1000 dollar mics vs 100 dollar mics

Another question might be, was there a time when high dollar mics or high dollar anything made a practical difference? The answer is yes, about 20 years ago and before. Now its more common that the subtleties and not so subtleties of better mics and other gear are hidden in a hideous end product, which makes everything sound the same bad way. You don’t have to settle for the status quo a far as overall recording quality at every stage, but most people do… and “most people” set the bar for any industry.

So people are right when they say thy don’t hear a difference between toy-level products and professional products… and that’s because at some point or several points in the recording process your precious sound is filtered, crunched and mangled until it all sounds like shit!
 
One thing I have heard as well, is that its easier to use a nicer microphone. Takes less effort to get a good sound going. For example, you can have a singer that sounds fantastic on an NT1, but it may take a lot of effort to get that good sound, and it may only sound good on that singer. Whereas you can throw up a U87, and you don't have to work hard to get a good sound, and it'll work on far more voices. Even though with a bit of work, you can get the NT1 to sound better on that specific singer.

I may be completely wrong, but that's the vibe I've always read about.
 
a $100-$300 mic is generally suitable for your needs if you do not have a booth. a nicer mic will pick up the room better (which may not be good if you have a shitty room) ...All mics sound different and will add different "color" to your sound. Ask someone who works in a studio (because they probably have a wide variety of mics), if any reasonably priced mics sound similar to an expensive, nicer mic
 
Noah Nelson said:
a $100-$300 mic is generally suitable for your needs if you do not have a booth. a nicer mic will pick up the room better (which may not be good if you have a shitty room)
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Not true actually. Low end mics pick up room sound as well. All depends on polar pattern.
 
The best advice is simply to find somebody with a decent mic box, and try them out. I loan things to friends and the usual response is "The expensive one was really nice, but the XYZ sounds good too". Interestingly, the one they like is never the same one - buying a mic from other people's comments and internet reviews is a bit like a blind person picking a colour for paint. Everyone hates magnolia, but why then is it so popular? I bought my first mic when I was 14, and 40 years later, I have only ever owned 3 mics that were horrible, loads that were perfectly fine, and maybe 2 or 3 that I loved. However - like your CD collection, when I used one of these 'special' ones recently, I could't work out why I liked it so much ten years ago, because now, I didn't like it. Frequency response charts, polar diagrams, specifications are fine - but sound is just weird!
 
Like sands through the hourglass...

Whatever price range, mics also have personality. Some just sound better than others in a given situation. In general, I work with lower end priced mics. Thanks to a good friend here, I have had the opportunity to play with some mics that I would never otherwise have the chance. Two $500 pairs of condensers of different make can sound way different. It all about using the mic that gives you what you want from it in any particular setting. This does not necessarily come from the cost of the mic. It comes from experience with a particular mic.

A 57 or 421 are low end mic's in the realm of price. Yet they are used regularly in high end studios.
 
I figured out "The Secret" to achieving great sounding , professional sounding recordings along time ago. Its cumulative, and I cant afford it. Having said that you don't need a $1000k mic , a $1500 mic pre-and a proffesionally treated room to make a solid , great sounding recording. Quit chasing Unicorns.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
Dynamic frequency response? Acoustic resonances (perhaps from porting for the polar response) as opposed to electronic distortion? Off axis response?
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Dynamic frequency response? I can't see how that even exists except perhaps at extremely high volumes where distortion dominates.

Yes to resonance, though that falls under frequency response.

Off-axis response is also a factor (see my post above), though that too is frequency response. I agree that some microphones have a flatter off-axis response than others, but I'm not convinced that's related to price either.

Again, manufacturing has improved enormously the past 10-20 years. Not only for microphones, but for loudspeakers too.

--Ethan
 
I just want to add that, having the best mic in the world means nothing if your room isn't acoustically treated AND you have very good monitors. I can now finally hear many of the subtle differences between the mics, where I couldn't before when having lower end studio monitors.
 
Btyre2013 said:
I just want to add that, having the best mic in the world means nothing if your room isn't acoustically treated AND you have very good monitors. I can now finally hear many of the subtle differences between the mics, where I couldn't before when having lower end studio monitors.
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There is more truth in that than can ever be explained.... Rep
 
Btyre2013 said:
I just want to add that, having the best mic in the world means nothing if your room isn't acoustically treated AND you have very good monitors. I can now finally hear many of the subtle differences between the mics, where I couldn't before when having lower end studio monitors.
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Well...that's what dreib was getting at.....it's a cumulative thing, so adding a $1000 mic to an otherwise crappy room & signal chain...isn't going to blow up your skirt.
 
miroslav said:
Well...that's what dreib was getting at.....it's a cumulative thing, so adding a $1000 mic to an otherwise crappy room & signal chain...isn't going to blow up your skirt.
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Exactly !

I hate to admit it , but sooner or later your recording space is exposed. As your gear improves and as your ears improve . Ive never been a fan of newbies being told right off , room treatment this , or room treatment that, because just starting off recording alone can be over whelming but as you get along , you will find out on your own what you need to do , little by little.
 
dreib said:
Exactly !

I hate to admit it , but sooner or later your recording space is exposed. As your gear improves and as your ears improve. I’ve never been a fan of newbies being told right off , room treatment this , or room treatment that, because just starting off recording alone can be over whelming but as you get along , you will find out on your own what you need to do , little by little.
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But then why stop chasing the unicorns?

The only way you will gain from the cumulative combination is to cumulatively improve it.....maybe not at once, but little by little you can squeeze out more and more quality no matter what space you have. At least that's what my approach has been.....always adding, adjusting, and changing things little by little. I think when I stop and say decide that I'm no longer going to be chasing after all those little 2%-5% improvements....is the day I either decide that there's nothing left to improve or that it's time to let it all go and close that chapter.
I don't see either of the two on the horizon....so as nuts as it may seem, I'm still chasing the unicorns, spending the money on new gear and trying to find new ways of doing things to improve on what I have that is within my means.
 
I gave a good friend a mic that I've used for about 6 years, and liked so much I bought more. I loaned him the mic, and he returned it very quickly saying he hated it. We're about the same age, do similar things and we both usually align. He can't say why he hates it, and I can't say why I love it. Hearing is very strange!
 
Im looking for ways to improve but my expectations are now more realistic. Unicorns don't exist.

I totally understand what your saying though.
 
No unicorns? Does that mean I should sell my PA speakers with horn tweeters?

Seriously, there's nothing wrong with chasing improvements. Just don't (like so many questions on here imply) assume that any one single purchase will magically fix everything. As Miroslav says, it's a little bit here, a little bit there.
 
dreib said:
Im looking for ways to improve but my expectations are now more realistic. Unicorns don't exist.
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You have to also ask yourself if your expectations are limited by your own choice NOT to chase for more and push further...?

Unicorns don't exist....but I think the minute you settle for something less than what you thought/felt you could do...you place a limit on your expectations.
Sure, we all have limitations. Not everyone gets to be a rocket scientist, but I think it takes a long time and a lot of efforts before you reach the point of giving up on some goal, and setting a lower one for yourself.
In the studio environment....it's nice to know that because there are so many variables, it also means there are many paths one can take to hit a high mark....so keep the dreams (and unicorns) at least alive and well in the back of your mind, and work it 5% at a time....there's always room for improvement in most any situation.
 
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