MXL 603--great on acoustics and as overheads, but what else?

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mrface2112

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Seeing Shreve Audio's price on these things is gonna make me pick up a pair for recording acoustics and as overheads, but what else are these things good for?

Would they suffice for micing guitar cabs? As drum mics? What about as general replacements for sm57's?

surely you've got considerations to keep in mind since they're condensers instead of dynamics, but for $50 each, it's almost too good a deal not to pick up more than a couple.


thanks,
wade

PS--steve stallings, nice seeing you around here--you might remember me from the UMGF....small world! ;-)
 
Someone posted a song a while ago in another thread about SD condensors and said the mxl603s was great on femal vocals. I heard the song and i totaly agree!
 
I thought the 603s sounded pretty good on my voice, but you *must* use a pop filter in this application!
 
The 603 has a pretty obvious bump in the higher registers, which is evident on most things. I wouldn't use one on tamborine or shaker . . . that's just my intial thought. I really don't think it makes a very good vocal mic, either, to be honest. I'm sure you can get passable results if you absolutely had no other choice.

I've never heard a better mic on mandolin, ever. Honestly, it might be the best mandolin mic ever made. You read it here: the mxl 603 was put on this earth to be placed in front of a mandolin. :D Try it, and I think you'll see what I'm saying.

It's also a great accoustic guitar mic regardless of cost, and does a very respectable job on drum overheads.
 
that WAS my vocal mic, for basicavly everything...simply because of the high end boost, and my only other option was the 58...and frankly it just didnt sound as good.

so yeah, i chose the 603s in every vocal situation..
actually i take that back, not screaming vocals. ha.

now i got my v63m though - a step up i suppose...ha
 
Grand piano - stereo pair either in xy at the crook of the piano or spaced one at the far end from the player and the other outside pointing in at the crook with the lid on full stick - I'm sooooo happy with the results.

Also planning on trying out for:
string quartet (for pop-rock recording)
group vocals
?horn section (in conjunction with close-micing with dynamics)

Love those 603's

Steve
 
Ive been using 603s and the ecm8000s at the same time, notching out the cymbols with my parametric eq on the 8000s they pick up the snare and toms great.
 
oh yeah, really nice with group vocals for me - sounded exactly how you would dream....and when i say group - i mean huge. we recorded 4 times with 5 people the same part - to get the "big" idea...ha
but it sounded perfect!
 
I've had good results on tambourine and shakers. Also, I used one instead of my Rode NT-2 on a vocal that needed a different texture. Worked great. Great for miking the high rotors on a Leslie also.
 
so everyone would agree the mxl 603's being pretty good for overheads? i was either gonna get them or the akg c1000's but i really wanna save a whole lotta money...
 
dumass said:
so everyone would agree the mxl 603's being pretty good for overheads? i was either gonna get them or the akg c1000's but i really wanna save a whole lotta money...
Click to expand...
The 603s stomp the C1000s as overheads.
 
convinced

well......i didn't need any convincing and was really just waiting til the price was right.......picked up a pair of the 603's this morning. should have shipped today. can't wait til i can couple them with my B1 and get a veritably huge sound out of my Martin.

i'll also do some experiments with them on my buddy's Blonde Blues Junior that he uses for harp, and see how they grab that--given the other areas they shine, i think they'd do well on that. i've also given thoughts to using them as "live concert taping mics"...we'll see.

many thanks for the replies! this board comes through again and again with "winners"....it's really refreshing. ;-)


wade
 
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