Entry-mid level matched pair small diaphragm condenser's for piano and acoustics?

[Mongoo]

My friend is looking to pick up a matched pair of small diaphragm condenser's. They will be the only microphones he has for all uses, but he mainly plans to only use them for Piano's, violins and other acoustic instruments. Something that excels at room mic'ing may also be a plus. A cheaper big bang for the value is what he's looking for here. What would you recommend looking at and why? He could spend a little extra if it really matters, but he also has to make a new computer, Monitors, and audio interface happen at absolutely no more than $2,500 (this may even have to be less) and would rather put more money into the interface right now. A few options to consider would be appreciated. Thank you for your time.

Mongoo

 

[surfmaster]

My friend is looking to pick up a matched pair of small diaphragm condenser's. They will be the only microphones he has for all uses, but he mainly plans to only use them for Piano's, violins and other acoustic instruments. Something that excels at room mic'ing may also be a plus. A cheaper big bang for the value is what he's looking for here. What would you recommend looking at and why? He could spend a little extra if it really matters, but he also has to make a new computer, Monitors, and audio interface happen at absolutely no more than $2,500 (this may even have to be less) and would rather put more money into the interface right now. A few options to consider would be appreciated. Thank you for your time.

Mongoo

for acoustic instruments, i would recommend some nice omni's.

for a good deal check out the naiant msh series here
http://www.naiant.com/studiostore/microphones.html

they are a very very very good deal, and built by a poster here on homerec. i have an older model and have a soundclip somewhere if you want to hear them in use.

here it is! its a review of a couple budget condensers but the msh is the first sample.
https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=251886&highlight=budget+mic+shootout

 

[Lectric_Lab]

as always we post what we use... I use a pair of Studio Project C4's that I like alot and they have interchangeable capsules, good mics. Not as inexpensive as the Naints which I have friends that use, and they have good reviews.

 

[Ironklad Audio]

while the naiants are def. a good suggestion, if you're looking for something a little more standard, the rode nt5's can be had for not too much, and are honestly pretty good sounding sdc's

they don't have any type of pad or roll-off, though...but that's probably not much of an issue with piano/strings

 

[kgirl72]

I bought the naiants...and I'm still trying to find the right mic setup, but I am very happy with them so far. That is the only matched pair I own. I'm using them for piano.

 

[TheHunter]

I used MSH-1 for recording acoustic guitar I never tried on piano. Hey I used on recording choir too... and sounds good.

 

[dickiefunk]

I'm also interested in buying a matched pair of small diaphragm condensers for recording acoustic guitar. I'm considering these :-

MXL 603s
Naiant MSH-1

My budget is around $100 for a matched pair. Which would you recommend out of these?

 

[homestudioguy]

My friend is looking to pick up a matched pair of small diaphragm condenser's. They will be the only microphones he has for all uses, but he mainly plans to only use them for Piano's, violins and other acoustic instruments. Something that excels at room mic'ing may also be a plus. A cheaper big bang for the value is what he's looking for here. What would you recommend looking at and why? He could spend a little extra if it really matters, but he also has to make a new computer, Monitors, and audio interface happen at absolutely no more than $2,500 (this may even have to be less) and would rather put more money into the interface right now. A few options to consider would be appreciated. Thank you for your time.
Mongoo

I am partial to the sE Electronics SE3s http://www.frontendaudio.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=3137 and http://www.sonicus.net/se3.html but the Rode NT5s http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/NT5/ are good for less $$$ ,the Studio Projects C4s are nice for even less money http://www.sweetwater.com/store/search.php?s=C4mic and the MXL 604s http://www.8thstreet.com/product.asp?ProductCode=31442&Category=Microphones for even less.

 

[ausrock]

If you're considering the SP C4's, I suggest you contact SP (email or their toll free number) as there have been some upgrades/improvements and check with them exactly how to pick the upgraded series.

Even before the new model came out, for a matched pair which came with omni and cardoid caps standard they were good "bang for buck".

 

[homestudioguy]

If you're considering the SP C4's, I suggest you contact SP (email or their toll free number) as there have been some upgrades/improvements and check with them exactly how to pick the upgraded series. Even before the new model came out, for a matched pair which came with omni and cardoid caps standard they were good "bang for buck".

The sE ELectronics SE3s will be replaced with the SE4s this summer which will have cardioid and omni capsules. However, the SE3s are quite nice.
You could save money by not buying the pair and getting 2 singles with back to back serial numbers as their tolerances are pretty darn close.

 

[ausrock]

Ultimately, it doesn't matter what mics are suggested here as which mics are the most suitable will greatly depend on the sound source and the recording environment. If you had just said acoustic guitar I would probably have suggested the MXL603 or it's variants, but the fact that there's also a piano involved made me shy away from them and hint at the C4 but even then, there's no guarantees, ideally your friend should try and get hold of the various contenders and try them out in his space, on his instruments...........then and only then can he make anything like an educated decision.

 

[homestudioguy]

Ultimately, it doesn't matter what mics are suggested here as which mics are the most suitable will greatly depend on the sound source and the recording environment. If you had just said acoustic guitar I would probably have suggested the MXL603 or it's variants, but the fact that there's also a piano involved made me shy away from them and hint at the C4 but even then, there's no guarantees, ideally your friend should try and get hold of the various contenders and try them out in his space, on his instruments...........then and only then can he make anything like an educated decision.

