Having second thoughts. Would like opinions!

I

innobidova

New member
I recently became eagle scout and my mom is considering the purchase of a matched pair of the AKG C414BXLII as a gift. Is this too much? I'm just starting out with recording as a hobby, but possibly a career. I already have a bunch of gear, but the main thing I need right now is a microphone collection to start with. I'm thinking with drums in mind since that's what I would use most of the mics on. All I have so far is a Sennheiser E902 kick mic, and I'm set on getting an SM57 for snare and cabs. Right now, instead of the AKG pair, I'm considering a GT55 for vocals and room, AT4041 pair for OH, and E604 three-pack for toms. Would that collection hold it's own against the AKG pair? How much difference is there between LDC and SDC overheads? And should I even worry about close-miking the toms? The thing about choosing cheaper mics to do the same job is that I might be able to squeeze a bass rig out of my mom which would really help me in my band, but at the same time I don't want to compromise TOO much on the mics. I know everybody says that the 414 is great and everything, but how much greater are they than the second choices in this case? Thanks for reading all of this... please let me know of your opinions!
 
Thunder33 said:
if she is willing to get them for you......go for it!
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That's what I was thinking... at first! Argh! I guess I'll have to wait it out for a while and see how I feel about it later. Presently, I'm leaning toward the cheaper route unless I can get a few reasons not to.

ozraves said:
Congrats on the Eagle Scout.
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Thank you. :)
 
innobidova said:
That's what I was thinking... at first! Argh! I guess I'll have to wait it out for a while and see how I feel about it later. Presently, I'm leaning toward the cheaper route unless I can get a few reasons not to.


Thank you. :)
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the fact that you are having second thoughts about it makes you a pretty good kid and in my opinion, more deserving of the nicer stuff.
 
Will your mother adopt me? I'm Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent. -Richie
 
Richard Monroe said:
Will your mother adopt me? I'm Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent. -Richie
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not to mention, modest!
 
Richard Monroe said:
Will your mother adopt me? I'm Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent. -Richie
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"TWO!"

and no :p
 
Never look a gift mic in the diaphragm......

The only bad thing is a matched pair of 414's will make you more choosy about all the other mics you test...you'll never settle for cheap sound again.

If she is willing, go for it. My mom recently offered to buy me a Traynor 80 watt amp. I told her to wait. Now I am wishing I had that amp. She may never offer again.

How did your mom know to choose the 414? Why didnt' she choose something a lot less expensive?
 
soundchaser59 said:
Never look a gift mic in the diaphragm......

The only bad thing is a matched pair of 414's will make you more choosy about all the other mics you test...you'll never settle for cheap sound again.

If she is willing, go for it. My mom recently offered to buy me a Traynor 80 watt amp. I told her to wait. Now I am wishing I had that amp. She may never offer again.

How did your mom know to choose the 414? Why didnt' she choose something a lot less expensive?
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I'm the one who chose the 414's, because I've used one before on acoustic and vocals and really liked it. But now I can't help but think that it would be better to start out a little lower and go for more expensive things later if I get even more into it. And there's the possibility of a bass rig, which (by the way) would be a Fender Aerodyne Jazz Bass, GK 800RB, and SWR Big Ben...
 
honestly, for the price of a matched pair of C414, you could buy a selection of mics that would expand your collection to be more versatile.


however, the C414s will sound VERY good, and considering you will have snare/kick covered, you could start getting some very nice drum sounds. But perhaps you might want to take a second look at those AT4040s. i have both the ATs and the C414s at my disposal and 9/10 i will go for the ATs. Also many people like the C414s for vocals, but i don't. i must admit that i don't really like the C414s..they're too revealing.

it just seems to me that $2k is a lot to spend on 2 mics when you only own E902 and perhaps a SM57 sometime in the forceable future. i think, if you're considering recording your band or whatever, that buying these two mics might not give you the versatility that buying some AT4040s, E604s etc might give you.

ex:

AT4040 x 2 = $600 (musiciansbuy.com)
MD 421 = $350(musiciansbuy.com)
RE 20 = $400 (bswusa.com)
2 x E604 = $240

total= $1800

Any chance you could audition the mics before buying?

Also what other instruments are you planning on the recording?
 
I made up a picture. The red line represents my agony. :mad:
div.JPG
 
MessianicDreams said:
honestly, for the price of a matched pair of C414, you could buy a selection of mics that would expand your collection to be more versatile.
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I guess I was hoping to hear that from somebody. I agree, the 414 isn't that great on vocals but I loved it on acoustic and imagine it would be great for overheads. The AT4041 is what I was considering, not the 4040. That's why I asked about the difference between LDC and SDC for OH, and whether it's worth close-miking the toms since the SDCs wouldn't pick up as much fullness as LDCs would. I'm thinking about SDC overheads because that's what I was going for until I tried my friend's 414. I could probably try the mics if I really wanted to, but I think I'm careful enough shopping online. I've heard a bunch of clips, too. I plan on recording drums, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric bass, synthesizer, solo vocals, gang vocals, and anything else that comes to mind. So just a typical rock band setting.
 
Why not get just 1 414? With the cost of just one of these you could by several 57, 58's and decent over head mics. IMO. Hell you may even have enough left to buy a entry/mid level tube mic to boot. Plus you could still do a lot with just 1 of the 414's..
 
bair_ohio said:
Why not get just 1 414? With the cost of just one of these you could by several 57, 58's and decent over head mics. IMO. Hell you may even have enough left to buy a entry/mid level tube mic to boot. Plus you could still do a lot with just 1 of the 414's..
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I've thought about that but, to say the least, it would knock off the bass rig idea.
 
innobidova said:
I've thought about that but, to say the least, it would knock off the bass rig idea.
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Ive been using this SansAmp bass driver DI pedal that someone left here at the house. It creates a killer bass tone, without the amp. Very adjustable and clean. Just another option vs.buying bass amp also.
 
BTW, thanks Messianic for checking on those prices. I'm probably going to look at used prices, though.

GT55 - $150
AT4041 matched pair - $400
E604 pack - $250
Jazz Bass - $450
Bass amp - $400
Bass cabinet - $200
~~~
total - $1850 as opposed to $2200 for the AKG pair. So my mom would be paying less but I would get much more, which brings up one of my questions; "How much better are they [414 pair] than the second choices?". I guess that's what I really need to know at this point.
 
bair_ohio said:
Ive been using this SansAmp bass driver DI pedal that someone left here at the house. It creates a killer bass tone, without the amp. Very adjustable and clean. Just another option vs.buying bass amp also.
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That's a really good suggestion. I've done that before and have had good results, but for now I'm set on recording direct out from the bass head (currently a GK Backline 250, possibly the GK 800RB) as well as miking the speaker (currently a 15" Mesa, possibly the SWR Big Ben). As you can tell, I'm still on the fence about the decision. Just look at the picture! :eek: What to do, what to do...
 
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