C1 cat's pajamas or ass?

  • Thread starter Thread starter crazydoc
  • Start date Start date

C1 - cat's pajamas or ass?

  • Great mic, it has lived up to all my expectations

    Votes: 56 47.9%

  • It's a good mic that I use frequently, but not all I was led to believe

    Votes: 38 32.5%

  • It's been a disappointment, but still has its occasional uses

    Votes: 13 11.1%

  • This thing sucks - the marketing was BS

    Votes: 10 8.5%
  • Total voters
    117
I think the C1 is just *okay*. It is definitely useable but the high end is a tad harsh and makes it harder to get a proffessional sounding recording. After some long deliberation I decided to sell it and buy something a lot more expensive(soundelux u195). I still think it's a good mic, but the key phrase is FOR THE PRICE. If anyone wants that's reading was thinking about trying out this mic but doesn't want to pay full price, I'm selling mine on ebay right now to subsidize my new purchase. Fully working with all accessories unlike most of the other C1 auctions I've been seeing lately.....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=41466&item=7319241208&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
 
My cats have never worn pajamas, and to my knowledge do not own any articles of clothing...

The "high end harshness" does sound familiar from my experience with the B1. FOR THE PRICE, I don't know that I could have done better though.

Anyone who would like to send me some mics in the B1/C1 price bracket to try out can PM me for my shipping address. :)
 
I will have to say the C1 is not my most used mic but it gets used more then a lot of others, my Rode NTK and my AT 4033 and 4050 get used more on vocals but there are ocassions where I use for backups or a second mic on a guitar amp things such as this, very good for the money.
 
I suspect the majority of those buying budget mics under $200 or so are also going to have many other parts of the system that aren't quite up to snuff.

Not to add or take away from the C1, B1 and other inexpensive mics - but a lot of what many are attributing to "harshness" on these mics is actually coming from cheap microphone preamplifiers, substandard A/D converters and out-of-whack room acoustics. So, until you have those in shape it's very hard to judge the true quality of a given microphone.

I think you'd find that if you jacked a Neumann U87 into an Audio Buddy and ran that into a cheap soundcard into a computer - recording in a boxy bedroom with no acoustical treatment - that you'd find the 87 to be "harsh" as well.

We've made some excellent recordings - stuff that actually got pressed to CD and gets played on the radio and everything - using some very inexpensive mics [ including the C1, B1, B3, ADK TL, CE, Red5 Audio RVD1, Audio-Technica ATM25 ] on some of the applications. We used quality preamplifiers in a well-treated room and got good results. Many of those mics can easily sound "harsh" on a substandard system, but they can also sound great on the right applications on a good system.

BTW, judging from the current poll on the C1 to date:

47.66% Great mic, it has lived up to all my expectations
32.71% It's a good mic that I use frequently, but not all I was led to believe

That's 80.37% of the people here who responded who are obviously more than happy with the C1. As one of the first and one of the loudest supporters of the C1 – I personally find that rewarding.
 
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That's a good point, Dot, and one that makes me hate my crap-sounding room even more. If you read this and can answer it, that's fine - if not, I don't want to take us off-topic. But I was going to overspend my summer mic budget and get a T3 ... but this thread has got me thinking about the C1 again and saving a bit of cash for other things. If I had the T3, would you feel the C1 was superfluous? I don't want to buy two if one (either of them) is good enough ... if you see what I'm asking!

Anyone else with quantitative comments on these two is free to answer ... otherwise ... get your asses back to flaming :eek:
 
noisedude, well one advantage with the T3 that, IMO, the C1 as well as many other mics don't have is the ability to record vocals as well as acoustic instruments equally well. The C1 can be a great vocal mic, but I think it's a poor acoustic-stringed-instrument mic, and I've said that all along. Both the C1 and T3 sound different enough, but they're not exactly complementary. I can't say categorically that the T3 is the better mic, but it's definitely more versatile – and if you plan on recording sources other than vocals then I'd say the T3 is definitely the better overall mic in that case.

If you got a T3 and then wanted another more complementary mic, then I'd say get something that's more neutral and maybe not as hyped in the high-mids as the C1. The T3 also gives that hyped, colored sound. Mics that I think would complement a T3 better would be AT4040, AT4050, ADK TL, Red5 Audio RV8, Shure KSM, CAD M179, AKG 414...

Hope that helps.
 
That's very helpful, thanks. I'd love to own an AT4050 at some point ... although an AT4040 or M179 would be closer to my range at this stage. My recording friend and I argue over C414 vs. AT4050 as the 'workhorse' condenser all the time ......

