Need some advice buying mics

  • Thread starter Thread starter barst
  • Start date Start date
B

barst

New member
Hi,

Im looking to buy a pair of mics and a pre-amp/adc to record with my pc.

My buget is about $1500, I would like to record piano.

As pre-amp the digidesign Mbox was recommended to me. What are your thoughts on it?

Could you guys share your thoughts on mics in my price range?

Also on zzounds I only found two mics sold in pairs. Is it worth it to buy two mics and where do I get pairs of other models.

I know the maudio mics are all within a 1db margin so I can buy 2 from the same model regardless, what do you guys think of those mics?

Thanks a lot, Bas
 
Bas,

What kind of music?--classical, pop, jazz?
What kind of piano do you have, and what is your room?
Is it professional recording, demo, or for yourself?
 
classical and jazz, I have a german piano ie large deep sound in a small room, however this might change in the future (piano and room) so Im looking for somewhat flexible mics.

I want to record to be able to listen to my performance criticly.

Tanks, Bas
 
Is it a grand piano or upright? Is your room (at least present) acoustically treated? Any furniture in the room--carpets, sofa?How 'loud' the piano sounds if a lid is open and how much you have of high frequency ringing?
Sorry for so many questions, but all these is really important to know what kind of mics to get, or at least in which direction to look.
 
its an upright steinway model k

the room is appr 2.5*2.5 meters, some furniture (couch curtain, table, chair), no accoustic treatment, but that can be arranged.

What exactly do you mean with high frequency ringing?

btw Im currently looking at
MC012A-MSP and
MC319 MSP or perhaps
maudio luna or solaris

maybe you could comment?
 
about how loud myu piano sounds: lets say its louder then a regular grand piano...

hmm difficult lets say it is louder then most piano's...
 
Another question: Will you be wanting to use the mics for ANYTHING else other than piano? Vocals, guitar, wind instruments? Is it solely piano or just the priority is piano?

I think we'll get some suggestions soon :)
 
piano is my priority, however being able to record accoustic guitar would be nice. However I dont want to compromise to much, if I have to Ill buy a different mic for guitar. I would prefer to buy 1 or 2 mics very suited to record piano, and if they record guitar properly thats a plus.

ok I have been reading that humongous! threead that has been going on for 4 years now, and things are getting a lot clearer:

as I am recording solo piano I could probably best use a small cardioid or an omni, because Im looking for a clean capture of the sound, right so far?

When recording solo piano a stereo recording is a good idea? And that requires a matched pair, right?

Thanks, bas
 
OK. Well I think whatever you get will do you well on acoustic guitar. In terms of what to use, small cardioid or omni would suit you fine, but I don't think they are CERTAIN. You'll definately want a stereo recording, so two similar mics is important.

I'm gonna stick my head out:

Lynx22 soundcard - $675
RNP - $475
Studio Projects C4 pair - $370

That makes a total of $1520 - However, I sincerely recommend you do not take my advice unless someone else backs it up, as I know nothing, and thats a lot of money! There are quite a few ways you could divide it up. Lets see what the others say
 
Bas,

Before you get flooded with ideas (even very good ones), I'd like to tell you my opinion.
Considering your conditions, which are not the best for recording--small room, very loud upright etc, I would say that at this point it is not worth investing $1500 into that.
If you have a laptop, then Mbox for $400 would be a good option. Otherwise I would look into Audiomedia III Rev. QE sound card (around $150 on ebay), external pre and something like used Sonic Solutions or Flying Cow AD/DA converter (under $100).
Although SD (like 012) mics are more accurate, from my experience they are not the best for recording upright esp. in your conditions. Here, I would go with a LD. Since you have a small room, I'd suspect that you have a lot of HF reflections (ringing), so you probably need some 'darker sounding' cardioid mic. I think Oktava 319 (around $150 for a pair) is a good and valid option. Don't forget, you will need mic stands, shock mounts, good quality cables (Mogami or Canare Star-Quad), headphones for monitoring. Currently I am also shopping for cans and so far I am thinking about AKG K171 which are $99 at music123.

Not long ago we had a few discussions about upright micing. Have a look:

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=&threadid=112550&highlight=up+right+piano

and another one:

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=&threadid=72369&highlight=upright+piano

Don't forget to move the piano from the wall.

Good luck and let's see what other folks think about it.
 
Well, in regards to the Studio Projects C4's, I just bought a new pair off eBay for $280 shipped, if that tips the scale as far as prices go.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top