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lo beam

New member
Here's my thread.

I first began posting here about 3 years ago in order to learn more about what you guys thought of various mics & to know some more info in general. Was amazed & illuminated. And continued to lurk, learn & occasionally contribute to the BBS.

So far, so typical story.

Based upon the consensus of trustworthy opinion, I ended up buying an Oktava Mk-012...a Russian model I hasten to add...and (actually, less based upon opinions & more based on other research) an ADK Vienna series LDC mic.

Both pretty good mics.

Lately though, I've been thinking that my Oktava can often sound very muddy if not placed absolutely in the sweetest imaginable spot, and my ADK seems super-bright these days on my vocals ( which are male tenor I spose...sorta Neil Finn-ish).

Some questions -

Have my ears got better/worse/hairier/just more picky?
Has my mic placement technique gone tits-up?
Is this general dissatisfaction the slow, inexorable slide to gear-lust in lieu of just "getting it down"?
Why do I think I'll never shake my yearning for a Neumann U-87 after tracking some songs with it :)
Should I get a better pre than my AudioBuddy to make any worthwhile mic comparisons?
My fave mics in the LISTENING SESSIONS were the SP-B1 and the Neumann U87 after a blind test...I thought the only big difference was that the B1 recording sounded very plosive. I may buy a B1.

Should I buy a B1?

Even though Studio Projects ..............."suck"?

Am I crazy?

Why do so many intelligent forum members get caught in senseless troll threads about utter bollocks?
Why was DJL really banned?
Do Studio Projects suck?
Who shot J.R?
Will China eventually produce everything?
I honestly
think the AKG C-1000s is a good acoustic guitar mic. Am I crazy?
How come you don't see those little red spiders any more?


What's a good mic for rap?



Should I stop writing & recording songs & start pressing wild flowers?

Etc.



p.s - what's the best wild flower dehydrator? The BLT 909 Stamen Pro Rectifier or the Petalizer 2001?

love

lbx
 
I have both the mk012 and hamburg. I think you're right about mic placement with the mk012, it can sound muddy if it's not in the right place. The hamburg does'nt sound bright to me. It does put a certain sonic staple on everything recorded with it though which can sound gimmicky. I've never owned a b1 but from hearing it in the listening sessions, it sounds like the low's and lower mids are kind of rolled off which would probably be a good thing for home recording in a crappy room like mine. I've heard very little recorded with the akg c1000 but what I have heard, I liked (acoustic guitar/singing, and drums).

JR shot himself after losing it while trying to figure out what the best mic for rap under $100 is.

Pressing flowers is probably alot less stressful, is unlikely to take over all your free time, and probably won't continuously empty your wallet.

I don't know where the little red spiders went off to. Maybe they're in all of our ears.

China will continue to produce cheap knock offs of the real thing.

That's all I know.
 
Sage advice.

Didn't know that about J.R...s'gonna make a great scene in the upcoming movie. You think he's gonna shoot the mics and THEN himself?

Jeez, I can see it already.


I bet he looks something like the Wolf guy in this thread -

http://gearslutz.com/board/showthread.php?t=56959

Which, if you've never seen, will have you crippled with laughter.
 
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studiomaster said:
Studio projects don't "suck".
Click to expand...

HA according to recordingpro they do

& I use the C1000 a lot for acoustic especially for live as the direction cap is so damn handy. People give them & the C3000 a royal slating but I've used them both & I like them although they're not my immediate go to. Like I said for live acoustic work & drum overheads they work for me & if the top end is "to harsh" I use this thing the lord of studio blessed us with called an EQ

the little red spiders have mutated into...................I don't know what
 
studiomaster said:
Studio projects don't "suck".
Click to expand...

I've heard em in action & I agree....was kinda taking the piss out of the long, boring threads that go back & forth and get nowhere :)
 
lo beam said:
I'd like to head this off at the pass by saying that some of my post was supposed to be a little humorous :)
Click to expand...

laughing out loud.....................I mean red spiders

arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

there's one now
 
At the end of the day, just use your ears, find out what works for you and go with it. If you have aspirations towards higher things, then maybe you should consider higher investment. If not, get the best you can for your money. But there is barely a crap product on the market now.

Oh and Chinese prices are going up. Copper is getting more expensive so several big manufacturers in the UK have already had to announce price hikes for all of their Chinese leads, cymbals and stands (and ABS plastic cases for a similar reason). Sooner or later the Chinese will put up their labour costs too and things will come back into line. At that point you just have to hope there are enough skilled people left in the West to pick up the slack and make it a competitive market again.

Rotosound are a good example ... strings made in the UK that are as good as anyone's (subjectively at least - I'm not a fan) but can be priced cheaper than most USA and China-made brands.
 
I'm not in favor of the "so-and so sucks"-trolls, although I've been known to diss some specific gear that I've really found ugly. (Like, ummmm, some of those AKG's we've been talking about).

But to be fair, different people may have different reasons for slamming certain gear that may not be readily apparent to those who, say, only have a limited collection of gear to use as a baseline comparison.

Yes, your new mic (or preamp, or compressor, or etc.) may sound fine on your vocal track. No one begrudges anyone that fact.

But there are other issues, like:

How much does the sound vary from unit to unit due to poor manufacturing and quality control?

How long is the unit going to continue to sound good with heavy usage over time, due to poor components and design?

How will the sonic characteristics that may be "endearing" on one track sound when multiplied by 16, 24, or 32 tracks?

How versatile is the piece of gear, versus being a "one trick pony" that only sounds good on, say, tuba or floor tom.

Will the manufacturer stand behind their product?

Will the manufacturer even still exist when your product breaks?

These are just a few issues (and I'm sure others can think of more) that some of us are considering when evaluating gear. The most horrid gear in the world might be just the thing for some weird instrument or voice or special effect. But judicious purchasing of a few good pieces, as you can afford them, is something that almost no one regrets,
 
Great, thoughtful replies. Thankyou.

You know, I reckon I am gonna grab me a B1...how the hell can you fall off at the price?

And you're all soooo right about the fact that there are just too many other factors involved when assessing the qualities of a particular mic to dismiss ANYTHING out of hand.
I've actually always thought that the performance going on in front of whatever you throw up to catch it is the main thing..when you give it all you've got & you're feeling it, it's going to shine through. Sure, it could always be better...but if you let that start to inhibit your work, you'll probably never get anything done.

Cheers...
 
OMG! That is freakin hilarious!! Good thing no one else is here yet, I couldn't stop laughing. Thanks for making my day!
 
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