Finally, I'm building a mic collection, now I need your advice

Well, Richard.....

Since you mentioned that you didn't mention ribbons..... I'll bite!

I know most people start recommending ribbons by saying Royer, but just to humor my basement budget, let me ask you if you have any opinion about a couple of ribbons that I can afford but with which I have no experience...

Apex 210 (budget, can be had for about $175)
Beyer M130 about $350 (or M160, or M260)

I think the cheapest Royer runs around the $900 dollar mark?? Is it that much better than the Beyer ribbons??

Thanks!
 
Richard Monroe said:
I also believe that less is more. In other words, buy fewer, better, mics...........

none of the mics I will suggest are particularly cheap, nor are they top of the line to die for. They are mid priced mics proven in major studios:

Small diaphragm- Shure SM81, Josephson C42 (pairs)
Cheap dynamics- Lots of people love Shure SM57. I prefer Sennheiser e835 or AKG D770
Better dynamics- Sennheiser MD421, Shure SM7B
Workhorse- AKG C414B-ULS/TLII/XLS/XLII, Shure KSM44, Audiotechnica AT4050
Main vocal/large diaphragm FET mic- Soundelux U195
Tube mic- Studio Projects T3, Audiotechnica AT4060, Rode NTK/K2
Kick/Bass- AKG D112, Audix D6 (or as suggested above, MD421)
Click to expand...

Great advice about buying fewer but better mics.

*print..........print...........print*
 
Yo Soundchaser! I haven't said much about ribbon mics because my experience is rather limited, other than some time recording in a couple of badass studios. I have a few fairly good mics myself, but only a few, and only *fairly* good. Therefore, I am not inclined to bullshit too much about mics I've never used. The only ribbon I own is an Oktava ML52, and by all accounts, it is a fairly atypical sounding ribbon. I've used the Royers a little, at a West Coast studio, particularly on cabs and brass, and they rock. I haven't used any of the current crop of cheap Chinese ribbons. I hope to be auditioning a Crowley and Tripp in a few days. For those who haven't heard about them, they are a small firm in Ashland, Massachusetts who have just begun marketing a line of hand made ribbon mics with a revolutionary design, producing output similar to or even higher than a handheld dynamic.
I have used AEA R84 as a vocal mic, and it didn't suit my voice, but it's a pretty good mic for a bunch of stuff. If I said any more than that about ribbon mics, I would just be repeating what I've heard from others. I can say this, though- the Chinese ribbons haven't been out long enough to know how they'll hold up over a period of years, but the initial reviews have been encouraging. As far as the Beyerdynamic mics go, I have not had the opportunity to use them, which I regret. The ones I've seen look like handheld mics, and as such are probably useful in live situations, for cabs, percussion, and some vocals. Are the Royers "better"? They are apparently different, like a Beta87 handheld condenser is different from a KSM44, and about 25% of the price. Like a Neuman KLS105 is different from a U87, and about 25% of the price. Mics built for live use are always willing to put up with some self-noise and some sound quality loss to gain durability, feedback rejection, and realistic price point. My impression is that the Beyers are stage mics that have numerous uses in a studio, and the Royers are pure studio mics that are probably very useful on stage, if you can afford to risk them in that way. When someone dumps a beer on your Royer, that's got to hurt. That's just my impression, but there are enough people on this board who use Beyers to shed more light on it. Chessrock? C7?-Richie
 
Thanks guys but Im not interested in getting a ribbon mic just yet.


I have changed my list arround a bit, let me know what you guys think.
Sennheiser MD 421 II
Audio-Technica AT4050
Audio-Technica AT2020
3 Shure SM57's
Audix D-6
a matched pair of Rode NT5's


edit: How about this, if you had roughly 1,500 to spend on a first mic collection what would you get? I understand the quality>quanity but I need to be able to mic a whole drum kit and have some other good mics laying arround. Thanks.
 
I have all of the modern beyer ribbons and just got an R84. Haven't had a chance to use the R84 yet - went to Hawaii on vacation so I lent it to a friend who is now cutting vocals for her album in my absence (sips mai tai),

Of the Beyers, the most useful mic is the M160. Wonderful on virtually all instruments, especially cabs, drum overheads, acoustic guitars, and bright acoustic instruments (mandolins and banjo for example). Works on horns too. Decent on some vocals, but not generally my first choice.

Second most useful would be the M500 primarily as a vocal mic. It was designed to be a performing vocal mic and has a bit of a presence peak that teh other Beyers don't have. Absolutely great on some voices. Was Sinatra's performing mic of choice at one point.

M260 is pretty good on instruments. Don't care for it as much on vocals.

M130 is a figure of 8 pattern mic and is a double ribbon like the M160. You can use the nulls to good effect and if you do M+S recording an M160 and M130 work perfectly together for that purpose.

