Fifty dollar mics

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eBay pawn AKG Perception 200

I bought a used Perception 200 for $50 on eBay. It has a dented windscreen and looked pretty battered. I bought it to use in Iraq (didn't want to bring my KSM44). I run it through a Focusrite TrakMaster Pro into a Line 6 UX1. Obviously low cost gear. I recorded some acoustic guitar and vocal backing tracks into Sonar. Great Mic. I have to say, for $50, getting even an OKAY condenser is rare.
 
hairylarry said:
Hi,

This is a hard one. It's hard to find a good kick mic under $100. I have one candidate.

Superlux FK-2

I bought mine for $45.

It comes included in the 8 mic kit Superlux DRK-F5H3 Drum Microphone Kit which is $140 new. Let's see, that works out to $17.50/mic, average. Definitely qualifies for under $50.

This is a tailored kick mic rather than a general purpose instrument mic that's also very good on kick like my ATM25. I've used the FK-2 live and it worked well. It's really for kick drum only, maybe toms, but would not be recommended for anything else.

I prefer kick mics that are also instrument mics. I believe I could even record vocals on my ATM25. But that's more of a $100 mic.

There are many who prefer the tailored kick sound. Please weigh in.

If you have a kick mic you like to use that is available used or new in the $50 range please let us know.

If you have used the Karma kit or other inexpensive kits recording drums give us a post on how what you like and what you don't.

Generally speaking drums are expensive to record mic wise. When I set up to record "Blues For Peace" I used four mics on the kit. None of them qualified for this thread but they were inexpensive, that is in the $100 range.

Many use the Naiant's as drum overheads. Harvey Gerst talks about using them in his thread, Do you really need all that expensive stuff. They definitely qualify for this thread.

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showt...t=do+you+really+need+all+that+expensive+stuff

A kick and two overheads will make a good recording of a kit. This can be done under $150. What are your recommendations?

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
Click to expand...

Funny...I just posted on another Superlux thread yesterday...I haven't seen anything on Superlux in years, now two threads in two days.

Superlux is one of those high-value brands that's sold only through limited distribution or by Avlex/Superlux themselves. I've always had good experiences with them, both their dynamic mics and their LDC's. I've used all the other mics in the drum mic kit EXCEPT the kick mic, oddly enough...but I was very happy with the sound. Pretty much just a very good copy of the Shure drum mics. I mean, for $50 I think they're a great deal...I can't think of anything off the top of my head that would compete at that price range.

Frank
 
One of the best $50 mics is the Samson CO2, a SDC that sounds clear but not harsh, is very rejective and has a nice off axis response.
 
Thanks for the Superlux info

Weasel9992 said:
Funny...I just posted on another Superlux thread yesterday...I haven't seen anything on Superlux in years, now two threads in two days.

Superlux is one of those high-value brands that's sold only through limited distribution or by Avlex/Superlux themselves. I've always had good experiences with them, both their dynamic mics and their LDC's. I've used all the other mics in the drum mic kit EXCEPT the kick mic, oddly enough...but I was very happy with the sound. Pretty much just a very good copy of the Shure drum mics. I mean, for $50 I think they're a great deal...I can't think of anything off the top of my head that would compete at that price range.

Frank
Click to expand...

Frank,

I don't really think they sell the FK-2 mic by itself. I think you only get it in kits. But I am not sure of this. They have a very responsive sales team. They answered one of my questions on the same day.

http://avlex.com

Still sometimes you can find one. I got mine new on ebay but some of their kits are damn cheap. Might be better off buying a kit especially if the other mics you get are worth using. The cost per mic drops dramatically with a kit.

The Karma kit is also budget priced for mics with a fairly good reputation. I haven't used any of the Karma mics but they get good reviews. Has anyone had any experience with the Karma drum mic kit?

It's hard to value the individual mics in a kit. So for the fifty dollar mic thread if the kit has three or more mics and sells for $150 or less we'll say it qualifies.

Can anyone recommend other kits in this price range? Does anyone have any mic that can be had in the fifty dollar range that sees regular use recording drums?

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
Ev Co4

Han said:
One of the best $50 mics is the Samson CO2, a SDC that sounds clear but not harsh, is very rejective and has a nice off axis response.
Click to expand...

Han,

Thanks for the heads up. Have you used your CO2 recording acoustic guitar? Your description makes me think it would work.

There's a fellow who recommends the EV CO4 mic here and I'm going to preempt him even though I don't have one yet. This is a dynamic cardiod vocals mic. It's at the low end of the EV catalog and can definitely be had under $50. I think it has to be added to the list.

What does the CO4 mic have to do with the CO2 mic? Absolutely nothing! Still if you know of any other COx mics that can be found for fifty bucks let us know.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
hairylarry said:
Frank,

I don't really think they sell the FK-2 mic by itself. I think you only get it in kits. But I am not sure of this. They have a very responsive sales team. They answered one of my questions on the same day.
Click to expand...

No, it's not sold separately. Avlex gave us a set to play with when I was designing for a living. They made their way over to rental of course, where they immediately lost the kick mic. They also comp'd us a couple of their LDC's which we were pretty impressed by given the cost...impressed me enough to pick up a CM8HD on ebay for a couple hundred bucks.

