I've narrowed down my search...

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As for your preamp dillema, my subjective tests tell me that there is little difference in any preamp in the $200 range--at least not enough to agonize over. The VTB1 reviews indicate that its perhaps a cut above, but I doubt you'll hear anything in this range that will sound far superior to the others. If all you want is a preamp, there are a bunch of inexpensive single channel units. If you want some control, you might look at a channel strip like the Meek MQ3 or even the Behringer VX 2000. Both have EQ and compression.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: I've narrowed down my search...

jslator said:
The only way to do this is to figure out what mic's have the features you want (condensor/dynamic, multi pattern/single-pattern, etc.), then figure out which of those are in your price range, and then try them out. You're doing yourself a disservice by eliminating possible choices based on "specs" or based on the opinions of one or two people here. You really just have to listen to them.
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You mean I have to leave the house?? Aaaawww... I was planning on going to Guitar Center tomorrow anyway; I'm just trying to gather as much info as possible. Thanks for that head ups about the specs... btw, it does make a HUGE difference when dealing with mics in the $20-$50 range, that's why I thought it would on these mics as well.

crawdad, what pre would you personally recommend for the type of mic I'm getting? (see my last post for reference)
 
VTB-1 sounded good in the listeningsessions.com.... and functionality wise its pretty nice, basically has separate solid state and tube sides, with a pot to blend em. Even has an insert that can be used as a pre tube out. Ive also heard good things the Focusrite Trakmaster , a pre/eq/compressor, costs a bit more than a vtb-1 but covers all your bases..

D
 
Hmmm...I'm thinking. Of the three mics you have chosen, I only have familiarity with the V67--I own that mic. So I have several choices for you (just what you need--more choices!)

You say bedroom studio. Computer with a fan going? You will be surprised how much room sound a condenser mic will pick up. If this is the case, get the VX 2000. It has a very nice expander, which gates out the background noise when the vocal is between phrases. Its also got a nice low frequency cut feature, a decent sounding optical compresser and some EQ tailored for voice. $130.00

If the noise is not an issue, but you want EQ and compression, the Meek MQ3 for $200 is decent. The compresser does have its own sound and colors vocals if you use it. I like the EQ on this one too. The preamp section by itself is a hair better than a Mackie.

The VTB1 is supposed to be very nice at $179, but I have no experience with it. Good reviews.

If you want clean and clear with no frills, the Audio Buddy for $79 gets plenty of good reviews too.

People I trust say that the RNP is a great pre. Its $475 but is supposed to perform more like a thousand dollar preamp.

The final question, really, is what are you trying to achieve? If you are making demos in your bedroom, I think any of these would be more than good enough. If you plan to make recordings to sell, get the best stuff you can. Just remember--a great mic or pre can't make magic out of a bad source. (not to imply anything negative about your vocals--just a point) Also, knowing how to use your equipment to get pro results is important. Things like mic placement, setting proper gain structure, good vocal technique, etc, are all key to good results.

I hope this is helpful.
 
Re: Re: Re: I've narrowed down my search...

0-T said:
DJL, is the Studio Projects VTB-1 preamp what you use? What do you think makes it stand out above other preamps, specifically the Art Tube? I really like the built-in compressor, so I'm leaning towards that one.
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I've never used an Art Tube so I can't comment about it. But I do own a Studio Projects VTB-1 and I like it. What stands out about it is its only $179 (in your price range) and sounds good.
 
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Wow, I can't thank y'all enough for the input.

crawdad said:
Hmmm...I'm thinking. Of the three mics you have chosen, I only have familiarity with the V67--I own that mic. So I have several choices for you (just what you need--more choices!)
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Uh oh...

crawdad said:
You say bedroom studio. Computer with a fan going? You will be surprised how much room sound a condenser mic will pick up. If this is the case, get the VX 2000. It has a very nice expander, which gates out the background noise when the vocal is between phrases. Its also got a nice low frequency cut feature, a decent sounding optical compresser and some EQ tailored for voice. $130.00
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The mic will be in the closet, but it won't be sound proof. A friend of mine got a condenser and had to return it the next day because of all the sound it picked up, but he was using his in an open room. I'm hoping my closet makes some difference.

crawdad said:
If the noise is not an issue, but you want EQ and compression, the Meek MQ3 for $200 is decent. The compresser does have its own sound and colors vocals if you use it. I like the EQ on this one too. The preamp section by itself is a hair better than a Mackie.

The VTB1 is supposed to be very nice at $179, but I have no experience with it. Good reviews.

If you want clean and clear with no frills, the Audio Buddy for $79 gets plenty of good reviews too.
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What kind of "frills" are you referring to? I can do a lot of editing and EQing through software... so are you saying the Audio Buddy can take sound from a $200 mic and pass it through my PC without losing a bit of quality or adding any noise or distortion? That's all I really need.

crawdad said:
The final question, really, is what are you trying to achieve? If you are making demos in your bedroom, I think any of these would be more than good enough. If you plan to make recordings to sell, get the best stuff you can. Just remember--a great mic or pre can't make magic out of a bad source. (not to imply anything negative about your vocals--just a point) Also, knowing how to use your equipment to get pro results is important. Things like mic placement, setting proper gain structure, good vocal technique, etc, are all key to good results.
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Yes, the album will be sold independently. We're going to do anywhere from 2 to 5000 units, and the equipment will be used for future products as well. We're getting the album mixed by a professional, which will make a world of difference. I'm just trying to get equipment that would give him the best vocals to work with.

crawdad said:
I hope this is helpful.
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Yes, very. Thx

DJL, what do you mostly use your pre for? Vocals or instruments?
 
