Alternative to AKG C414B-XLII

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pdadda

pdadda

Captain Sea Boots
My band recently recorded an EP in a local studio. Amongst other mics, I got to use the C414 on vocals. I REALLY liked the way it sounded, the presence on softer vocal passages. I would love to buy this mic, but it is currently quite out of my budget. Can anyone suggest a mic that will work similarly well for male vocals in the $500 or less range? I currently don't have a sample of the tracks recorded with this mic uploaded (I will try to get them up), but you can hear my voice on my band's page (see my signature line).
 
Whilst recently looking for mid priced mikes I noticed that the AKG c 4000b was bundled at GC with a c1000b for $499, while by itself it sold for $649.....
http://www.guitarcenter.com/shop/product/buy_akg_studio_pack_c_4000_b_c_1000_s?full_sku=275674



I can't give you any personal experiences, but allot of people seem to think the 4000 is sweet.

http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=108044&highlight=akg+4000b


http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/search.php?searchid=993977



http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_akg_multipattern_condenser/

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr99/articles/akgc400.htm



There was some problems w/ the c 3000 and this seemed to have cast a shadow on the 4k. I like the akg warranty( 3 yrs) so they stand behind there product.

http://www.akg-acoustics.com/products/powerslave,mynodeid,186,id,219,pid,219,_language,ENUS.html



I ended up with a MXL ( cheap bastard that I am!)


Good luck! :D
 
xstatic said:
You can get a used 414 for $500 or less.
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took the words out of my mouth. Excellent Mic... Wish I could pick one up too.
 
Really? I'll have to look into that. I assumed they wouldn't sell for that cheap.
 
That fathead is rather cheap. Is that actually a good mic, not just a decent budget mic?
 
The C3000 is essencially the same mic, with only a single diaphram. I've used them side by side and they are very comparable.
 
The AKG 414's are all excellent and the 2000 ain't bad at all. The rest are not worth the price tag..
 
wx3 said:
The C3000 is essencially the same mic, with only a single diaphram. I've used them side by side and they are very comparable.
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Bullshit!!! The C3000 is a horrible piece of crap in comparison to a 414!!!

I second the 4050. It is actually a far more versatile mic than the 414.
 
Ford Van said:
Bullshit!!! The C3000 is a horrible piece of crap in comparison to a 414!!!
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A horrible piece of crap. Wow. That's gotta be the overstatement of the year. Have you ever used them side by side?

(My experience is with the C414 BU/UBLS)
 
I actually sang a few tracks with an AKG C3000 and was not satisfied with the sound.
 
wx3 said:
A horrible piece of crap. Wow. That's gotta be the overstatement of the year. Have you ever used them side by side?

(My experience is with the C414 BU/UBLS)
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You have to be deaf to think it is even in the same ball park with ANY of the versions of a 414!!!

I did far too many horrible sessions with a C3000. We had a case full of them at a sound company I worked at. They were good for NOTHING in a live environment too!

The C3000 has to be the worst mic AKG even made!
 
I have to agree here for sure. Having made the mistake of buying a couple of c3000's once and already owning a pair of c414 B/ULS mics. There really is absolutely no similarities in the two. And yes, I have tried them side by side a few different times. The c3000 characteristicly has a very mushy undefined low end, a big mid scoop, and a very tinny sizzly fizzy high end. In fact, the c3000 reminds me of all of the negative qualities that so many people use to describe the typical "chinese mic" sound. Persoanlly, I too find it to be one of the worst sounding mics AKG has ever made. I would much rather have c1000's as opposed to c3000's. I even had a person tell me a few months ago that the c3000 was just like the c414 when they brought their own c3000 into the studio. 2 minutes later when we set up a 414 next to it to show them the difference, they realized in about 5 seconds just how incredibly different they are.

As far as the AT4050 being more versatile, that is really up to the individual user. The 4050 is not nearly as "neutral" as a lot of people say it is. It's a bit of a "dark" sounding mic. Some people really like that. The 414 is definately a little more of a bright mic when compared to a 4050, which fits more along the lines of a lot of the current trend in mics. I like both mics alot, both are very useful and capable mics, but which mic is more of a "wokhorse" mic really depends on each user since they are so different. The sonic similarities between a c3000 and a 414 are only that they both capture sound. Other than that, there are no sonic similarities.
 
AKG 3000 not such a bad distance mic for a guitar cab...AKG 3000b POS.
 
flatfinger said:
I can't give you any personal experiences, but allot of people seem to think the 4000 is sweet.

There was some problems w/ the c 3000 and this seemed to have cast a shadow on the 4k.
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Poor old mr. 4000 just can't get no love!!!! Bring him up and all ya get is a 3000 debate!!!!! :p :p
 
Neumann TLM103. Awesome for the money.
Alternatively rob some old grandma's and get yourself a C414B XLS (even better than the XLII)
 
xstatic, do you even own a 4050????that statement completely misses the mark, imo...it is one thing to talk about subtle differences, but the 4050..dark??no damn way! and so all these people that say that it is neutral,...i guess they are wrong, according to you, eh??

I have never, ever EVER heard anyone refer to the 4050 as being dark..it is not at all dark.it has a rather sharp 5dB peak centered at 12 kHz!..if anything it is bright! Every single person like EVER that has talked about it(other than you) has called it "detailed" or a touch on the bright side..I call it clean.

the neumann m50 is dark. coles 4040 is dark. rode k2..

4050..nope

at4050_freq_cardioid.jpg


4050 sounded slightly bright — yet reasonably faithful
I also like my Audio Technica 4050 for a bright sound
I like my Audio Technica 4050s for a brightness that cuts through the mix"
A good choice might be a Audio Technica AT 4050. This mic can be pretty good on vocals. It's pretty bright
Another mic I’ll regularly use in a variety of ways is the AT 4050 which is one of the best deals anywhere. It has cardioid, omni, and figure eight patterns and is very clean-sounding. I like it on electric guitar amps.

Audio Technica AT-4050:
"I love this mic! Great group vocal and solo mic. Nice, clean, modern sound. The detail on the top is boosted, but not excessive.


xstatic said:
As far as the AT4050 being more versatile, that is really up to the individual user. The 4050 is not nearly as "neutral" as a lot of people say it is. It's a bit of a "dark" sounding mic. Some people really like that. The 414 is definately a little more of a bright mic when compared to a 4050, which fits more along the lines of a lot of the current trend in mics. I like both mics alot, both are very useful and capable mics, but which mic is more of a "wokhorse" mic really depends on each user since they are so different. The sonic similarities between a c3000 and a 414 are only that they both capture sound. Other than that, there are no sonic similarities.
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