Frank
 
Good buy

circle x said:
I bought a used Perception 200 for $50 on eBay. It has a dented windscreen and looked pretty battered. I bought it to use in Iraq (didn't want to bring my KSM44). I run it through a Focusrite TrakMaster Pro into a Line 6 UX1. Obviously low cost gear. I recorded some acoustic guitar and vocal backing tracks into Sonar. Great Mic. I have to say, for $50, getting even an OKAY condenser is rare.
Click to expand...

circle x,

The AKG Perception 200 is $120 and up new so it might have to be cosmetically challenged to go for $50. Still a great buy on a nice mic.

Good luck with your recording in Iraq. Keep your mic in a bag. I hear it's sandy over there.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
Superlux CM-H8c

Weasel9992 said:
No, it's not sold separately. Avlex gave us a set to play with when I was designing for a living. They made their way over to rental of course, where they immediately lost the kick mic. They also comp'd us a couple of their LDC's which we were pretty impressed by given the cost...impressed me enough to pick up a CM8HD on ebay for a couple hundred bucks.

Frank
Click to expand...

Frank,

Their CM-H8c has saved my butt on several occasions. I love using it in coffeehouses and restaurants to record the room. The rear end rejection is phenomenol as you can see by looking at their cardiod response pattern. When you're competing with cappucino machines this becomes important.

Unfortunately, however great a bargain their LDCs are they don't really go for fifty bucks. Except maybe a used CM-H8a. If you can find one. They told me the H8a and H8b are very similar to the H8c set to cardiod but without as much rear end rejection. The exact feature that makes me love the c version. So looks like I'm trying to find another CM-H8c I can afford. They are available new for about $200 so I'll have to luck out to make it happen.

Oh well, no hurry. There's always plenty of microphones to buy. More than I have money for anyway.

Has anyone used a Superlux CM-H8a? Did you like it? Was it inexpensive?

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
a dozen mics

Ed Dixon said:
Another vote for speakerrepair.com GLS mics. We have a dozen or so of them and they've done very well.

Ed
Click to expand...

Ed,

If I like a mic I really want to have two of them.

But a dozen? What do you use a dozen GLS mics for anyway?

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
Thanks for the warning

Toker41 said:
Just discovered the NIB Shure SM57 that I bought on Ebay for $52 is a fake. It's a really good fake, but a fake all the same. Was wondering why I couldn't get a decent tone when I mic'd up my Boogie with it. That was my first clue, so I did some reading up on it. It only weighs in at 240 grams, when an SM57 should come in at 284 grams. I contacted Shure, and they claim that they work with Ebay, and pull down 3000 to 4000 fake SM57's, and 58's a month from Ebay.
I contacted the seller, who had close to 300 positive feedback points on Ebay. He claims that the mic is 100% genuine, but was very, very quick to refund my payment through Paypal, without any mention of returning the mic, when I mentioned filing a claim, and reporting it to Ebay, and Shure.
Click to expand...

Toker41,

Thanks for the warning. Fortunately there are only a few mics that are profitable to pirate. The SM57 is very popular and holds it's value well. Also the SM58.

But there's really nobody out there pirating EV RE16s or PL80s. And pirating vintage mics means you have to sell them as used or NOS. (New Old Stock) So not that attractive to counterfeiters.

Still gotta be careful with those very popular Shure mics.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
Which of the mics from this thread would be a good vocal mic?

I'm also looking into buying some of the GLS ES57's but since i'm from the UK, it'll cost alot for shipping, atleast i can get a 3 pack for about £80, which is almost the cost of 1 SM57 here.

thanks
 
fifty buck vocal mics

magic_joel said:
Which of the mics from this thread would be a good vocal mic?

I'm also looking into buying some of the GLS ES57's but since i'm from the UK, it'll cost alot for shipping, atleast i can get a 3 pack for about £80, which is almost the cost of 1 SM57 here.

thanks
Click to expand...

Magic Joel,

I just made a list so I'm going to pick some vocal mics for you.

EV PL80
EV RE11 or RE16
AKG D770
MXL 990
MXL V63M
Audio Technica AT2020

The top three are all dynamics and I own them and can vouch for them personally.

The EV PL80 is an absolutely fantastic vocals mic recently reissued so the price may be going up. I have bought two under $50.

The RE11 and RE16 have less proximity effect so some singers love them and some don't. More like singing through a 635a which works too. The RE11 is less expensive than the RE16.

The AKG D770 is like a smoother rounder SM58 and goes pretty cheap too. Singers like this mic.

The bottom three mics are inexpensive condensers recommended by commentors. I don't own them so it's not a personal recommendation. Others may weigh in with other suggestions especially in the LDC arena.

So many studio vocals have been recorded using LDC mics that dynamics don't always get the respect they deserve. Still they make great live mics and often do very well in the studio too.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
Raven and Cardinal

BudgetMC said:
http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/openboxmusic

Scroll down for the deal on the Electro Voice Raven

I can attest to the fact that they are accepting less than $52.99 ;)

You might even get the Cardinal in the $50-ish dollar range... maybe.
Click to expand...

