help me chose, or just burn my choices to the ground

guhlenn

guhlenn

Oh REALLY????
Looking at good mic. Will try, but always like opinions.

so here goes;

sennhieser MD441
beyer M88, m160
AT 4033

will eb used in general, but for ambient and vocals in specific. I'm leaning toqwards the m160. but heard and loved others too. the md441 is actually out of budget, but can be had second hand...

Comments? suggestions?
 
I own a 441, 4033 and a beyer 88. All decent mics. If you are just starting out there may be others that would be a tad more utilitarian but I would replace any of the three if they were gone. 441 requires quite a bit of juice while the 88 is just great on its own. I use a pair of 4033's for overheads occasionally and on back up vox or cabs. ADK makes some great all-apound utility mikes too as does CAD
 
thanks for your reply, could you explain why some are more utilitarian (?) ?

I know it isn;t cream of the crop, but all I need is a decent mic.
 
hi there,

i own (or have owned) all of the above mics except the beyer m160.

If it were you're first mic i'd go for the at4033, but i'd probably save a little and get the 4040/4047 or save some more and get the 4050. I sold my 4033 because i needed the money to buy other gear and i still regret it because it was a great allrounder.
The 4033 is a bit forward in the mids, so vocals tend to be a bit up front in the mix but on some sources that's just what the docter ordered. At the moment i've got a AT4050 and it's definetly one of my favorite mics. The 4050 is a bit more natural than the 4033 and you get the different polar patterns

If you already own a good vocal mic i'd say get the md441 or the m160 because they are also very good allrounders and i use the md441 a lot for loud screaming vocals, snare, guitar cabinets etc..

the m88 is also a very nice mic but it just isn't a very allround mic imo. The proximity effect can sometime be a bit too overpowering on it. but i like it a lot on kick, sometimes guitar cabinets, bass, some vocals, snare.

hope this helps

greetings,

thomas
 
thank you, eexactly the kind of replies i was hoping for. keep em coming, I'm leaning towards the m160 even more now...
 
big kenny is right. I'd personally choose a good condenser or a good dynamic as a good allrounder rather than a ribbon. My personal favorite all rounder (and my deserted island mic) would be a sennheiser MD421.
 
well... not sure, heard some samples of the ribbon on guitar and voice, loved it. but also with the 441 and vocals on the 4033. but let me turn it around; why not?

Planning to get the DAV BG1, have soundcraft console and preamps on the M-audio firewire 1814. I am aware of the gain issue, so DAV purchase. but want a good pre anyway :)

didn;t like the 421! migth have had a bad one, cuz people keep frowning when i say that. Was to fizzy and too much high contend for my taste.
 
hi,

i also find that the md421 has a bit more high end when i compare it to say a md441 or sm57 but there's nothing that a good eq can't solve. I have used md421 for just about everything you can imagine and it always sounded fine after some eq. It's just a very versatile microphone with a very nice off axis response. I have even used them succesfully as overheads.... and it's my personal go to mic for fender amps (in combo with a at4050)

i just reread my previous post and i have to say that i have never used a beyer m160. It might have looked like i said that the m160 is a good allrounder but i just don't know. (Damn me typing faster than i can think :rolleyes: ) the reason i'm saying it's best to not buy a ribbon mic as a allrounder is because i find that ribbon mics just aren't very good allrounders. Very good at specific things but not all.

but then again why don't you try one and see (listen) for your self?
 
guhlenn said:
sennhieser MD441
beyer M88, m160
AT 4033

Comments? Suggestions?
Click to expand...

Would "any/all of the above" qualify as a good response?

Honestly, it's a tough one. Any or all of the ones listed could be outstanding, depending on how well it matches with the source. My initial thought is that you mentioned "ambient" micing, which makes me think that a condenser would be more appropriate.

If ambient mic'ing is something that you plan on doing a lot of, or if you just need something with more presence then I'd say 4033 would be an easy choice.

If you plan on doing some guitar cab mic'ing or brass ... or you just want something that can round out the rough edges on strident sources (vocal esses and consonants, cymbal crashes, and some heavy-picked accoustic guitar), then the 160 would be kind of a no-brainer.

If you need something with some directionality/off-axis rejection to it, and the prospect of having an outstanding dynamic mic appeals to you, then either the M-88 or the MD-441 would certainly fit the bill -- just flip a coin or get whichever you can get a better deal on.

Good luck.
 
Any of those choices would do you well. Obviously with ribbons and dynamics more than condensers it helps to have a preamp with plenty of gain. I'm not 100% that the AT4033 would be my first choice from the condenser category, but seeing as you're already tending towards the others I'd say pick one and go for it!
 
It matters what you're micing. I have an M-160 and it's great for vocals and guitar, but I have a good preamp because it does take a quiet and nice preamp to get the thing up to proper volume for vocals. If you do go with it, make sure you get a pop filter or else it's off to the ribbon repair man.
 
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