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Linkzilla316
New member
I'm just wondering if anyone here uses apex 180's. I've had them for 4 years but I can seem to use them properly. Do they mostly work for drums or guitar amps?
Thanks
Thanks
rmaier
New member
Please describe the problem you're having in a bit more detail.
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Linkzilla316
New member
The mic's don't seem full enough. Plus I have people telling me that they are just cheap. I am going to be recording an album(hopefully) in a month or 2 and was thinking of using them as overheads or for another use. I'm just a little paranoid that they may and noise to the track that I don't want there.
I also would like to know of other mics that anyone here has used for overheads in a good price range($200-300)
I also would like to know of other mics that anyone here has used for overheads in a good price range($200-300)
rmaier
New member
Well, they ARE cheap... There's probably been enough talk around here about cheap vs. expensive and bad vs. good, but what the hell.
I just did some location work yesterday with my classical guitar trio and was really glad I brought along my 180s. Cheap mics on guitars in the $5,000- $10,000 range. Who'd have thought... The bottom line is whether or not they do what you need them to do.
Sorry, I bought mine specifically for plucked instruments so I don't know how good they are on other sources. The cardiod capsules seem to have a pretty pronounced proximity effect which might work to your advantage in getting a beefier sound. For what I was doing, I preferred the sound of the omnis about a foot away from the 12th fret of the instrument. The level of noise was acceptable - a bit more than my AT4041 and significantly less than my Naiants - and the sound was more flattering than any of the above, to the extent that a wished I had picked up another pair.
If you're looking for something comparable, you might check out the SE1s. Again, my experience with these has been on classical guitar and vihuela (like a lute with a guitar-shaped body). The SE held its own with mics costing many times more, although the mic that we ended up settling on was a (60s?)vintage AKG 414. In any case, everyone in the studio was shocked at how well the SE stood up to the other mics we had auditioned.
Don't rule out your cheapo 180s just because someone has taken the time to point out the fact that they're not Neumanns. Mess with placement, play with the switches, swap out the capsules, try them out on different sources and in different spaces and you'll probably find a use for them.
I just did some location work yesterday with my classical guitar trio and was really glad I brought along my 180s. Cheap mics on guitars in the $5,000- $10,000 range. Who'd have thought... The bottom line is whether or not they do what you need them to do.
Sorry, I bought mine specifically for plucked instruments so I don't know how good they are on other sources. The cardiod capsules seem to have a pretty pronounced proximity effect which might work to your advantage in getting a beefier sound. For what I was doing, I preferred the sound of the omnis about a foot away from the 12th fret of the instrument. The level of noise was acceptable - a bit more than my AT4041 and significantly less than my Naiants - and the sound was more flattering than any of the above, to the extent that a wished I had picked up another pair.
If you're looking for something comparable, you might check out the SE1s. Again, my experience with these has been on classical guitar and vihuela (like a lute with a guitar-shaped body). The SE held its own with mics costing many times more, although the mic that we ended up settling on was a (60s?)vintage AKG 414. In any case, everyone in the studio was shocked at how well the SE stood up to the other mics we had auditioned.
Don't rule out your cheapo 180s just because someone has taken the time to point out the fact that they're not Neumanns. Mess with placement, play with the switches, swap out the capsules, try them out on different sources and in different spaces and you'll probably find a use for them.
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Linkzilla316
New member
Thanks. I will try a bunch of different placements. I also forgot about the switches inside. I haven't used them in a while.
I the 180s in a pack with another mic but I can't remember the name of it. It was a vocal mic and it cause more problems then it was worth. We were using to record some vocals but all the tracks were tin sounding. When I find the name of it I'll post and maybe someone can help me with that.
I the 180s in a pack with another mic but I can't remember the name of it. It was a vocal mic and it cause more problems then it was worth. We were using to record some vocals but all the tracks were tin sounding. When I find the name of it I'll post and maybe someone can help me with that.
dkelley
Active member
that's the apex 435 ldc.
dgatwood
is out. Leave a message.
Apex 180 appears to be the same as the Nady CM-90 mics. They have a similar capsule to the MXL 603, etc. It's a fundamentally flawed capsule design that has very poor bass response. There are several other problems with the design. There's really not a lot you can do without modding the heck out of them. I was working on mine just yesterday finishing up a recap. Next step is body mods.
Oh, if they have a bass roll-off switch in that design, make sure it is off.
Oh, if they have a bass roll-off switch in that design, make sure it is off.
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iownrocknroll
New member
As a side note, the initial quality of your instruments will make a huge difference for instance. if you are recording a tama swing star, no matter how much time you put into tuning those drum heads, they will never stay in tune. cheap cymbals will always sound cheap even if you are micing them with 2 blue bottles as overheads.
start with good instruments, then move on to good mics, then good pres.....
everything does add up.
don't expect to get a crate amp to sound like an ac30, it ain't gonna happen.
start with good instruments, then move on to good mics, then good pres.....
everything does add up.
don't expect to get a crate amp to sound like an ac30, it ain't gonna happen.
dgatwood
is out. Leave a message.
I agree to a large degree. That said, a bad mic will make not-so-great cymbals sound terrible (and good cymbals sound not-so-great), while a good mic will make not-so-great cymbals just sound... uh... not-so-great.
Put another way, even the Pearl 16" crash cymbal I bought before I knew any better gets used once in a while when I'm doing material that uses lots of cymbals to add a different color. It sounds at least serviceable through my MK-012s. Through my CM-90s, it sounded like a garbage can lid, but with a stronger fundamental pitch (or two or three).
That said, my Pearl splash cymbal still sounds like I'm hitting a tin can with a BB gun.