Newbie - Quiet Condenser ??

[bpoco]

I'm a newbie to microphones for home recording. As you can probably guess, I have a limited budget. Anyway, I recently bought a Rode NT1 (not NT1A). It seems to get pretty much bashed on this board, but compared to what I've been using (e.g. SM58), the NT1 is a HUGE improvement. Specifically, it's super quiet - no hiss (again, compared to the SM58).

I'm currently trying to record an acoustic tune. I'm convinced I want to record the acoustic in stereo. But, I'm stuck with my NT1 and SM58. The ambient hiss I get with the SM58 is annoying. So, I'm looking for another condenser. I don't want to buy another Rode because I want to build a collection of mics with a variety of personalities.

I saw a thread comparing the NT1 to the SP C1. I was considering an SP C1, but someone mentioned it wasn't as quiet as the NT1.

Sooooo, to make a long story less long, here's the question(s).

1) What microphone specs give you a relative idea for how quiet they are? That is, low ambient hiss.

2) Can someone recommend a condensor mic for < $225 that is quiet?

Thanks - BPOCO

 

[t_chance]

What is the rest of your chain? preamp, and soundcard?
Where are you recording? Everything is a variable in the equation

 

[bpoco]

t_chance

Understood. I did an A/B comparison between the two mics (NT1 and SM58) using identical chains (basically, into my Mackie 1202 and from there to the sound card) and room environments. The hiss appears to be related soley to the mic differences.

BPOCO

 

[DJL]

I think you'd have better luck recording an acoustic guitar in stereo with a pair of SDC mic's, like a pair of Marshall MXL 603S's or something.

 

[Chris Tondreau]

I have a tune posted where the main instrument is acoustic guitar miked in stereo (or dual-mono, if you wish...) with a Rode NT1 and a Shure SM58.

The NT1 was placed about a foot away from the 12th fret, pointing just away from the 12th fret (like, the 9th, or thereabouts). I plugged it in to a Peavey TMP1 mic pre, and into the computer.

The SM58 was placed also about a foot away from the guitar, but just to the left of it, and pointing at the nut. It was plugged into my Behringer mixer, and into the computer from there.

If I recall correctly, I mixed it so that the two tracks were panned roughly 3:00 and 9:00. IMHO, I think it turned out rather well. If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably try engaging the low cut filters on the preamps, as I had to EQ out some of the "boominess" after it was recorded.

For the above track, check out Don't Change Your Mind (acoustic) .

That said, there is also a track on the same site that I put up for the purposes of another thread. It's called ECM8000 demo, or something like that. It's an intermediate level acoustic guitar (Norman B20) with old strings. (the same one as in the track above) I miked up a pair of ECM8000's (Behringer small diaphragm condensors) in an XY configuration (sort of, anyway... capsules about 2 inches apart, a little less than 90 degree angle) pointing roughly at the 12th fret. Both mics were plugged into my Behringer MX802A mixer (yes... ), and directly to my Delta 44 soundcard into Cubase. There was NO EQ, NO compression, NO effects/signal processing going into Cubase. Once recorded and playing back, I was wishing that I had engaged the Lo cut on the mixer, but I didn't, so I applied only enough EQ to roll off the low frequencies below about 100hz. Nothing else... completely raw.

In retrospect, I should have placed the mics a little lower so that they were angled more toward the top strings than the bottom so as to reduce the "boominess" a bit more naturally... oh, welll...

It's one take (there are mistakes in it), and it's short - about 44 sec. and about a half a meg as mp3.

It sounds like you're in much the same boat as me, so this should be helpful.

Chris

 

[donkeystyle]

you could get an at3035..........i love mine and i don't notice any hiss.....they list for more than you are wanting to spend......but most stores sell them for a lot less than you are wanting so spend......so you should even have money left over

 

[chessparov]

The C1 is plenty quiet, unless someone had an (extremely rare)
defective one. The quality, or lack thereof of your room, is a much
bigger factor. What mic pre are you using?

Chris

 

[bpoco]

DJL

At first, I wasn't even considering an SDC. But, between your thoughts and some additional research, I've decided to go for an SDC. Thanks.


Chris T.

Thanks for the inupt. I checked out "Don't Change Your Mine". It sounded very clean. Good tune. To date, my preferred mic placement is to have the NT1 looking over my shoulder and the SM58 a few inches from the bridge. I also have found I have to roll of the bass on my Mackie quite a bit (all the way in fact) for the NT1. The NT1 didn't come with a high-pass feature.

I still have to check out "ECM8000".

Donkeystyle

Thanks for the recommendation - it led me to a different way of thinking. I checked out the AT3035 at sweetwater.com and it got very good reviews. I also saw the AT3031. It's an SDC mic. I'm now seriously considering it. I'm thinking that a stereo micing of an acoustic with both an LDC and SDC might work well - each one balancing the shortcomings of the other.

chessparov

Thanks. After additional digging, I'm thinking of going with an SDC mic - like I said in my original post, I'm looking for some mic diversity. But, when I'm ready for an LDC mic, it'll either be the C1 or AT3035 (both within my budget).

BPOCO

 

[simpleblue]

If you're going fo a SDC, I would recommend getting a pair of Oktava MC012s. You can get the pair for about $200 at most stores, and it's worth every penny. They sound great on my acoustic.

 

[chessparov]

Be careful on any Oktava's bought from Guitar Center and the like.
The quality control is very poor on them. although you can find "good"
ones, close matching is unlikely.

Chris

 

[DJL]

DJL

At first, I wasn't even considering an SDC. But, between your thoughts and some additional research, I've decided to go for an SDC. Thanks.

I'd also recommend going with a matched pair of SDC or least the same make and model to start with.

 

[petimar]

The large and small diaphram Shure KSM series are very quiet and work great for acoustic instruments. I own the KSM44 and KSM 137 matched pair and use them a lot.

 

[chessparov]

You may also want to check out the Rode NT5's, and if you can wait a bit, the Studio Project C4's-which probably will be worth the wait.

Chris