$200 to spend on mic(s)

  • Thread starter Thread starter okenwood
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okenwood

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ok here's the deal, i have been saving up for the MXL pro pac deal with the 2001 and the 603 with shockmounts and case, but now i'm gettin cold feet.
should i maybe go with somthig else?
here are some of my thoughts
SP B1 + MXL 603s
SP B1 + Beri B5
SP C1
Beri B1 + mxl 603
Beri B1 + Beri B5
this is all @ my $200 price range.
I'm sure that the Sp C1 is a better mic than all the rest but I'd rather have some versitility (sp?)
I will be recording acoustic guitar and some vocals.
I know alot of you like the octavias here but I dont feel like dicking with GC to get a good price on them.
any other sugestions in this price would be cool too.
thanks,
Ken
 
okenwood said:
ok here's the deal, i have been saving up for the MXL pro pac deal with the 2001 and the 603 with shockmounts and case, but now i'm gettin cold feet.
should i maybe go with somthig else?
here are some of my thoughts
SP B1 + MXL 603s
SP B1 + Beri B5
SP C1
Beri B1 + mxl 603
Beri B1 + Beri B5
this is all @ my $200 price range.
I'm sure that the Sp C1 is a better mic than all the rest but I'd rather have some versitility (sp?)
I will be recording acoustic guitar and some vocals.
I know alot of you like the octavias here but I dont feel like dicking with GC to get a good price on them.
any other sugestions in this price would be cool too.
thanks,
Ken
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Well, if your not going to audtion the mics before you buy them and your just going to go on what we tell you... I'll put my vote in for the Studio Projects C1 as your vocal mic, and the Marshall MXL603SPR for your acoustic guitar. Of course you know... I, nor anyone else, knows what's going to work best for YOU... but heck, it's still fun guessing. Good luck.
 
okenwood said:
I know alot of you like the octavias here but I dont feel like dicking with GC to get a good price on them.
Click to expand...

Check out my recent post
https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?threadid=111993
where I am asking for GCs that offer deals on MK319 or MK012, 2 for 99$. If there's a reply up there (1 as of the time I'm writing this), you could probably just call up the GC of your choice and have them ship the mics to you.

I just bought two MK319 for 114$ with tax and shipping (no shockmount) thanks to the post. Keep an eye on the post and it may offer a deal.
 
i know its all a relative thing but I also know people on here have experience withe some of these mics so I figured I'd ask.
Sure a $2000 Les Paul may be one mans deream guitar but the next guy might hate it and love hit $200 sqire.
I'm just looking for maybe some warnings.
any one had bad experiences with the 2001 or 603?
The more I read about The Sp mics the more I like. but money dont grow on trees, so Im looking to streach my dollars. like everone else.
 
okenwood said:
any one had bad experiences with the 2001 or 603?
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I think the Marshall MXL603S is one of the best cheap Chinese made budget mics money can buy on todays market. I've never had any problems with the Marshall MXL603S mics... and I own 8 of them. The MXL603S is one of the few cheap Chinese made budget mics I really like. ;) I can't remember why I didn't like my MXL2001... but, I sold it because I didn't like it.
 
IF you want an honest opinion, I'd say call a Guitar Center and get 2 MK012's for $100. You may not feel like screwing around with them, but for $100 you absolutely can't beat a pair of 012's.

Take $79 of the other $100 and buy a SP B1. For $179 you've got 3 very passable mics that you won't want to throw away in 2 years. Buy a nice set of cables with the money that's left over, make some music, and post it on the board so we can hear it and comment on your great choices in mic selection... :-)
 
DJL said:
Nope. I think the Marshall MXL603S is one of the best cheap Chinese made budget mics money can buy on todays market. I've never had any problems with the Marshall MXL603S mics... and I own 8 of them. The MXL603S is one of the few cheap Chinese made budget mics I really like. ;)
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DJL-

Is there much (or ANY) benefit in your mind to owning a pair of 012's AND a pair of 603's? I love my 012's, and spent quite a bit of time at GC trying to get two that were pretty close (they didn't have colored dots on the boxes :-) ). I feel like the two I have are damn near interchangeable.

Based on your experience with the 603's (I have NO experience with them), would it be worth investing in a pair of them to compliment the 012's?

