SP t3 vs. ADK 51 vs. Neuman 149

The guitar was a Tacoma Papoose 3/4 size tuned to A. ...and Yes it would have been cruel to move the mics closer together - they would have rubbed and rattled against each other; very cruel to my ears & wallet! :D
 
Mic A sounds hyped to hell.. didn't like this one
Mic B is better.. little presence boost there...
Mic C is most neutral to my ears..

Now I'd gladly receive a PM telling which mic is which :)
 
Yup. C was the least grating to my ears. A and B sound similar. I've changed my mind like a gazillion times as to which one I like better, and I just can't tell. I don't particularly like either of them on drums, to be honest. Both are exaggerating the hell out of the hi-hat. A seems to be exaggerating much higher frequencies -- perhaps in the 14khz range, perhaps a little more out of harm's range, but still annoying. B seems to exaggerate things a little lower -- perhaps in the 10khz region? Either way, I think I'm going to go treble deaf if I listen to them any longer.

I think what Nathan was pointing out was how differently they perform in the extreme lower frequencies 50 hz on down. And in that department, I'd have to give the nod to A. The low, lows on B seem a bit less distinct. Based on that, I'm guessing A to be the ADK, B as the Studio Projects, and C as the Neumann.
 
Last edited:
chessrock said:
Yup. C was the least grating to my ears. A and B sound similar. I've changed my mind like a gazillion times as to which one I like better, and I just can't tell. I don't particularly like either of them on drums, to be honest. Both are exaggerating the hell out of the hi-hat. A seems to be exaggerating much higher frequencies -- perhaps in the 14khz range, perhaps a little more out of harm's range, but still annoying. B seems to exaggerate things a little lower -- perhaps in the 10khz region? Either way, I think I'm going to go treble deaf if I listen to them any longer.

I think what Nathan was pointing out was how differently they perform in the extreme lower frequencies 50 hz on down. And in that department, I'd have to give the nod to A. The low, lows on B seem a bit less distinct. Based on that, I'm guessing A to be the ADK, B as the Studio Projects, and C as the Neumann.
Click to expand...
I agree with you about Mic B not handling the Lows as good. But I thought there was a bigger difference between mic A and Mic B than you seam to. I thought B sounded nasaly and boxy on the guitar. A bit too "Direct" and "forward" in the upper mids with that guitar. A seamed to have bit more "Dimension" or "Air" to it. A did have a slight mid scoop goin on though. I also thought the highs of mic A were a bit smoother than B. But Mic C was definitely in another league. Smooth and Airy highs, creamy mids, and deep lows. Really smooth and detailed overall. It picked up more room in the drum tracks too. JMVVVHO
 
I think I'd have to agree with you, for the most part, Sinner, on all accounts. A did seem to have that scoop and air thing going on like you say, and C was in another league. But that particular guitar used is just a really bad example. :D It's so nasaly and boxy sounding to begin with, you'd almost have to eliminate it from consideration in order to be fair.
 
I definitely have to agree with you there! You really have to struggle to hear what's really going on. And I would Not use that guitar clip to make a final decision. I wish they would have used a Real Guitar, and a player who didnt keep making mistakes. Those were just my opinions on those particular tracks. And as much as I'd like to believe that I have a general idea of the 3 mics,...It could just as well be a world of difference on another source.
 
I also wish the room in which the drums were tracked would have been a little "less live." Maybe only half of what we were hearing was the actual drums, and the rest reflections off the ceilings and the walls.
 
sinnerx96 said:
I definitely have to agree with you there! You really have to struggle to hear what's really going on. And I would Not use that guitar clip to make a final decision. I wish they would have used a Real Guitar, and a player who didnt keep making mistakes...
Click to expand...
...and posted mp3s along with aiff files. I still can't get QuickTime to play them without glitches. :( (Not that I don't appreciate the efforts, because I do!)

Based on the descriptions though, I guessed right about which mic was which. :p
 
It's true what they say - that no good deed goes unpunished. This was not intended to be a comprehensive test - it was a quick & dirty comparison of the 3 mics on a couple of very different sources. The logistics of setting up a more comprehensive test were proving problematic, and various people were BEGGING Nathan & I to put up something; anything. I slapped this together (using the M149 as a common reference) so that all the people who had never heard either of theses mics could at least have something to give them a starting point.
BTW, I am NOT a guitarist - I am a pianist & keyboard player - but some people specifically wanted to hear these on acoustic guitar. The choice of instrument was probably a mistake, in retrospect, but it's the only guitar-shaped thing I feel even vaguely close to comfortable plucking at.
As far as the drums/drum room, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on that one. Many drummers and engineers LOVE the sound of my room for drums - and Nate & I both felt that a room/ front of kit mic is a pretty good litmus test of the omni pattern.
We still plan to do a more comprehensive comparison, but it's going to take some time to get together. Rest assured that if we include any acoustic guitar, it will be a nice, full sized instrument played by a real guitarist - and any other instruments will be of high quality, played by professionals.

- I knew I should have obeyed my gut instinct and not posted anything until we could do a REAL, well planned comparison.

Scott
 
you should know by now digi that the home recordist wants the best of everything for little to nothing and quickly! ...:D
 
DigitMus said:
It's true what they say - that no good deed goes unpunished...
Click to expand...
No need to feel “punished”! :D

I think the clips were successful never the less, considering the general question over at GS was whether or not the ADK A48 was really worth twice the cost of the SP T3. Even though I haven’t heard the clips (un-glitched, that is), from everyone’s comments I’d guess that the answer is a resounding “no”. Heck, looks like it isn’t even worth as much.

Having said that, I’ll caution against judging ADK’s other mics by the A48. From what I gather, the A48 is a totally different mic, using a different capsule and tube circuit. I briefly tried the ADK’s at Summer NAMM (using my voice through headphones) and I didn’t like the A48. It sounded just like the comments I’ve heard on these clips. On the other hand, I thought the ADK CE, was the best sounding mic at the show.
 
Flatpicker said:
Even though I haven’t heard the clips (un-glitched, that is), from everyone’s comments I’d guess that the answer is a resounding “no”. Heck, looks like it isn’t even worth as much.
Click to expand...

Based on what I heard, I think I would pay more for mic A, whichever that one is. I'm not sure that drum overheads or accoustic guitar are the main applications I would use a colorful tube mic for, though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top