Pair of SDC's around £500 for classical recording?

dickiefunk

dickiefunk

New member
Hi,

I'm looking to buy a pair of SDC's for location recording of classic vocal groups and ensembles.
So far I've tried the Rode NT5's and JZ BT201's. From my experience of these I would say the NT'5s are more suited to classical recordings as the have a much higher output and lower signal to noise ratio. Also, whilst the JZ BT201's are very nice sounding mics and have a little more "air" to their sound they lack the depth and low frequencies that the Rode's pick up.
I've been told the Omni capsules for the Rode's are actually very good indeed but I haven't tried these yet.

Other mics I'm considering are the Rode NT55's, Peluso CEMC-6 and AKGc451b though these don't come with omni capsules and I would need to save up for those at a later date.

Has anyone had any experience with these mics?

Which of these has the highest output and lowest noise in real world applications?
 
The Oktava MK-012 would be my first choice ..... In that price range.

You can find them used all over the net at really good deals.
 
agree about the oktava mk-012 being better, they are probably a step up but not by much, a bit less hyped than the rode nt5 mics. The Rode M5 mics are surprisingly good for the money but don't have the ultra low self noise of the NT5. Personally I think you'd have to spend a huge amount more and get the Neumann KM184 mics for a noticable upgrade in quality and even then unless your pre-amps and AD/DA conversion is high quality it's not even worth it.
 
I just bought a pair of KSM137's from Moresound for the same reason. I got the first chance to try them last week. Sound great on small wind ensembles.

I've used AKG C4000's before on school concert bands with good success. I don't know how much they cost, they were the school's mics.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. I have considered the Oktava MK012's but am put off by the inconsistent build quality and slightly higher self noise.
I've recently come across the Oktavamod MJE-384k capsules for the NT5's which from the audio clips sound great! I am seriously tempted to buy the NT55's and get the MJE-384k capsules at a later date. This would give me a variety of tones with the stock NT55 capsules and the MJE-384k capsule,
 
You can't go wrong with NT-55 matched pair - I used them for my recent chamber choir & ensemble concert together with pair of AKG C214...
 
IMHO, the Audio Technica AT 4041 is one of the most underrated mics on the market for acoustic instruments. Here's a link to a good deal for a stereo pair. Check out the reviews in Sound On Sound and Mix magazines. I highly recommend this mic for acoustic instruments. Darn good SDC mic.

at 4041 | Sweetwater.com


Tom
 
I used a T-bar with about 75° angle and 5 ft away from the ensemble. No EQ, just a little limiting to get the volume up.

Here's another. Give it a minute or two and you can hear the clarity of the high notes. Love these mics.

View attachment Ensemble02.mp3
 
AKG offers in their Blue line the SE300 mic pre-amp body that will pair with various pattern capsules with omni, cardioid, hyper cardioid, Figure 8 and shotgun options. Like most AKG pro mics they have pad and bottom roll-off options. These perform only slightly below the C451. I have both and find that I use the 300 series over the c451's simply because of versatility. The SE300 retails about US$300 and the capsules are generally available around US$200. Don't know how that translates to pounds or euros. These are very professional mics, and if you don't get good results it's probably not the mics.
 
And about the stereo pair thing. Depending on your set-up, I think a stereo pair is over-rated. Yes, I know about paired pick-up options, but for my money two mics of the same manufacture and vintage will usually sound close enough that the premium paid for a matched pair is not worth it in my opinion. And for other stereo applications you're recording different instruments/voices anyway.
 
In this range, i would look for a matched pair of Beyerdynamic MC models. I have MC930s, but also have found the MC830 and OPUS83s to be magically the same mic minus the pad and low cut switches. They are all very hi SPL handling so never had a need for the pad. I find I use the Opus83s most often for a variety of uses, as piano close mice, horns, strings, guitar etc... they can be had for a sweet deal compared to the MC930s, which I like too.

Just a suggestion as the prices on these are quite low and the performance is absolutely pro in terms of low noise, a fairly flat response, and a nice round sound that is not shrill or too hyped.

Best of luck
 
Really just about any of the mics mentioned here will produce excellent recordings. And remember, well placed $300 mics can sound better than poorly placed $1800 mics. Mic placement is everything when it comes to recording.


Tom
 
No doubt in my mind. The AKG "Blueline" 391EBs for new or, if you can find them, the C451EB (though these are so good that second hand ones seem to be going UP in value now). Short of super expensive specialist mics, there's nothing else comes close.

Well, to contradict myself, the sE1A comes sort of close for rather less money.

But listing the the AKGs if you can.
 
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