O-T

I've read through this thread and have this to offer. When I bought my first LD mic I went to Guitar Center planning to buy a MK 319. I had read a lot of reviews and posts about them and figured it would be the perfect mic for me. I walked in, asked if they had one and when the salesman brought it out I headed for the counter. My wife asked me if I wasn't going to at least try it out. So, to please her, I asked if there was somewhere I could hear it. We went into their sound room and he hooked me up through some near fields and I gave it a try. Sounded kind of dull to me. So I asked if he had any other mics in that price range. It was going for $199 by the way. So he started bringing me mics. I tried out about a dozen. My favorite of all the mics I tried was the Shure KSM32, at least on my voice. Unfortunately, I was there to buy a $200 mic and couldn't justify $500 at that time. The next best, and not far behind the KSM32 was the Rode NT1000. On that day, in that room, with my voice, it was the clear winner over the other mics in the $300 and under range, so I bought it. I was able to get them to throw in the shock mount so I got it for about $250. I have since purchased other mics but the NT 1000 is still my favorite.

I said all of this to say this. You really, really, need to go and listen to them. All of the mics I've tried sound different from each other. I don't thinks there is any one mic that is the end-it-all mic. You have to find one that sounds best for you. I have only bought two mics based on reviews and the is the SP B1 and the SP C1. The only reason I have done that is because I already have some good sounding mics and I am just looking for some different colors. If all you are going to have is one mic, you need to go listen before you buy. IMHO

Blessings, Terry
 
I bought a bunch of the MF cables - they're Nadys (Nadies? :D ). Worth every penny, but not much more. I use 'em for remotes, use Monsters in the studio.

I just got my C-1 in the mail, haven't had a chance to use yet. Bought it largely on the recommendations of the folks on this forum.

I have an MK-319, I like it - very warm, maybe just a little muffled, but i can play with the proximity to do a bit of tailoring. I'd recommend auditioning before you buy though - a lot of variance.

I'm using an AudioBuddy for my remote preamp, I'm very pleased. Nice and clean. I have an M-Audio Omni on my home setup, ditto.
 
0-T said:
DJL, what do you mostly use your pre for? Vocals or instruments?
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Mostly vocal so far, and I have other preamps also, it's nice to have a few mic's and preamps to pick from. The Symetrix 302 is another nice clean dual preamp and sells new for about $250 that you may want to checkout.
 
thanks everyone... I'm going to GC in a few hours, and I'll try to test out a few.

I'll try out all of the condensors in the 1-300 dollar range, talk to them about pre-amps, and pick up a 20 foot Monster cable.

Not that they would try to take advantage of me, but are there any pres that Guitar Center sells that I should just stay away from completely?
 
yeah, I know it's online... but I'm going to GC to try out mics. If the C-1 is better than all of the mics they have, I have no way of knowing. =\

Ah well...
 
GC should have the Marshall MXLV67G, Rode NT1, some AT's and stuff like that you can checkout, have fun.
 
DAMN!

argghh...

just got off the phone with the GC here in New Orleans. They're out of NT1's, they don't sell Marshall's anymore, and they don't have any Studio Projects. Now I'm back to trying to make an online decision.

I would go in to test out their Oktava's, but I'm not experienced enough to tell a "good one" from a bad one. This sucks... I wanted to start recording tonight if possible.

Thanks to everyone for their help thus far....
 
Just order a SP-C1, SP-VTB-1 and RNC1773 and be done with it. It you don't like it you can always send it back, but I bet you'll like it. What are you using as a recorder again?
 
Do you mean what equipment I have now? It's just a $50 ATR30 from Best Buy, plugged right into the back of my PC. I'm sure whatever I get will be better than that, but I don't wanna get something that will need an upgrade in a few months.

Also, if I'm compressing through software, I don't really need a RNC1773, do I?
 
0-T said:
...I'm going to GC to try out mics...
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Just a word about trying out mic's (or anything for that matter): It's very, very difficult to get a good idea of how something is going to work in real life from trying it in a music store. For one thing, the listening environment is usually far from optimal. More importantly, though, often something that sounds good by itself will not sound so good in the context of a mix, and conversely, often something that doesn't sound so good by itself will sound great in a mix.

If at all possible, try to buy from a place that will lend you gear to try at home. I have a few local places that lend me gear all the time. If you can't find a place that'll do that, see if they'll let you buy everything you want to try on the understanding that you'll return all but one. I've heard that Guitar Center isn't often open to those arrangements, but it would be worth a try. If they won't do it, someone else might.
 
ok... so... I need a mic and...

I can't judge a mic based on specs, so I should judge by trying out a few...

and... GC doesn't have the mics I'm considering...

and... even if they did, testing out mics at GC wouldn't really prove anything...

I know what I must do now.

*buys a ski-mask, gun, and flashlight*

I'll see you guys on the front page!
 
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