Please help!!! (roland part 2)

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theflyingfoal

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Doesn't look like anyone is going to answer my first post. Have read through loads of posts on this site (v. good by the way) and am totally overloaded with info! I would be really grateful if someone could point me in the right direction...

To recap, just got a decent old roland 880 v-xpanded and am now trying to figure out what sort of mike(s) would be best for what I need:

vocals / guitar / accordian

vox - v. expressive, mix of spoken word and singing, sometimes loud and clear Angellic, sometimes breathy and broken voice so looking for something that can handle sudden changes in range / expression / performance, and pick up diction

guitar - Tanglewood acoustic; folk style, lots of finger-picking

accordian - very old and grand Hohner Verdi, again folky style (this is a really loud powerful instrument even when played gently)

all via the roland

please help! Don't have loads of money, was hoping someone could recommend a decent mike or option that is sort of a line of best fit through these things, any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks for your help and time

The Foal
 
guido #2 said:
Sounds like you need a few condensers.
Not a ton o' cash? Look at the MXL / Marshall brand.
Try something like these for your instruments
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=rec/search/detail/base_pid/273171/
And something like this for the vox
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=rec/search/detail/base_pid/273156/
Cheap, but should be effective.
And don't forget a pop filter!
Click to expand...
thanks guido

everybody is telling me something different!! oh well, I guess it gives me options. The Rode NT1a has been recommended by a couple of guys, what is your take on that model?
 
Rode NT1: WAY superior to anything that I suggested (MXL), but not nearly as CHEAP! :)
 
guido, I was told the rode nt1 would work better with the roland itself than its competitors...if this is true what would be a good price for one (from my point of view as the buyer) cheers
 
You do realize you will have to have an external preamp to provide phantom power for any of the condersor mics listed above?

The Roland VS series have the most useless manuals known to mankind. A happy side-effect is a burgeoning community of users online. Here
 
I would pick up a couple of small-diaphragm condensers, Studio Projects C4 and Røde NT5 are my favourites, and a large-diaphragm one for your vocals ... something with a bit of a presence peak will help you with the spoken-word stuff, so Studio Projects C1 or Røde NT2a would be a couple of obvious ones ... the NT2a in particular has very low self-noise so would be fine if you're speaking quietly.

All this depends on your preamps, though - and as ermghoti said, you will need something with +48V phantom power.
 
GC is having a blowout sale on Oktava mics. It might be a little hard to find a store that has the mics, but they're hard to beat especially at the discount price. The MK319 is a very underated mic and would be a good option for vox and maybe the accordian. You can get a pair of MC-012's for you small diaphram condensors to record the guitar and/or accordian with, the MXL 603 matched pairs in the flight case w/shockmounts is a great deal, you can find them on ebay for under 200 bucks.
I personally didn't care for the NT1A's, supposedly the original NT1's were pretty good, but then Rode changed components and manufacturing processes and the sound suffered.
 
reshp1 said:
...the MXL 603 matched pairs in the flight case w/shockmounts is a great deal, you can find them on ebay for under 200 bucks.
I personally didn't care for the NT1A's, supposedly the original NT1's were pretty good, but then Rode changed components and manufacturing processes and the sound suffered.
Click to expand...
The MXL603 pairs on ebay under $200 are NOT matched. They are simply a pair. I don't how much difference this makes in sound, but the matched pairs generally go for about $100 more.

I have the original Rode NT1. It was my first condensor. It sounds nice on my cheapo Sigma acoustic because the acoustic is kind of bassy, almost muddy in tone. The NT1 tends to be too bright on many sources. The good things about the NT1 are low noise and good detail. I have no experience with the NT1A. I personally would not suggest the NT1 as your only condenser. I don't think it's as versatile as a lot of other low-end LDCs.

I don't have any of the Studio Projects mikes yet, but a LOT of people like them. They have about 4 or 5 models that are very inexpensive, and I've heard songs recorded with them that sounded fabulous. Check out the samples that Robertt8 posted in this thread: https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=168900

if you decide to try the Oktavas at GC, don't forget, they have horrible quality control. You may have to try 20 of them to get a good one. Or you might get lucky and only have to try 19. :D
 
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