help! I'm stuck. don't know where to turn next

[halfred]

How does the 3035 compare to say 4041's or NT5's?

I got my Korg MR-1000 for $770 used. One cosmetic scratch, but beyond that mint. And they had only been out for about a year and MSRP'd around $1,200. Pretty awesome bang for the buck. Of course I'm looking at supplimenting it with a sonosax SX-M2 for $1,000-ish someday. I love the quality, but at some point I have to balance usage and costs to more reasonable realms. I'm sitting at over $2K worth of recording gear, and I've only recorded 2 shows of consequence this year. Although it's kind of fun to shoot footage and audio of those thunder storms that pass through these parts. But I'm more of an audio guy. And I haven't quite weatherproofed my gear yet. But I have a plan for that too. But it involves a bit of DIY. The commercial options are just inadequate or pricey.

Yeah not having money sucks.

 

[halfred]

They dont seem all that close to me looking at the AT2035 specs...the 3035 should have been asorbed into the AT40 series...its that much better than the lowly 20 series...which I dont reccomend at all.

Anyhow the 3035 mics have pad switches that atttenuate sensitivity...and they can be had right now for arround $50 and are by far the best bang for the buck in the used mic market.

Yeah, thanks. I've seen the 3035's online for $115. I'm going to experoment with my NT!A's a little more. Really have to wait a few weeks as I'm getting a recorder with MUCH better preamps. I think only then I'll be able to asess things. I think I'm leaning towards medium size diaphram at this point or maybe 1/2 " omnis which I've yet to buy and try out. Heard some great recordings today by amateur pianist using Schoeps omni's, don't remember which model-----just awsome, perfect, but out of my price range. Wonder how the Pelusos are, supposed to be close to Schoeps cemc6 I believe. The Peluso are more in my price range.

 

[darrin_h2000]

How does the 3035 compare to say 4041's or NT5's?.

Im not sure how they compare...I was just very impressed with the instrument micing I heard online with the 3035 so I bought a pair...and Ive got better results with them than I have any SDC Ive used before...I did look into the 4041 but not the NT5 mics...the 4041s didnt have the same low end.

 

[halfred]

Im not sure how they compare...I was just very impressed with the instrument micing I heard online with the 3035 so I bought a pair...and Ive got better results with them than I have any SDC Ive used before...I did look into the 4041 but not the NT5 mics...the 4041s didnt have the same low end.

So you use tge 3035's to recprd acoustic piano--in what type of environment and what type of music?

 

[Shadow_7]

I tried the SM81's for that reason, better low end. And they have it. But they're more like audio laser beams. Everything off axis is just gone, it's not even dampened, it's just gone. Which was just too directional for me.

If you're into that earthworks / schoeps / dpa stuff, you might try the STO-2's as starter mics. $550 for a pair new. I got mine $450 used and shipped. Not really great on anything particular, but good all around on everything. Maybe not string bass or tuba, but still. The crown sass-p is pretty similar with a slightly better low end IMO. But it's limited in that it's fixed in a binaural setup. And other options.

 

[halfred]

I tried the SM81's for that reason, better low end. And they have it. But they're more like audio laser beams. Everything off axis is just gone, it's not even dampened, it's just gone. Which was just too directional for me.

If you're into that earthworks / schoeps / dpa stuff, you might try the STO-2's as starter mics. $550 for a pair new. I got mine $450 used and shipped. Not really great on anything particular, but good all around on everything. Maybe not string bass or tuba, but still. The crown sass-p is pretty similar with a slightly better low end IMO. But it's limited in that it's fixed in a binaural setup. And other options.

Thanks for the suggestions, the STO2's sounds interesting Not sure how natural I want the sound at this point. For instance my NT1A's produce a little fuzzier tone that sounds rich, smooths out the sound, hides defects, you know, makes the piano registers blend more. However if you go to far away with the mics, you loose too much detail.
I'm looking for something "great" though, for under a thousand, matched pair. Do you record professionally, or for a hobby? What do you record?
If I can't get my piano tech to quiet down the damper pedal noise, how would a pair of spaced omni's sound about 5-7 feet back from the open lid? Would they make more "self-noise" for instance? I'm pretty sure they would sound great a few feet back , spaced, and pointing down towards the open lid

 

[dgatwood]

I've generally liked the sound I get from a VP88. YMMV. You might also consider a modded Oktava MK-012 pair. The stock top end on 012s isn't clean enough for piano, IMHO, but the capsules are great for stereo work because of their wide cardioid pattern. I'd expect the modded version to be better in that regard.

You might also consider modding your existing mics with a lower noise FET or something. A 3/4" capsule ought to be about the best balance between transient response and noise level for recording something like piano, so if you're getting way too much noise, I'd tend to assume that there was some corner cutting in the circuit design....

 

[darrin_h2000]

I tried the SM81's for that reason, better low end. And they have it. But they're more like audio laser beams. Everything off axis is just gone, it's not even dampened, it's just gone. Which was just too directional for me.
.

Speaking of the SM81 mics...I was watching the making of "Bat out of Hell" and they miced up Jim Stienmans piano with a pair...and they got a terrific sound on that CD.