Fifty dollar mics

  • Thread starter Thread starter hairylarry
  • Start date Start date
Thanks for that rundown, Michael.

I guess the next question in line would be what are the sonic differences between the 012's and the MCA SP-1 (stock)?

I have three 012's and they have served me well... Wish I could afford to upgrade even one of them!
 
Your welcome! With three '012s in the house you probably don't need any MCA SP-1 mics. (Unless you have have tracking dates that call for more than three SDCs). Comparing stock '012 to stock SP-1: the '012 has a much smoother and sweeter top end that is better integrated with the upper mids and has better off-axis response.
 
Just scored a 1070D for $0.99 plus shipping on ebay:-)
Looks to be in good condition, untested though, hope its operational.

Only have a SM58 to play with at the moment.

Item number: 280286350672

Thanks for the tips.

DD
 
hairylarry said:
Also if you have experience with either this Nakamichi family of mics or the AKG D120E please let me know.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
Click to expand...

I have a pair of those AKG D120Es, except mine need new foam windscreen inserts as the foam of the old ones has disintigrated with age. Pretty sure these were low-endish mics on the AKG spectrum, intended for "general" use (PA, speech, performance, etc.). Still, it's another flavour to have in the collection. It's been a long time since I plugged them in, but from memory I think they were fairly clear sounding, but not really in a harsh way, and with decent detail for the price-range. Not big on the low end though I think. Kinda "European" sounding if you will, though not as much a high-end kind of sound as you'd get from, say, a 421. Decent bang for the buck mics and no doubt will have certain applications/situations that will suit them nicely.

You can get an old datasheet scan here: http://pl.wikizic.org/AKG-D120-E/gallery-1.htm

Unfortunately I've never come across a higher resolution or more comprehensive datasheet for these than the one above.
 
I'm not sure what the retail price on this is, but a mighty fine USB mic comes with Rock Band for the 360. If you already have rock band, it's free :P. I've gotten pretty damn fine quality out of it, actually. You have to be directly in front of it to have it pick up, so it doesn't pick up a ton of background noise from my experience. (I have the singer between it and the wall.) Also, for a very low budget pop filter, you can get a small foam ball, (They're like a dollar at walmart) rip it open, and place it on the mic. I'll get pics of my setup when I can, I misplaced my camera.
 
foam pop filters

eternalpayn said:
I'm not sure what the retail price on this is, but a mighty fine USB mic comes with Rock Band for the 360. If you already have rock band, it's free :P. I've gotten pretty damn fine quality out of it, actually. You have to be directly in front of it to have it pick up, so it doesn't pick up a ton of background noise from my experience. (I have the singer between it and the wall.) Also, for a very low budget pop filter, you can get a small foam ball, (They're like a dollar at walmart) rip it open, and place it on the mic. I'll get pics of my setup when I can, I misplaced my camera.
Click to expand...

eternalpayn,

I don't know if they'll fit your mic but I bought my foam pop filters at speakerrepair.com, the same place where the ES57 and ES58 mics and the GLS cables come from. As you buy more they get cheaper but they're about 2 bucks each for light yet effective foam ball pop filters and wind screens. Whenever I record outside I use my 1070b omni mics with these foam windscreens and I get less wind noise that with anything else I've tried.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
eternalpayn said:
I'm not sure what the retail price on this is, but a mighty fine USB mic comes with Rock Band for the 360. If you already have rock band, it's free :P. I've gotten pretty damn fine quality out of it, actually. You have to be directly in front of it to have it pick up, so it doesn't pick up a ton of background noise from my experience. (I have the singer between it and the wall.) Also, for a very low budget pop filter, you can get a small foam ball, (They're like a dollar at walmart) rip it open, and place it on the mic. I'll get pics of my setup when I can, I misplaced my camera.
Click to expand...

THIS is what homerecording USED to be all about! Hell yea, dude - more power to you! I wanna see pics and hear clips!
 
