Poll: Versatile large condenser, <$100.

Versatile first home studio mic, <$100.

  • Audio-Technica AT2020

    Votes: 25 11.3%

  • Behringer B1

    Votes: 18 8.1%

  • CAD GXL2200

    Votes: 1 0.5%

  • CAD GXL2400

    Votes: 7 3.2%

  • M-Audio Nova

    Votes: 9 4.1%

  • Oktava MC-319

    Votes: 25 11.3%

  • MXL V67G

    Votes: 33 14.9%

  • MXL 770

    Votes: 1 0.5%

  • MXL 990

    Votes: 22 9.9%

  • MXL 2006

    Votes: 5 2.3%

  • Studio Projects B1

    Votes: 74 33.3%

  • TSM MT87s

    Votes: 2 0.9%
  • Total voters
    222
M

mrelwood

New member
I know, this has been discussed over and over again. Once and for all I want to gather the whole genre at the same table for all of us to bark at. This is mostly to help all my friends asking about this all the time. I might get some of my own if I find a good one.

This kind of mic is mostly used on vocals. Being a budget mic I think the buyer wants to use the same mic for both female and male voices. Too much coloring is not good since the mic has to flatter everyones voice. The mic has to be able to get good results on an acoustic guitar, bongos, harmonica, recorder, flute, and pretty much anything found at a beginner recording enthusiast's parents house.

My example of a helpful post:
------------------------------------
I have experience with TSM MT87 (100eur), Rode NT-1 (190eur), Neumann TLM-103 ($$$eur). I find the 103 bright enough to be called thin, NT-1 is very close to TSM although TSM has a bit more natural sounding high end. From these, TSM was my choice for my own voice, and has served me really well even with guitars, guitar cabs, even drums.
------------------------------------

I am going to make some testing when our shop gets some MXL's. It might take a while, and I want to know what mics I should gather up for testing. MXL 770 looks inviting regarding the frequency curve.

So go ahead, shoot!


-Aki.
 
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I went with the MK-319. Probably no right answer here.
I've done a few mods to my MK319, (removed HF disc, removed all but one layer of mesh, dampened chamber, replaced bypass capacitors, various other components, and now it sounds damn good. (Not nearly as "dark" as stock) I'm sure similar mods would improve all the mics on the ballot.
 
reshp1 said:
(removed HF disc, removed all but one layer of mesh, dampened chamber, replaced bypass capacitors, various other components, and now it sounds damn good. (Not nearly as "dark" as stock) I'm sure similar mods would improve all the mics on the ballot.
Click to expand...
Hey, that sounds like a good idea! It would be most valuable to have some more details. I'm familiar on electronics, but not with microphones, and I'd love to try "tuning" my TSMs.

What is a HF disc? I understood that ceramic caps are bad, correct? I've got 15 caps visible, and 13 of them I believe are ceramic, two polyester. All but two of the resistors are metal film (as far as I can tell, blue, 5 stripes). Two are half the length of a regular resistor, 3 stripes: yellow-purple-black. How can I enhance this microphone?

-Aki.
 
have a pair of 319s and i think (this is an opinion thread after all) they are better even stock than the others mentioned.

really, i've gotten some pimp vox sounds out of them.
(depends on the singer, bla bla bla.....)

use them on electric git a lot, and occ on bass
 
mrelwood said:
Hey, that sounds like a good idea! It would be most valuable to have some more details. I'm familiar on electronics, but not with microphones, and I'd love to try "tuning" my TSMs.

What is a HF disc? I understood that ceramic caps are bad, correct? I've got 15 caps visible, and 13 of them I believe are ceramic, two polyester. All but two of the resistors are metal film (as far as I can tell, blue, 5 stripes). Two are half the length of a regular resistor, 3 stripes: yellow-purple-black. How can I enhance this microphone?

-Aki.
Click to expand...

This thread explains the details of the mods.

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=131639&highlight=mk319+mods

The HF disc is a plastic disc with holes that's placed in front of the diaphram, setting up a resonance chamber and boosting HF. The downside is that it smears the transient response.

There's probably only a handful of caps that the signal goes through, you'll need a schem or trace the PCB to figure out which. The most bang for buck is to replace the cap directly connected to the capsule. I used a Mouser part no. 23PW210 polystyrene cap.

Lots of VERY knowledgable DIY'ers on this site that can tell you more.
http://www.prodigy-pro.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=2

Sorry for the hijack :D
 
For me, the problem with such polls is that most of us have not used everything on the list and tend to go with what works for us--even if it's second class (and we don't know it). Still, it's interesting to see people's thoughts.

