c7sus
Disenfranchised Member
AKG C3000 is a good one to avoid.
Todzilla
New member
The Neumann U89 is a piece of crap mic.
If you have one, please contact me and I will take it off your hands and dispose of it properly.
If you have one, please contact me and I will take it off your hands and dispose of it properly.
R
RAK
Manufacturer - Shure, Inc
Todzilla said:
I'm on to you...
kid klash
The original Mr. Nice Guy
BigRay said:
I think he's talking about the distance from the mic ("stay away from a LDC... 12" to 18", not 1" away), not "don't use LDC mics for vocals". I'd have to agree with APL on this. Maybe the exception would be for someone with a VERY quiet voice, who understands how to "work" a mic to avoid overloads and plosives.
R
roadwarrior
New member
I just want to chime in here for a minute. other then some rather poorly executed Chinese mics running around out there under various names, it seems there have been a few folks here that have had less than stellar results from Rode. Actually, it would almost appear there to be a anti Rode faction for the most part. I'm not altogether sure why the heck this ever came about. Rode is a well respected prime manufacturer of both moderate to full pro studio level microphone products. They are also well known to be one's with some of the lowest self noise in the current electronic world. I've owned various Neumann's, AKG's, EV, Audio Technica, CAD and others over the last 25 years I've been at this. In all cases there were some pro's and con's for just about every mic I've worked with. I've also seen cases where the considerably more expensive mics have NOT performed as well as lesser expensive models. They ALL have "some" character to them. NO circuit will provide a virtual "wire with gain" to the human ear as we all have different frequency response curves in our individual hearing. Some would describe a mic as "open" while another would describe the same mic as "harsh". But when we attempt to paint our opinions with such large and wide brush strokes it is as if it is a pure condemnation of a given product, while they may indeed have a decent purpose and application in the audio world.
Having worked in the "high end" audio market in the past, I can certainly fully understand the "price/impression" effect. If someone hands me a $4000.00 Soundelux tube mic I'll pee in my pants a lot quicker than if they handed me a $500.00 Chinese tube mic. It's just who and what we are as humans. When I needed to put together a new studio back last fall, and had some limitations to my budgetary considerations, I looked and tested far and wide. Having had consderable experience with a wide variety of fine microphones I felt comfortable with final choices of the NT-2A and K2 Rode mics. I also use a Neumann and Sennheiser on occasion depending on the desired effect. But in NO way can anyone with a set of ears say those 2 Rode mics aren't at the top of the mic game regardless of price. Whether it's the gear you are running them through, or the preamps used I can't say for sure. But if you have a genuine bug up your a$$ over Rode it's not the product to blame to be sure. They do a fine sonic job for both voice and instruments as well. Just because they are so reasonably priced is not a valid reason to jump all over them as inferior. It's not like there is a shortage of choices for mics in that price range...that's for sure. But I really think you can leave your attitude at the door when saying such drivel. There are far too many of them being used in top studios to be making such absurd statements as that. I too could have voted with my checkbook....and I did. Sorry to hear they didn't work out for YOU, but it is not the product in general. I think that was the jist of this original post wasn't it?
Having worked in the "high end" audio market in the past, I can certainly fully understand the "price/impression" effect. If someone hands me a $4000.00 Soundelux tube mic I'll pee in my pants a lot quicker than if they handed me a $500.00 Chinese tube mic. It's just who and what we are as humans. When I needed to put together a new studio back last fall, and had some limitations to my budgetary considerations, I looked and tested far and wide. Having had consderable experience with a wide variety of fine microphones I felt comfortable with final choices of the NT-2A and K2 Rode mics. I also use a Neumann and Sennheiser on occasion depending on the desired effect. But in NO way can anyone with a set of ears say those 2 Rode mics aren't at the top of the mic game regardless of price. Whether it's the gear you are running them through, or the preamps used I can't say for sure. But if you have a genuine bug up your a$$ over Rode it's not the product to blame to be sure. They do a fine sonic job for both voice and instruments as well. Just because they are so reasonably priced is not a valid reason to jump all over them as inferior. It's not like there is a shortage of choices for mics in that price range...that's for sure. But I really think you can leave your attitude at the door when saying such drivel. There are far too many of them being used in top studios to be making such absurd statements as that. I too could have voted with my checkbook....and I did. Sorry to hear they didn't work out for YOU, but it is not the product in general. I think that was the jist of this original post wasn't it?
scrubs
Not of sound mind
Nady SCM900. Worst mic I've owned.
Pretty much anything from radio shack (save the older pzms).