Akg D-120

Ritzy said:
I have a pair of those AKG D120Es, except mine need new foam windscreen inserts as the foam of the old ones has disintigrated with age. Pretty sure these were low-endish mics on the AKG spectrum, intended for "general" use (PA, speech, performance, etc.). Still, it's another flavour to have in the collection. It's been a long time since I plugged them in, but from memory I think they were fairly clear sounding, but not really in a harsh way, and with decent detail for the price-range. Not big on the low end though I think. Kinda "European" sounding if you will, though not as much a high-end kind of sound as you'd get from, say, a 421. Decent bang for the buck mics and no doubt will have certain applications/situations that will suit them nicely.

You can get an old datasheet scan here: http://pl.wikizic.org/AKG-D120-E/gallery-1.htm

Unfortunately I've never come across a higher resolution or more comprehensive datasheet for these than the one above.
Click to expand...

Ritzy,

Thanks for the info and the data sheets. I thought they were probably a less expensive line. I have found with vintage mics sometimes even the inexpensive ones sound better than you would expect them too. From my reading before purchase they were recommended for a strong mid-range. This is probably the European sound you're talking about. Looking at the spec sheet they definitely start to roll off pretty good below 200 Hz but they do show an extended high end not rolling off until above 17 K and still showing signal at 20 K.

Nice. I am anxiously waiting it's arrival.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
Free shipping

P. Glaser said:
Looks like MF is really trying to dump a lot of mics. The stupid deal is the MXL V63M.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/stupid

Was there some mod info around on this mic?

:D
Click to expand...

P. Glaser,

On the clearance page for this mic with the specs and reviews they are advertising free shipping with the FREE49 discount code.

That makes this a brand new LDC for one penny under $50. Good find.

Anyone got a review on this mic stock? Anyone else know of any other recommended LDC for fifty bucks?

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
Cheap mics, pics and clips

TyphoidHippo said:
THIS is what homerecording USED to be all about! Hell yea, dude - more power to you! I wanna see pics and hear clips!
Click to expand...

This is why I started this thread. Most home recordists are not going to drop $500 or more on a microphone however much it makes them drool. Fortunately it's not necessary to spend that kind of money to get good recordings.

Could you get better recordings with expensive mics and more equipment. Maybe? Maybe even probably. But making good recordings with what you've got is far more important than sinking gobs of cash into recording equipment.

Are your recordings clean and quiet? Any of the microphones mentioned here will produce clean and quiet recordings.

Are they well balanced. Can you hear all the instruments? Are the vocals on top? This is more important than what mics you used far and away. More expensive mics won't give you balanced recordings.

The most important pieces of equipment in your studio are your ears. And the brain that's stuck between them.

I never recommend USB mics. To me they're a dead end. As soon as you want to do anything with mulitple mics you're screwed.

But it's what eternalpayn had and he experimented with it and made it work. And he described what he had to do to make it work. Great work. It is what home recording is about.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
A cardiod and an omni

dang donkey said:
Just scored a 1070D for $0.99 plus shipping on ebay:-)
Looks to be in good condition, untested though, hope its operational.

Only have a SM58 to play with at the moment.

Item number: 280286350672

Thanks for the tips.

DD
Click to expand...

You got a real bargain even for bargain mics. The 1070D usually goes for $30 - $40.

It will almost certainly work. They are built very solid.

Between the SM58 cardiod and the 1070 omni you will have real choices to make. You point the cardiod and you place the omni. Don't hesitate to try the 1070 for vocals or anything. For recording vocals treat it like a studio mic. 8-12 inches away from the vocalist. I would definitely recommend the 1070 over the SM58 on acoustic guitar and other acoustic music.

When you want to record stereo another 1070 b, c, or d will work.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
Primo CM4052PMI4 Precision Condenser Microphone

Harvey Gerst said:
The Nakamichi CM300 and the Teac/Tascam clones were all made by Primo, who marketed them under the Primo name as well.
Click to expand...

