R
Richard Monroe
Well-known member
First, let me say that I am relatively inexperienced as a tracking engineer, and I am techno-challenged, so you'll have to wait for some real gearheads for technobabble about silky high ends and presence, etc. I can only compare the C-4's to the mics I'm used to using.
My first pass was done on a Taylor 710CE as an X-Y pair backed off about 2 feet, running into an Avalon AD2022 straight into a Roland VS1824CD. That's all I've had time to do, as we are tracking vocal overdubs this weekend.
I can only compare the C-4's to the small diaphragm mics I'm used to, mainly a pair of Oktava MC012's from The Sound Room. The first thing I noticed was that the C-4's required more gain to achieve the same output, but the noise floor was lower at equivalent output. I guess this means the C-4's have lower output, but less self noise than the Oktavas.
The C-4's also seem much less susceptible to boom and pop than the Oktavas, and the frequency response seems much flatter. They sound more like a C414B-ULS than the Oktavas. My first impression is that the C-4's are clearly superior to the Oktavas as a guitar mic, but the midrange boost that makes the Oktavas work for some vocalists is not there, and I doubt very many people are going to want to use these for vocal mics. I found the bass cut unecessary for this application, and the mics seem generally brighter than the Oktavas.
Switching to spaced Omni, I was struck by how similar the C-4's sounded to my Behringer ECM8000's, but without the prominent self noise. I haven't had time to try these as spot on mics, but I'll get to that soon, and we'll be using them as drum overheads 05/23-05/26, and I'll post up my impressions. The case is the same one used for C-1/C-3. It's sturdy and more than adequate. The shock mounts do not make the grade, but I am assured by the folks from PMI that better replacements are forthcoming, and will be provided free of charge to anyone who has the originals.
I hope these ramblings are useful, but as I said, they're just the impressions of an end user with limited experience and technical expertise.-Richie
My first pass was done on a Taylor 710CE as an X-Y pair backed off about 2 feet, running into an Avalon AD2022 straight into a Roland VS1824CD. That's all I've had time to do, as we are tracking vocal overdubs this weekend.
I can only compare the C-4's to the small diaphragm mics I'm used to, mainly a pair of Oktava MC012's from The Sound Room. The first thing I noticed was that the C-4's required more gain to achieve the same output, but the noise floor was lower at equivalent output. I guess this means the C-4's have lower output, but less self noise than the Oktavas.
The C-4's also seem much less susceptible to boom and pop than the Oktavas, and the frequency response seems much flatter. They sound more like a C414B-ULS than the Oktavas. My first impression is that the C-4's are clearly superior to the Oktavas as a guitar mic, but the midrange boost that makes the Oktavas work for some vocalists is not there, and I doubt very many people are going to want to use these for vocal mics. I found the bass cut unecessary for this application, and the mics seem generally brighter than the Oktavas.
Switching to spaced Omni, I was struck by how similar the C-4's sounded to my Behringer ECM8000's, but without the prominent self noise. I haven't had time to try these as spot on mics, but I'll get to that soon, and we'll be using them as drum overheads 05/23-05/26, and I'll post up my impressions. The case is the same one used for C-1/C-3. It's sturdy and more than adequate. The shock mounts do not make the grade, but I am assured by the folks from PMI that better replacements are forthcoming, and will be provided free of charge to anyone who has the originals.
I hope these ramblings are useful, but as I said, they're just the impressions of an end user with limited experience and technical expertise.-Richie