Nr 1: AKG C 414 XLS vs Audio-Technica AT5045

J

johnnyb7

New member
hello
I know, microphones are a big (and often personal) topic. After all, in addition to purpose and space, it's also about taste.
Nevertheless, I would like to put these two microphones against each other.

AKG C 414 XLS vs Audio-Technica AT5045

I am looking for an all-round microphone (stereo set) with which I can (ideally) record the following.
-Acoustic guitar
-vocals
-piano
-Percussive instruments (various drums, cymbals etc. - I am not talking about a drumset)
-strings
-guitar amp (not as the only mic, but in addition)

It is clear to me that in an ideal world you would always have THE perfect Mik for everything sepertately, but I am simply interested in your personal opinion and experience. Both Miks are top, but which oneis better in your mind?
 
You can get the stereo set of the 414 for the price of one Audio Tec and while they might be a Wonderfull mic, they're just not common - single pattern, vs multi, so considering the AKG 414 is such a good and useful mic, I'd buy two of them!
 
^^^+1 to the XLS(not XLII). I like the AT but for the money I would rather get a mic with more "character" than the typical clean semi analytical AT sound(excepting the tube mics)
 
What [MENTION=178786]rob aylestone[/MENTION] said, especially since you listed piano as one of the sources. The pair of 414s will be more useful.
 
If somebody said I’m taking all your mics but one, pick which one. I’d pick the C414 BXL, it does a good job on just about everything. Versatile mic, that sound good, and I’m an Audio Technica fan.
 
I never got any goosebumps using the 414 XLS...but I guess it's meant to be a rather bland, vanilla mic.
That said, I would still get a pair of them over the stereo AT 5045 mainly because with a pair of mics, you have a lot more options for placement than you will with a single, stereo mic.

I think you should explore other brands before picking either of those. :)
 
miroslav said:
I never got any goosebumps using the 414 XLS...but I guess it's meant to be a rather bland, vanilla mic.
That said, I would still get a pair of them over the stereo AT 5045 mainly because with a pair of mics, you have a lot more options for placement than you will with a single, stereo mic.

I think you should explore other brands before picking either of those. :)
Click to expand...

And what brands or what mics are you thinking about?
 
I've felt this with maybe an instrument, or a player on a particular instrument - but the mic has never, for me created mood or emotion - surely that's not within their capability as a transducer?
 
johnnyb7 said:
And what brands or what mics are you thinking about?
Click to expand...

There are numerous brands/models out there...and they are all somewhat about personal taste, as you said.
I prefer to consider mics for specific tasks, rather than looking for THE mic that covers everything...and yeah, there are many that will claim they are good for everything, but in real world use, it's not the case...unless it's the only mic you have, and then it becomes great for everything. ;)
Like where you mention recording guitar and then also acoustic piano...I just would never use a 414 for both of those tasks...and I don't think they are all that great for vocals, either. Not saying they are bad...just not the "one mic to rule them all". :D

So I would consider what is the primary use for a new mic, and then find the one for that. I also think that "neutral/transparent" mics are rather an unexciting way to record, but that me... and I don't think they always make for the best choices just because they are neutral/transparent.
I like to record with a tonal purpose...so getting the sounds during tracking is the goal, rather than doing the "transparent" thing, and then later on creating the tones...but that's me.

What kind of music are you doing...what's your main focus...and what's the main purpose of the new mics you are looking for?


rob aylestone said:
I've felt this with maybe an instrument, or a player on a particular instrument - but the mic has never, for me created mood or emotion - surely that's not within their capability as a transducer?
Click to expand...

Mmm...we all hear things differently, and approach recording with individual goals, so different things can affect us and how we do that...but certainly a mic, just like an amp or an instrument can create/change the mood of a recording. Of course, if you prefer to always go the transparent/neutral route, which certainly has its place with some music genres and recording techniques...then it's understandable why you might feel the way you do about mics.
I mean...haven't you ever had a source where it just wasn't happening, and you swapped out the mic, and it was like....ahhhhh, yeah, that's what I want! :)
 
miroslav said:
...and yeah, there are many that will claim they are good for everything, but in real world use, it's not the case...unless it's the only mic you have, and then it becomes great for everything. ;) ....
Click to expand...
HTG, I sometimes miss the days when I had a 2 input, bus-powered interface and exactly one Shure Beta57a. Still some of my favorite home recordings, and, yep, that mic was great for everything. It was so good I bought a 2nd one and used a pair to record a baby grand! Ignorance is bliss :)
 
Miroslav - No I've not, I hear differences and usually take no time to say "yes - this is the one" but it's never been a 'wow' moment. I've had it when a sax player replaced a perfectly good reed, or a boring piano suddenly turned wonderful when the lid was changed from short to long stick - p.lus the usual new guitar strings trick, but these changes are massive compared to mic swaps which I always treat as quite gentle changes. Interesting that maybe I've just never found the right mic? It's a possibility I guess.
 
rob aylestone said:
Miroslav - No I've not, I hear differences and usually take no time to say "yes - this is the one" but it's never been a 'wow' moment. I've had it when a sax player replaced a perfectly good reed, or a boring piano suddenly turned wonderful when the lid was changed from short to long stick - p.lus the usual new guitar strings trick, but these changes are massive compared to mic swaps which I always treat as quite gentle changes. Interesting that maybe I've just never found the right mic? It's a possibility I guess.
Click to expand...

Well...I don't really know what/how you record generally or the variety of mics at your disposal...so I'm just going by my own experiences...but I've had quite a lot of "wow" moments (maybe not "WOW!") in a variety of recording situations with different mics.
Heck, just for guitar/amp recording, I've switched mics and been totally impressed or disappointed by a given choice.

Like for instance, I bought some of those Senn 609 mics awhile back, because I thought they looked kinda cool, were pretty inexpensive, AND because some people said they were great on guitar cabs, especially because of their shape, which allowed you to just drape them over the top of the cab and let them just hang there against the grill.
I thought they sounded like shit alone from the first moment, and boy I tired hard to like them and find a way to use them...but they are very dark and murky, and you most definitely need a second, brighter mic along with the 609 to get anything useable...but then when I tried an old AKG D1000E, it was a "wow" moment relative to the 609. :)
So if I just went with what was being said, that the 609 was good on guitar cabs, and that's the only mic I used for cabs, I would be forever chasing the tone, and trying to fix it because I never went with another mic.
Same thing on vocals...I've tried many, but when I plugged in my ADK TT/CE tube mic for the first time, it was most certainly a "Wow" moment...however, I once tired it on a femal singer with a edgy kind of voice, and it was unflattering...so I switched to a another, FET mic with a different style capsule, and again, for her voice there was a "wow" moment.

I mean, I'm not like always experiencing a blown away "wow"...:D...but certainly there's always a noticeable, tone and mood changing moment.
I do think that's why a lot of people have very specific mics they always prefer for specific tasks...because they do add that extra something that increases the overall "wow" factor of the end result.
Again...if you tend to always go for very transparent/neutral mics on most sources, then I can understand why the mic is then not going to seem like a real significant tone shaping tool. It's a different way to work, but certainly valid. Some folks even go so far as to combine transparent mics with transparent pres.
 
keith.rogers said:
HTG, I sometimes miss the days when I had a 2 input, bus-powered interface and exactly one Shure Beta57a. Still some of my favorite home recordings, and, yep, that mic was great for everything. It was so good I bought a 2nd one and used a pair to record a baby grand! Ignorance is bliss :)
Click to expand...

I agree, the simple approach can be fun too.

When someone mentions the "island mic" I usually think of a SM57/58.
 
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