Behringer B1 and C1

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Sisko41

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Hey, starting at this from scratch. Brand New. I'm putting together a "home studio" I guess you could say. After looking around the net at condenser mics, I have come to the decision that I should get a Behringer B1 or C1. I know that B1 is better, but I want to know more about C1. I want to spend as little as possible, so I want to know how the C1 compares to the B1. If the B1 is quite a bit better than C1, I'll definitely get it... but if there isn't a huge difference, I'll get the C1.

B1 is 99.99 on musiciansfriend.com, and C1 ranges form 40 - 60$ on eBay. B1 is over 100 on eBay.

Let me know more about the quality of C1. Would like to hear from as many of you as possible. THANKS! :)
 
There are so many better mics than that in that price range. If that's what you have your heart set on, then fine, but really there are so many options.

What will you be recording primarily?

What is your absolute cap on price range?

What is your basic setup?

Have a look at the MXL V67G. Really a good sounding mic for most things. Audio Technica AT2020 is very versatile, as well as the Studio Projects B1. Neither one has the overly hyped and harsh high end found in the Behringer line. All have been found to be good workhorse mics. There is also the old standby Shure SM57 if you can live without it being a condenser.
 
PhilGood said:
There are so many better mics than that in that price range. If that's what you have your heart set on, then fine, but really there are so many options.
Click to expand...

I completely agree. I have a B-1 collecting dust in the mic locker. Used it once on an acoustic guitar with OK results, but they're not really great on anything. I wish someone had told me what to expect when I got one years ago... I would have saved a hundred bucks.

For $99, you could have an Audio Technica AT-2020 (my fav!), or a decent MXL, or a Shure 57, or one of many other useful mics.
 
Have a look at this thread here.
https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=228696
It should outline what people's fave mics are in that price range.
Once you have narrowed down your choices, have a search on here. There is so much info on all these mics. Then go and listen to them at your local shop if you can.
I don't know much about these mics, but there are a load of people here who do!!
Hope you have a load of fun making music!
long
 
Thanks for the answers. I don't have my heart set on a B1 or C1 at all, but i read that those are good--apparently I didn't read enough lol. The mic will be used as an overhead drum mic, for vocals, and maybe some acoustic guitar. I would want to spend 150$ at the most seeing how it is my first condenser mic. I want to see how much use ill actually get out of it before buying a really fancy expensive one.
 
Many many people love the AT2020.

It's indestructable, and sounds good.


However, I owned it, and the Behringer B-1, and the B-1 got more use because of it's low cut, and -10 pad.

When my ears got better, over a period of 2 to 3 years, I realized the limitations of the Behringer B-1. It is a little sibilant on some vocals, and professionals do say that it sounds "cheap". I sat in a mastering session where the engineer turned to me and said "great song.... but the singer was using a cheap mic".

I really hate to confuse you, or complicate this... but.... if you could somehow double or triple our budget, you could really get into some nice mics.

I have done the "well.... I just spend $100 for now, and upgrade later" and in my experience, that is a more expensive way to go. I know your just trying to get your feet wet, to see if you'll get much use out of it... but... if you grabbed a mic in the $300 range, there's a much better chance you could turn around and sell if for most your money back, and in the meantime, would have a much nicer mic.

Buy cheap, you'll buy twice.

Consider boosting your budget to $300, if you can.
 
If you are starting from scratch, both those mikes will do just fine.

They are cheap, so even if, in the end, you go for something better, you won't have dented your budget too much.

The "cheap cheap, buy twice" axiom doesn't stop at this price point, and buying twice becomes more significant at higher prices.

Your ears will tell you when it is time to change.
 
yeah if you cant save too much, these will serve you well for a while :D
 
PhilGood said:
Audio Technica AT2020 is very versatile,
Click to expand...


most definetely.

@ KineticSound -- what do you use your at 2020 for... over here i'm doing vocals, micing acoustic guitar, an amp, drum overhead, and sometimes piano ( i would more if i could play)

prettyyyyyyyy great.
 
Yeah, although it's not the smarter way to go, I'll probably buy a cheaper mic for now, considering I'm JUST getting into it. nothing professional yet :P
 
Sisko41 said:
Yeah, although it's not the smarter way to go, I'll probably buy a cheaper mic for now, considering I'm JUST getting into it. nothing professional yet :P
Click to expand...

Then almost anything will be fine and you will get an education from using it.

That in itself can be important.
 
As a matter of fact, do you have any soldering skills? Do you know anything about electronics? Sometimes you can start with something cheap and upgrade the components and have something useful.

From what I know of the B1 (being made by 797) there might be some things to improve the sound later on. Replacing the capsule being fairly easy but risky, although a bit of a cost involved. Maybe some capacitor swaps.

I may buy another one just to see what can be done with it. I've been reading that it has a similar circuit to a Neumann TLM, but there are some slight differences. There's part of a negative feedback circuit that might be adjusted to help the sound.

Who knows? I modded about 5 MXL 2003's and ended up with some seriously good mics. They were made by 797 as well.
 
PhilGood said:
Who knows? I modded about 5 MXL 2003's and ended up with some seriously good mics. They were made by 797 as well.
Click to expand...

hey, do you have links for this kind of mod or is it custom?

I have 2 mxl 2003's and hardly use em --
 
tojo said:
most definetely.

@ KineticSound -- what do you use your at 2020 for... over here i'm doing vocals, micing acoustic guitar, an amp, drum overhead, and sometimes piano ( i would more if i could play)

prettyyyyyyyy great.
Click to expand...


Tojo, The AT-2020 is my go-to for female vocals. The lead female in my band is a former Broadway "belt" singer, and this mic can handle the volume with ease.

I also a pair of them for jazz drum overheads when I'm not close-micing every drum. For jazz sessions, I usually go stereo AT-2020's up top with a Shure KSM-27 in front of the kick drum. For brushes, I move the KSM-27 up to the snare and change the kick mic to an Audio Technica Pro25. All my other sessions are done with V-Drums.

I love these little mic's... someone mentioned earlier how they're built like tanks. I completely agree; these are tough little suckers!
 
jasonbmerrill said:
hey, do you have links for this kind of mod or is it custom?

I have 2 mxl 2003's and hardly use em --
Click to expand...


Yeah, I'll see if I can find it.

There's info here. Do a search for MXL 2003 and mod, but where they recommend using .33uF 100v film caps use 1uF 63v. Much bigger bottom end.

I'll dig it up if you can't find it.
 
It's just easier for me to look at the mic.

BTW, this original mod came from Gus, so he gets credit.

If C10 is a ceramic capacitor, replace it with a 1000pF 50v polystyrene. If it's a WIMA cap, leave it be. (it's the one that connects the stand-offs at the 1 Gohm resistors), and it may be on the back of the board in some older models)

Replace the electrolytic at C9 with a 1uF 100v Mylar or good film cap.

Replace C8 (on both sides of the board) with a .33uF or .56uF 100v, or my favorite 1uF 63v mylar. These just barely fit in that space, so some creative adjustment may be required.

You can also remove the small capacitors closest to the XLR connector, but that might be unnecassary. Those are just for RF filtering I believe.

The other mod that I did was replace the capsule with one out of an M-Audio Nova which to me had a smoother top end, but slightly less overall output. The 797 capsule is still ok. One could also put a Peluso capsule in there and have a really nice mic. Something like a CEK-89.
 
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