BudgetMc,

Have you used the Raven or Cardinal mics? What do you think of them?

Also did you notice the explanation of the cashback program? Has anyone used the cashback program. Is it a legit deal? Is it available on many ebay items?

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
Larry,

No, I haven't used the Raven or Cardinal before. I do know that they were both designed by Blue for EV, and I've heard some good buzz about them both.

As for the cashback program, it just looks too darn complex for me. I just went with the "Best Offer" and was tickled with the price they agreed to. I know that one person over on GS said they had bought from these folks before, and had a good experience.
 
hairylarry said:
Thanks for the heads up. Have you used your CO2 recording acoustic guitar? Your description makes me think it would work.
Click to expand...

I started reading this thread just before I left and I've just come home after being away for almost a month (touring with my band and holiday), so it's really cool to see how this thread developed. It's great to know that there are good mics out there for so little money.

I've got 2 Samson C02's (the SDC) and a C01 (LDC, which is also really a SDC). I love the C02's and I use them on drum overheads and acoustic guitar mainly, although I have used them on piano and other sources here and there. These mics have EXCELLENT off-axis rejection. So good, in fact, that I've used them on drums with the guitar player's amp in the same room at a moderate level and they didn't pick up the amp. This also means that they're great for less-than-ideal rooms. I've never felt like they've let me down, although I avoid using them on sources that are really quiet because their self-noise is a little higher than some other mics (rated at 22dBA). I know they're more than $100 for the pair though, so I don't know if they qualify.

The C01 was my first condenser mic and I was really excited when I first got it. I've since moved on to better and more expensive mics, but I've kept it around for whenever I want a different flavor. It's perfect for that. I've also started using it on the side of a snare. Combined with a SM57 on top it's gives the snare some nice top-end.

Another one that I've been using a lot is Samson's Q Kick. I'm really happy with the results I'm getting with it. It's not too clicky, so I can use it for a number of styles (jazz, etc.), but still clicky enough that I can get an awesome rock/metal kick sound - all with a little bit of EQ here and there. I'm not too fond of their other drum-mics, which are all plastic-bodied, but this one has a metal body and feels sturdy. It hasn't let me down in 3 years of heavy use on the road and in the studio.

You can hear the C02's (OH's and acoustic guitar) and Q Kick (kick drum, obviously) in action here if you're interested: www.soundclick.com/joellisband

I've just stumbled upon a really cool bargain as well: a 3-pack of Behringer XM1800s mics. I also do live sound, but my Shures are really taking a beating because of how other people treat them, so I wanted something cheap but decent-sounding and I saw these and thought "oh what the hell..." and bought them. I'm VERY suprised at how they sound. They're a little brighter and not as smooth-sounding as my SM58's but they're very usable.
 
The Valley

KillerV said:
You can hear the C02's (OH's and acoustic guitar) and Q Kick (kick drum, obviously) in action here if you're interested: www.soundclick.com/joellisband
Click to expand...

KillerV,

So I guess it's the CO2 mics recording the intro to "The Valley"? I don't know the deal with the two play buttons but the left one sounds better to me. I thought it was a pretty good sound. Not what I go for for solo guitar but after all this is an intro to a band track and it may be very much what some people would want for their acoustic guitar parts.

A quick google search shows many stores with a pair of CO2s under $100. Looks like a good pick for a fifty buck mic.

I never tried any Samson mics but after enjoying my Zoom H4 I'm ready. The built in mics on the little flash recorder sound pretty good. Similar to the CO2s actually although I'm sure they are cheaper.

Here's a song demo I recorded with the built in mics on the Zoom H4. See if you agree with me on the sound of the mics. Would you call them similar to the CO2 condensers?

http://archive.org/details/wintersmith

The .flac download is the best quality. The flash player pays one of the mp3 renders, I'm not sure which one.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
Yes, it's the C02 on the intro of The Valley. As you'll hear on the song, there are a number of guitar/stringed instrument parts - 1 or 2 acoustic guitar parts(capo'd in various places), 12-string, "mandolin" (capo'd 12-string with only top 4 strings played, mic'd at the bridge :D) and bass. This is a sort of "novelty track" (compared to the rest of the songs) and I wanted a very different sort of sound on this song, so it's probably not the sound I'd usually go for on a solo guitar either. I played around with the sound a lot, but it works here for me. This whole song was a really cool experiment.

About the 2 play-buttons: They're so you can listen to lo-fi and hi-fi versions of the track to make it easier for folks who aren't on fast internet-connections.

I think the mics in the H4 might be similar to the C02's although I've usually gotten fuller and clearer results from my C02's. (Absolutely no offense meant by this BTW.) That said, I've never actually used the C02's in the way you would use the mics on a H4 to record a demo like this. I hear quite a bit of the room and it sounds like you shot for a good balance between vox and guitar.

On a sidenote: I really like the Wintersmith song! I dig the melody, the chord progression and I really like your voice. I'll be listening to it quite a bit more. I'll be checking out some more of your songs when I have the time and bandwidth (always a damn struggle when you're on a 1 GB limit like I am...) :)
 
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