ADK SC-1s

[lo beam]

Just got me a new pair of ADK SC-1s ( thanks for the heads-up on these btw Mark7 )....very impressed!
How do they make such a marvellous mic for that kind of price tag?
I would recommend these little babies to anyone.

 

[Mark7]

You're welcome

 

[Rossi]

It looks like an SE-1 from SE Electronics (Feilo's own brand). Is it the same mic?

 

[lo beam]

I'm no expert but it looks identical. There may be a few minor spec changes, but that's about it.
I've heard some folks complain that these are harsh sounding mics. Maybe, it depends what you're recording.
I've got quite a large-bodied guitar and it sounds so sweet recorded through these mics.
I had to give up on the MXL603s because I simply couldn't get hold of any, so the SC-1s were my second choice.
I don't regret it.

 

[lo beam]

And, for the benefit of any UK members, they're only £49.95 at the moment at Turnkey - £50 cheaper than the MXLs or the JM27!

Which brings me to another point - why don't MXL, Studio Projects and other budget-conscious US brands get their shit together and get some product to Europe! You'll clean up!

Almost everywhere I went ( and I've been EVERYWHERE) I was offered the choice of an AKG C1000s or....well, nothing. ( in the sub £100 price range)

I read some posts from 2001 here where Alan Hyatt mentioned gearing up for a Europe invasion - come on then.....we're still waiting.

 

[Mark7]

I know what you mean about the C1000S or nothing (though, sometimes at the Leicester AOS its: "NT3 or nothing"; or: "NT3 or C1000S (is there any actual qualitative difference between these two mics?!? )... Or nothing" ).

As for Studio Projects they do have British outlets: namely Digital Village and Red Submarine.

 

[DJL]

It is my understanding that the Joe Meek JM27 & the ADK SC1 are made at the Felio factory in China... and are similar. And the Marshall Electronic MXL603S (which use to be made at Felio) is now made at the Marshall Electronic factory in China... and it's similar to the Felio versons except the grill is different, and I'm not sure but maybe some mods.

 

[bloud]

"It looks like an SE-1 from SE Electronics (Feilo's own brand)."

Actually SE Electronics has now split from Feilo and started their own plant in China.

 

[Rev E]

What are you using the SC-1 on? I think I've heard people using it on snare, but .... I have no personal experience.

 

[lo beam]

So far I've used it to mic up acoustic guitar ( a pair of em, one on the 12th fret & one pointing at the soundhole about 6 inches away), as a heavily compressed & distorted vocal mic, and as drum overheads.
They do a great job at picking up fine, close-up detail, but also perform well capturing the room.
I doubt they'd be as effective on a small-bodied acoustic, but on a jumbo they work very well, with none of the boom that other (more expensive) mics I've used for miking up my guitar have produced.
I should add that I recorded the guitar in a very small, *dead* room. When tried in a larger room, they picked up too much ambience - probably 'cos they're wide-cardioid condensors.
As the md of ADK said in a recent post, if they work for you, you've got a bargain.
I couldn't agree more - so much to do with getting a good recording is in performance & mic placement, and I really feel we often get hung up on specs & "gear" issues.
When you've got at least a half way decent mic, the rest is up to you ( either to perform, or get the best out of your client)

 

[Flatpicker]

It is my understanding that the Joe Meek JM27 & the ADK SC1 are made at the Felio factory in China... and are similar. And the Marshall Electronic MXL603S (which use to be made at Felio) is now made at the Marshall Electronic factory in China... and it's similar to the Felio versons except the grill is different, and I'm not sure but maybe some mods.

Same grill, body, manfacturer, etc... doesn't always mean same mic. The impedance matching circuitry inside can be comepletely different. I recall Larry V. of ADK saying once (on this forum, I believe) something to the effect that he was having the SC1 re-worked because he wasn't happy with it. So it may indeed be a different anamial.

For the record lo beam, I had a couple of MXL603s once and wasn't all that impressed. It may be possible to modify them by replacing some coupling caps with better ones, (and cleaning the board - mine was nasty with solder flux!) and the like, but I didn't like it stock. The AD1s may very well be better mics, or at least just as good. The Oktava MK-012s beat the 603s, IMHO.

 

[DJL]

I remember Brent Casey saying (back when he worked for Marshall Electronic) that the MXL603S's were modified too.

 

[Flatpicker]

I remember Brent Casey saying (back when he worked for Marshall Electronic) that the MXL603S's were modified too.

Yeah, they are a little ‘different’ than your run-of-the mill SDC. If you take one apart, you'll see that it's packed with electronics galore. They use a dc voltage converter circuit to increase the voltage applied to the capsule. Supposedly, the higher the voltage, the better it sounds. The Oktavas are not designed this way (they just run off the standard 48V supply), but other mics like the SC-1 may be, don’t know for sure. I’ve heard that the MXL 1006 uses this method.