could probably pick up a used akg 414 for around the same $.
for ribbons, i really like my karma k-6 ribbon. it's phantom powered (higher output than a passive one) and i've found that it sounds great on acoustic, electric amp and vibey vocals. they normally sell for $360 + shipping direct, but karma has them on sale for $199 plus shipping right now. musicians friend also has the nady rsm-4 (fathead) ribbon on sale for $79-- that's a great deal.
also consider looking into naiant mics-- great cheap sdc omni mics that will come in handy for lots of situations.
 
Thanks guys, I'm going to look at the two octavas when I get to the store (if guitar center even caries them. The last two used mics I bought ended up breaking in a matter of a year so I've sworn myself off buying used mics. Plus I heard somewhere that with condensors if the noise you are recording exceeds the max spl, the mic could be ruined in the slightest way for ever and you wouldn't even know unless you know the exact sound of the mic in every situation. I set up two of my 603s next to each other same distance from the sound source, one was used one was new, and they sounded drastically different, so I'm starting to believe that. Thank you for the suggestions, I'd love to hear more of them so keep em coming.

Ben
 
it is pretty hard to exceed the maximum spl of most condenser mics in most situations, though that would definitely apply to ribbon mics. the difference you heard between your 603's might have been either a component aging issue or a quality control issue. also, older capsules can have their sound significantly effected by dust, smoke particles, moisture, etc., which also might have been in play during your test.
if you want to get a used oktava (the modding is what makes them sound awesome), ebay or craigslist might be a better place to look. person to get the mod from is michael joly at www.oktavamod.com
the site might be undergoing some maintenance right now in case you have any loading problems, but it has testimonials from users (including me :) ), sound clips from users, and you can find testimonials about his work on this and other message boards as well.
 
I second the used oktava....I have 2 MK-319's and I gave $50 for one used and sent it for modding....I gave $65 for the second used....and it will be sent for a mod...
 
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