Microphones...what am I missing??

  • Thread starter Thread starter rgraves
  • Start date Start date
I can hear difference between an AKG C3000 and a SM58 through any pair of speakers. You need to train your ears.
 
It could all be placement. I am using Blue Blueberry & Neumann 184. Until I figured out the placement for the Neumann I could have sworn the Blue sounded noticably better. Its taken me quite awhile to figure out how each mic wants to be placed. It definitely does not work in getting the best sound to simply swap 1 mic for the other without placement adjustments (at least with these 2 mics). So for a while I was thinking about upgrading, now I am feeling rather lazy about re-going through the learning curve on how the mic wants to be used. If your placement is not quite what is needed, it could be the great equalizer. If your placement is good, you may be noticing that differences are subtle. I would have to say that with the mics I have, the differences are subtle, at least on the acoustic instruments I am using them on. That was not the case when I first started & had poor mic placement.
 
Garf, the 184 has that wide cardiod pattern. Using it say on an acoustic guitar at the same time with a condensor on vocal could be tricky to get right. Phase issues between the two mics can be a booger to get around.
 
I've studied recording at school for 2 years now

You may be getting into the wrong line of work, if you can't hear the difference. Do you have the same difficulty in the school studio (if they are teaching recording, I must assume they have some sort of facililty)? Hearing acuity can be learned, ordinarily. I'm an older person, and my hearing disappears at 15KHz, yet I can easily distinguish between 2 different small condensors, or 2 different large condensors, or between dynamics. I spent this last weekend recording acoustic guitar, and we were able to distinguish between fresh strings and 6-hour-old strings on the guitar.

Either your hearing needs to be tested or you need to do some serious upgrading to your listening/monitoring environment. There are lots of threads here about acoustic treatment, selecting monitor speakers, and so on.

To answer your question, this is what you are missing: there is are serious differences in the sounds of different mics, and, if you aren't hearing them, the problem is with you or your listening environment.
 
Track Rat,
Thanks for the tip, I think I will try just the Neumanns & see what the difference is
-Garf
 
Track Rat,
Thanks for the tip, I think I will try just the Neumanns & see what the difference is
-Garf
 
Between e.g. a SM58 and a C3000 there is a big (very very) big difference.

Try to record your own voice (just speaking) or someone singing (not screaming or growling), dry, with both mics.

When you play that back you should notice that there is absolutely no high-end from the SM58 ;-) It may still sound nice, though, but not as "airy" as the C3000 (which may even sound harsh compared).

Try maybe also a pair of headphones if you cannot hear the difference on your monitors.


If you don't hear the difference, I'd seriously recommend a hearing test at a MD.

You might (although I hope not for you) then have a hearing loss above 3-5 kHz.


-- Per.
 
I have heard that the 57 and 58 are acually identical on the inside. is this true?
 
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