Building a mic Locker, Many or Few?

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trader941

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Hello, I am the proud owner of a small studio that is looking to expand it's business, and have just been the lucky recipiant of a (fairly) large sum of money.

My question is fairly simple, is it generally considered best to get 1 or 2 very good all around mics (AKG C414 ext) or a number of mics that can do a specific task better than other tasks, and are cheaper?

For instance, should i get 1-2 mics to cover everything i do, except drums, or should i get a vocal mic (or 2), a mic for acoustic guitar, electric guitar (SM57, got it), bass amp cab ext, within a similar budget.

Another specific desire i have is to record an upright and/or grand piano, which i know is not an easy task on a budget.

To give you an idea of the budget, i can summon ~$2000 USD, but would perfer to spend as little as possible, as I also need to use some of that money to buy acoustic treatment for my room, which is in dire need of some.

Thanks in advance, ask any more questions if need be, a general list of what i want to record...
1.) Male vocals (Sometimes LOUD)
2.) Female vocals (Sometimes LOUD)
3.) Acoustic Guitar
4.) Electric guitar
5.) Bass Guitar
6.) Upright Piano
7.) Grand Piano
8.) Cello
9.) Possibly woodwind and brass if the situation requires it

I am working to make a studio which can record most of any small clients needs, both on site and off site, to sum that list up.

Currently I have an SM57, Sterling Audio ST55 (which i am fairly unsatisfied with), AT8000 Dynamic, and a few CAD drum mics (Small condensors for overheads, 3 toms snare and kick are dynamic)
 
You may want to get 1 or 2 good vocal mics like a shure SM7b and a MXL V67g that should cover you for now.
You have a 57 for amps
You have drum mics
You may need an omni mic for cello or what ever
But that's just me of course


Do you plan on recording bands all together or track by track?



:cool:
 
To Moresound:

Generally i perfer to record them track by track, but i do it in a funny way. The bands i have worked with have trouble setting down a good "craptrack" so to speak, so i generally have them record as a band first, and then i re-record everything track by track overtop. I also think an omni mic is prefered for both upright and grand piano, is it not?

To Drumslinger:

I have looked into building my own basstraps, but from what i saw buying the materials to make them is nearly as expensive as buying them. If you know a good cheap place to buy the rockwool, that would make it significantly cheaper for me, and would be nice.
 
If I was in your position, I would probably buy about 5 mics, and any extra would be made up for in additional good cheap dynamics. I would buy used if at all possible, to stretch the budget. I would be looking to buy two good dynamics, two identical small diaphragm condensers, and one multipurpose large diaphragm condenser that can double as a main vocal mic.

Good dynamics- Shure SM7b (at least one of those), and either another SM7b (you can never have too many) or one of any of the following- Sennheiser MD421 or MD441, Electrovoice RE20

small diaphragm condensers- AKG C2000B or C451, Shure SM81, Oktava MC012, Rode NT-5, Peluso CEMC-6.

All purpose LD condenser- Audio-Technica AT4050, AKG C414 (any model), Shure KSM44 (my first choice)

Personally, I'd go for 1 SM7b, 1 MD421, 2 C2000B's, and 1 KSM44, but that's just me. Good luck, Richie
 
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Richard Monroe said:
If I was in your position, I would probably buy about 4 mics, and any extra would be made up for in additional good cheap dynamics. I would buy used if at all possible, to stretch the budget. I would be looking to buy two good dynamics, two identical small diaphragm condensers, and one multipurpose large diaphragm condenser that can double as a main vocal mic.
Click to expand...

Hear him, his words are wise :cool: Read "multipurpose" as "multipattern".


(although I think that adds up to five :D)
 
Who said 4 mics? I should've picked that up.-Richie
 
Nice little edit there Richie,

Thanks for the advice, i havn't thought about the AKG C 2000B before, i looked it up, that does not look like a small condensor lol, but i guess it is. Reviews seem good, everyone seems to swear by it as their "second for any job" mic.