Like others have said, it's largely about finding the correct use for each mic.
Pretty much anything from radio shack (save the older pzms).
Like others have said, it's largely about finding the correct use for each mic.
H
Harvey Gerst
New member
I only heard the first Rode NT1 and thought it was very harsh. That's the only Rode mic I've heard. Terry Manning says the Rode K2 is a great sounding mic and I tend to trust his judgement.
BigRay
New member
littledog said:
so because it is me, what?
L
littledog
New member
BigRay said:
...you got the joke.
BigRay
New member
littledog said:...you got the joke.
what joke
darrin_h2000
Banned
Isnt it the C3000B the one to aviod...the earlier version is supposed to be very usefulc7sus said:
C
chessrock
Banned
roadwarrior said:
I think they're worthless crap that should be avoided at all costs. In fact, I think the world would be a much, much better place to live in if it weren't for Rode mics.
.
scrubs
Not of sound mind
I think we all need to cut chessrock a little slack. I mean, his dog was killed by a pack of wild Rode mics. Who amongst us wouldn't feel the same way if that had happened to us?
apl
Stand Up Comity
I've got a RØDE NT3 and it seems to work OK for me, but it's a bit harsh for britt.
B
blazingstrings
dgatwood can **** himself
People! Avoid all mics all the time! Then we could avoid things like.......... Welll........ AMERICAN IDOL and that Taylor guy singing for FORD.........
Gawd Help us!
-Blaze
Gawd Help us!
-Blaze
wheelema
Boner-obo
Uh... someone needs to wake up and eat a big breakfast.BigRay said:
Yoda117
Galley Slave / VO Talent
LOL!
I've heard a lot of hate on the R0de, but depending on the voice, they do work (an NT-1A still sits in my cabinet for a reason).
The same can be said about the U87AI. And while I don't find it to be the Rosetta Stone of microphones that it may have once been, it too has an honored spot in my collection (right next to a stereo set of U87 KHEs and an Innertube U89).
I don't recommend the RE-27 for some people in VO, but it works better for me than the RE-20, so that too fills a niche.
Even the cheapie NTG-2 has found a use, though truth be told I usually reach for a MHK416 first.
It depends on the application and the talent as to what will work best given the situation. There are no quick fixes so long as the quality of construction is there (something which many Chinese and Indonesian mics do often lack).
I've heard a lot of hate on the R0de, but depending on the voice, they do work (an NT-1A still sits in my cabinet for a reason).
The same can be said about the U87AI. And while I don't find it to be the Rosetta Stone of microphones that it may have once been, it too has an honored spot in my collection (right next to a stereo set of U87 KHEs and an Innertube U89).
I don't recommend the RE-27 for some people in VO, but it works better for me than the RE-20, so that too fills a niche.
Even the cheapie NTG-2 has found a use, though truth be told I usually reach for a MHK416 first.
It depends on the application and the talent as to what will work best given the situation. There are no quick fixes so long as the quality of construction is there (something which many Chinese and Indonesian mics do often lack).
nuemes
Be Here Now
chessrock said:
I'm with you here except for the SM58. They're pretty darn good on Boogies for hard/classic-rock, especially with Seymour-Duncan JB pickups. Pretty situational but this is a fairly standard guitar setup.
Getting to the point were the SM57 is annoying to hear on snare. For 70's bands it makes good sense but it seems like every single indie band is using them on home recordings just because and there's no high-end or snare tone - just that SM57 drull coloring. It's like hearing another Nirvana/Pearl Jam song on the radio... again. Yikes.
c7sus
Disenfranchised Member
darrin_h2000 said:
I haven't found a use for the C3000 yet.
Except as maybe a benchmark to guage the harshness of other mics by.
L
littledog
New member
apl said:
Sorry Ray! I didn't realize you were so literal minded that you didn't spot the play on words.
The original question was: What mics should you stay away from?
The phrase "stay away" in that case means "don't use" or "don't buy".
APL played on the double meaning of the phrase, using "stay away" in the sense of "keep your distance". So he responded that you should stay 12-18" away from a large diaphragm condenser when recording vocals. Pretending he misunderstood the original post made his response humorous, although obviously the humor dies pretty quickly when it has to be explained.
Your response had two possibilities: you either got the joke but pretended you didn't, or you just didn't get it. Since it wasn't all that subtle or difficult, I'm still not sure which it is, but if you really didn't get it, possibly you're working too hard and need a break! Maybe a trip to Munchen for Oktoberfest would be what the doctor ordered!
