New microphone

J

jaz49

New member
I just purchased a new vocal condenser mic. Does a new mic require a breaking in period? Has anyone heard of this? I noticed that my headphones, ATH M30's, did. The first day I got them the low end was really boomy. I just got the mic that is often bundled together with these phones...the AT3035. Same thing...really awful low end the first day I got it. I use the hi-pass switch, but it doesn't help.
http://www.myspace.com/lejaz
 
Mics in general do not need a break-in period. They may, over time, adjust a bit to the environment they are kept in, but for home purposes, forget about such subtleties in sound.

A TUBE condenser should be warmed up for a short period before use, just to ensure stability of signal and consistent sound (not going from a take done cold to one done an hour later.) Not a deal-breaker, but good practice.

Has it occurred to you that the headphones might be garbage? Because if they are of the same series ATs I got with a piece of gear, they should be thrown out, which is what I did. Nothing but low-mid boom and 'through-a-pillow' highs. Get AKG 270es. Those you can trust.

How do the mics sound through speakers or other cans? Compare with other reproducers.

What are the acoustics like in the space you have tested the mics in? Compare with other spaces.

What are the mics hooked to, and what other options do you have. Compare different chains.

Moral of the story: COMPARE different flavors, then judge results.

Best,
C.
 
Well, I can comment on the ATH M30 cans, since I have 2 pairs of those, which I use for tracking only. They are good for tracking where you don't need to worry about if they are boomy, or not. I do not use then for mixing, however. For mixing, they do definitely accentuate the lows, too much. Not good.
 
O.K. the m30's DO accentuate the lows, but not so much as the mic does, I don't think. They're definitely not garbage. Maybe cosmic, you got the m20's or a different set of cans. Mine certainly sound good when listening to CD's, though the bass is a little bit much. But, I'll definitely consider the suggestion about the AKG270es's. I think I can make the mic work for me however, until I've got the bucks for a better one. I've been experimenting with various eq's and reverbs(SIR, which uses impulse responses, is the best I've found so far, and it's free), and I'm able to get a pretty usable sound out of the mic. Perhaps with a more accurate set of cans I will like it better, can't say for sure. I definitely preferred the sweeter high end on my sennheiser mic(e835), but the AT 3035 is way better in other respects. Live and learn, eh?
 
Mics have proximity effect. When you get too close the bass is accentuated. Have you tried backing away from the mic a little?
 
Yes, I'm very aware of the proximity effect, since my last mic was a stage vocal mic with a big one. I'm usually singing well over a foot away from the new mic.
 
I own this mic too, and we noticed the bassiness when recording a double mic set up on acoustic guitar. We got rid of it by moving it further away and raising it above the bridge level a good 6 inches. I'm sure it was a good two feet away. I was just thinking you might solve the problem by trying different mic positions. I haven't noticed the problem on vocals, but some mics fit some voices better than others. I suppose it's possible that this one isn't good for you.
 
Cosmic said:
What are the acoustics like in the space you have tested the mics in? Compare with other spaces.

What are the mics hooked to, and what other options do you have. Compare different chains.

Moral of the story: COMPARE different flavors, then judge results.

Best,
C.
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I just listened to your myspace page and it sounds to me like there are issues with the room you're recording in. Where was this recorded? What kind of room treatments, etc. Sounds really echo-ish, like it was recorded in a concrete bunker.
 
Thanks much for the feedback g.z. I think most of what's on MySpace was recorded with the Sennheiser e835 stage mic, which was pretty horrible for my voice. I processed those vocal tracks a lot just to get to the point where I could listen to them at all....and probably used to much reverb. I was just experimenting with the AT 3035, and using eq on the low end and moving even further away from the mic helps a lot. I'm sure the room factors into the picture also. I'll try another space soon as I have the chance.
 
jaz49 said:
...Does a new mic require a breaking in period? Has anyone heard of this? I noticed that my headphones, ATH M30's, did. The first day I got them the low end was really boomy.
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No, mic's don't break in. Speaking just for myself though, my ability to USE a new mic has a breaking-in period while I'm learning its fine points.
 
