Am I retarded?

[pdadda]

I bought a Behringer B1 microphone based on a friend's recommendation. The day before it arrived, I started reading through some forums and everyone said the mic sucked. I was discouraged, but I tried the behringer and I think it sounds pretty good. But this is my first attempt ever at recording. I may just have an amateur ear, but what problem do people have with this mic? I can still return it and exchange it for a studio projects b1, but I am not sure if I would be able to hear the difference. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[SHEPPARDB.]

I bought a Behringer B1 microphone .

Asked and answered!!

 

[Sklathill]

There's no problem with you thinking it sounds good. But just you wait until you have a more experienced ear...

When I was a kid, I loved my parents wurlitzer...I thought it had a pretty good sound...then I grew older and started to take piano lessons with a teacher who had two six foot grands...a Steinway and a Baldwin. Then i started to see the spectrum of quality that's out there in the piano world. Thanks to competitions, I experienced all sorts of pianos: Mason and Hamlins, Petrofs, Bosendorfers...and i just keep filling in as I experience more and more pianos.

Same with mics. When I got my first mic, I was like...dude! This is pretty cool! Then I got a couple others, an SM57, and a CAD E-100...and I started to see where things are in relation to each other. Now I have a dozen mics and I work with my friends' and the school's mics on a regular basis and I have an even better picture of the spectrum of quality that's out there.

And if you read the posts well enough, you'll know that there are at least three problems with B1s: the generally brittle high-end that's common with cheaper Chinese condensors, inconsistent quality from mic to mic, and general anger at Behringer as a company... Read, read, read!

And I have no idea why I'm typing and posting so much today...

 

[DJL]

I bought a Behringer B1 microphone based on a friend's recommendation. The day before it arrived, I started reading through some forums and everyone said the mic sucked. I was discouraged, but I tried the behringer and I think it sounds pretty good. But this is my first attempt ever at recording. I may just have an amateur ear, but what problem do people have with this mic? I can still return it and exchange it for a studio projects b1, but I am not sure if I would be able to hear the difference. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

If YOU think it sounds good... just use it and start having fun. If you think you'd like to have the SP B1 instead because it makes you look cooler when talking to other people, then swap. FWIW, I think the SP B1 is better, but who cares what I or anyone else thinks... what matters, is what YOU like.

 

[pdadda]

Here's what confuses me: people keep complaining about cheaper condensor mics from China. Yet both the Behringer b1 and the SPb1 are made in China (SP teamed up with 797 Audio in China). But everyone loves the spb1 and hates the B-b1.

 

[DJL]

Here's what confuses me: people keep complaining about cheaper condensor mics from China. Yet both the Behringer b1 and the SPb1 are made in China (SP teamed up with 797 Audio in China). But everyone loves the spb1 and hates the B-b1.

Not everyone... some of us don't like any cheap crap anymore, except for when we need a special cheesy effect sound or something. But, who cares what anyone else thinks... what matters is what YOU like.

 

[mrface2112]

<<But everyone loves the spb1 and hates the B-b1>>

well, that's b/c one's a very useful mic for recording and the other's a useful as a doorstop.....maybe.

but really, if this is your first mic, just get out there and record with it and don't worry what "people think". especially if you don't think you'll be able to hear the difference, b/c likely, you won't be able to--hell, you prolly couldn't appreciate the subtleties of a vintage U47 in comparison to either B1. and that's perfectly OK.

in time you'll upgrade your pres, you signal chain, your monitoring chain, and everything inbetween, and with it you'll gain experience that will indeed allow you to hear the differences and subtleties between mics. and then you'll understand exactly what you've been reading here and why. having heard them both and being able to hear the differences, i'd pick the SP B1 over the behringer in a heartbeat (for all the reasons noted above)....but hey, that's me and YMMV.

FWIW, there are LOTS of mics made in china, with varying degrees of "good" and "crappy", even within the same brand. just b/c a mic's made in china doesn't mean it's the same as every other mic made in china.....much like just b/c a mic is an AKG or Neumann doesn't automatically make it great.


wade

 

[jake-owa]

They're BOTH crappy mics, who cares? Just go record something with ANY mic.

Sorry, I'm drunk and half retarded.

