Blue Bluebird, KEL HM-2d?

[cavedog101]

I am a fan of all the Kel mics. Perhaps the HM1 would be better suited......As an owner of an older MK319 as well as a vintage U87, I can tell you that these two sound a LOT alike with the output and some bits of depth of field being the difference. I'll also state that this particular 319 was chosen out of a dozen that were on hand at gitrmart at the time and it was worlds above all the rest in sound quality....almost an immediate reaction.... when first hearing it.

The point being, the Octavas are notoriusly uneven in quality and sound from mic to mic. The only way to ensure a 'good' one is through the Soundroom's selection process, and even then you would not be assured of the 'fit' for a particular voice.

My suggestion for you, if its available in your area, is to find a rental service and rent a Neumann for this session as well as a high-end pre for it. If shes as trained as you say, getting a track down within a certain time constraint doesnt sound all that difficult.

 

[dickiefunk]

I am a fan of all the Kel mics. Perhaps the HM1 would be better suited......As an owner of an older MK319 as well as a vintage U87, I can tell you that these two sound a LOT alike with the output and some bits of depth of field being the difference. I'll also state that this particular 319 was chosen out of a dozen that were on hand at gitrmart at the time and it was worlds above all the rest in sound quality....almost an immediate reaction.... when first hearing it.

The point being, the Octavas are notoriusly uneven in quality and sound from mic to mic. The only way to ensure a 'good' one is through the Soundroom's selection process, and even then you would not be assured of the 'fit' for a particular voice.

My suggestion for you, if its available in your area, is to find a rental service and rent a Neumann for this session as well as a high-end pre for it. If shes as trained as you say, getting a track down within a certain time constraint doesnt sound all that difficult.

Hi. Thanks for the reply. When did you buy your MK-319? From what I understand they went through a period of being made in China the quality control was poor. Apparently they're made in Germany or Russia (can't remember) again now and they are much better?

What is the Soundroom selection process?

I contacted Oktava and they said they can do scans of various mics before I buy and email me the frequency response charts. Unfortunately I wouldn't be able to tell from this info which mic would be best for me.
Would it be possible to post them on here to get some advice?

 

[Madguitrst]

My advice is that you should use your eyes for things visual and your ears for audio. IOW, that's a nice offer but it won't mean a thing....you have to listen to a mic on the source you are recording.

NOBODY is going to be able to tell you which mic is the right one at this point.

Personally, I would buy from OktavaMod before the Sound Room. Which reminds me, another good Oktava mic, one that is not dark, is the MK-105.

Still, those Kel mics seem like some of the best bang-for-the-buck around. You could buy the HM-1, HM-2d AND the HM-7U and a decent mic cabinet.

Anyway dickiefunk, I think it's time you made a decision and move on. I still say you should work with positioning your B1 before you do anything.

 

[Madguitrst]

I just took a better look at the kel mics.
Obviously they are made by 797 Audio in China.....same as Studio Projects.
You can tell by the pic of the HM1 - the capsule mount and dual PCB board is 797. WIMA caps.....like Studio Projects.

Not a bad thing at all though as they are nicely made mics IMO.....better (sometimes much) than many other mics.

I wonder how they may compare/differ component wise.
I'm wondering if the HM-7u is a C1 rebadged.

FWIW, I have owned two C1 mics.
The first was an older one and it sounded good.
Silly me sold it to buy the newer version when they included a pad and Lo-cut filter......the second one was distinctly different sounding...it was sizzly, the older was not.

I have not heard the newest generation of Studio Projects mics.

 

[dickiefunk]

I'm probably going to order both the Oktava MK-319 and KEL HM-2d and return the one I like the least.

I'm also thinking that with the money I get refunded on the mic I return buy an Electro Harmonix 12AY7 mic pre and swap out the tubes. I really like the Tampa preamp but am thinking a warmer pre might help with this vocalist?