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I've got a at-3035 and it has been the same since day one. No issues. It's not what I would ever call a boomy mic. I've tracked vocals pretty close in (with a pop filter of course) many times. I do always run the pad and roll off my self.


Good Luck.

F.S.
 
I think boomy was a poor choice of words on my part. I meant to say that the bass is just overpowering. It sounds like you just took an equalizer and boosted everything below about 100hz. There's also substantial noise if I turn the preamp all the way up(60 dB of gain). I had no noise at all using the same preamp with my sennheiser dynamic mic. Could it be the phantom power causing the noise? If not then the mic is defective. Should I have to use a noise gate with a new mic?
 
Perhaps you're singing too close to the mic and getting too much proximity effect (bass emphasis from being very close to a cardioid mic). Back up a foot and see. Condesnser mic's are more sensitive than dynamic mic's.
 
jaz49 said:
I think boomy was a poor choice of words on my part. I meant to say that the bass is just overpowering. It sounds like you just took an equalizer and boosted everything below about 100hz. There's also substantial noise if I turn the preamp all the way up(60 dB of gain). I had no noise at all using the same preamp with my sennheiser dynamic mic. Could it be the phantom power causing the noise? If not then the mic is defective. Should I have to use a noise gate with a new mic?
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I knew what you meant by boomy;) It's not too surprising it would get a bit noisy at 60db of gain. Part of that is the noise of the mic and a big part of it is likely the mic amplifying every noise for a hundred yards. If it's really bad you could have a bad mic. That is to say it's possible.

What kind of pre are you using and are you using any eq at all while recording? Backing off the mic as mentioned might help and it could also be the sound of your room (something that wouldn't really show up with a dynamic mic).

Try taking the mic in a few other rooms and recording a little bit in each. That will demostrate just how sensative condensers are to room sound.
If you have never done that you will likely be amazed. Hit the bathroom:D


F.S.
 
Thanks F.S.

"Part of that is the noise of the mic and a big part of it is likely the mic amplifying every noise for a hundred yards."​

Ha ha, yeah, you should hear it when the damn dog from two apartments down, and on the floor below me, starts barking! I never noticed the barking until I got the mic.

But, advise well taken...it very well may be the room. I'll try your suggestion...shouldn't be too hard to accomplish with my laptop.

I don't use eq while recording...but afterwards in my DAW(Acid). I'm using the emu 0404 usb interface/preamp. The pre's in this got very good reviews in SOS magazine, I think it was. And they ARE very quiet with the dynamic mic and the gain turned all the way up.
 
jaz49 said:
Thanks F.S.

"Part of that is the noise of the mic and a big part of it is likely the mic amplifying every noise for a hundred yards."​

Ha ha, yeah, you should hear it when the damn dog from two apartments down, and on the floor below me, starts barking! I never noticed the barking until I got the mic.

But, advise well taken...it very well may be the room. I'll try your suggestion...shouldn't be too hard to accomplish with my laptop.

I don't use eq while recording...but afterwards in my DAW(Acid). I'm using the emu 0404 usb interface/preamp. The pre's in this got very good reviews in SOS magazine, I think it was. And they ARE very quiet with the dynamic mic and the gain turned all the way up.
Click to expand...

Good luck.

F.S.
 
Nick98338 said:
Well, I can comment on the ATH M30 cans, since I have 2 pairs of those, which I use for tracking only. They are good for tracking where you don't need to worry about if they are boomy, or not. I do not use then for mixing, however. For mixing, they do definitely accentuate the lows, too much. Not good.
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You shouldn't mix with headphones anyhow. The speaker cones are too close to your ears, and things that sound like they are cutting through on them will be distant and not cut through on a good set of monitors. I have to use headphones because I am sailing and can't bring anything with me but a laptop with Reaper on it, but I won't ever consider them final mixes. I will wait until I can get to my gear. You waste a lot of CD's mixing with headphones.
 
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