ECM8000 noisy!

  • Thread starter Thread starter ElSilva
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ElSilva

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On the advice of many here, I picked up two ECM8000s online. I have to say that compared to my main mic, an AT4033, these suckers are quite noisy. I know, what do I expect for 30-some-odd dollars? I suppose I'm just disappointed.

I mic'ed an acoustic guitar with an ECM8000 side-by-side with my AT4033, and the noise is very apparent in A/B tests. I also tried near/far mic'ing an acoustic, and I had to crank the trim on the far mic to get any appreciable signal for room ambience, and then it was REALLY noisy.

The signal chain is ECM8000->Mackie 1202VLZ pre->RNC1773->Omni I/O->Delta 66.

I couldn't get over the noise, so I don't know that I can even use these mics again.

Do the rest of you who purport to love this mic look past the noise because it's otherwise a good budget mic?

ElSilva
 
hmmm good thing i didnt pick these up yet....haha
I'd have to give a guess that it is because you dont have a "studio room". And, i'd have to guess that those bad boys in my basement would be a lot worse as well.

however, i am using sm58's right now as my drum overheads...what can (cheaply) beat those in a room that would probably be considered "noisy"...?
 
well what were you trying to record? yes, it is typical for most small diaphragm condensors to be noisier than the large. Some of course are more noisier than others. If its guitar your talking about, then have the player play a little louder, or bring the mic closer (you dont have proximity effect) and try lowering the gain on the preamp. Also, it could be your room. Got any fans going or air conditioning running in there? Is the computer noisy? If there is, the ECM8000 most likely will pick up the noise of these things because of its omni pattern.

Darnold
 
the room's good

The room is very quiet, I went wild on blankets, mattress foam, etc. I get excellent results with the AT4033, almost no ambience at all. AC noise is non-existent, there are no other electronics in the room. Sigh...
 
I use an ECM 8000 on acoustic guitar in stereo with an MXL 603s, and although I have to dampen the noise from the computer, the ECM 8000 self noise does not present a problem for me. Sorry to hear it's not working for you.
 
No need to call names Axis... I mean the guy just... oh wait, you said batch... nevermind.

:D
Pete
 
What do you mean by noise? I have 2 and their self noise seems more than quiet enough.

If you are talking about room sound the answer is, well, duh. They are omni's. If you are compressing them with the RNC in the chain you are only making the room sound more apparent.

Take out the compressor and try them.
 
I have to agree that a large problem is the room. I've tried my ECMs in various rooms, treated and untreated, and the untreated or smaller areas always seem to have a little more noise or "air". Adding in a compressor usually acentuates the noise in my personal experience. One thing I always triple check with these mics is that I am practicing proper gain-staging to from source to hdd/tape.
 
I have never had too much of a problem either with my pair.

Pete
 
ElSilva,doesn't the omni have preamps?Is there a reason you are running them through the Mackie first?I gotta be honest,I really don't use my ECM's much for acoustic(although I tried them and they sounded fine).I use them for drum overheads and in that application noise is not an issue.
 
The output isn't as hot as some other mics,so perhaps when you crank the pre that could be the source of the extra noise,if not the room.
 
shorten your signal chain. try running into the mackie and taking a direct out into the delta 66
 
I am not too familiar with the Mackie 1202, but if it doesnt have a direct out try patching an Aux-Send into the Delta. These can be your best friend if you don't have direct outs or run out of buses.
 
...I like my pair a lot...

I got a pair of ECM's and I really like the way they sound on acoustic guitar.

I found that I really like the lack of any peaks in its response.

I would agree with Tex and and Tom. These mics dont put out a very hot signal but I tried my composer pro in-line and found that I got a much better sound to my VS880 by just going right from the pre to te deck.

I only have a little DBX mini-pre and I didnt have much noise problem.

I have heard some things about quality differences with Behriger.

Also, you mention that your room is very dampened, so woudn't that kind of work against your far micing.
I mean your not getting much room sound because your room doesnt give much room sound by design, right?

And I'm sure (though I dont own one) the the 4033 is much more sensitive than the ECM so it is going to pick up much more direct sound from a distance, although that mic probably isn't actually getting a lot of room either.

But hey, thats why somebody made plug-ins, right?

Anyway, for $68 a pair, I think it was a good deal for me.

Keep trying, hopefullly you can get a useful sound.

-mike
 
Yes, i agree with the preamp thing. That is why i said bring the mic a little closer and play louder. I use a mackie 1604 with them and i had to mic a very quiet guitar player. I had the preamp turned around to 3 o clock on it. I was also using my AT4033 and it didnt have nearly as much noise, and it was very much quieter on the noise. But if i turned the preamp down to even 12 or 1 o clock the noise was barely noticeable. So try and get it closer and maybe play louder and you shouldnt have as much problem. Like i said, you wont have the proximity affect with the ecm as much as the AT4033 so i could pull it up pretty close, and that would also be better in not getting the room noise.

Good Luck!

- Danny -
 
ECM8000 for drums

I'm getting the most use from my ECM8000's as drum overheads, room mics on loud sources (drums, big guitar amps), and for recording full bands in stereo.

Harvey's main recommendation (which is how this whole ECM-mania began) is for drums. He also mentioned that they do produce a bit of noise. Even my earliest impressions, that I posted, made me realize that the ECM is best used on loud sounds. They can work on acoustic guitar, but under the right conditions and with the right technique. The ECM's won't make your guitar sound shiny if it doesn't sound that way in the room. The 4033 might make your acoustic sound shiny, that's part of its "character" and it's one of my favorites on acoustic instruments. The 4033 is a totally different animal and can't really be compared to the ECM, IMO.
 
I get excellent results with the AT4033, almost no ambience at all.
Click to expand...

The 4033 is a cardioid mic, the ECM is omni. Of course you get more ambience with the ECM8000.

Are you talking about room noise or the noise that the ECM8000 generates?

/fim
 
It's a 1/4" capsule measurement omni, so it's self noise is going to be higher when compared to most any larger diaphragm condenser. This includes most 1/2" "small diaphragm" condensers. If you're recording quiet sources only, you may want to avoid miniature capsule condensers and ribbon mics because of the higher self-noise inherent in their low output elements. Earthworks and B+K/ DPA both make miniature diaphragm condensers with different solutions for lower self noise, but that engineering comes at a higher cost. HTH
 
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