Harvey Gerst
New member
Paul,prw said:
Thank you for the compliment. I loved the old D&R consoles. (Couldn't afford them, but I loved them.)
How does diaphragm size/polar pattern relate to mic applications?
- Thread starter Chris F
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Thank you for the compliment. I loved the old D&R consoles. (Couldn't afford them, but I loved them.)
Harvey Gerst
New member
I like the MXL 603 out in front and above, pointed at the upper bout, but the Shure KSM27? is also a popular choice. I think that's what Jerry Douglas uses. Pull it back till you get the right balance between the sound of the dobro and the picking noises - usually about 8 to 18".dobropilot said:
mikey@thecave
New member
hi Harvey .I really got alot out of the videos.I hope you dont mind i posted the links so others can learn from you..I was glad to here your thoughts on the SP T#3 ..My ears were telling me that i was hearing a sound i really liked from the first sound i got out of that mic, i just said WOW this is more what i been lookin for..But because i dont have much expierence with mics i don't have much to compare it with...And your comments backed up my feelings on the T#3.
Thanks for helping us with our sound..
Thanks for helping us with our sound..
diaphragm size/polar pattern
I was a fan of D&R consoles before I became the Distributor. We still sell on occasion a big heavy analog console, but sorry to say, in my personal studio I am totally digital now (Samplitude, Apogee, RME, D&R & Neve Porticos pres, etc and I abosolutely love the UAD plugins). If only analog would give the possibilities.........
Thanks for the D&R plug.
Paul
I was a fan of D&R consoles before I became the Distributor. We still sell on occasion a big heavy analog console, but sorry to say, in my personal studio I am totally digital now (Samplitude, Apogee, RME, D&R & Neve Porticos pres, etc and I abosolutely love the UAD plugins). If only analog would give the possibilities.........
Thanks for the D&R plug.
Paul
Harvey Gerst
New member
Well, I finally broke down and bought a T3 for the studio, since the credit card still had a little ways to go. I'm sure the T3 will get a lot of use here.mikey@thecave said:
Harvey Gerst
New member
We'll probably continue to keep the boards analog and the recorders digital. The old D&R boards were among the quietest boards I've ever heard (on not heard).prw said:
We tried a Tascam DM24 digital board in our small room for a while, but we got rid of it after a couple of sessions - talk about a "counter-intuitive" piece of crap. Lovely sound, fully automated, but totally unusable.
I'd love to go to a digital board, if the damn thing didn't slow me down, or cost an arm and a leg.
mikey@thecave
New member
Harvey ;;would you ever put the T3 in Omni for a lead vocal?That thing really opens up in omni.Can you give some examples of when you like to use figure8 and Omni settings thanks
Harvey Gerst
New member
First of all, I don't even have it here yet - I ordered it on Friday. I'd probably use omni (or wider cardioid) if I were recording a small group of singers for background work. I'd use figure 8 for vocals where I wanted the most proximity effect.
mikey@thecave
New member
i didnt mean to rush you there 
I been using the T3 on lead voice and the SP C1 on background voices.I like having the backing voices a little brighter and the contrast .Will you sometimes use the same mic for lead and background voices and just EQ them?Or do you like using different mics for both.thanks
I been using the T3 on lead voice and the SP C1 on background voices.I like having the backing voices a little brighter and the contrast .Will you sometimes use the same mic for lead and background voices and just EQ them?Or do you like using different mics for both.thanks
Harvey Gerst
New member
Country backup voices are usually thinned out with some eq, to make the lead voice sound fuller. I'm less fussy about mics than most people I know in the business. It depends on what makes the singer comfortable; sometimes it's the most expensive looking mic I have, or an old RCA ribbon, or sometimes it's a hand-held Beyer Soundstar MK II. It's all about comfort and complementing the singer's tone.
mikey@thecave
New member
''I'd use figure 8 for vocals where I wanted the most proximity effect.''
