AKG Solid Tube

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tommy2

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Hello everybody!

I´m new on the site and I´m living in Finland.
I have noticed that very few here appricate the Solid Tube as a vocal mic. Am I right? I think it is a very good quality and "warm" sounding tube mic.

tommy2
 
I don't know if I know what mic you're talking about....

what model is it?
 
Welcome to the site. I don't have one but my friend does. I used it once to record an acoustic guitar. Very smooth sound. I ran it through a Focusrite trackmaster preamp. I hope to try it on vocals as soon as he can lend me the mic again.
 
if you take the foam out and put a nice tube in it it gets better --at least that what i've heard
 
I think Solidtube started out it's life as an overated $1000 tube mic. It was released at a bad time, as competition, particularly Rode NTK, Audio-Technica AT4060, Studio Projects T-3, and others, made the $1000 price point too steep. By the time the price corrected, lots of people were down on it. It caught on a little more in Europe, where the tax rates made AKG attractive. If you rip the silly foam windscreen out of it, it opens up quite nicely and becomes a very usable, if a little dark, tube mic.
It was built for very high SPL's, and if you want to get the tube drive out of it, it helps to hit it hard. I'd give the Solid Tube to Linda Rondstadt. Over time, the overated $1000 mic has become the underated $500-600 mic. It has been alledged that putting a Mullard tube in it changes the shape of the world, but I've never done it myself. I traded my Solidtube for an NTK, which was an OK trade, but sometimes, I would like it back.-Richie
 
Richard Monroe said:
I think Solidtube started out it's life as an overated $1000 tube mic. It was released at a bad time, as competition, particularly Rode NTK, Audio-Technica AT4060, Studio Projects T-3, and others, made the $1000 price point too steep. By the time the price corrected, lots of people were down on it. It caught on a little more in Europe, where the tax rates made AKG attractive. If you rip the silly foam windscreen out of it, it opens up quite nicely and becomes a very usable, if a little dark, tube mic.
It was built for very high SPL's, and if you want to get the tube drive out of it, it helps to hit it hard. I'd give the Solid Tube to Linda Rondstadt. Over time, the overated $1000 mic has become the underated $500-600 mic. It has been alledged that putting a Mullard tube in it changes the shape of the world, but I've never done it myself. I traded my Solidtube for an NTK, which was an OK trade, but sometimes, I would like it back.-Richie
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If I compare Solid Tube and NTK, I think the AKG works much better at least on "average voices". There is that deep and little dark sound on it. I would say the voice is stronger, fuller.
 
Yeah to this....I dont like it at all on really good singers....on me it sounds great but I need all the help I can get...Its not a lot better than the 400-700 dollar range mics currently available and for its supposed list a Soundelux U195 blows it away.I always thought the C4000 was nearly as good...
 
somebody did a shoot out and the solid tube was pick above even a neumann
and several others.Nobody new the mics they were hearing back. I found the shoot out on the web i think i was searching for the solid tube and just found the shootout
 
I´m amateur on recording voices, but I still think the "feeling" on the sound is for me much more important than the pure clean and neutral hifi sound on many professional and expencive studio mics. I think even the AKG C2000B is good choice recording some voices. What do you think?
 
C2000B is a greatly underated mic, often lumped in with the not so hot 3000B. I use it for lots of stuff, including some vocals.-Richie
 
Richard Monroe said:
C2000B is a greatly underated mic, often lumped in with the not so hot 3000B. I use it for lots of stuff, including some vocals.-Richie
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Richie,
Very few of us "understand" the C3000B. But at least it is the reference mic for the Roland Digital recording systems, for example if you are modelling the U87, you have to make it with C3000 with the Rolands work stations! I think positively quite a lot AKG products, before the prof. Neumanns.

tommy2
 
I love my SolidTube. Ive had mine for about 3 years and I still use the lil yellow foam windscreen thing LOL. My only question is when are you supposed to replace that damn TUBE? I never replaced mine and record frequently. Am I supposed to hear distortion or something when the tube gets worn out?
 
Anyone know where I might be able to hear a sound clip of this mic? I'd really like to hear what's up with it.
 
producerkid said:
Anyone know where I might be able to hear a sound clip of this mic? I'd really like to hear what's up with it.
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AIM me at LiLRaydio and Ill be happy to send you a sample of something I did today for my webpage.
 
there is a mic shoot out on the net
i think you search for akg solid tube
 
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