That said, if he does not have the capacity to do so, I'd recommend he research the hell out of 2-3 pair, read the reviews, the forum comments, magazine articles, and anywhere else commentary can be found then go from there. I bought my (tube) CAD M9 that way and for the money its was great buy and a great mic!!! Nice for Acoustic Guitar and quite nice for (my) voice.
I did the same with my first SE3. Awesome mic. I sold it and bought 2 that were in series serial number-wise.

 

[kludge]

You don't necessarily need a "matched pair" for nice stereo recording of acoustic guitars, either. Just this weekend, I did a really nice recording with a severely MISMATCHED mic pair... a MXL 991 at the 12th fret, and a Stellar ribbon over the shoulder. The MXL was too bright, the Stellar too dull, but as a stereo spread it was really lovely. The condenser brought the clarity and the ribbon brought the body and warmth. Just panned to taste, eq'd a bit of boom out, and it was near-perfect. As a plus, this was for recording guitar and singing together... the figure-8 null of the ribbon kept her vocals almost completely out of the guitar!

 

[fova]

Another +1 for SE 3s. Little hyped heights but is is quite usuable for instruments. Before the introducing of SE4 SE3 was the top pencil model of SE Electronics with a better sound than SE1 and SE2.

Another option is pair of Oktavas MK012 (MC012). I know several satisfied users.

I do not know Studio Projects or Rode pencils but do not like those companies sound of cheaper LDCs such as NT1a, B1, C1, etc. Too bright and without body for me.

 

[scrubs]

Get a used pair of Shure SM81's (Shure doesn't match them, but they are pretty consisitent) and a pair of the Naiants.

 

[xstatic]

In the last month I have installed 4 matched pairs of the Peluso CEMC6 SD mics. So far myself and the other clients have all been very impressed with them. The price is fair for a great set of mics and there are interchangable capsule options. Then again I may be partly biased since I am a Peluso dealer. On the other hand, my experience with Peluso mics is what prompted me to become a dealer

 

[Robert D]

Another option is pair of Oktavas MK012 (MC012). I know several satisfied users.

.....like me. Smooth but detailed, never strident, gets the wood into the track.

as always we post what we use...

True enough, though that's often because we use what we like, as opposed to just liking what we use.

 

[Alden_Sloe]

I'm also interested in buying a matched pair of small diaphragm condensers for recording acoustic guitar. I'm considering these :-

MXL 603s
Naiant MSH-1

My budget is around $100 for a matched pair. Which would you recommend out of these?

So I'm setting up my son for Xmas with a digital HD recorder and bought these two mics that were on sale for $100 as part of an MXL Anniversary Microphone Pack

MXL 2001-P
MXL 603S

He plays piano, guitar and sings. He's also part of a classical Choir Ensemble. I doubt we'll be recording those concerts any time soon but maybe rehearsals.

Does using the 2001 for his vocal track and the 603 for the piano (a very nice Mason & Hamlin grand) sound like a pretty good start? This is as much about experimenting and learning as trying to get the very best sound right of the box. But, he is planning to produce a CD as part of his High School culminating project.

I can return the mics if they're a horrible choice. Or we can supplement with another mic. For stereo recording of say a small vocal ensemble would it make sense to get another MKL 603, get a different set of mics or would it be better to add a stereo mic to the tool kit? The recorder is a Fostex MR16HD. It has preamps but I've heard less than stellar reviews for any of the built in pre-amps on low end multi track recorders (guess you get what you pay for So would the next investment be better spent on one or more separate pre-amps than on more mics?

Guess that's more than enough questions for one post So, to refocus. We're looking at attacking the piano and vocals first so recommendations on that are primarily what I'm after here. The caveat is that it needs to be decent but willing compromise some for flexibility.

 

[pohaku]

I'm still not clear on what price range you are considering, but if I was buying a new pair of SD mics to do instrument recording, I'd very strongly consider a pair of Beyer MC930s. The best price I've been able to find on them is $765 for a pair with mounts and windscreens at B&H. Most places sell them for $1K. For the record, I'm not recommending something just because I own it - I don't. I have multiple pairs of other decent SD mics (AT4053, AT4049, Josephson C42, Beyer MCE93). Beyer makes some really nice mics (I own a lot of them) and the MC930s appear to be a really,really good value in a mid-price SD mic. I'm considering unloading my Josephsons and picking up a pair of the Beyers.

If that is too expensive for your friend, I'd also look at a pair of used AT4051s or 4053s (@$250 each used).

BTW, the pair does not need to be "matched". Numerous high quality mic manufacturers do not sell matched mics. For example, neither AT nor Neumann sell matched pairs of SD mics. They make them consistently enough that any two should work well together.

 

[Alden_Sloe]

I'm still not clear on what price range you are considering, I'd very strongly consider a pair of Beyer MC930s. The best price I've been able to find on them is $765 for a pair ...
If that is too expensive for your friend, I'd also look at a pair of used AT4051s or 4053s (@$250 each used).

Thanks but those are WAY out of the price range. I'm buying these for my son, a high school junior. He can get the "good stuff" when he inks his first big recording contract

Searching through some of the other threads I came across the Naiant MSH-1 Series on sale, $22 ea and free matching when purchased in pairs. That's more in my price range! That'll give him four mics to play with. I can get the Dorsey mod kit for the MXL 2001 and still be under $200 total. We're talking starving student here; he's the student and I'm doing the starving