Mic pros, answer me this: Close or far?

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Oh for f*cksake............

[b]Mantis[/b] said:

...crap snipped...

I came here to offer my expert advice...

...crap snipped...

...I mention my friend Steve Lamansky, who is like the guru of microphones.

...crap snipped...

And yet, with all your "expertise", you don't seem to know who the real players in the audio industry are... Harvey is one of them..... so may I suggest you get your bitch-ass back into the kitchen and let Lamansky shove a karaoke mic up your ass - your "studio standard" of 3.5 inches should do just fine......

*Sheesh*
 
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I must step in and defend karaoke.... I once got drunk, and put a dress on, and sang... "Man! I feel like a woman...... It was the only award I've ever one... (most creativity)... Shit, I pulled in $25 just for that stunt... bought me an adat tape next morning with the $$ .. (while hungover, and unaware of the preceding nights events)... thank god I quit drinking..... (Why do I tell these stories?)
 
regebro,

You're right, Mantis is a troll. I went to that web page and it's a joke, obviously. Sorry I lost it everybody, but maybe it can serve a purpose to point out to everyone that you should know the source of the information you're getting, and whether that information is valid or not. If somebody recomends a mic, is that the only mic they have? What mics have they compared it to? Do they know how to test mics?

The people that claim there is only "one right way" or trash whole lines may not be very objective, or knowledgable. SOME lines may indeed be "trashworthy" if their general Quality Control is not high enough to insure a reliable product. Samick comes to mind as a mixer line that got it wrong, but even there, some of them will not cause any problems for some users.

Anyway, I do want to apologize for my behaviour in this thread, and thank the people who came to my rescue. I'll try and hang around here as much as I can, and all I can do is hope I don't get too many more of these types of trolling posts. In the words of the immortal Fletcher, "Mantis, go fuck yourself".

And finally, an observation: A few of the best singers I've ever heard started out singing kareoke. Most of the worst singers I've ever heard also sing kareoke.
 
Having spent almost an hour reading the above posts, I am in total agreement with Harvey...Your above post couldn't have been said better man...
 
MICROPHONE
An ELECTRODYNAMIC-ACOUSTIC TRANSDUCTER which converts converging SOUND PRESSURE systems
into an equivalent radio SIGNAL, which then may be fed to a TAPE RECORDER or other electronic
equipment. Abbreviation: mic (pronounced 'mike').


Gee, thanks for dumming it down for me there, Steve! :D

Yeah, I think regebro is right, this is a joke (and a bad one). Quite obviously a hastily-put-together website. On webjump no less ... ooh a hotmail account. Does Steve pay for anything? :) You can get good domain hosting for $15/yr these days (no ads, even) ... that would do wonders for the whole "credibility" thing. Also, I'm skeptical of
anyone
who is a self-proclaimed "guru" of anything.

Hey Mantis, here's a link to a guy's site who actually has some experience.
http://www.itrstudio.com/
Check it out ... wow ... content, links and everything. Not just empty claims of being the "go to guy".

btw, wasn't that Huey Lewis movie called "Duets"?

another btw... I dialed up the studio number posted on Steve's site (763-629-0706) ... and got a recording that said the number is not valid. Yes, I have a life ... but I'm at work and got paid to call him. ;)
 
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Samick ?!?? WTF is wrong with you man !!!!
They make great stuff !!!!!. Wake up !!!
Were have you been the past 64 years ?

On this BBS we all use samick and love it. I traded my
Pultec Eq for a new Samick and it kicks ass.....



Relax.......relax........take a deep breath.........
 
also, the zip code for Red Lake is 56671. Steve has the zip code for Brooklyn Park posted on his site. Red Lake is about 250 miles north of Brooklyn Park. You'd think that he'd get his own PO box address and phone numbers right considering it counts for about 50% of his site content. ;)
 
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I leave my computer for like 15 hours and I have to come back to this mess. Worst yet I have to agree with Bruce like 80 times..................DAMN x 80.

Also It's good to see you Harvey. Welcome and stuff.

The most humor behind most of the false info portraied here and anywhere in the recording industry is so hyped by advetisements and bullsh*t. Especially with the home recording market swamped with crap and few neat things here and there. The way things are hyped up, makes it appear as if you can get "pro" results with damn near every piece of gear that's coming out now. It's a shame, companies claiming themselves as the industry standard? That's shit! From now on *I* am the industry standard recording engineer. This would be a good time to agree with me Bruce!
 
Shailat said:
Samick ?!?? WTF is wrong with you man !!!!
They make great stuff !!!!!. Wake up !!!
Were have you been the past 64 years ?

On this BBS we all use samick and love it. I traded my
Pultec Eq for a new Samick and it kicks ass.....

Relax.......relax........take a deep breath.........
Now THAT'S funny.
 
