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cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
...why, the Naiant MSH-1.
punkin
Univalve & Avatar Speaks
What other options are there? 
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cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
hehe good point. Hmm... there are lots of Nady mics from 8-20 dollars on musiciansfriend...
Nick98338
New member
Karma microphones
kojdogg
bollocks redux!
those are no longer made and you'll have to pay vintage gear prices for them.
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cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
Well, the new X series will apparently be out in the new year, so my stance remains solid!
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hairylarry
New member
Realistic 1070b
Hi,
I have the msh-1 mics and they are wonderful. What they are not is all around.
I wouldn't use one as a vocals mic. I would hesitate about extremely loud sources. And I would not choose them for field recording.
The Realistic 1070b will do all those things. And it is also great for cabinets, drum overheads, and acoustic guitar.
The 1070 series are EV RE50 clones made in Mexico by Shure and branded for sale at Radio Shack. They must have made a million because they are always available on ebay for under $20.
The 1070c and the 1070d are the same mic but with the black case for television studios. The RE50 is a 635 in a different case. Both the 635 and the RE50 are used extensively as interview mics for television production.
The 1070d says Shure on it so it goes a little higher. I have all three (b,c,and d) and I can't hear any difference.
The 1070a was made in Taiwan and the one I have is wired out of phase. I don't recommend the 1070a and they are hard to find anyway. There is also just a 1070 with no letter. I have never got a hold of one of them.
The 1070 series mics have extended frequency response but not flat 20-20K like the msh-1 mics. They do, however, have more bass and highs than the RE50 or 635 mics. Kind of in between an RE50 and an RE55.
This mic is my secret weapon for field recording. I start with a spaced stereo pair of 1070bs. Often that's all I use even when I have recorded other tracks.
So there's my vote for best all around mic under $20. Like the msh-1 mics these are high quality professional instruments. They're just cheap!
Thanks,
Hairy Larry
Hi,
I have the msh-1 mics and they are wonderful. What they are not is all around.
I wouldn't use one as a vocals mic. I would hesitate about extremely loud sources. And I would not choose them for field recording.
The Realistic 1070b will do all those things. And it is also great for cabinets, drum overheads, and acoustic guitar.
The 1070 series are EV RE50 clones made in Mexico by Shure and branded for sale at Radio Shack. They must have made a million because they are always available on ebay for under $20.
The 1070c and the 1070d are the same mic but with the black case for television studios. The RE50 is a 635 in a different case. Both the 635 and the RE50 are used extensively as interview mics for television production.
The 1070d says Shure on it so it goes a little higher. I have all three (b,c,and d) and I can't hear any difference.
The 1070a was made in Taiwan and the one I have is wired out of phase. I don't recommend the 1070a and they are hard to find anyway. There is also just a 1070 with no letter. I have never got a hold of one of them.
The 1070 series mics have extended frequency response but not flat 20-20K like the msh-1 mics. They do, however, have more bass and highs than the RE50 or 635 mics. Kind of in between an RE50 and an RE55.
This mic is my secret weapon for field recording. I start with a spaced stereo pair of 1070bs. Often that's all I use even when I have recorded other tracks.
So there's my vote for best all around mic under $20. Like the msh-1 mics these are high quality professional instruments. They're just cheap!
Thanks,
Hairy Larry
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Big Kenny
New member
I use the naiant's, the rest are doorstops
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Rick Shepherd
New member
Why even waste your time with ultra cheap shit? You will pay twice that amount to fill your gas tank, or go on a cheap date. I just don't get this type of thinking.
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danny.guitar
Guest
I agree 100%. However, in the case of the Naiants, they are definitely worth the purchase and more than $22.
MadAudio
Damned if I do
Hmmm, in that case I'm wondering what my MSH-1 test models will go for!
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cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
Gorty
New member
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cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
Well, that's the point of this thread, really - that and I was bored at the time I created it and felt like singing the praises of these dirt-cheap omni's that sound better than just about every other mic I've used on my acoustic (ranging in price from 50-400 dollars).
As someone pointed out, they aren't a complete all-around mic - I wouldn't use em on vocals or electric cabs either. But, there are other cheap options that will get you decent sounds on those fronts as well - nothing quite as inexpensive as these guys, but still cheap enough.
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Harvey Gerst
New member
Several years ago, I started a thread about the advantages of having omni pattern mics in your mic arsenal and suggested the Behringer ECM8000's (at$35 each) as a good addition. Prior to that time, most HR members didn't own any omni mics. It fueled an interest in omnis and I believe that the MSH mics are a direct result of that interest.
Omnis have certain characteristics that you just can't get with other mic patterns, even with the multi-pattern, dual-diaphragm mics set to omni. Inexpensive small omni capsules are readily available and, with suitable electronics, are a great addition to anyone's mic locker.
The fact that they can be inexpensive is irrelevant; The sound of the mic is what's important, and even cheap omnis have their place in a studio.
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cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
Well put, as always. I definitely didn't think omni's were a useful tool as a home recording hobbiest, since users warn that you get more "room" in your recording, as the saying goes. And this is true, but even in a mediocre room, I've gotten decent results, and I'm happy I finally took the plunge and spent what amounted to the least amount of money I've spent on a mic / set of mics to date
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cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
What is the advantage of more expensive omni's over something like the Naiant's, with very simple electronics? Are they simply better-calibrated for flat response, or do they offer a better SNR, etc? I've considered down the road getting a nice set of omni's, but I wonder if the extra cost is worth it, or if something else in the chain from omni to computer would be a wiser upgrade.
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Harvey Gerst
New member
Well, a 1/2" omni (like the Earthworks or B&K) will be much quieter and the electronics will be better, and yes, the frequency response will be flatter (but less than you'd think).
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pylet2000
New member
I've read something once that gave me the impression that most of the smaller element omni's all use the same nice quality element (Panasonic?), and that the differences from there are in the circuit and packaging. Given the omni design, it's pretty hard to screw up the mic body, so a simple solution like Naiant is prefectly suitable for a lot of applications.
Was it the Behringer ECM8000 thread that talked about this?
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cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
Despite still being in a home situation, I'd be happy with some quieter mics, especially since a lot of my stuff is finger-picked acoustic material, which requires more gain, but for now I think Im set with the Naiants... gonna be a while before I feel like shelling out a grand+ for a single or set of omnis, but as always, this is good info to keep in mind for when that day comes. Thanks!