Mike "Shootout" web page

M

MarkW

New member
I thought the group might be interested in this.

Erwin Timmerman who maintains the rec.audio.pro FAQ has recorded guitar with pairs of less expensive condenser mikes. These, including both the Oktava MC012 cardioid and the M1 head (from the Sound Room), are in MP3 format at http://www.stack.nl/~erwint/MicShootout.html

Obviously, there are lots of variables here and it is just one instrument, but you have to give the guy credit for trying to allow objective comparisons. As a newbie, the MC012 had a warm and clean sound, especially for such a small diaphgram mike. The M1 head recording gave me an immediate understanding about what Recording Engineer has been talking about.

I wish he had a Rode NT-1, since that seems to be one of the more popular mikes on this Board--for me, the consideration is either Oktava MC012 or a Rode NT-1 (jazz piano, guitar, vocals)--can't afford the M1 head and the MC012 now.

Probably too much bandwidth for Dragon's "Which Mike do I Buy Page," but for a newbie who only owns a Shure 57 (which I think just became my blues harmonica mike), the comparison helps.
 
Very cool. The difference between the different mics, even the two that are supposed to be the same, is very apparent. I didn't think that any of these mics sounded much better or worse than the others, but they were certainly different.
I guess that's why some guys have so many different mics, different sounds for different situations.
 
Agh! It's driving me insane! I've listened to those MP3s over and over and I still don't hear a great difference between all those mics, even though I *love* the way they sound...when I first heard the MC012 I was like "WOAH." Am I retarded if I cannot discern the MP3s?
 
yes... :)
just kidding, you need some ear training or something. or better monitors? what are you listening to those samples through?


ametth
 
I got old JVC stereo speakers hooked up to my computer...damn good sound. I must say, the first time I heard the MC012 vs C3000, I must say I heard a difference in the C3000. It seemed to be picking up more, and not as warm...am I right?
 
El Barto,
Maybe you're just expecting too great of a difference. Recording is a game of subtlety and detail. You don't hear a "great difference" between them because there isn't one.
It's more of a "this mic accents the new string sound more" or "this one masks the droning overtones from the low strings while this other one brings them out" kind of thing. Go back and listen very closely.
 
Hey, Mark, thanks for the link - good one.

As you'd expect, there isn't much difference in the sound of mics in the same price range. Having said that, I like the sound the MC012 puts on the steel string - the others are a bit too stark for my taste.

But it's good to remember that all of this was done through a particular mixer, and with a particular card. In other words, I play nylon-string guitar and have an Alesis mixer and a different soundcard, so I haven't drawn any conclusions about any of these mics for my own purposes based on this test. I know I'd take the Octava if I was playing the Takamine through that chain of gear - that's all.
 
I've just recently found this board and it looks great! I appreciate things like this mic shootout. You can read and talk about sound all day, but I think it really helps to have something to actually listen to. Very educational. I have a non-music day job and just generally muck around in my home studio a bit. So I'm not a pro. I'm probably guilty of spending too much time reading about music on the Internet and not enough time doing it. :-)

When I gave a quick first listen to these mic samples I didn't hear too much difference. But after I listened to one of them five times or so and then listened to the other, the difference became more apparent.

In take 5, the two seemed pretty similar, but I thought the C3000 had a harsher edge on the highs. The scraping of the fingers on the steel strings was a bit more annoying whereas the Oktava didn't have that. Maybe you could EQ that out?

In take 1, the M1 head seemed to me to have a bigger dynamic range than the 012 alone. The attacks came out more. The 012, by comparison, sounded smooth but more compressed. (Hope I'm not just imagining things here.)

In take 2, the Sennheiser sounds rather hollow to me. It sound like someone EQed a notch or two out of it. If I had just bought the Sennheiser and it was my only mic and I had nothing to compare it to, I might not even notice. But if I then heard this comparison, I'd be a bit upset. The Oktava is warmer and better. But then, I don't know what the Sennheiser cost.

To me, the Oktava was the best sounding mic there and the C3000 second. I wonder how much the MP3 compression is affecting the sound. I'd really like to hear the AT4033 in a comparison like this because I'm considering buying one. People are always saying it's a good mic, but then I've also heard that it's a bit harsh. If it sounds like the C3000, I might consider the Oktava.

Anyway, pardon the long post. I like hearing stuff like this, though. Thanks, Mark. I also recently read and listened to Rip Rowen's Point-to-Point article at www.prorec.com. More good educational listening!

Jim
 
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