acoustic guitar micing: MXL 603's vs. SP B1

[diogo]

just wondering...if you guys had a choice, what would you go for?

sometimes i need a close image of the acoustic, but other times i just need it to be far. at all times, acoustic is the main thing in the mix, along with vocals.

no versatility needed whatsoever, this will only be used to mic acoustic guitar.

tanx!

 

[Nick The Man]

i have never used ethier of these mics but i have heard better things about the MXL 603 instead of the SPB1

 

[scrubs]

Both are decent choices for not much $, imo. I have a pair of the 603s, and they are very solid for giving that "sparkly/jangly" sound, but also give a good full, woody tone with the correct placement. I don't have the B1, but I've heard a lot of good guitar tracks made with them. IIRC, the B1 has a nice meaty tone on guitar.











hehehehehe...I said woody, meaty, and full all in the same post.

 

[HogansHiro]

For that price range of microphones I'd by happy with the 603's. Pretty good bang for your buck. I used a pair all the time until I upgraded to a pair of AKGs. Hell...I still use them every now and then. I vote for the 603s.

 

[noisedude]

Paul White said in SOS this month that he was going to buy himself a B1 just for what they do for acoustic guitars. I have a B3 that is quite similar on cardioid and I can say that it's very easy to place. Wide pattern and no nasties off-axis ... not great for snare or whatever, but it's good if you aren't an expert with placement.

Paul White actually said that the B1 is about the only Chinese-made mic recently that's made him sit up and take notice ... this guy has to look at dozens of them at a time.

Not used the MXL603s so I can't give a comparison.

 

[tdukex]

sometimes i need a close image of the acoustic, but other times i just need it to be far.

tanx!

Close/far is more of a function of mic placement.

The 603s are excellent on acou guit IMO--either as a single mic or as part of a stereo pair. Most people who have used the B1 feel it is very good as well.

 

[mrface2112]

i have a pair of 603s as well as a B1, and they give me considerably different results on the same guitar in the same room.

if i'm looking for the acoustic to be the main focus of the track, then i use the 603s in a spaced-pair configuration. this gives me good immediacy with the the track and provides a very up-front, in your face sort of sound. no matter where i've placed the B1, i can't get that same sort of sound out of it.

now, when i want a jangly, or meaty acoustic in the midst of a busy electric rock mix, that's when i turn to the B1. gives me just what i want in that sort of mix--lots of attack and pick sound and good strum, but doesn't draw your attention to the acoustic (and away from the electrics). likewise, i haven't been able to get those sort of results with the 603s.


if the acoustic is the main thing in the mix at all times, i'd suggest the 603s. the B1 is an excellent mic--especially for the price, but my experiences with what you're doing suggest that the 603s might be better suited. hell, they're all cheap--get a pair of 603s and a B1, and it won't set you back more than a couple bills.


cheers,
wade

 

[paddyponchero]

The B1 has a very wide pattern, you can pretty much plonk it anywhere in front of the guitar, it also picks up some room though. With a pair of sdcs it takes a good deal of fiddling with placement to get the sound you want but this also allows more versatility.

 

[jeffree]

Noisedude, do you remember in which SOS article Paul White mentions the B1? I'd like to check it out. Thanks.

As a seasoned amateur, I've had a similar reaction to the two B1s I use for acoustic guitar, solo and backing. I'm constantly surprised by how good they sound for being so damned cheap. Still, they certainly don't sound as good as the sounds I can get in a full pro studio... then again, nothing I do at home sounds quite as good. I may add a 603 or two someday for a different flavor, but I haven't tried the mic yet. For now, I have no compaints about the B1's performance on acoustic guitars in a small home-studio situation.

J.

 

[noisedude]

Jeffree - it's in this month's, just come out - Page 54. I agree with you, as does the review - "There's nothing not to like".

Paul White, Hugh Robjohns and Martin Walker are the main reviewers I will listen to in there. There's one or two ropey ones, but Paul White and Hugh Robjohns definitely have good ears and no discernible agenda.

 

[Strave]

I could buy some much more expensive mics at this point for recording acoustic (because I'm addicted to ebay and spend much more money than i should)... but I'm actually afraid to sell my 603s because they sound so good. Every acoustic I've used it on, sounds better through the speakers than it does in the room.

 

[jeffree]

Thanks, Noise. I'm off to the bookstore.

J.

