your first condenser, how did it feel?

[cordura21]

hi guys. I'm on the quest of buying a condenser, the first one.
As a home recorder and live player, I have some SM-57's and SM-58's. I guess many people start like that.
I know there are no right or wrong mics (as preamps, guitars, singers or whatever). They just translate the sound in a way that maybe or maybe not what you need for the specific application.

Anyways, I am recording acoustic guitars and voices, so I thought that a condenser would be good to have around.

What were your discoveries and feelings when you got your first condenser ?

cheers, Andrés

 

[Vurt]

I felt about $350 poorer. No wait, the first one was $150. Either way, you'll notice how they pick up everyfuckingthing and present it back in such detailed and crisp/rich (depending on which one) form. You'll hear you and your walls breathing, your feet shuffling, bones creaking, and your buddy behind you lighting a joint will sound like something out of the movie 'Backdraft'.

 

[Michael Jones]

When I got my first one, an AKG C1000S, I was SO disappointed!
I paid like $200 bucks for it, and thought it was a piece of crap! Still do!
Then I got a pair of Shure SM81's. Big Difference. But still not capturing the "Essence of Piano" that I was hoping for. You see, I play and record Grand Piano. The general consensus was that I needed a pair of Large Diameter Condensor mics.
So I splurged, and bought a matched pair of Neumann TLM103's.
Viola! There, comming back from my monitors, was finally that elusive, lush sound of the piano! I was in heaven!
As time went on, my ears became more adept at critical listening, and, although the sound was very nice, the piano sound still lacked something. A presence, if you will.
So, I worked on upgrading my entire signal chain, and not just the microphones. I purchased a better pre-amp, better cables, a better AD/DA converter.
Today, I have an incredible signal chain! And the results I achieve with the grand piano, I think are stellar!

My point to this is, while a nice, high quality LD Condensor microphone is a great place to start, it's not the be-all-end-all in your recording chain. Every link in that chain is important. You will notice a marked improvement in your recording with a condensor mic though, especially comming away from a dynamic, but I think, in the future, you'll be looking for other ways to improve the quality of your sound. You see, pre-amp choice is nearly as important a mic selection for given applications. (At least IMHO)

 

[lavoz]

I think Michael hit the nail right on the head! The signal chain may start, but no means does it end there! So the chain is only as strong as it's weakest link! My first large condenser was a CAD, nice mic, but not for my voice. My second was a Marshall 2001p. What a waste of money and time! The third is a Studio Projects C-1. I tip my hat to Allan Hyatt for coming out with a mic that is everything it claims to be. However, I'm searching for LD tude mic at this moment.

 

[atomictoyz]

It was like stepping out of a volkswagen into an open field where I could hear again. It was lively and open, setting me free from having to try so hard to add depth and air to acoustic instruments....If you have been listening to dynamics strictly, you will smile...I guarantee it...

Peace,
Dennis

 

[philboyd studge]

cordura21

It's great you've begun this quest, just keep in mind it's not likely to ever end.

My first condensers were EV BK-1's but they were mostly for stage. The first one for recording was an Oktava 219 through an Event EMP-1 preamp. I still use the 219 sometimes.

 

[Aren]

I bought my first condenser (Nady CM-90) when I worked in the US this last summer. I couldn't wait to get back home and try it. I plugged it in, and the only thing I heared was the harshest, most annoying hiss I've ever heared. It was like turning on a TV without any channels set. I tried that mic on every pre-amp or mixer I could get my hands on, until 4 months later I cracked, and admited to myself that I threw 80$ down the drain.
On my last visit to the states, I bought a Marshall MXL-1006. When I plugged that mic in, my first reaction was something like "Is that the dog scratching in the living room?".
I realized what a great mic it really is, when I had a friend play a guitar line through it. We were both recording with SM-58/57s until that point and we were dazzeled. His exact words were "It actually sounds like an accoustic guitar!!!"

Oren

 

[Roel]

I'm with michael too... I bought a C3000b almost directly after I bought my recorder, since I was very dissappointed with the SM58-copy I had. Still didn't like the sound. It was better, but still not good enough. Then I bought a voice channel (symetrix 528e), decent preamp and compressor, and it opened a whole new world. I actually liked the sound I recorded...

But it still doesn't get me the girls. So now I'm saving for even more expensive gear and working on my playing and composition skills. I really want all those fine young girls to like me...

 

[chessparov]

My "first" was... oh wait-we're talking about microphones!

It was the AKG C1000S, and just like Harvey Gerst has said,
at first everything sounded great until my ears got a bit smarter.
Now I'm more than "satisfied" with the Studio Projects C1,
although the listening CD that had the C3 and T3 on it make
those tempting later on as a further upgrade in sound.

BTW, the C1000S got sold to a local studio and it gets a lot of
use, especially on guitars.

 

[Mark H.]

Depends on the Dynamic!

If the dynamic mics you are considering include the Electro-Voice RE20 and RE27, the Sennheiser 421 and 441, and the Shure SM7 (among others), then the difference in sound quality between them and a condenser not only narrows but may be more than offset by the relative toughness of the dynamics (depending on where and how they're used -- outside, for instance, or by inexperienced members of the public who insist on blowing on a microphone to see if it's open).

However, inside under controlled circumstances, today's cheap condensers tend to sound better than today's cheap dynamics.

Mark H.

 

[Mossberg]

My first condensor I used was a AT 4050 through a Drawmer pre a few years back. That was a huge difference from using a AT dynamic that I had lying around going through a Tascam console preamp.

