Is it an upgrade, or am I just bored?

Steve Ireland

Steve Ireland

New member
Home recordist here. Do for my own band and any friends that want or need it.

I currently have a se electronics SEX1 which I’m fairly happy with but I’ve just seen a deal on an AKG Perception 220. It will be used for vocals and maybe acoustic guitar. Can anyone offer advice on the merits of an upgrade or, as the title says, am I just bored?

thanks.
 
I don't know that the P220 will be much of an "upgrade" over the SE X1. Similar price range but remember, not to concentrate solely on price. Mics seem to have distinct "voices" much like speakers and headphones.

I have 3 mics that are similarly priced, Rode NT1, Warm 47jr, and Miktek MK300. They all sound different. I can't say that any one is better than the other for everything. I like the NT1 on my vocals, I like the MK300's spaciousness with acoustic guitar. The 47jr sounded good on my friend's voice. Likewise, I have 3 different SDC mics, AKG P170, Rode M5 and Lauten LA120. Again, they all have a distinct sound.

Having different choices for mics is a good thing. It's like having a Strat and a Les Paul, and Gretsch 5420. They all have their sound.
 
Personally, I think buying up in "many steps" is a waste of money. If you want to upgrade, save up a bit and move up the ladder enough to truly experience getting something better for your outlay.
The payoff is in the recordings, as opposed to the possible mind games that sneak in if you have bought something so close in performance to what you already have that you can barely tell the difference between them.

C.
 
if you only have a single mic and it's what might be considered an "entry" version of a type, I would not double-up on the same kind of microphone. It's nice to have a "toolkit" with more than one kind of wrench, you know?

As a class, the differences in LDCs can be fairly subtle when subjected to home recording usage (IME/IMO), and, especially in untreated spaces, buying just because it's had some good reviews (face it, nearly everyone likes what they just spent their own money on) is not the best way to decide on what you really need to improve your recordings.

Also, it can depend on what your interface supports, i.e., how many mics can you plug in at once, but I'd think you'd get more use out of something different, like a small condenser or maybe even a good utility dynamic like the SM57.
 
The SE is a pretty decent, Chinese style competent mic that is by reputation, bright and detailed. The snag is the AKG is aldo a Chinese mic - nothing wrong with that, but the brightness and clarity is typical of all these products, so I suspect you won't find it different enough? Do you want a 'partner' or a 'contrast'? Maybe a nice sounding dynamic would be a good alternative?
 
I was really shocked with the Sweetwater Mic sample clips....so many mics and there were some minor differences but it was amazing how small a difference, and I was underwhelmed with the costly mics and the cheaper ones then were pretty impressive.

I did some shootouts of $80 Shure 27 to a $300 Shure 44 to MXL to Tube Mics and many many others SDC , Ribbon, etc..58,57, .etc... I think in the end the EQ and Compression got the "wow" upgrade for my HR ears.

If you dislike a mic, thats something else, maybe its P-Popper or noisy floor, or too sensitive or not sensitive enough...etc...


www.sweetwater.com

Sweetwater's Vocal Mic Shootout

With 50 microphones ranging from $49.99 to $8,995 (on both male & female voices), Sweetwater has put together one of the largest comprehensive mic shootouts ever. Start listening now!
www.sweetwater.com www.sweetwater.com
 
CoolCat said:
I was really shocked with the Sweetwater Mic sample clips....so many mics and there were some minor differences but it was amazing how small a difference, and I was underwhelmed with the costly mics and the cheaper ones then were pretty impressive.
Click to expand...

Gee CC, you must have tin ears. I have discovered that if you tell me which mic I'm listening to, I can pick out the best one 100% of the time just by looking at the price tag. I even read on the internet that blind testing stuff is for the birds, so it must be true. 😉

I do hear differences in some mics, more so than in preamps, etc. But a few of my mics do sound very close to each other. For example, my CAD 1200XLs sound really close to my AKG P170s, with a slight difference in noise floor. I hear more differences when I record something like an acoustic guitar than I do with vocals. Put a tambourine in there and I hear distinct differences in the top end.

A while back, I did a comparison of 3 of my LDC mics on a vocal for "For No One". I used my NT1, SP B3 and WA47jr. I sent the files (88/24 wav) to a buddy and he picked out the SP B3 as the best, most accurate sounding of the bunch. I got that one about a dozen years ago and it cost me $129. I personally thought the NT1 sounded the best but then he hears my voice without the bone conduction that we all get with our own voices. That probably makes us want to hear something different. That's probably why so many people say "do I sound like that?" when they first hear a recording of their voice.

But as you say, some EQ and compression changes EVERYTHING.
 
Last edited:
TR, yeah the expectations I have for $30000 mics or $8000 mics is so high they would need me to sound like a young McCartney (which will never happen).

just a thought...but is it boredom shopping to want to try new gear? If you dont try them how will you ever know?
Thats where that Sweetwater sample site is really interesting because they have a few uber expensive mics in there that I will not afford to try. So like my Shure mics I could compare to some $$$$$ mics. My wow! was so many sounded nearly as good as the uber$$ mics. lol

I bought all three Shure KSM 27,32,44 and they were more different in plosives and maybe some hiend frq but it wasnt like wow!
the $1000retail 44 is not 10x's better than the 27.imo...in Cardiod. on me, my only source. in my room. on vocal only or acoustic only.
thought it was a fun and learning project, no complaints.
the 44 has multi pattern, add $$ .better spider holder addd $$$..$$$ case?
but when you record in a closet the Fig 8 only picks up bad reflections of a wall and short ceiling.....so 99% of the time its in Cardiod...so pay extra for Multipattern?.. etc etc....but it was a fun "boredom" test. Same with SM57, 58 SM7 tests...sm81,pg81...yes Hobby fun. Tube mics, etc...it was a trip in test rides.

Application- ?
If studio keeps the SEX1 LDC and gets the AKG220 LDC it will have dos of the same kind. Maybe two similar mics? IDK.
You mention vocal or acoustic guitar why not try some sdc pencil mic or a set. for acoustic? Might work on drums too....
Building a mic locker is what some do and hold on to each piece.

For vocals, a decent mic then get a channel strip going...either hardware or plugins. ..or if old school buy a console!...the dream.
 
Totally agree - I bought, after all these years, a U87 - and was terribly disapointed. It's not bad of course, but after my 414s, which I use on everything, I sort of expected better (whatever that means) but discovered that it does a nice job on 50% of the things I have tried it on, but others have sounded pretty boring through it. the 414s sort of did 90% of anything pretty well, if you get me?
 
Rob, you took it to the top though, U87... I got real close to renting one at one point.
funny to hear an honest opinion of probably THE vocal mic #1 spot.... 414 are in the same group imo.

AKG P220 or Perception220 per Recording Hacks is "The Perception 220 / P220 circuit is identical to that of the Neumann U87, albeit implemented primarily via surface-mount components."
$149 Did you ever happen to compare the two?
 
Steve Ireland said:
I currently have a se electronics SEX1 which I’m fairly happy with but I’ve just seen a deal on an AKG Perception 220. It will be used for vocals and maybe acoustic guitar. Can anyone offer advice on the merits of an upgrade or, as the title says, am I just bored?
Click to expand...
It's just a different flavor of microphone - you might like it - maybe not - only way to find out is buy getting one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top