How's the Behringer ECM8000?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Robertt8
  • Start date Start date
Robertt8

Robertt8

Well-known member
(i'm starting a new subject on this based on my previous post)

How's that Behringer ECM8000? I did a search, and didn't really find anything that really informed much...

I'd like to get my hands on a couple omni room mics...speaking of which...how would that be with capturing a live acoustic performance (or in other words...two acoustic guitars, vocal, bass and drums all playing un-miced(save the bass player) in a room)?

Also what is a measurement mic? it sounds more like it would be a tool or something...not a mic you'd use to record with (just based on the "measurement" in the name). Can someone explain this?
 
Not bad for the money.

Ruler-flat . . . neutral sounding mic. If you're not used to using such mics, you'll be pretty surprized by the sheer accuracy. Will make things sound pretty much how they sound in the room. Which can be good or bad. Omnidirectional pattern offers superior off-axis response -- not good for isolation, obviously.

Kind of a very poor man's Earthworks.

Drawbacks are very high self-noise, and piss-poor SPL handling. Will reveal and magnify any and all flaws in your recording space; very poor results when using in a bad or poorly-treated room or space.
 
They go "hhhhiissssssssssss" like somebody's scrambling eggs in the studio while you're recording...

other than that they're "OK". I've used them as a room mic on drums with success.

War
 
Im really surprised you didnt find anything in the search because they were really hyped up not too long ago.

I hardly ever use mine, but every once in a while i grab them. The other night i used them on a session for some hand percussion and i really didnt notice the noise that i remember. I have noticed the noise when i used them on Choirs from long distances, but it generally didnt bug me much.

I didnt like them much for drum overheads, and only on occasion i liked them for acoustic guitar. But they do work and definately not a bad deal.

Danny
 
Robertt8 said:
(i'm starting a new subject on this based on my previous post)

How's that Behringer ECM8000? I did a search, and didn't really find anything that really informed much...

I'd like to get my hands on a couple omni room mics...speaking of which...how would that be with capturing a live acoustic performance (or in other words...two acoustic guitars, vocal, bass and drums all playing un-miced(save the bass player) in a room)?

Also what is a measurement mic? it sounds more like it would be a tool or something...not a mic you'd use to record with (just based on the "measurement" in the name). Can someone explain this?
Click to expand...
The primary purpose of a mic like the ECM8000 is to test a room to see if there are any frequencies that are too live or dead. You put the mic in the listening position and then play a series of test tones covering the entire audio spectrum. You then look at what was recorded and see if certain tones recorded louder than others. But to do this sort of test properly you need a mic whose response is absolutely flat and has zero proximity effect. You don't really care about self-noise because the noise is a constant. See how this exactly matches the description of the ECM8000? That does not mean that it can't be used for other things, but its strengths and weaknesses come from its primary purpose.

Now for your description of recording an accoustic ensemble playing un-miced in a room what you want is a pair of cardoids in a XY or ORTF pair. The reason is that your pair of omnis are not going to get you as good a stereo imaging without phase distortion. I have recorded choirs and small ensembles using an ORTF pair of LD condenser cardoids with very satisfactory results.

A pair of omnis at the same point is going to get you the exact same signal through both of them...zero stereo imaging. To begin to get stereo imaging from the omnis you have to move them apart, so that one omni is a little closer to some instruments than the other. But when the difference in distance to a given instrument is a multiple of the sound wavelength or the wavelength-and-a-half you will either get a doubling or a cancelation of that tone.
 
Gate them...they will pick up the toms as well as the cymbols...Its a love hate thing with mine...alot like my Pzms.
 
Pretty much everything said above is correct...........EXCEPT, there are some ECM8000's that don't exhibit excessive self-noise. Harvey's are apparently OK and the pair I have are quite acceptable until you start getting into higher gain settings on the console.

I have had some exceptionally good results on some acoustics but not on others........as usual, it is a case of "horses for courses".

If you get a chance to try them out in a store, plug them into a desk, switch on the phantom pwr, set the faders at unity and then start winding up the gain..............you will soon know whether the mic is quiet or noisy.

:cool:
 
Interesting thread... I "think" the price may have gone up about $10 on the ECM8000's... if I'm not mistaken I think I paid about $40 each. Anyway, the ones I had sounded great, a little noise but not bad.

COMMENT: Anyone thinking about buying ECM8000's might want audition them before buying or make sure you can return them if you don't like them. My comment is based only on the above replies.
 
Warhead said:
They go "hhhhiissssssssssss" like somebody's scrambling eggs in the studio while you're recording...
War
Click to expand...


I agree..Used it on shaker..wasn't bad..just too noisy
 
Is there anything between an ECM8000 and an Earthworks in a test and measurement-style mic?
 
Chip Hitchens said:
Is there anything between an ECM8000 and an Earthworks in a test and measurement-style mic?
Click to expand...
The Audix TR-40, various MBHO mics, and the T.H.E. KP-6M are all in between those two.
 
I should also point out that noise in a condenser capsule is directly proportional to the size of the diaphragm. Bigger mics have less noise, but usually poorer response; it's all about trade-offs.

You don't use these measurement mics as direct replacements for their big brothers. Unless you think about how they work, and use them effectively in the correct situations, they won't give you good results. Used correctly, they can give you stunning results.

Most mic companies would have you believe that a cardioid is the only pattern in the world. It is probably the easiest to use, but other patterns can give you better results - if you take the time to understand how polar patterns work.
 
Interesting thread, as I have been thinking about getting a measurement mic to do some testing of my room. How does the ECM8000 work in fulfilling its primary purpose?

Thanks!

Bill
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top