What exactily would i be getting a stereo pair to do? I understand that sometimes it is desireable to record acoustic guitar in stereo, and sometimes presence micing is used from a distance, but for distance micing i'm sure a different mic alltogether could be used (possibly should, the goal is to get something different, isn't it?), so the only time that two of the same mic would really be used is when you are close micing something, with two mics.

Anyway, i am looking on ebay, which has some good deals right now for the AKG C 2000B ($320 for the pair).

I really like the idea of owning an AKG C414. From the reviews i've read, they can be used infront of just about anything, including vocals, and any acoustic instrument and expect pretty darn good results. They also intrigue me because of how closely the name is associated with recording Piano, which is of some importance to me.

I have heard soo many good things about the Shure SM7B, but i just havn't had the money to get on board yet. I think this is probably the time. The fact that their resale value on ebay is near retail value speaks for the value of the microphone itself, no one even wants to sell it! I guess, if i would be getting a really nice LCM, then the SM7B would be for a louder vocal, anything that isn't very delicate, and could be used for BGVs or Main VOX if i want to record other things at the same time, but plan to record vocals again? I am kind of having a hard time seeing where it would fit into a studio that has some really good LC Vocal Mics. If that could be explained, maybe something specific about why this mic is so loved, it would be appretiated.

I guess i got a few questions in there, time to go to bed for tonight.

Thanks
 
That price on the C2000B's is pretty good. I'd do it in a heartbeat, half a heartbeat if they come with the shock mounts and the flight case. Yes, they are small diaphragm mics. They're just not pencil mics. They rock on guitar cabs, as drum overheads, on acoustic instruments, toms. Overall, they are incredibly versatile, and can be pretty good vocal mics as well. What do you need a stereo pair for? You want to run a studio? Then my first best answer is you need to learn to do stereo recording- XY (coincedent), ORTF, NOS, MS, Jecklin disc, spaced, binaural, all of it. Perfect for nylon string guitar or harp. Indispensable for piano, drum overheads. Trust me on this- if you have a small mic cabinet, and you have to mic up a bunch of stuff, you will never regret buying a pair of C2000B's.

In combination with the KSM44, they will make a very good MS stereo combination. When the mic you want to use somewhere is already in use, or you don't know what to put up, put up a C2000B. It may not be perfect, but it will virtually never suck. It also is a good live sound reinforcement mic, due to being rather feedback resistant. If you've got the KSM44 up on vocals, it will be a go-to acoustic guitar mic. If you get into any remote recording, they are a really good remote stereo pair. I've used them for everything from an 88 piece orchestra to full-on Reggae with the horn section and the doo-wops.

Most people don't really know much about them, at least in the US, because they are part of a series of mics that pretty much suck, including C3000B and C1000S. Everybody figured that if the C3000B was a $300 large diaphragm mic that pretty much sucks, the C2000B must be a large diaphragm mic that sucks *more*. Actually, they are a small diaphragm mic that doesn't suck at all. Unlike the Chinese-made Perception series, they don't have the standard annoying high end hype we associate with most Chinese condensers. Response is damn near ruler flat, and the self noise is pretty low, as small diaphragm mics go. The price is going up, though, because people are starting to figure out that they don't suck. Where else can you get a small diaphragm mic in that price range that doesn't have a Chinese capsule in it? The only ones that come to mind are Rode NT5 and Shure SM81. Your choice for build quality-Made in Austria vs. Made in China.

While not everybody will truly love them (the same can be said of almost *any* mic), I have never found anyone who actually used C2000B who thinks it really sucks, which says a lot. Comments are usually more like, "Well I use Neumanns now, but you know those little buggers weren't that bad." It is difficult for a mic to be as ruler flat as C2000B is without being bringing out stridence or sibilance, or being harsh. They are a little colored, like the Oktavas, so they are sometimes more flattering than dead accurate. That can be a good thing on a cheap guitar, where the KSM44 will record the fact that the guitar sucks in living color. That color isn't overdone though, which means I'll still put them up for a 60 voice choir, or whatever you got.-Richie
 
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