Hi,

Here's another Primo microphone being sold on ebay. They are new old stock with case and spec sheet. They are omni measurement microphones.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=230243213941

Here's the weird thing about them.

"Three conductor input: Red +4 volt, White output, and Shield ground"

They're definitely under $50 but it doesn't look like you could plug them into modern equipment easily. Maybe a battery on the Red and high impedance output across white and shield. Of course the shield would have to ground the battery too.

I'm not saying this would work. Just my first guess. Any input on this unusual mic?

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
BudgetMC said:
Well... today only (11-23-08) the CAD GXL 3000 is $60 as a stupid deal at MF... that's mighty close to $50.:D

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/stupid
Click to expand...

BudgetMC,

That was an exceptionally low price on a mic that's being closed out new at $100 and usually goes for more than that. This is a multi-pattern microphone with cardiod, omni, and figure eight so two of them could be used for midside stereo. Alternatively if you had a similar mic like a CAD 177 or even an SDC cardiod condenser you could use the GXL 3000 for the figure eight in the midside and use the single pattern mic for the cardiod mic that points at the performers.

I definitely consider $60 to be in the fifty range. You have to evaluate what you're purchasing on an individual basis. You also have to be willing to seize the day and take the bargain when you can because like here that bargain may be gone tomorrow.

That's how we all end up with too many mics.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
hairylarry said:
P. Glaser,

On the clearance page for this mic with the specs and reviews they are advertising free shipping with the FREE49 discount code.

That makes this a brand new LDC for one penny under $50. Good find.
Click to expand...

This is one of the best-sounding MXL mics in my opinion - a lot of mic for $50. Just swapping the capsule-to-FET coupling cap from the stock ceramic to something better really sweetens the top end.

Hairylarry - re: your thread starting comment about the Shure 545 - that's where I started too man! Did a lot of recording with those and some EV 636 omnis.

Other cheap mics - What's the word on the sound of $30 SM-57 copy, the GLS Audio ES-57?
 
hairylarry said:
P. Glaser,

On the clearance page for this mic with the specs and reviews they are advertising free shipping with the FREE49 discount code.

Hairy Larry
Click to expand...
I thought I saw a FREE29 shipping code this morning! It's tempting but I have several cheap mics now. I'm waiting for a few new ones over at the group buy thread. Any thoughts on modding this one (in addition to the coupling cap)? Thanks.

Paul:D
 
Last edited:
The best shipping code that works I've been using for a couple of months is SHIP29. Free shipping for orders over $30. I also bought 2 of the Cads yesterday, so add that to my list of sweat deals.
 
Akg D120e

Hi,

My AKG D120E came in. It is very small and light with some plastic and some metal I think. It feels kind of cheap but it sounds great. I've been comparing it to my Beyer M400. It really holds up well. On acoustic guitar very similar. On the vocals the Beyer is a little more solid in the midrange and I can tell the difference. That said they both sound good, just different.

I think this mic can be had under $50 and that my $30.70 purchase was not just a fluke. It was definitely a less expensive model when new. And it has that lightweight feel. So this keeps the cost down.

Mine sounds great and in my opinion the mic definitely deserves to be in this thread.

Feel free to disagree. And if you have any mics that can be had for $50 that you use a lot please add them to this thread.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
I just recently scored a Audix om2 for $30. I love these audix dynamics it is surprising that people don't talk them up more. Great rejection, very open for a dynamic, kinda condenser-ish. Great for recording vocal and acoustic at the same time. Very nice on snare to.
 
does free count?

There was a local church who had a recording studio, don't really know why? the studio went under so they just GAVE stuff away to local churches. My church got what was left and they gave it to me..
EV PL 20
Peavey sm 57 copy looking thing

and a 16 channel trs snake, patchbay and Audix 1a monitors...

needless to say just the PL 20 made me excited!

Ryan
 
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