Got new pre-amp... new mic suggestions?

J

Juan_M

New member
Hi everyone!

I’m about to move to a new house with a basement for my studio (vs. the small bedroom I have now) and have started to upgrade some of my gear as well. I just got an Art Mpa Gold because of the good reviews I’ve read and because it seems to be very flexible, which is quite important to me.
Now, I have a AT4033 for vocals and acoustic and I’m wondering if I need to get me a better condenser mic… I’ve read great things about the SP C1, which is cheaper than the AT 4033 not sure if it should be called an “upgrade” lol. Anyway, the good reviews are important to me, not so much the price and I’ve read a lot of good things about a few mics, such as the C1, the Groove Tubes GT50 or the MXL V69.

My budget for the mic is around $400… any suggestions?
 
Suggestions?

Yeah.....

(1) Dont put your faith in reviews. You'll find that 90% of the reviews are worthless after you have the mic in your hand and you are testing it with your gear and your music. In hand testing with your own sounds is the only way to tell for sure if a particular mic is good for you or not. The exception is reviews by some of the hard core music engineer types on these forums, with Harvey and Richard and Oz coming to mind first. I've been thru some of the mics those guys have reviewed, and I've found them to be right on the money. But if the review is published in a magazine on the rack at Barnes & Noble, dont bother. One time I read a review of ribbon mics that was in a magazine, but it was given to us by Oz I believe, and that review was very accurate.

(2) If you can spend $400 on another mic, then why would you bother with SP C1 or any budget mic? If you can spend $400 bucks but you'd prefer to save if possible by getting a "budget" condensor, buy a budget ribbon instead. None of the budget condensors will outperform your 4033.
 
Your 4033 is a good mic, so I wouldn't worry about replacing it. Each mic model and type is unique... sort of like different shades of colors, and even some of the less expensive "hyped" LDC's have their uses. If you don't have a dynamic mic yet, Kenny's suggestion of picking up a Shure SM-7 is a good one, as is a Sennheiser MD-421, and any number of other good dynamics. There are lots of choices for ribbon mics too, soundwise and pricewise. If you have a good MI shop near you with mics on display, go in and try some of them out, or, rent some for a few days so you can see what fits your situation.
 
Thanks for the replies guys! It looks like I'm not gonna have to spend more money then.... I do have an SM57 but I don't quite like it for vocals... AT4033 does better.
Anyway, I'll give my 4033 a chance and see how it goes...
 
Wait a minute!

It depends on what you're going to use it for!

You said acoustic AND vocals, right?

I don't think I've ever heard more than one person recommend using an SM-7 on acoustic. Not that you couldn't, but I don't imagine it's in anybody's top 10 for acoustic.

The best for vocals is rarely the best for acoustic guitar and vice versa. So to get something that's good for both (unless it's a fluke) requires a compromise on both sides, like a 4033.

I think you've got to ask yourself which you are more dissatisfied with, the 4033 as a vocal mic, or as an acoustic mic.

If I had a nice sounding space to record in, if it were me, I'd try some of the MSH mics for your guitar first. They're cheap, I've been impressed by what I've heard so far, and everybody seems to really like them. Then, if that works on your guitar, you can sit down and figure out what you want to improve on the vocal mic side of things, without having to compromise, within your budget, of course.

What do you think is missing or needs improvement? Or do you just have that nagging, vague feeling that somehow, things could be 'better'?

If that's the case, post some stuff and let people help you figure it out.

Just my opinion.
 
Very simple, I suck at guitar so I hire a guitar player for my recordings :cool: Right now, all I have for my worktapes is a $99 Squier 51, which sounds surprisingly well for the price, I must say.

By the way, thanks so much for the advice, it makes a whole lotta sense!
 
try try try

A/B comparisons are important
Go nuts and try em' all- i've made mistakes "mic guessing".
 
I think I need to take a look at some of the ART gear.

Audio-Technica planned to get rid of the AT4033 for the AT4040. However, somebody demanded they keep making it so they did.

If I had side address condenser, then I'd probably be looking next for a decent dynamic mic. Or, I might be looking for a stick condenser or two.

I'd think about the Shure SM7b or an Electro Voice RE20. I might take a look at a pair of the MXL 603 (or MXL's other takes on this model which I believe are the 604 and the 991). Or, I might spend more and go with a couple of the Audio-Technica ATM450 mics. I might even get a Shure SM57 and an Audix i5. There are lots of ways I'd go but I doubt I'd add a large diaphragm condenser to my AT4033.
 
I think you made a nice choice on the mpa gold. If you have the option of renting mics, try that route... That's what I do... I have a small collection of budget mics, like the at4040 and the mxl 603, but if I need something like an akg 414, I'll just go rent one... for now :) .
 
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