But I damn near shit my pants the first time we used a RODE NTK on a project!!! This mic now owns the "BEST BUY" award (or BANG 4 THE $ award) in my studio.

Although, dynamics are still useful for a number of apps.

 

[Kelly Dueck]

The first time I ever heard a condenser mic was at recording school in Calgary. It was an AKG 414. I learned how to do a lot of recording with a stereo pair of these. We also had a couple of U87s, some SM81's, AKG 451's, KM84's and a Sony C37a among others.

When I moved to Winnipeg to work in a Studio, we also had a couple of 414's, a TLM170, and some 451s.

My ears never new that there were condensor mics that sounded bad. I had never heard anything other than solid, workhorse, professional condensers.

I left the industry for 11 years, then re-entered it as a hobby. I didn't want to spend a lot, so I bought a pair of MXL 2001/603 mic packs and an Aardvark pro 2496.

I plugged in one of the 2001s and thought to myself ... This isn't what I remember about condenser mics at all -- maybe a little -- but something was missing. I reached for the 603s and plugged them in -- this was a lot more like it. I ended up selling the 2001s, getting a V67 and two CAD m179s and an SE5000 (this one may have been a mistake ... still can't decide) and now I have pretty much everything I need for awhile .. OK, well, at least until the next paycheque.

 

[Jimmy D.]

Cordura21,

Your're absolutely right. I think I'm 'greener' than you, and after the SM57 - with vocals and acustic guitar, etc - I felt like something was missing (TALENT!)..

But I read some things, and decided to buy a fairly inexpensive condenser (KSM27) - whether good or bad choice - it has made a massive difference; and now that I'm learning to better 'control' my recording environment (like the white-noise that I never knew existed in my house) I continue to be pleased by the marked improvement..

 

[bongolation]

My unforgettable reaction was that I had no idea a computer could make so much noise in a studio. It sounded like a guy running a leaf blower.

Still does.

 

[hixmix]

I asked my wife this same question, and she thought it was really geeky, too.

 

[meta5ical]

RODE NT-1

you know its funny, I never really acknowledged or realized her power and sensitivity, till the other day (After a full year of recording agressive, hiphop vocals).

I had a friend of a friend come in to record a book of his to cd.

He had recorded about an hours worth of smooth, soft, whisper-like vocals.

When I went to review the recording this is what I had realized:


- I've got one creeky *$%&ing chair which, was more powerful than his soft vocals.

- I don't remember anyone upstairs walking around with bricks on thier feet *I'm in the basement*

- My computer isn't as quiet as I thought it was when I first bought it.

- Give this guy a tall glass of water, cuz he had a nasty lil case of the pasties, smacking and snapping in my ears for a whole hour of reviewing.


- I should turn off my heating so it does randomly come on during recordings.

- He should blow his nose thoroughly b4 recording, because he made the 7 dwarfs proud, the way it whistled while he worked.

- From now own, His belly must be properly fed, because in between breathes it was growling like you wouldn't believe. lol

We had a good laugh about it after.

From that point on I pay full attention to her sensitive side, I've been neglecting it

I'm looking to upgrade now, I'm passed the little girls.
The NT-1 yeah she was nice for a quickie, first time fling get my practise, my feet wet, learn how to really work it...

but come on...

Have you seen the body on that NTK???

 

[A1A2]

"Is that the dog scratching in the living room?" LOL

Got my C1 the other day, I stood infront of it with headphones on, first heard my monster PC screaming, then my neighbor walking above me, then heard my toes moving. I thought, oh my god, how in the hell am I ever gonna record? so I lock myself in the bathroom, yeah, all quiet, put my headphones again, great, my neighbor's sink is leaking....powerful/giant drops of water...

 

[geekgurl]

This is so funny. I so much relate to the anecdotes here.

The SM58 = Hummmmmmmmmm. Try recording oboe and flute with that sucka. That hum in the background on my friend's demo recording is from the mic.

I have an SM58 too, but then I got a Rode NT2. A picky mic for vox, doesn't seem to like everyone ... but it seems to like me (as far as I can tell).

Once I got that, I needed Monster cables for better frequencies. I had to turn off the heater. Trip the GFCI the refrigerator shared a circuit with. Turn off the fish tank filter (OK, we break after a few hours, don't want to suffocate the poor dears). Is that a car driving by, a plane flying overhead (No, I don't even live on/near a flight path)? Shut the f$#&* up, people! I'm recording!

That's what a condenser will do for you. In case I'm not communicating clearly, I mean to say that it's a good thing.

 

[Track Rat]

Yeah, I can relate to all the comments too. The first condensors I owned were a pair of Tascam PE-80s and I thought I had arrived. On vocals and acoustic guitar they smoked the garbage dynamics I had collected. Then I upgraded to a pair of AKG C-1000's and it was like a quantum leap. Then I just had to have a large diaphram mic so the C-3000 entered. The list gets long and ugly after that. Now I'm trying to stay away from budget mics. Now I love the mics I have but when I picked up my first Neumann, I realized that it's so true, buy cheap, buy twice.

 

[Garak]

My first is the Studio projects C1 and for the first few weeks it was like wow. Now its just the best mic in my studio and not the coolest mic on earth but it still blows the SM-57's away.

Last weekend I rented a RE-20 and some MD-421's. The RE-20 sound great on my voice, really the first mic I have ever used that makes me sound cool. The 421's wern't all that great on vocals but they rocked on toms, what I rented them for. The RE-20 is great on kick too.

The 57's have their place on snare, on some gtr amps and as a talk back mic.