Wallycleaver said:
I leave my computer for like 15 hours and I have to come back to this mess. Worst yet I have to agree with Bruce like 80 times..................DAMN x 80.

Also It's good to see you Harvey. Welcome and stuff.

The most humor behind most of the false info portraied here and anywhere in the recording industry is so hyped by advetisements and bullsh*t. Especially with the home recording market swamped with crap and few neat things here and there. The way things are hyped up, makes it appear as if you can get "pro" results with damn near every piece of gear that's coming out now. It's a shame, companies claiming themselves as the industry standard? That's shit! From now on *I* am the industry standard recording engineer. This would be a good time to agree with me Bruce!

Aw heck Wally... you know I *ALWAYS* agree with ya!!!!!!!!!
;)

But you are right, just this once!!!!!

:D :D

Bruce
 
MIC MASTER?

Just when I thought this thing was over and done, it EXPLODES! It seems we all just stepped in a big pile of 'Lemansky' and it'll be a while before we completely get our shoes clean. I went to this http://micguru.webjump.com/ website to check up on this guy and he makes some bold statements. It's sort of on that edge of beeing either a hoax or the guy's a real engineering genious, or maybe I'm just blinded by his confidence.
 
Funny thread. It reminds me of junior high school, when someone would yell "Fight!" and everyone would come running.

That movie was called Duets, and you can bet your ass that those vocals, at least for the two big songs, "Bette Davis Eyes" by GP and "Cruisin" by GP and HL, were recorded in a studio on some nice condenser mics, and not in front of a karaoke machine.

Anyway, to get back to the original question, there is no real rule about mic placement. I, having a somewhat thin voice, have recorded into a number of LDCMs at a distance of, well, whatever the thickness of the pop filter is. I was first introduced to this technique in a nice Northern Cali studio, when my vocals were just not coming out right, and the recording engineer came out, moved the pop filter on top of his nice U47, and told me to get my mouth right up on it. Lemme tell you, it brings out all manner of richness in a voice that lacks it. That 's how I record 90% of my vocals now... In the same sesh, the other singer in my band, who has a really powerful, explosive voice, was singing about 7" away, and those vocals sound great too. Don't get hung up on some kind of rule for mic distance, test them all out, and don't be afraid to try really close and really far.

Sorry Harvey that you have had such a string of bad luck, but it happens. Opinions are like asses, and everybody has one, no matter how ugly or beautiful.
 
Good advice Charger. If a singer has good mic technique and the right kind of voice, there's nothing I like more than pulling the pop screen and getting them right on top of the mic. If popping becomes a problem, just turn the mic about 30 degrees and try again. BTW, if you like that sound, the Marshall V67G will get very close to that U47 sound when you're right on top of it. You can also get that warmth from a really good ribbon mic.
 
Nothing much. Things are starting to quiet down a little.
 
Oh man...

I went to the micguru site and I laughed 'til soda came out of my nose. Mantis, this reminds me of the whole Super Greg thing. Karaoke mic guru! I love it! Next thing you know Buddy Lee wil be challenging our esteemed Mr. Lamansky to a mic shootout.

Lamansky: "My mic skilz are phat homeBuddy!"

Buddy Lee: "*"

Lamansky: "Oh yeah, you puffy plastic poseur!"

Buddy Lee: "*"

Lamansky: "Say that to my face you little pincushion!"

Buddy Lee: "*"

Lamansky: "I'LL KILL YOU!!!!"


Tom Cram
dbx Senior Technical Support
(801) 568-7530
tcram@dbxpro.com
 
Man...

...some people don't just step in it, they put it in a bathtub and soak in it. Mantis, you might be better off in your AOL chatroom (they do have one for all the karaoke techs and "mic gurus" , right?).

By the way, Harvey, got ahold of a pair of mxl603s based on your recommendation. Great as overheads on drums! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts on these!

Jon
 
Speaking of stepping in it...

I just went to that Lamansky website. This whole thing was a joke, wasn't it?

Jon (a little 'slower' than the average bear)
 
Re: Man...

chiledude said:
By the way, Harvey, got ahold of a pair of mxl603s based on your recommendation. Great as overheads on drums! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts on these!

Jon
Yeah, that was a real find for me, too. I listened to their more expensive MXL-600 and it didn't impress me at all, but when I got to the $99 MXL-603S, it blew me away. Most dealers were blowing them out the door at under $70. I just didn't expect to hear that kind of sound for the price. With the foam pop filter on, AND a pop screen, it ain't too bad on vocals either.

Same thing with their MXL-1000 - I was underwhelmed till I took the ball end off, and found the 603 inside. The ball end really screwed up the sound. It's a 603 in a Shure SM-58 body. Get rid of the ball end, and it's an "ugly as hell" 603S that sounds great.
 
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