An A/B of two LDC mics I have

[DrewPeterson7]

Just grabbed my second LDC, so I figured for kicks I'd do a blind A/B of the two of 'em here. I think I've mentioned owning one and thinking about grabbing the other around here before, but if you don't remember, don't search, and if you do don't ruin the fun.

I did one take of the intro to a Porcupine Tree song, "Trains" with the two mics as close to each other as I could get, recording both takes, and then did a second take where I switched positions, to make it as fair as possible. both were run through the same two-channel preamp with as close to identical gain settings as I could get.

Aside from a quick boost up to CD-ish volume, I didn't do a thing else to them, and frankly the doubling isn't so tight so don't be too hard on me for what's really a pretty raw track here.

Here they are:

First Mic

Second Mic

And then, for the heck of it, one track of each, L/R.

Blend of the two

Thoughts?

 

[moresound]

kinda tough with just computer speakers but the low end of the 1st one seamed more defined. Other than that pretty much the same.

 

[Richard Monroe]

I'd use mic #1 if I was doing a solo acoustic piece, and mic #2 if I wanted to cut through a denser mix. Mic 2 just seems a little brighter.-Richie

 

[Jim Lad]

Mic 2 is certainly brighter and maybe a little heavy on the mid range.
Mic 1 picks the bass up better but can be a little muddy to my ear.
The combination L/R really works for me.
I'm wondering if your preamp isn't darkening things a little, though.

 

[moresound]

I'm wondering if your preamp isn't darkening things a little, though.

Ya now that's mentioned what is the preamp your using?

 

[DrewPeterson7]

It's a Presonus Bluetube, but I'm (I believe) bypassing the tube circuit. It's not particularly high end, I realize.

Listening, it's maybe a LITTLE darker than my acoustic sounds on it's own, but it's a pretty accurate depiction. If it helps, the guitar in question is a Martin with mahogany back and sides strung up with Elixir Mediums.

 

[Jim Lad]

Listening, it's maybe a LITTLE darker than my acoustic sounds on it's own, but it's a pretty accurate depiction. If it helps, the guitar in question is a Martin with mahogany back and sides strung up with Elixir Mediums.

Sounds like a nice instrument.

 

[moresound]

It's a Presonus Bluetube, but I'm (I believe) bypassing the tube circuit. It's not particularly high end, I realize.

Listening, it's maybe a LITTLE darker than my acoustic sounds on it's own, but it's a pretty accurate depiction. If it helps, the guitar in question is a Martin with mahogany back and sides strung up with Elixir Mediums.

OK at this point are we to try and guess the mics?
Dose the company of the 1st mic start with a S ?

 

[gehauser]

I liked mic 1 best, but not by a large margin.

Mic 1 seemed more detailed and balanced across frequencies, where mic 2 seemed more mid-rangey.

Mic 2 did seem to pick up more "woodiness" of the guitar, and I liked that, but overall, mic 1 was best to my ears.

 

[DrewPeterson7]

OK at this point are we to try and guess the mics?
Dose the company of the 1st mic start with a S ?

Not at all, I'll post them up at some point, but I just thought I'd throw two clips up with no other information other than the general "style" of mic, and see if anyone had a favorite. Simple curiosity. I'll be happy to talk about anything else in the signal chain - instrument, room, whatever - but saying "this is a clip of this mic, and this is one of that mic means people will be bringing preconceived notions to the picture.

Jim - I like it. It's a MC16GTE, and while I'll freely admit the D16 I played was a nicer instrument, I really can't complain about this one in the least. I bought it with the first paycheck of my first "real" post-college job - I'd planned to grab a Mesa Mark-IV, but then happened to be in my old local music shop for something, and to kill some time started playing some of the Taylors on the wall. They weren't a Martin dealer at the time, so I was a little surprised to see a used Martin hanging up there with them. I picked it up, and at first it sounded a little restrained compared to the Taylors, but the more I played it the more "restrained" changed to "balanced."

I made it as far as the parking lot before I realized, considering what they were asking for it, I'd be an idiot if I didn't take it with me. It's a great guitar, I absolutely love the thing.