 

[johneeeveee]

Re: Re: Am I retarded?

Asked and answered!!

excuse me, but even though i think you were trying to be funny, i don't see how this is helpful to the guy. everyone has to start somewhere.
pdadda, like others have said , don't sweat this sort of thing. you can learn a lot with a cheap mic, and when you get a really good one, you'll be amazed at what you can do.
right now, i'm just assuming you want to record some of your songs, and that is the important part... not how cheap your mic is. i would agree that you might have had some other options in that price range that might sound better to you. just do as much research as you can, and spend your money as wisely as possible, and then get to recording your music... and have fun.
i seem to talk to more and more musicians these days (especially with all the affordable home recording mediums), that are spending more and more time on wondering if their gear is up to par, than they are on their craft. believe me, i know the value of great quality gear (and the right gear), but i would rather hear a well performed , great song recorded on an answering machine, than a pristine recording of crap. this is, of course, all obvious to most, but thought i'd throw it out there.
peace - jv

 

[CanopuS]

As long as it isn't a chinese made answering machine trying to be as good as the best

 

[noisedude]

i'm with jv and in fact DJL. useful advice only please, those of us who've been around a little while know the people who'll slam behringer whatever.

having used neither i would say i'd take the SP for all the reasons above plus the customer care factor. SP/PMI/alan seem to care about their customers and because of the corners they cut in production, behringer don't.

 

[billisa]

The SPB1 is a beautiful mic, and the company is great to deal with. There was an informative review of the SPB1 in EQ Magazine back in August.

When products are outsourced that's not a bad thing, so long as the parent company stipulates the specs and checks the QC.

I have 2 Studio Projects B1's and cannot tell the difference between them. When I first got 'em I had a simple question on getting a semi-matched pair, and the folks at SP were very informative and more than willing to be of help.

 

[omtayslick]

Hey pdadda,
Everybody seems to just be saying the Behringer is junk, but not telling you what specifically most of us find objectionable about it.

I compared the Behringer B1 to several others in an in-store trial session. Bad points: Harsh sounding in the highs.
Good points: High output. If it sounds OK to you, enjoy! And depending on what you are running it through, perhaps it does not sound as harsh on your set-up.

But also, sometimes you have to live with a mic for a while before you hear it's deficiencies. If there is anywhere local that you can compare models for yourself, that's the best way to go. Good luck.

 

[chessrock]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with keeping the B1 around and using it.


Eventually, if you start noticing things in your recordings that you don't like . . . or if you start hearing things in other recordings that somehow sound "better" to you, and you decide to yourself that you would like to take steps to improve your recording situation . . . then you'll know you're ready to upgrade, and because of your familiarity with the B1, you'll be better armed and you'll know what qualities to avoid when you look for a mic.

Half of learning and understanding what sounds good . . . is being able to understand what doesn't sound good. And the more experience you have with bad gear, the closer you'll be to that understanding.

 

[pdadda]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I have heard several people say that it sounds harsh with high notes. I will only be using this mic for recording, so can I just correct that by messing with the EQ? Is it worth me spending the time to order a new mic instead (I am not close to any mic dealers where I can test them out).

 

[DJL]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I have heard several people say that it sounds harsh with high notes. I will only be using this mic for recording, so can I just correct that by messing with the EQ? Is it worth me spending the time to order a new mic instead (I am not close to any mic dealers where I can test them out).

You already said you like it... so don't worry about it and start recording and having fun.

 

[pdadda]

Yes, I like the mic. But I won't be able to buy another mic for a year or 2 at least. So I want to make sure I get one that the best one I can buy for the money.

 

[Rocket Boy]

then get the SP mic. a year or two is a long time to only have a behringer.

 

[noisedude]

hmmm if you're hoping to stick with it as long as possible i'd probably not be putting all my eggs in a behringer-shaped basket. if you're unsure, order the SP because from what everyone has said, it's not going to be worse than what you already have so you have only to gain!

 

[DJL]

Yes, I like the mic. But I won't be able to buy another mic for a year or 2 at least. So I want to make sure I get one that the best one I can buy for the money.

Well, you already know you like the mic you have now... what are you going to do if you swap the mic you like for another mic and you don't like it as much as the first mic?