Somebody once said you can never have too many colors on your palette, but is this a color worth adding, or do I keep the money in my pocket toward the purchase of a REALLY good LDC?
 
I also think the Oktava MC-012 is a nice cheap German made budget SDC mic... the MC-012 is a little darker sounding than the MXL603S and therefore it complaments the MXL603S very well when looking for different flavors for you mic locker. And if you want some colored dots on any of your mics, send them to me and I'll be happy to paint some on your mics for you... I can even match the colored dots for you... what's your favorite color?

ADDED: okenwood, if you ever end up getting any Oktava MC-012's... be careful when threading the capsules on and off, so that you don't strip them. ;)
 
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I agree with DJL on this one. I think the mc012 and 603 sound different enough to where it would be very complimentary to own both. The 603 has a crisp, fast and bright sound to it while the MC-012 is darker, more forgiving . . . not quite as crisp. The difference is kind of like switching from the bottom pickup on an electric guitar to the middle pickup -- although not quite as drastic.
 
DJL said:
I also think the Oktava MC-012 is a nice cheap German made budget SDC mic... the MC-012 is a little darker sounding than the MXL603S and therefor complaments the MXL603S when looking for different flavors for you mic locker. Just be carefull of the threading on the MC-012 so that you don't strip them. And if you want some colored dots on your MXL603S mics, send them to me and I'll be happy to paint some on the mics for you... I can even match the colored dots for you... what's your favorite color?
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I haven't stripped a 012 head thread yet...mine seem to be pretty well machined. I DO hate their shockmounts (and their clips), because the damn things WILL NOT thread onto my mic stands well. I have to wrap the threads on the stands in plumber's Teflon tape to get the mounts to screw on well.

I've been using the 012's as drum overheads, and they strike me as anything BUT dark in that application. Anything "brighter" might end up sounding a little tinny.

I've always liked the 012 sound on acoustic guitar, but most of my experience has been with guitars that aren't overly bright to begin with, so I don't really expect a bright sound out of them once I commit them to the hard drive.

Do you think the difference is significant enough to justify spending the money for another set of "budget" SDC's? Do they differentiate themselves enough that I will be able to listen to a source and say "I know exactly which SDC to pull out of the cabinet for this..."?

Edit-Chess, thanks for answering my question while I was still asking it! :D
 
Yeah, if your looking for different flavored SDC budget mics for your mic locker... the Marshall MXL603S and Oktava MC-012 complement each other very well.
 
DJL said:
I also think the Oktava MC-012 is a nice cheap German made budget SDC mic...
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German...Russian...six of one, half dozen of the other. What the hell, they're all just a bunch of foreign bastards that talk funny. :)
 
My ears may not be as refined as some, but my 603s and MC012 sound very similar to me. Yes, the 603 is a little brighter, but the difference is subtle to me. I own one of each and use them for stereo micing acoustic guitar. I personally wouldn't own a pair of each just for that, but quite a few people say on overheads the difference is more apparent.

You can buy additional caps (omni, etc.) for the MC012--including a LOMO head, so it is more versatile in that way.

Bottom line, I like them both a lot.
 
ok I went ahead and ordered the Sp B1, sweetwater has it with free shipping, so I saved about $10 with that.
after reading alot I think that I will be happier with the B1 than the mxl 2001, and I can mess with it for a couple of weeks before I decide on a SDC.
hell, if I keep buying gear Im gonna run out of excuses on why all my songs sound like crap. I guess I'd better get in there and practice.
thanks for any advice
 
I have both the 603s and MC012s. In general, I lean towards the 603s for acoustic guitar. There are instances however, fingerpicking for example, where I'll use the MC012s. The type of money these things sell for is lunch money in this hobby.
 
H2oskiphil,

I read others say about the same thing as tdukex about the MXL603S and MC-012, i.e. Harvey and etc. However, I can clearly hear the difference between the two mics and the MXL603S is defiantly brighter sounding than the MC-012, even on acoustic guitar and etc.

The MXL603S might be a little bright for some cymbals... and not for others depending on the sound you want... but, between the MXL603S and the MC-012 you should be able to find the sound your looking for. The difference between the MC-012 and MXL603S is subtle but can be heard very easily.... in other words, the difference is not drastic... which is a good thing.
 
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