affordable workhorse mic

[The Garage]

i've been using the groove tubes gt-44s for overheads, strings, piano, etc. i love them, they sound pretty darn good on nearly everything. these are true workhorse mics. (on the dynamic side, my other favorite workhorse is the e604.)

i need a pair of workhorse mics, probably SD, for similar recording situations that can be run off of 48V and not a separate power supply. i need these mics to be portable, so the gt-44s are out of the question.

i had a pair of mxl 603s. those were good. sold them to a friend who didn't have access to them in germany. maybe i'll get these again, though i found them a tad bright.

i currently own the superlux SDs, which are pretty bad -- tinny, harsh, weak. i don't like them. i've heard that the kel audio hm-1s don't have the hyped top end that's common these days. thoughts?

i'll put my budget at up to $400-500.

 

[Robert D]

If you liked the 603s but found them a tad bright, you might find the Oktava MK-012 to be perfect. At that budget you could buy them from the sound-room and get a nice pre-screened matched pair, and still have enough for omni capsules to boot.

-RD

 

[pohaku]

If you don't mind buying used, Audio Technica AT-4053a (hypercardioid) or AT-4051a (cardioid). Capsules are swappable and can be purchased separately (there is a an omni version as well AT-4049a). @$250 each on e-bay. List is @$699 or so. Very even SD condenser. 48v phantom required. Has roll off switch. I have these and they are great mics. Much better than Oktava or Marshall. Alternatively if you don't want to buy used, there are some great deals on the AT-4041 which is the next tier down in the AT line. You can find them for @$189 each new at 8th Street Music (bulk pack). Typically they street for @$279 or so.

The new Peluso CEMC-6 sounds like it would also be very nice, but would be a bit over your price range. I haven't used these, but people on some of the audio Boards have spoken well of them.

You might also find this of interest.

http://emusician.com/mics/emusic_smokin_condensers/

 

[The Garage]

are these workhorse mics? models you'd think are atleast pretty good at just about anything? i feel that way about my gt44s, e604s, sm57s. do you use these mics over and over?

 

[scrubs]

I would look for a used pair of Shure SM81's. You can typically find them for about $150-$200 each ($350 new). If you want new, perhaps the Studio Projects C4 with the omni caps.

 

[CCS]

i've been using the groove tubes gt-44s for overheads, strings, piano, etc. i love them, they sound pretty darn good on nearly everything. these are true workhorse mics. (on the dynamic side, my other favorite workhorse is the e604.)

i need a pair of workhorse mics, probably SD, for similar recording situations that can be run off of 48V and not a separate power supply. i need these mics to be portable, so the gt-44s are out of the question.

i had a pair of mxl 603s. those were good. sold them to a friend who didn't have access to them in germany. maybe i'll get these again, though i found them a tad bright.

i currently own the superlux SDs, which are pretty bad -- tinny, harsh, weak. i don't like them. i've heard that the kel audio hm-1s don't have the hyped top end that's common these days. thoughts?

i'll put my budget at up to $400-500.

The SDs I reach for are a pair of KM 84s (I also like the newer KM184s). I realize they are beyond your budget, but in the long run, your clients will be very pleased with the results. Next in line would be a pair of SM81s.

Regards.

 

[The Garage]

i've used the sm81s quite a bit on the job (live sound). i thought they were okay, but i'm not real keen on forking my money over for something i wasn't really, well, keen on. it was useable, but that's it.

as for the neumann SDs, that's well over my budget and a completely unrealistic purchase for me and my wallet today or any day well into the future.

the audio technica's sound interesting. however, are they really any better than the dozens of other chinese knock offs you can get for hundreds less? when i'm paying for this mid-range priced pair of mics, what am i getting that i wouldn't get with the 603s?

the oktava's sounding interesting as well. i am a little disturbed about the chinese rip-offs that are circulating. and do you think the soundroom's premium prices are worth it? if i can get a $60-100 mk-012, is paying three times as much for a handchecked mic worth it?

questions, questions. thanks for your patience and expertise!

-teddy

 

[leddy]

+1 on tracking down some good Oktavas. I own five Oktavas and I love them all.

 

[EVT]

Hi,
octavas mk-012's
Avenson sto-2's

evt

 

[jkokura]

Oktava's too

I like the Oktava's as well...The other option I have is AT pro37r's which are great bang for the buck, but you can shell out more and get better (eg: the oktava's).

jacob

 

[pohaku]

The ATs are a workhorse mic in that they will sound at least good, if not great, on anything on which you would typically use a SD condenser. I actually like them better than the Neumann KM184s as they are not as peaky. Not better than the KM84i however. YMMV. On the other hand they cost less than either Neumann, especially if you can get a used pair. I have a pair of the 4053s (hypercardioid) and 4049as (omni). I have one of the 4051s (cardioid) and I'm looking for a second. AT doesn't sell matched pairs (unlike Josephson or the Soundroom for Oktava) but they seem consistent enough that it hasn't been a problem for me. Neumann doesn't sell truly matched pairs either.

The Oktavas are nice for the money. No question. Not as good as the ATs or Neumanns though. If you have the ability to actually try out a batch of non-Soundroom Oktavas and pick the two you want, that would be fine. However QC of these is such that I wouldn't blindly just purchase two and hope that they had comparable sound.

Ideally, you should try out the Oktava, the AT and the SM-81 and see which you like better and whether any difference in sound and construction is worth the difference in price. I suspect that a place like GC would carry at least the Oktava and the SM-81. That would be a start. Now that I think about it, if they have one, you might also try the Audio Technica AE5100 which is a more recent MD condenser that is priced quite reasonably (@$200 street I think) and sounds quite nice.

 

[chessrock]

i've been using the groove tubes gt-44s for overheads, strings, piano, etc. i love them, they sound pretty darn good on nearly everything. these are true workhorse mics. (on the dynamic side, my other favorite workhorse is the e604.)

i need a pair of workhorse mics, probably SD, for similar recording situations that can be run off of 48V and not a separate power supply. i need these mics to be portable, so the gt-44s are out of the question.

Then might I suggest ... a pair of GT-33's. Non-tube version of the GT-44. I don't necessarily find them to be worlds better than the Oktavas, but you really seem to like the GT mics, so these are kind of like ... duh.

 

[pohaku]

Then might I suggest ... a pair of GT-33's. Non-tube version of the GT-44. I don't necessarily find them to be worlds better than the Oktavas, but you really seem to like the GT mics, so these are kind of like ... duh.

And they should be cheap these days! GC was blowing them out last fall for @$100 each. They are pretty decent and don't require a separate power supply.

 

[The Garage]

that was my one consideration. it doesn't look like guitar center is selling them at $200/pair any more. so i would have to pay the retail $600/pair, which blows. if there's another sale, i'll jump on it. but until then...

 

[bigtoe]

i'll second the 81's.

the at405X small diaphragms are rad when they work but i found them particularly prone to overloading at the worst times!

see ya.

Mike

 

[ljmaxx]

I'll add the Crown CM700's to the mix. They sell for $299 each @ MF but Sweetwater has a matched pair for $509 which is a few dollars over your limit. I have a matched pair and I use them more than my KM184's. Here's a link for Sweetwater. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CM700MP/ Good luck.

 

[The Garage]

thanks for all the suggestions. at this point i'm gonna pick up the kel audios because 1) there's a moneyback guarantee if they suck and 2) they are cheap, so i can pick up something else while i'm at it. if they are as good as their hype, i'll keep em. otherwise, SEE YA. thanks for the help.