best sax mic

  • Thread starter Thread starter Playsax
  • Start date Start date
Best mic for sax

Thank you everyone. Excellent recommendations. I've seen the Sennheiser 421 on Ebay for around $400. Thanks again!
 
Giganova said:
I like omni or fig-8 best since it opens up the sound quite a lot and gets rid of the proximity effect.
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No arguing with your recommendations - everyone should find what works for them and is entitled to their own likes and dislikes.

But while it is true of omnis, to say that a figure-of-eight pattern eliminates or reduces proximity effect (compared to a cardioid) is simply untrue. That doesn't mean you shouldn't use one if you like the result - but your rationale is incorrect.
 
Ummmm ... figure-8s are suppose to have the
most proximity effect of any of the polar
patterns.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but you guys are all going on about proximity effect, and more specifically the reduction of it, but surely it can be a great tool if you get a player who knows how to use it properly? Why get rid of it with a certain polar pattern?
 
You guys are right, of course: figure-8 does not get rid of the proximity effect. I still like it a lot because it pick up more reverberation from the room.
 
Elton Bear said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but you guys are all going on about proximity effect, and more specifically the reduction of it, but surely it can be a great tool if you get a player who knows how to use it properly? Why get rid of it with a certain polar pattern?
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I don't think anyone said you "should" do anything. Sometimes you want proximity effect (like when recording a lead vocal). Other times you don't (like when close mic'ing a piano - you don't want the strings closest to the mic to have a different timbre than the ones farther away.)
 
You know, that whole thing with selecting mouthpieces and reeds can happen again with mics. What do you want to sound like? When I think sax I think of the giants that walked the earth in the heyday of King Records.....Earl Bostic, Clifford Scott (Bill Doggett Band) .... Might I say that the sound of a sax comes from the whole instrument and that would suggest an omni....but I've never mic'd mine so don't listen to me.
 
apl said:
Consider the fabulous MSH-1A SDC. There's a sax clip here, scroll down.
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I just compared this mic to a lot of different mics including a ribbon known for being great on sax. In the end we agreed how close in flavor the MSH-1A was to the ribbon. I'd be curious about tracking sax with it myself.
 
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