See i didn't realize figure 8 did that
i thought it just open the other side
it takes alot of experimenting ,wear and tear on these old ears
to find all these things out so your tips are leading in the direction i want to
go
it helps alot
See i didn't realize figure 8 did that
i thought it just open the other sideit takes alot of experimenting ,wear and tear on these old ears
to find all these things out so your tips are leading in the direction i want to go
it helps alot
Harvey Gerst
New member
It's all in this thread. Figure 8 (pure pressure gradient, or velocity) has the most proximity effect; omni (pure pressure) has none. Cardioid is a 50/50 blend of omni and figure 8. These multi-pattern mics simply let you dial in the level of the back diaphragm to create all the patterns between figure 8 and omni.
mikey@thecave
New member
Harvey are there any of the less expensive mics that lean toward the U-47 type vibe?I've been lookin at that new RED mic and you can get the Blue B-7 capsule(47) and different capsules for it..Just browsing for now.It runs about 1000$ but thats two capsules
Mics
I hope I'm not intruding.... the MXL 770 is a great sounding mic that sounds similar to the Neumann U-47 (some say it sounds better) and it sells for less than $100.00. Three other engineers have tested both and picked the 770. I've not tried it myself, however, I do have a Neumann U87 (new diaphram) and I tried an MXL V69 tube mic side by side on a female vocal and it sounded much better than the Neumann. I think I'll sell my U87 now.
Paul
I hope I'm not intruding.... the MXL 770 is a great sounding mic that sounds similar to the Neumann U-47 (some say it sounds better) and it sells for less than $100.00. Three other engineers have tested both and picked the 770. I've not tried it myself, however, I do have a Neumann U87 (new diaphram) and I tried an MXL V69 tube mic side by side on a female vocal and it sounded much better than the Neumann. I think I'll sell my U87 now.
Paul
mikey@thecave
New member
770 for 100$!!!!! geez that will only save me 900$ dollars
I hate what China did to Tibet but i love the electronics dept.over there 
can anybody post a vocal or two done with MXL mics???or a acoustic done with a #603...i trust your ears but i have to hear it myself..I dont want to get into that cheap sound..
I hate what China did to Tibet
but i love the electronics dept.over there can anybody post a vocal or two done with MXL mics???or a acoustic done with a #603...i trust your ears but i have to hear it myself..I dont want to get into that cheap sound..
Ladysongbird32
New member
And I have been blessed to find a goldmine!
Well,
As others have said, wow and thank you. I do believe in my search of information for anything music related this has been the one place I know I will return to. Thank you Harvey for your incredible gift of knowledge here. All that and in check. So here I am.. primarily singer/songwriter trying to get enough information to not blindly pay monies I don't have for production that is poor quality in addition to being knowledgable enough to let a master work or help a future master get me the product I want and need. So my question is with limited knowledge
but hopefully is of some benefit to others in addition to myself.
First question: As I have read and it makes total sense, when recording you really would like somewhat minimal effects as they can then be changed, added to, but as you stated, not taken away from (page 10?) My first thought is yes that is very true. But then as a singer, I listen very closely to what I do. I want the best end product and tend to be fairly talented so.. I recognize my limitations with not understanding how the music will come together, the space where my vocals need to fit within the mix so that they stand out and that the sound may be differnt than what my preference is... but then I also consider that if those things are best put into the stereo headphone mix when recording then I can get the feel of that and perform accordingly with passion that fits the music. (Wow does that sound corny). So where is the balance? I hate showing my ignorance here too but can the headphones of my listening to myself be adjusted to what sounds good to me yet recorded fairly dry? Or would the answer be to record both ways? I usually find that the engineer is right and I have taken time to learn that thus trust is of utmost importance, but I have been disappointed when I didn't speak up in the past also and ended up with a less than acceptable end product.. thus my desire to understand the art better.