So I'm more likely to get higher milage out of the T3? That makes it worth the extra then. I'll come back for the C1 and its peers when I'm after something for female poppy vocals, I think. As it stands, my revised mic set will be:

- SP T3
- SP C4s
- Beyer M400
- Shure 545
- SE SE2200
- Senn E845 x2
- Senn E835

I want an AT ATM-25 and then I think I'll have all I need for my upcoming projects ... apart from money to pay the rent!!! :D
 
This is very interesting thread (as I'm waiting my C1 order to be delivered soon).

However, there seems to be no way to compare mics in other ways than getting one and using it. Actually there is one way: record an (acoustic) impulse response through it and put the IR:s on some web site. Then we can grab it and analyse the IR - maybe produce a 3D waterfall plot of it to see if there are some undamped resonances or other problems. We can also use the IR with some audio editor (sound forge) or VST plugin (SIR) to process sample recordings to audition the transfer function of the mic with that IR. This kind of data would be very useful, but only if we could standardise the impulse producing method.

I think this one would be a good candidate to make some noise to record the IR (run it through the cat's ass if you need a silencer):

MVC-001F.jpg
 
mhelin said:
Actually there is one way: record an (acoustic) impulse response through it and put the IR:s on some web site.
Click to expand...

Although this is a nice idea, it will only work if the system is linear, as far as I can tell.

And most mics are not linear. Especially the "nicer ones" that introduces some kind of "pretty distortion", such as many tube mics, are not linear. So the IR is not a full characterization of the system.

You also cannot emulate a preamp with an IR alone, despite what some people claim.

...I think ;-)


-- Per.
 
I'm not sure we've fully concluded on whether the mic is a piece of cat's wardrobe accessorisation, or a rather impolite part of the cat's actually anatomy yet. Should take another six months or so, I'd guess. :)
 
+1 interested in knowing how this mic compares to the MXL V67G..

(really didnt want to start a new thread about it cause SP always manages to stir up some dust)

anyway, im gonna get one of them and i really cant make up my mind :/

any views?

it would be used for male vocals and getting some bleed (or not) from an acoustic (the guitar miced with MXL 603's).

tanx!
 
diogo said:
+1 interested in knowing how this mic compares to the MXL V67G..

(really didnt want to start a new thread about it cause SP always manages to stir up some dust)

anyway, im gonna get one of them and i really cant make up my mind :/

any views?

it would be used for male vocals and getting some bleed (or not) from an acoustic (the guitar miced with MXL 603's).

tanx!
Click to expand...
All we are is dust in the wind... dust in the wind.

I suggest you use the search fuction... or better yet, audition the two a make up your own mind... because this subject has been beat to death on hr.com.

All we are is dust in the wind... dust in the wind. Good luck, and bye.
 
i mentioned the "dust" Exactly cause i use the search function DJL, not taking any sides or anything cause i dont give a fuck, just not wanting to make ppl use mics as an excuse to fight or whatever, wich seems to be recurrent here (especially when these two brands are involved), at least according to the search function. you clearly seem to have a problem with "chinese mics" and you wear it on your sleeve, thats your thing, not my business. im just trying to get some help.

this is still the best place to learn about entry level gear for ppl that, like me, cant audition stuff.

tanx.
 
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diogo all I can tell you is... I use to own both the Studio Projects/797 Audio C1 and Marshall Electronics MXLV67G and I prefered the V67G over the C1 because... IMO, the V67G is not as bright and or harsh sounding as the C1 is. Some people here agree and some don't... plus, IMO MP3 files suck when used to try and decide what mic you like better. This why I think you should really audition the two mics for yourself and make up your own mind.

Also, you are correct about my general feeling about cheap Chinese budget mics... over a period of time I've found most of the time I don't really care for most cheap Chenese budget mics... with that said... in your price range, I would steer you more in the direction of something more like the CAD M179 or for a little more checkout the AT's, Shure's and etc.

I also don't want to support the Chinese mic factories that pratice making counterfeit mics and etc.
 
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I get spooked when I see DJL as the latest poster on this thread and it is on the front page. Are people voting, or is there a phantom DJL in the works?
 
I guess people must be voting. I prefer it like this - I couldn't give a rat's ass what people want to talk about, but it's nice knowing that certain topics aren't out of bounds for fear of descent into farcicality (is that a word?).
 
Does the same go for the C3. I'm going to be doing mostly spaced omnis and blumlein with my church choir. I started looking at the Behr B2's then the SP B3'd but judging from the reviews I may spend the xtra couple hundred to go with the C3's.....was actually hoping to hit SamAsh and "checkout" all 3 does anyone know store policies for "mic trials"?
 
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