I Need a FLAT microphone... AKG c480b ?

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philboy

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Hello! I'm currently looking for a small condensor microphone and most of all i need one that is very flat, to capture the sound of any instrument with precision and without adding any colour. I was looking at the AKG c480b which seems to have a flat response curve on paper. Any comments on this microphone for this application or any other suggestions?

Thanks!

Phil
 
philboy said:
Hello! I'm currently looking for a small condensor microphone and most of all i need one that is very flat, to capture the sound of any instrument with precision and without adding any colour. I was looking at the AKG c480b which seems to have a flat response curve on paper. Any comments on this microphone for this application or any other suggestions?
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Any reference microphone. That said, I think the first thing in a Google search for the mic you mentioned pretty much echoes my sentiments on the subject:

http://ryxi.com/audio/41-731-clean-isn-t-always-better-read.shtml said:
http://ryxi.com/audio/41-731-clean-isn-t-always-better-read.shtml

I've been recording since high school, c. 1972; mostly classical. I've been striving, in my own inexpensive gear, to achieve transparent, noiseless recording for three decades.

The most recent generation of gear in my rack is a pair of Schoeps CMC641's feeding a Cranesong Spider. I thought I had achieved Nirvana. Then I heard the BLUE B6 capsules on my old C451 bodies. Now I'm forced to admit that absolute clarity and purity of sound is not the only solution in all situations. Sometimes the perfectly accurate sound is too sterile. I'm still not buying into the idea of introducing any distortion into the recording chain, but I can see how the shimmer of an "interesting" microphone can add to an already good recording.
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So what kind of instruments are we talking about here? What's right for a piano probably won't be ideal for... say a bass drum.
 
Just about any earthworks mic is flat... :p

6Frequency.gif


But on the cheap just grab a reference mic..
 
I have a friend that raves about the flat response of the Rode NT1a. Its worth checking out.
 
edgarallanpoe said:
I have a friend that raves about the flat response of the Rode NT1a. Its worth checking out.
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I don't think I've ever seen a frequency plot for the NT1/NT1A, but I can assure you it is anything but flat. It's one of the brighter mics out there (meaning there is a significant boost in the upper frequencies).
 
What's your budget? I have an Earthworks TC20 that was $360 new. Flat as a pancake. Sounds great on a lot of things.
 
I like the AKG 480, but I would certainly not consider it a flat microphone. Earthworks is a great place to start for a mic like that though. They have everything from affordable, to fairly expensive in their range. All of the Earthworks mics though seem to be built very well, and sound pretty nice. For a more common brand, the sm81 is also fairly flat. In fact, that is one reason why a lot of people don't care for them too much. They are good solid mics, but they don't really do anything "to help you out" either. This can be both good and bad depending on what you are trying to do:)
 
I don't think I've ever seen a frequency plot for the NT1/NT1A, but I can assure you it is anything but flat. It's one of the brighter mics out there (meaning there is a significant boost in the upper frequencies).
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I said the same thing to him, but he says that it is a very flat mic and that most of its perceived brightness is due to the fact that people are used to hearing mics that have a rolloff of the upper frequencies. He also says that there is a major difference between the NT1 and the NT1a. Just some food for thought.
 
philboy said:
Hello! I'm currently looking for a small condensor microphone and most of all i need one that is very flat, to capture the sound of any instrument with precision and without adding any colour. I was looking at the AKG c480b which seems to have a flat response curve on paper. Any comments on this microphone for this application or any other suggestions?

Thanks!

Phil
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We're assuming Small Dia' here but you also might have meant 'compact'?
 
edgarallanpoe said:
I said the same thing to him, but he says that it is a very flat mic and that most of its perceived brightness is due to the fact that people are used to hearing mics that have a rolloff of the upper frequencies. He also says that there is a major difference between the NT1 and the NT1a. Just some food for thought.
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From a review of the NT1a at http://www.digitalplayroom.com/rode/reviews/nt1a/nt1review.htm:
http://www.digitalplayroom.com/rode/reviews/nt1a/nt1review.htm said:
However, one criticism I will make is that in the manual the frequency response graph has a vertical scale of ±40dB. This scale is so large that it makes the response curve appear deceptively flat, and makes the graphic information less than useful – Rode certainly aren’t alone in this practice and other mic manufacturers should also take note.
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The actual response curve is anything but flat:
http://www.compel.com.tr/rode/NT1A/NT1AFreqResponse.jpg

NT1AFreqResponse.jpg
 
I do not think it is possible to have a flat mic unless it is omni directional.

Any cardiod pattern is going to suffer from proximity effect.

All that being fine and good, you also have to consider the "stereo" factor in hearing.

Plug up one ear and listen to your source, then record it with your "flat" mic and listen to it via one speaker.

The "one ear and one speaker" could be staying consistent with what ONE MIC can capture, thus, would more faithfully reproduce and hear what it really captured.

I have recorded some VERY NICE sounding acoustic sounds using a AT 4033. If the 4033 is good enough for George Massenberg 90% of the time (he admitted that it was the mic of choice 90% of the time for him and the FIRST mic he tries in his old forum at Music Player), it should be good enough for ME 90% of the time. ;)

:D
 
Thanks dgatwood...you can't argue with that digram, I will send it to him.
 
bigwillz24 said:
Just about any earthworks mic is flat... :p

6Frequency.gif


But on the cheap just grab a reference mic..
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DPA 4022s are flat. Anything DPA is flat really. The flattest.(well other than sonodore)

DPA 4061s are flat.

DPA 4003s are flat. Josephson C617s with MG MK221 caps are flat.

PZM mics are flat. :p

Earthworks apparently have a pretty high self noise, and arent good for softer applications.

budget??
 
Get a Behringer ECM8000 to find out if a flat mic is what you actually want. They cost next to nothing so you might as well give it a go.:)
 
Thanks evryone. It's going to be a difficult choice!!! My budget is 600-700$. I was thinking about the c480 because on paper the frequency curve is very flat... buy i will consider Earthworks as well. Thanks !

Phil
 
Ford Van said:
I have recorded some VERY NICE sounding acoustic sounds using a AT 4033. If the 4033 is good enough for George Massenberg 90% of the time (he admitted that it was the mic of choice 90% of the time for him and the FIRST mic he tries in his old forum at Music Player), it should be good enough for ME 90% of the time. ;)

:D
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..........
 
i don't even post here but 4 or 5 times a week and i know you're an idiot, ford van. get a new board to waste your life on.
 
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