Second,
When I have used different types of microphones in home studios and others, rather than using a condensor, my preference was pretty much - and funny enough maybe - to move back and forth from the mic so that when I was quiet I had the effect I wanted and when I was powerful I was way back. It worked. Similar to "working a mic" while performing and getting the desired affects. Because i am hearing the affect I have for the most part I think i am able to control it but I would like to know if this is just useless movement, if it creates problems in production or if in fact it does have a more natural feel and sound? Any other comments too. I do know that what folks end up hearing, they absolutely love! And that is what it is all about really to me.
Last, just for working on vocal tracks in a pre-final cut song... (I write too) During the collaboration process which is many times done on-line right now, I am looking for a thrifty recording set up and mic that will work to get my desired affect. Song shopping exposure etc.. What equipment might you suggest for that or should I simply spend the monies on a studio for something so basic?
Thank you so much for the info. As I record more and more myself I am sure it will be a site I look to for years to come.
Debbie Vicari
Well,
As others have said, wow and thank you. I do believe in my search of information for anything music related this has been the one place I know I will return to. Thank you Harvey for your incredible gift of knowledge here. All that and in check. So here I am.. primarily singer/songwriter trying to get enough information to not blindly pay monies I don't have for production that is poor quality in addition to being knowledgable enough to let a master work or help a future master get me the product I want and need. So my question is with limited knowledge
but hopefully is of some benefit to others in addition to myself.First question: As I have read and it makes total sense, when recording you really would like somewhat minimal effects as they can then be changed, added to, but as you stated, not taken away from (page 10?) My first thought is yes that is very true. But then as a singer, I listen very closely to what I do. I want the best end product and tend to be fairly talented so.. I recognize my limitations with not understanding how the music will come together, the space where my vocals need to fit within the mix so that they stand out and that the sound may be differnt than what my preference is... but then I also consider that if those things are best put into the stereo headphone mix when recording then I can get the feel of that and perform accordingly with passion that fits the music. (Wow does that sound corny). So where is the balance? I hate showing my ignorance here too but can the headphones of my listening to myself be adjusted to what sounds good to me yet recorded fairly dry? Or would the answer be to record both ways? I usually find that the engineer is right and I have taken time to learn that thus trust is of utmost importance, but I have been disappointed when I didn't speak up in the past also and ended up with a less than acceptable end product.. thus my desire to understand the art better.
Second,
When I have used different types of microphones in home studios and others, rather than using a condensor, my preference was pretty much - and funny enough maybe - to move back and forth from the mic so that when I was quiet I had the effect I wanted and when I was powerful I was way back. It worked. Similar to "working a mic" while performing and getting the desired affects. Because i am hearing the affect I have for the most part I think i am able to control it but I would like to know if this is just useless movement, if it creates problems in production or if in fact it does have a more natural feel and sound? Any other comments too. I do know that what folks end up hearing, they absolutely love! And that is what it is all about really to me.
Last, just for working on vocal tracks in a pre-final cut song... (I write too) During the collaboration process which is many times done on-line right now, I am looking for a thrifty recording set up and mic that will work to get my desired affect. Song shopping exposure etc.. What equipment might you suggest for that or should I simply spend the monies on a studio for something so basic?
Thank you so much for the info. As I record more and more myself I am sure it will be a site I look to for years to come.
Debbie Vicari
mikey@thecave
New member
The mxl770 is a new mic i think and the 603 has been replaced with the 
604 i think
604 i thinkmikey@thecave
New member
Paul can you tell me what preamps they are using to make the 770 sound so good?What is D&R is their a websiteprw said:
MXL mics
The 603 is no longer available from Musicians Friend or Guitar Center. You can get it in the Anniversary Pak from Marshall MXL Pro dealers. The newest MXL is the 604 which has an omni and cardiod head and is great for instruments. A killer vocal mic is the V67 Gold Edition for less than $100.
The 603 is no longer available from Musicians Friend or Guitar Center. You can get it in the Anniversary Pak from Marshall MXL Pro dealers. The newest MXL is the 604 which has an omni and cardiod head and is great for instruments. A killer vocal mic is the V67 Gold Edition for less than $100.
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