Best all-around mic for 22 dollars?

  • Thread starter Thread starter cusebassman
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Harvey Gerst said:
Several years ago, I started a thread about the advantages of having omni pattern mics in your mic arsenal and suggested the Behringer ECM8000's (at$35 each) as a good addition. Prior to that time, most HR members didn't own any omni mics. It fueled an interest in omnis and I believe that the MSH mics are a direct result of that interest.

Omnis have certain characteristics that you just can't get with other mic patterns, even with the multi-pattern, dual-diaphragm mics set to omni. Inexpensive small omni capsules are readily available and, with suitable electronics, are a great addition to anyone's mic locker.

The fact that they can be inexpensive is irrelevant; The sound of the mic is what's important, and even cheap omnis have their place in a studio.
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omnis are great. I heard somewhere that this was due tot he fact that all mics are natually omni, and some degree of phase trickery is needed in order to make them directional.
 
TerraMortim said:
omnis are great. I heard somewhere that this was due tot he fact that all mics are natually omni, and some degree of phase trickery is needed in order to make them directional.
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Mics with sealed backs are omni; they're called "pure pressure transducers".

Mics with rear openings are called "pressure gradient transducers" - a combination of velocity and pressure response.

The ratio between the velocity and pressure response determines the polar pattern.
 
Harvey Gerst said:
Mics with sealed backs are omni; they're called "pure pressure transducers".

Mics with rear openings are called "pressure gradient transducers" - a combination of velocity and pressure response.

The ratio between the velocity and pressure response determines the polar pattern.
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So then why does the omni setting on a multi-pattern behave differently from a standard 1/2" omni capsule, if you can either change the port openings, or include an omni cap to blend with the other diaphragms (where in full omni-mode you could simply have the omni capsule active only)?
 
Harvey Gerst said:
Mics with sealed backs are omni; they're called "pure pressure transducers".

Mics with rear openings are called "pressure gradient transducers" - a combination of velocity and pressure response.

The ratio between the velocity and pressure response determines the polar pattern.
Click to expand...

fascinating
 
cusebassman said:
So then why does the omni setting on a multi-pattern behave differently from a standard 1/2" omni capsule, if you can either change the port openings, or include an omni cap to blend with the other diaphragms (where in full omni-mode you could simply have the omni capsule active only)?
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Simplistic explanation:

Multi-pattern mics mimic an omni pattern by combining two cardioid patterns, back to back. As you move in very close to the mic, you still get some proximity effect.

The original AKG C3000 DID in fact use a separate 1/4" omni capsule to get the omni pattern.
 
Harvey Gerst said:
Simplistic explanation:

Multi-pattern mics mimic an omni pattern by combining two cardioid patterns, back to back. As you move in very close to the mic, you still get some proximity effect.

The original AKG C3000 DID in fact use a separate 1/4" omni capsule to get the omni pattern.
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Gotcha... the proximity effect is what I experienced when I switched my K2 to omni and tried it out against the Naiants... exactly the thing I was attempting to get rid of in switching to omni :D
 
Harvey im curious, what would u say is better to get..at least before the other..the ecm8000 or msh-1..cause i need some overheads, and samples of both of these have proven them to be deff. worth the purchase...and better than most mics costing 2x, or even up to 4x the cost.
 
pylet2000 said:
Was it the Behringer ECM8000 thread that talked about this?
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The ECM8000 I had used a 6mm capsule with a 5mm depth. To my knowledge, Panasonic doesn't make a capsule in that size (at least since WM60AY was discontinued several years ago). There are a lot of 6mm capsules on the market from different vendors (you can buy about 50 different ones from Digikey alone) and I wouldn't presume anything about the quality of a capsule without trying it out.

I would take a wild guess that Behri has their capsules made to their own specs, since they are even manufacturing some of their ICs these days. But if they wanted to pull something off-the-shelf, there is no shortage of alternatives.
 
Scott Dorsey said he thought the capsules were made in the Philippines.
 
Harvey Gerst said:
Scott Dorsey said he thought the capsules were made in the Philippines.
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There you go.

Anyway, I have frequently and often credited Harvey's postings, and I shall do so again! Enjoy your holidays, and I'll type at you next year!


Anybody looking for an MSH-1 . . . better look on Craigslist for a stolen one! ;)
 
mshilarious said:
There you go.

Anyway, I have frequently and often credited Harvey's postings, and I shall do so again! Enjoy your holidays, and I'll type at you next year!


Anybody looking for an MSH-1 . . . better look on Craigslist for a stolen one! ;)
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Yikes... happy I got mine when I did. I don't recall seeing any specifics, but does the Naiaint store discuss what will be different about the new mics you are introducing / replacing the MSH line with? If not, we want details!

And by we, I mean me, and potentially others who got in on the purchasing right before they ran / run out :p
 
seriously though, a mic that's twenty bucks? Doesn't it sound like crap? Even radioshack mics are more expensive.
 
TerraMortim said:
seriously though, a mic that's twenty bucks? Doesn't it sound like crap? Even radioshack mics are more expensive.
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If your source sound is crap then yeah, it sounds like crap.

From my experience, the MSH (and also the Behringer ECM8000's) have a pretty damn flat response and good response to quick transients which make them nice for acoustic instruments. If you have a good source sound then you will be happy with these mics.

(I know you're probably kidding but Radio Shack mics are usually tailored to vocal response for karaoke and whatnot which is one reason they sound like ass). They sound very similar to those cheap, $10 PC mics.
 
TerraMortim said:
seriously though, a mic that's twenty bucks? Doesn't it sound like crap? Even radioshack mics are more expensive.
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We often use the Naiant MSH-1O's as overheads in our "A" room - and believe me, we have a lot more expensive mics to choose from.
 
TerraMortim said:
seriously though, a mic that's twenty bucks? Doesn't it sound like crap? Even radioshack mics are more expensive.
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I preferred these mics to the SM81 I tried out, which I believe is considered a standard for mic'ing acoustic instruments. They reproduce a very accurate sound - which means you have to place them properly, but when placed properly, they do in fact sound very good - well, very transparent.

If you don't believe us, and you've got the acoustic guitar and 20 bucks, go for it - if mshilarious still has any, you'll likely see it at your door in about 3 days.
 
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