MXL603s vs. MXL604 (for overheads)

C

CoJo

New member
I'm considering buying a stereo pair of MXL's, but I'm wondering how big a deal the -10db pad is for recording drum OH's. I can get the 603s's for about $100, as opposed to $200 for the 604's. Any advice?:confused:
 
i wouldn't think you would need the pad. Save yourself 100 bucks. I have some 603s, and they do a pretty decent job for that application.
 
Edit: Ah, sorry. Just noticed you said a stereo pair. I had thought you meant 1 604 for $200. Ignore me! I'm probably with Caotico on this. Might as well save the hundred bucks. I use the 604's a lot but have never used the db pad for overheads. I do turn them on for snare/tom/other stuff. But for OH's? Doubt you'll ever need it.
 
I am in the exact same boat.

Anyone have any experience with either mic?

I am on the constant lookout for some MK 012's but damn those are hard to find at a decent price.
 
If it were me I would skip the 012's. Depending on what you're upgrading later of course. I for instance went the 604 route. When I upgraded I went with Peluso's, completely skipping the 012 tier altogether. Nothing wrong with them of course, but I liked taking the cheaper entry route and then upgrading past the mid tier.

Edit: I should clarify something here about 'skipping' the 012 tier. That of course is completely my preference, not necessarily a rule. I'm sure there are plenty of people that like the 012's more than I do. The real point I was trying to make was that I was able to learn from cheaper mics so that I could KNOW what I wanted in something that cost more. And to me that's the key...learn what you want and why you want it.
 
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save the dough and get the 603 pair. i record in a room with a really low celing, i use 603s for overheads, and i've never had a problem with them running too hot.
 
Don't forget the 604's come with the omni caps. Of course you also can get the omni caps for the 603s for $30 - $50 pair if you decide you ever want them.
 
Almy said:
Edit: I should clarify something here about 'skipping' the 012 tier. That of course is completely my preference, not necessarily a rule. I'm sure there are plenty of people that like the 012's more than I do. The real point I was trying to make was that I was able to learn from cheaper mics so that I could KNOW what I wanted in something that cost more. And to me that's the key...learn what you want and why you want it.
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In terms of new prices, the MK-012 and the Peluso CEMC6 are pretty close to the same price... or did you mean the P 28?

Maybe your cheaper mics sounded a lot better than mine did. I found every minute spent with my Nady overhead mics was a minute wasted. The night and day difference when switching to the Oktavas blew my mind. The Chinese condensers were basically nothing but cymbals. The toms were weak, and the kick was almost nonexistent. The Oktavas picked up everything well.

For home recording, I tend to look at it as a question of diminishing returns. An extra hundred bucks per mic to move from a MXL to an Oktava will make a huge difference in sound quality for overheads (or at least will make a huge difference in how much EQ you have to apply to make them sound good). The next 50-100 dollars per mic moving up to a Peluso CEMC6 mic make a significantly smaller difference. Moving up from there another six hundred bucks per mic to upgrade to a Neumann KM184 makes a still smaller difference.

As always, YMMV.
 
Ah, yeah. What I meant was I liked spending a couple years with 3 $100 mics and then buying the pelusos. It gave me time to really become familiar with them, everything from micing techniques and such. And as an upgrade path that also gives me 3 usable mics plus the 2 I've upgraded, nice having 5 SDC's in the locker!

I see your point on the 012 prices. I guess I wasn't accounting for package prices. You can get 2 brand new 012's for $420 if you don't go for more capsules, whereas the peluso's are almost $700. But I agree that the difference may not be huge. It's why I edited my post to point out that it's more my preference than anything.

I think my main point should have been more about paying attention to the upgrade path. Getting really familiar with cheaper SDC's allows someone to have a much better understanding before dropping $400 to $1000 on a set. But again my preference to peluso's over someone else's preference to 012's definitely doesn't apply. I mean why spend more on peluso's if the 012's work better for what you're doing?
 
Almy said:
I see your point on the 012 prices. I guess I wasn't accounting for package prices. You can get 2 brand new 012's for $420 if you don't go for more capsules, whereas the peluso's are almost $700.
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The Pelusos are $585 for two, $680 for a matched pair. Two MK-012 mics are $450, or matched for $475. The price difference almost doubles when going with a matched pair.... :confused:

Don't know if the Oktavas are more consistent or if Front End Audio is undercharging for the matching service.
 
Almy said:
Ack, I paid $680 for my cemc6's! Usually I'm better about shopping around :(.
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The price probably dropped. There's only about one or two places that sell the Peluso mics, so I can't imagine I found some spectacular deal. :)
 
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