More interesting mics to review

[rob aylestone]

While I've been marooned over christmas, I've been planning some of the projects coming up and while doing it have a few unusual mics to add to my collection - and do some videos about. I have a little list of things to watch out for , and even keep an eye on hire company clear outs.

A few things have annoyed me for a while. I like AKG mics and have some 451s, and the shorter extension tubes, but these are about a foot long and still show up in videos. I do a fair bit of opera recording in churches, choirs and singers with orchestras and I hate how ugly our normal mics are - especially side fire ones. The really long AKG tubes that allow the preamp to be near the floor and the capsule at lip level are going for really silly prices - a typical mic and capsule, 30+ years old goes for at least £250, and people seem to want of £300 for a single extension tube. However, the JTS FGM-170 with the shorter stand suddenly popped up as a one-off clearance so I bought a couple. They have a carbon fibre tube, so are very thin, which will be ideal for video work. I've heard good things about these - and I'll give them a go. I've managed to find a couple of AKG goosenecks too, and in an auction of old broadcast gear I found an AKG D222 - the dual capsule more modern version of the D202, which I also have. They've been delivered to home and my wife is fed up of the parcels.

Lots of exciting things to try when I get the studio up and running again.

I mentioned I am a bit disillusioned with my A77 Revox, but I've had an idea - I have somewhere an old Shure Unisphere, that will go into the revox - I'll do a recording of guitar or something direct to tape and we can hear what the 16 year old me really could record in my bedroom all those years ago and see how it compares with modern mics direct to the DAW!

 

[Folkcafe]

Nearly 20 years ago, I decided I was done. Sold off all my live sound gear along much of the studio gear and a lot of mics. I certainly regret getting rid of a pair of 451 with pads, omni and cardioid capsules. Another was the matched pair of Crown CM700's. Those worked well on so many things.

I'm currently experimenting with different mic and instrument combo's. Helps that the studio is now limited to just me and instruments I own. Saw a video someone did with the Sennheiser 906 on acoustic guitar along with a number of other cheap dynamic mics. So I gave it a go with some of the acoustics I have. Sounded really good on my Gibson but not so great on the Guild guitar. Both good sounding guitars but the mic was far more complimentary on one vs the other.

Keep us posted.

 

[rob aylestone]

The thing I struggle with reviewing mics are drums. I'm convinced that pointing mics at drums never really tells you much. Sure - one is a thinner crack on a kick, or less deep on a tom, but it changes with drums. Two weeks apart, and the comparison isn't valid as the drum isn't tuned the same. I discovered drum mics all sound so different, using them on instruments is quite revealing - like guitar as you mention. Some have very different tones, yet on that short sharp hit on the drum, so much is hidden in the spike! The AKG 112 has a nice bright click at the top - and that's audible, but the darker sounding ones seem to be so similar on a kick drum but different on instruments with a bit of sustain, or a voice. When you try some drum mics on instruments, they're awful sounding, but on a kit we think they're good?