If I was going to pick up a couple of Beyer ribbons, I'd start with an M160 and an M500 (or better yet a pair of M160s and an M500). The M500 is discontinued, but they are pretty common on e-bay.
 
Yo Bill. I like the new list just fine. The only changes I would make are to replace the AT2020 with AKG Perception 100, and as a matter of taste, I would replace the D6 with AKG D112. In my experience, Audix D6 is a perfectly good one trick pony, and D112 is a bass mic that has many other uses, just one of them being kick drum. Good luck with everything. -Richie
 
The D6 wouldnt be a good bass cab mic?

I figured the D6 would be cool because so many guys are like "THIS MIC BLOWS THE OTHERS AWAY" and my church uses it (I play drums every wednesday) and we get a good kick sound out of it. But I'd also like something versatile (like being able to use it on a bass cab) so your saying I should go with the D112?
 
kind of a preferance thing. I used it on a bass cab and I loved it... couple that with a direct in, pan them 10 and 2, and set your levels to which side you want it to be more dominant and you should have a great sound.

Jacob
 
The D6 is a very good kick mic. It produces what I would call a "modern" kick sound, very punchy, with a sharp attack. Note that I am *not* bashing it. The D112 produces what I would call a "classic/vintage" kick sound, smoother, and not as clicky. But note this- the D112 was not designed as a kick mic. It was designed for live mic'ing a standup bass. It is, for many voices, a pretty good vocal mic. It is pretty good on spoken voice as well. It is a good live mic on cello and trombone/french horn, and very good on bass cabs. I would not recommend singing into an Audix D6. It's not pretty. My read is that if you want a kick mic for alternative rock or punk, the D6 is one of the best available choices. If you want a dynamic mic that is tuned for low frequencies, the D112 is more versatile, not better. If you are building a starting off mic cabinet, versatile is mission critical. That's why I prefer it in your case. I keep both around. I use the D112 on lots of stuff, and the D6 for a certain type of kick drum sound.-Richie
 
Wow, that really cleared it up for me. I think I'll go with the D6 because thats the kind of kick sound I'll be looking for, and I dont think I'll be micing a standup bass anytime soon :p

You guys have been so helpfull and I really appreciate that. I'll make sure and post recordings in a few months of what I've done. Thanks.
 
Go for it! If that's the sound you want from a kick mic, I believe the D6 will deliver it. You can get that sound from a D112 also, but placement can be very tricky. If you want that sound from a D6, stick it in there and turn it on. What it does, it does very well.-Richie
 
Man, you have to check out that 4050! :D $479 at American Music Supply! Musician's Friend will price match! I've had the bad experiences associated with lesser valued condensors. This mic made me smile, real quick! You've gotta have a couple of 421s, for your toms, if you can afford them. I like the D112 on my kicks. I also have the D6. It's great too. Flip a coin! You have a couple 57s for your top/bottom snare. I have the Rode matched pair also. The only overheads I have owned so far, I wouldn't trade 'em. You could get, at least, a couple more 57's. I have 7 of them. They're always on something! There's your $1500, if you can get a deal on those 421s. Man you're rockin the same set up as me! Great minds think alike! Are you thinking about dropping two grand on a Great River and a U195 too? :eek: Damn! You're my long lost twin! :D
 
Gnash5150 said:
Man, you have to check out that 4050! :D $479 at American Music Supply! Musician's Friend will price match! I've had the bad experiences associated with lesser valued condensors. This mic made me smile, real quick! You've gotta have a couple of 421s, for your toms, if you can afford them. I like the D112 on my kicks. I also have the D6. It's great too. Flip a coin! You have a couple 57s for your top/bottom snare. I have the Rode matched pair also. The only overheads I have owned so far, I wouldn't trade 'em. You could get, at least, a couple more 57's. I have 7 of them. They're always on something! There's your $1500, if you can get a deal on those 421s. Man you're rockin the same set up as me! Great minds think alike! Are you thinking about dropping two grand on a Great River and a U195 too? :eek: Damn! You're my long lost twin! :D
Click to expand...
Haha, not yet. I'm just getting started. I'm getting a Tascam DM 3200 too. I'm not going to be investing in preamps and compressors and other outboard gear for a while. I'm lucky to be getting what I am. But, being a drummer, with a perfectly sufficient drumkit, I find myself always wanting more. You can never have enough. Once you get what you want, you want more. Also, two of my best friends, the guitarists in my band, obsess about what other stupid million dollar tube head they want :rolleyes: and I'm starting to think its the same thing with recording (or any other passion/hobby). A neverending cycle. This is our cocaine I suppose :p

Again, thanks alot for the advice guys, cant wait to order this stuff and get recording. Its what I've been waiting on for quite some time now. :D
 
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