Only one condenser

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Wireneck

Wireneck

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If you had to choose only one condenser mic for vocals (mainly rock) that would work well with a variety of voices, in the $500 (used or new, prob used) range, what would it be?
I realize there is no one shoe fits all when it comes to vocals and microphones. I don't sing so I can't just choose the best mic for my voice. Im hoping to have my entire setup revamped with nicer mics/gear within the next two years. Im starting with my mic collection. Right now I own a studio projects B1 and a At 3035 for vocals. I would like to have something a little bit nicer. I really want to own a BLUE mic but thats more of an appearence thing than actually having demo'ed them.
Is there any one mic that you would automatically go to with a client if their wasn't time to A/b a ton of mics in your locker? Suggestions and thoughts appreciated.....
 
Any idea what the Ksm44 is running for used? There are a few on ebay but they are all brand new. Just curious
 
I'll Third the KSM44..I think I paid about 650.00..But that was awhile ago :)
 
I got my 2nd KSM44 on ebay for $360. In mint condition. You need to check a few times a day, and search for both KSM44 and KSM-44. Mine had been posted for under 2 hours when I snapped it up. A real versatile and great sounding mic.
 
You can't go wrong with that Shure for a good all purpose mic.

War
 
Haven't used the KSM44, but chessrock tells me it's quite similar in sound to the AT4050, which is a very handy mic in the same range. A league above what you have in terms of detail and top end clarity IMVHO.
 
I was in the same position a few months ago with a $500 budget and it came down to the Shure KSM44 used or a new Blue Baby Bottle. I ended up going with the Baby Bottle ($560 out the door with shockmount, pop filter & cable).

I chose the Baby Bottle over the KSM44 because the Baby Bottle has less presence and seemed a great fit for my voice. I am entirely happy with it and recommend it. I have not used the Baby Bottle on other voices as of yet though; if you plan on recording many different types of voices I can't vouch for how it will sound.
 
i am curious about the ntk versus the ksm 44 also....since those are the two most expensive all around mics i am considering.....and i do mostly vocals......acappella to be exact.
 
Id get a Marshall MXLv67G, a Marshall 2003, and a Marshall MXLv69......
 
KSM44 or the AT 4047. The NTK can be really sweet but it is probably not as versatile as the other two.

The AT 4047 is one of my favorite mics.
 
Gidge said:
Id get a Marshall MXLv67G, a Marshall 2003, and a Marshall MXLv69......
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Marshall MXLv67G - $98 + s&h. Is this a good price?
 
Studio Projects T3, or the Electro-Voice RE20 (even though it's a dynamic).

With all due respect, however, getting quality vocals on what you already have is an engineering issue. The B1 and 3035 are both nice vocal mics to begin with. They won't inherently prevent someone from getting a good performance recorded well.

How good does your recording room sound BTW?
Is it treated?

Chris
 
With all due respect, however, getting quality vocals on what you already have is an engineering issue. The B1 and 3035 are both nice vocal mics to begin with. They won't inherently prevent someone from getting a good performance recorded well.
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You speak the truth but I never said I was getting bad results with the mics I currently own. At this point I don't even plan on getting rid of them. Im upgrading EVERYTHING and just wanted some opinions on mics a little further up the chain.

With that said how does the Ksm32 compare to the 44? I know the 44 is multipattern but aside from that, how do they compare?
 
Well, it just so happens that I've been doing a LOT of comparative listening to these two mics, recently. (On a mic sampler CD by 3D Audio.) Here are my impressions:

The 32 is definitely flatter, as others have mentioned on this board. It is about as neutral in freq. response as you could ask for in a moderately priced LDC. You could probably do stereo location recording with two of these mics, in fact. This is a medium diaphram eletret (sp?) condenser, meaning that it is "permanently charged" (although it still requires phantom power to operate).

The 44 has a very similar tone in the midrange, but has a slight "smiley face" curve. That is to say, both the highs and the lows gently curve upward. Makes for a very nice sounding mic. Would be great for all sorts of applications, I would think. Others have also mentioned the similarity between the KSM-44 and the AT4050. I read an on-line review where the reviewer noticed this and actually checked them both on test equipment. Indeed, the freq. curve is almost identical. Close enough that they are virtually interchangeable as far as applications go. The Shure is $100 more new, but has a better shock mount. The KSM-44 is a large diaphram "true condenser."

BTW, for what it's worth, I've been looking at LDC's in the same general price range. I've about settled on the KSM-27 (which is the single diaphram baby brother of the 44 - it is otherwise identical, but has only one diaphram, thus only operates in cardioid mode) AND an ADK A-51 "Hamburg," which is voiced similar to a vintage Neumman. Both together come in at less than the price of a new KSM-44. For the same price as the Hamburg, the "Vienna" is voiced like a C12 (much brighter, in other words), which might work better for rock stuff. Both are transistor mics, though, not tube mics.

Hope this helps ya.
Brad
 
Is there a mic I could go to without having time to audition different mics?

Yes, it's the AT4040. It's not the best mic I have but it does a fairly good job with most sources. I don't think I've ever found it to be the numero uno mic for any voice but most times it's number two or three. You could sell your other two mics without missing them if you went this route.

Chessrock has made the comment before about the Blue Dragonfly and the Shure SM7B (or maybe the EV RE20) being two mics for a project studio to cover most all vocal tasks. I've found this to be a good observation in practice.
 
cellardweller said:
Marshall MXLv67G - $98 + s&h. Is this a good price?
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thats the going rate....i think i paid $179 for mine a couple of years ago :eek:


this place has it for $89.10 but i dont know how reputable they are....if you are more comfortable dealer with someone else maybe get them to price match it.......
 
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