I use a couple of SP B1s and really like them for recording acoustic stringed instruments in my small home studio. All the other mics I use are in a pro studio I sometimes work at (studio guitarist), and they do sound better. In fact, everything sounds better there because all of the equipment and the space itself are top-notch.

Are there better budget mics than the SP B1? Maybe. I wish I could try them all in a budget mic shoot-out--in my own studio. Then I'd know, at least for my own needs.

Best,

J.
 
jeffree said:
For me, the problem with such polls is that most of us have not used everything on the list and tend to go with what works for us--even if it's second class (and we don't know it).
Click to expand...
I agree... and dealers, maufactures, distribution companies and etc vote for their products.
 
jeffree said:
For me, the problem with such polls is that most of us have not used everything on the list and tend to go with what works for us--even if it's second class (and we don't know it). Still, it's interesting to see people's thoughts.
Click to expand...

I thought about this. I think that if enough polls are given, I will atleast see which models are used the most. And hopefully someone can give me comparisons even between a few models, that would help me tighten the group for the mic test I'm going to do later on when I get my hands on some MXLs.


-Aki.
 
Thank You everyone for participating. It seems like this really is only measuring what people are currently using. I'm rather surprised at the MXL V67G is doing so good, since already the frequency response curve tells that it has an early fall off already under 200Hz. This is why I think it wouldn't be the optimal mic for versatile home studio usage. However, it will definitely be included in our mic test later on. MXL 990 is a strong contender, but then again, I can only guess looking at the frequency curve and the polar pattern.


Thanks, ya all!

-Aki.
 
mrelwood said:
I'm rather surprised at the MXL V67G is doing so good, since already the frequency response curve tells that it has an early fall off already under 200Hz. This is why I think it wouldn't be the optimal mic for versatile home studio usage.
Click to expand...

I guess the actual sound of a mic is more important than the frequency response. The V67G is a coloured mic (i.e. it has an uneven frequency response and distorts "pleasantly" in some ranges), but apparently sound good on many vocals.

I think that a lot of us hr-ers often have a vocal in the mix at a most prominent place, so having a mic that gives you a good vocal sound, even if the guitars are only so-so, may make sense to many people. But of course if you record mainly bag-pipes and tablas, then you may have different priorities ;)

BTW, having a roll-off under 200 Hz is not necessarily bad. If your room is untreated, there will typically be a lot of mud in that area in your recordings, so it may pay off to go a little easy on those frequencies... and of course, if you listen to the mix in the same room, you may not even notice that something is missing in that area.

Just some perspective. I didn't vote for the V67G...


-- Per.
 
baekgaard said:
I guess the actual sound of a mic is more important than the frequency response. The V67G is a coloured mic (i.e. it has an uneven frequency response and distorts "pleasantly" in some ranges), but apparently sound good on many vocals.

I think that a lot of us hr-ers often have a vocal in the mix at a most prominent place, so having a mic that gives you a good vocal sound, even if the guitars are only so-so...
Click to expand...

Good points, makes sense. I use a plug-in hi-pass filter a lot while mixing, and it feels comfortable to be able to decide the frequency and curve myself. Then again, if the mic makes it more naturally, it could be better. Just have to remember that when choosing a mic for the resonant head of a bass drum.
:p

I sure do have to take that one in the test, since it seems to be the most used MXL mic for recording vocals.


-Aki.
 
mic's and phones

Hey Mrelwood...we need to talk $$ mics. PM if interested.

I just bought a MXL 990/991 dual set last night. I just wanted to
try the smdc/991. $89 for set.

I don't want the 990.
I also want to upgrade my SPB1 to a C3or T3 somehting.
Will be selling the SPB1 too.

I'm a solo-smuck, and only need one or two mics...most.so like the 991 is
ok for acoustic, and want a nice VoxMic into my JMeek.

being a family guy, i don't have luxury to keep a bunch of "extras" laying around....
 
mhelin said:
Aki,
The MXL990 is not really a large diameter capsule condencer, it's got the same capsule as 991 and 603 I think, the 20 mm one. Though the housing may give it bigger sound as well. I've heard good samples of it on acoustic (was it at www.keyboards.de or http://www.thelisteningsessions.com , don't remember).
Click to expand...


yea...i was just about to say that...same goes for the 770...just an updated version of the 990 i think...
 
I'd spend a few extra bucks and get an MXLV93/2003. That mic is pretty damn versatile. I've used it on just about anything with very usable results. Works well on vox, acoustic, elec, drums etc.
 
the problem is, who has all those mics to compare? you might end up with a popularity poll, as in who has one of these mics....
 
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