does audio technica make good mics?

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sykokore

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my friend is getting mics and i keep telling him to get a SM58, but he wants to get an audio technica, is this a wise decision?
 
If it's for live vocals, IMHO, I'd go for a 58. But to answer your question, Audio Technica makes fantastic mics. For me, it's more of a question of what are you using the mic for?:D
 
well its for a rap group so it will be used for vocals. and i think he plans on using it for both recording and live performances... is this a good idea?
 
I'd go with the Sm-58. It's a good sounding mic and very dependable. You can record with it too but it wouldn't be the first mic I'd reach for in a studio but I wouldn't discount it either. For stage use a 558's hard to beat, in my opinion.
 
I you are looking for the best vocal microphone that does not place you in the poor house, but has excellent quality, I would go with a Audio Technica 4033 for about $300 new. Hand down the sound quality is superb for rap or R&B. Now If you think that the mic will get banged around a little bit I would go with the SM57 until you get control of your studio.
 
Which audio technica mic is he talking about.

If hes going to rap all he needs is the 29.00 audio tecnica, after all we are not talking about a discriminating singer here.

for 65.00 he could hava a SHS 500 which is an exact replica of the sm58 but for less money.
 
Before you recommend SHS500 mics...

This clip is on the Shure website - news section.....

========
SHURE LAWSUIT ASSERTS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
Microphone and wireless systems manufacturer Shure Brothers Incorporated with corporate headquarters in Evanston Illinois has filed a civil lawsuit federal court to enforce the firms intellectual property rights. 27-page seven-count complaint was on March 91999 United States District for Northern of Illinois.

Shure alleges that the defendants have violated Federal and Illinois law by copying the unique physical appearance of Shure's premium line of BETA microphones, as well as the packaging and promotional materials associated with the BETA line. The seven counts forming the basis for the action include trade dress infringement, trademark infringement, unfair competition, deceptive practices, and copyright infringement. Shure asks the court for both monetary and injunctive relief.

Commenting on the lawsuit, Shure President and CEO Sandy LaMantia stated: "Our trademarks, trade dress, and copyrights are important equities that we intend to aggressively protect, along with the Shure name and our reputation for producing products of the highest quality and performance. Shure will not stand by and see our intellectual property rights violated."

The defendants named in the lawsuit are: Pro DJ, Inc. of Saratoga, California; Taky Electronics Co., Ltd. of Taichung, Taiwan; SHS Musical Wholesale of Indianapolis, Indiana; and Music Go Round of Orland Park, Illinois.April 16, 1999
========


Sounds like the mic is only a look-alike copy anyways, not the same specs....

Bruce
 
They sound exactly the same and are the same inside. I guess that getting them will be harder in the near future. so you better get yours now.
 
heh-heh

Hmmm... probably would go GREAT with the pre-Mackie-lawsuit Behringer mixers!

;)

Bruce
 
What application is the mic intended for?

Although R&B isn't my specialty, I've had a little experience in the genre both in live and recorded situations.

In live application, the biggest problem is universally feedback rejection and dynamic range. I highly recommend an Audix OM-5 if you can afford $50US over the SM58.

In a recording application, I would suggest you go with the cheapest decent quality studio condenser you can afford (I beleive this is the AT4033). You want to save any extra money for a good compressor. You'll have do use a fairly high ratio to keep things under control (in my experience). If you buy a cheap compressor, the track will lack feel and energy after you smash it.

Hope that helps,

Brad
 
If he was thinking about spending studio kinda money for stage mic, maybe a Neumann KMS 105 and an in ear monitor is in order. You could DEFINATLY turn that around for some uses in the studio,without a doubt.
Just a thought...
 
AT

I have a AT 3525, I use for vocals, micing guitar amps, piano, and overhead drum mic somtimes. Got mine for $230 on ebay brand new, and have had it for almost 2 years. I love that mic. I say for the price it's great.
 
I have an AT3525 also. zZounds is selling it brand new for $150. I paid $174 for mine last year. It's not a bad sounding mic for the money, and it is RUGGED. Definitely well-built. Personally I don't like it on my voice - it has some sort of shrillness in the upper mids which really don't compliment my voice, so I usually have to cut them back a bit. Only trouble then is that my part would never come through in a mix due to the lack of mids. It's done great on some female vocalists though. I'm looking forward to when I have enough money to grab more mics - a V67, a C1, some 603s's. You can only do so much with one AT3525 and two cheap "Optimus" mics. :p

Isaiah
 
I agree with you prism, female vocals tend to sound great on the AT3525. I think thats bec it has a relatively flat top end, smooth midrange and thick low end in contrast to other mics in this price range which have a more of a sheen. This gives tenory males and mid-hi range females a thickness without the harshness.

I dont find this mic shrill at all btw, if anything its too muted. I always have to add honk at 1200 and 2500 and generally 6db at 12k.
 
That's funny... on my voice, 2,000Hz-2,500Hz is my problem spot that I have to cut back because it's too "honky". :D
Maybe I just don't have good monitoring and the mic actually sounds great without the cut in the mids. Guess I'll never know until I'm rich enough to buy some good monitors.

Isaiah
 
I would stay away from EQ if you dont have monitors. :) This mic is definitely not honky. Im mixing mostly with event PS5s which are great speakers but if they are accused of anything it would be a hyped midrange (which I like) and WITH that- the 3525 needs a midboost. So I would guess you have very mid heavy speakers or your voice is honkey. :D
 
Actually my speakers strike me as amazingly flat (they're a pair of old Sony hi-fi speakers from a 1960s/70s turntable system. They beat the crap out of a lot of newer speakers I've heard.) I've noticed the honkiness mainly on my headphones. It almost seems to be more of a gain problem than an EQ problem, because the mic sounds really nice when it isn't loud enough. Sometimes I switch on the -10dB pad and it sounds a lot better. Only trouble is that I gotta crank it up to bring the volume high enough. If I perform off-axis, that also helps. I have listened to samples of the Marshall V67 with no EQ on my headphones, however, and the Marshall sounded stunning by comparison. Maybe my voice wasn't suited for the AT3525.

Isaiah
 
The marshall is a dif breed altogether, you really cant compare the two. Also I dont know the quality of your speakers but the point of monitors is not to make music sound good. The PS5s I use dont really flatter music (unless its mahler or brahms) they pull everything apart in a way that.. commercially mastered CDs sound almost raw (as compared to a $500 consumer system). All decent monitors do that to a greater or lesser degree so that you know when you are listening to monitors that they are clearly monitors and not consumer speakers. Theres this hi-mid-low separation that happens where you can clearly hear all frequencies separate from each other- which you cannot hear on 99% of consumer (non audiophile) speakers. In any case, either your mixes are translating outside your studio or theyre not, I assume they are if youve stuck with them and havent gotten monitors.

In any case, I dont think the 3525 is a mic anyone reaches for when recording vocals at first. Its only when one of the sheeny shiny rodes or AKGs arent working and they need a flatter less top hyped mic bec the NT2 track calls too much attention to itself and doesnt sit right in the mix that they pull out the 3525.
 
I realize that monitors aren't for making things sound "good," but in my mind, "good" for my pair of consumer speakers for use as monitors means that I believe they sound well-defined, with accurate and fairly flat response, with no coloration for any particular frequencies. They are definitely better speakers than monitors, but for consumer-grade speakers, I would choose them over any others for monitoring on a budget. Does that make sense?

My preamp? The AT3525 goes into my Stewart Phantom Power supply, then into my Tascam 688. I should buy a nice preamp, but as it is, I can't really afford anything right now. I'm working at it though. :D

Isaiah
 
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