 

[diogo]

fellas,

many many thanks for all the input. Mrface really summed up what i really needed to know. Those two sounds...i need them both, so i guess i need the 3 mics :/ i wonder if the MXL V67 im getting for vocals wouldnt do more or less the same job than the B1 (wishful thinking)...

many thanks guys! this was really helpful.

 

[mrface2112]

diogo--

glad i could be of some help. ;-) as for the V67 and B1 on vocals, there's just no comparison. the B1 is a "marginal at best" vocal mic, and the V67 is an exceptional vocal mic at that price point. of course, the V67, IMO, pretty much *sucks* as an acoustic guitar mic. they're totally different sounding mics.

keep in mind (and as is well documented around here) there's something "hashy" going on in the midrange of the V67 which, when compared to higher-end mics makes it a little "less than stellar" when you solo the track on its own, but it *is* a very good vocal mic for the $100, and i've never had a problem with it in the context of a mix. especially on voices that are a little thin/nasally. i prefer my dragonfly for vocals, but that's apples and oranges. not to mention, the folks that come to me to record seem to be really turned on by the gold grille.....some even request "that gold mic" when they come in. it really seems to raise the bar on their game--go fig. and i'm not about to tell em that it's a $100 mic.

FWIW, my favorite use for my V67 is as a drum overhead--that "weird" midrange seems to help it bring out the woodiness in the drums. i keep meaning to pick up a second.....


sorry, but it seems we've turned your $100 expenditure into about $450....


cheers,
wade

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Based on my research here, I've decided to try the V67G for vocals and a matched pair of 603s for my acoustic. I'm finalizing deals for used ones right now with a couple of hr.com members.

 

[diogo]

MRface,

no problem that was really helpful...i cant however buy my mics as fast as i first intended, so ill just hang on to these choices or consider the new Joe Meek line, the JM47 redesign thats comin out in a few months is supposed to rival adk and the likes..

if they redesign the SDC's i may be there as well instead of the 603's...

with a bit of luck, this new J47 will also be quite useful with acoustic guitars, for that B1 sound i also need...but if its not, ill probably get a B1 too, what the heck.

tanx!

 

[jeffree]

And just to throw in a reminder of the big factor here, which I seem to discover again and again with my SP B1s:

The placement of a mic may be a bigger factor than the mic itself at this price point. The more I record, the more I realize how changing the mic placement even a few inches can drastically alter the sound of my guitars. Thus, I'm often skeptical of folks who seem to love or hate a particular mic that has a general forum reputation otherwise. Placement (along with plain old personal taste) may be one big reason for such differing opinions.

J.

 

[kid klash]

I don't have any 603's, but I've got a pair of Shure SM-81 SDC's, and a pair of Studio Projects B1's, and I love them both on acoustic guitar. If you want an accurate, focused recording without much of the room contributing to the final sound, go with the SM-81's (or their little brothers, the MXL 603's).

If you want a big, "in a great-sounding room" sound, AND you've got the great-sounding room to record in, I'd go with the SP B1's. These things have "big ears".

 

[tdukex]

The placement of a mic may be a bigger factor than the mic itself at this price point. The more I record, the more I realize how changing the mic placement even a few inches can drastically alter the sound of my guitars.
J.

Yes, that's the point I tried to make above, but instead of "may be a bigger factor" I would say it's the "biggest factor" not only for how "near or far" but also as the first (and most important) line of eq. By using proximnity effect, angles, distance, and sometimes polar patterns, I rarely need to eq my acoustic tracks.

However, if more people truly understood (and applied) the above concepts, these "which mic is best" threads that we all love so much would disappear.

And, as has been pointed out by others above, the room always plays a major role in any recording's overall sound.

 

[jeffree]

OK, Tdukex and anyone who might care to jump in...

If we can agree that placement and the room are huge factors in getting the right sound--regardless of the particular mic as long as it's decent--then can we give a few thoughts about the general difference between a SDC and LDC condensor mic? I've usually prefered a large for my solo guitar work because of the fatter (woodier) low end it provides--with the right placement. If I want a lighter, brighter sound, I can adjust mic placement to find it. Now, I've used but never owner a SDC, so I'm wondering if, with some practice, I could achieve the same meaty tones for solo guitar work. Any thoughts anyone?

I think this issue is relevant here because we're discussing
one mic from each category, large and small, and there must be some related differences.

J.