Mics to stay away from.

  • Thread starter Thread starter ItzCashew
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You blew it already.

It's not always about the mic but what you can do with it.
 
My friend has it and its not too good. Its always too bright. I dunno but its a cheap mic so i guess you get what you paid for.
 
ItzCashew said:
My friend has it and its not too good. Its always too bright. I dunno but its a cheap mic so i guess you get what you paid for.
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You're still missing the point. Yes, the 990 is not a great mic, but once you understand its characteristics, you can make it work.
 
MadAudio said:
You're still missing the point. Yes, the 990 is not a great mic, but once you understand its characteristics, you can make it work.
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True but im just saying it's worth saving up. Most people would think its a cheap mic and go buy it. I say the Shure SM57 would be a better choice than the 990. Its good for Instruments and vocals. Unless you opt for the SM58, ive never tried it so i cant really say much.
 
Best... Worst... it's all relative. The 990 isn't a great mic like stated above, neither is a U87 in the wrong hands :D I wouldn't say stay away from a paticular mic because it doesn't work for me, it might just work for you.
 
I must have gotten one of the good ones. I think it's (the 990) a really good-sounding, mostly bright Small Diaphragm Condenser mic.

Not good for things that don't need ... well, a bright Small Diaphragm Condenser mic. It's not harsh and distorted in the high end like an AKG C-1000 for example; just accented. Like using a good EQ to boost 8 khz. By about 100 dbs. :D Makes for a great "situational" SDC.

Honestly, I don't see what the problem is. It sounds almost exactly like a Marshall mxl-603, and no one seems to have any problems with those.

My nomination for worthless mics would include just about anything by Rode. The affore-mentioned AKG C1000 as well as the AKG C3000. Any LDC by Behringer. I'd throw the Marshall mxl-2001 and 2003 mics in there as well (as stock). Any of the Groove Tubes Large Diaphragm Condensers produced in the last 10 years. And really, just about any of the cheap Chinese LDCs out there. :D With a few exceptions. I think the SM58 is pretty worthless as anything but a talkback mic. Don't even think it's particularly good for live vocals. That's all I can think of for now.
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I myself do not really like the 990. I've yet to find something that I did not prefer to use my other mics for. However, I definately love the 991 it came with, which is basically the reason why I have the 990 (because they came in a set and I wanted another 991). I'm pretty sure the 990 has the same exact diaphragm in it but with different electronics and that big friggin grill in the way. I dono, this is pretty useless information, but I like the 991. I think it's the same as the 603s.
 
I don't think any amount of processing or eq is going to turn a poor sounding mic into a great sounding one. I would opt for spending as much as I can on one higher end mic that delivers sonically, over spending just as much on 10-20 not-so-great ones. In my situation, I stopped buying budget gear awhile back and I am much happier with the results.

I also think learning how to sing and play an instrument proficiently might have something to do with it, ya think?
 
The mics I have most regretted buying were the Oktava 219, and AKG C1000 and C3000. But the 219 was by far the worst. If someone held a gun to my head I could probably find a use for the AKG's, but with the Oktava I'd just have to shrug and say: "Do what you gotta do."

I bought a BLUE Mouse that I thought was pretty awful, but turned out it was just broken. Sounded a whole lot better after I sent it back to Skipper.

But mics are like a lot of things - one person's favorite is another's dog. A lot of folks swear by the AT4033, and while it's not awful, I just don't see the excitement. A lot of other people hate the TLM103 and TLM193, but I think they are very useful in the right context.

So take all these opinions with a grain of salt.
 
Personally I've never had success with a D112, just never liked it (even on other people's recordings), but I won't put all the blame on the mic. I much prefer a B52 or N/D868.

990 is just fine in my book, so is the C1000.
But then again, I really like the banjo.

oh yeah, and any mic on a hi-hat is a mic to stay away from. :)
 
The Samson C01 got hard to tolerate as I grew. I got bamboozled by a "good" review. For the price I should have just picked up a 57.
 
You should stay away from large diaphragm condensor microphones when recording vocals.

The recommended distance is 12~18". A pop filter helps the vocalist keep that distance consistently.
 
apl said:
You should stay away from large diaphragm condensor microphones when recording vocals.

The recommended distance is 12~18". A pop filter helps the vocalist keep that distance consistently.
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APL, put down the crack pipe.

LDC were made for vocals.

I rarely use an SDC for that task.
 
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Anyone else and I would have figured they just didn't get the joke...
 
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