small diaphragm condensor for acoustic guitar

  • Thread starter Thread starter jamie_drum
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roadwarrior said:
Why not try a MSH-1M from Niantic. It was 22 bucks and sounds like a Grand. Not only on acoustic guitar, but also on voice (go figure). I can't believe this little sucker.....how does he do it...........does wonders for my Martin and Taylor acoustic (and MY voice).
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Or the MSH-1O (That's O for Omni.) Spaced pair, wonderful recording. And you'll have $ left over to buy those other schmantzy mics. Oh, it's Naiant, btw.

http://naiant.com/studiostore/studiomicrophones.html
 
I haven't tried a lot of the others, but I am a BIG fan of the sm81's. They are extremely accurate.
 
Ironklad Audio said:
yea, using multiple mics with multiple sources makes things a little stickier from a phase standpoint...i personally prefer to record the guitars by themselves, then overdub the vocals over the top, so i only have to try to perfect one thing at a time
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agreed unless that's how they do it. geeze most people that do sing and play at the same time rock back and forth and stuff too.... :mad:

definitely a challenge.

Mike
 
I like my MSH (Naiant) mics but also like my SP C4s. Funny though, I don't hear about the C4s too much around here.
 
For $400, you have a lot of selection. The selection expands considerably if you buy used. Aside from mics already mentioned, I like the Audio Technica AT4051 (or AT4053) and the Josephson C42 for SD condensors. The ATs run @$250 each used. The C42 runs @$350-400 used. You could also consider a Groove Tubes AM40/GT44/GT40 which is a tube MD condensor that, IMHO, sounds great on acoustic guitar. They run about $250 or so on e-bay. I prefer them to the FET AM30/GT33 model. Another mic which works pretty well and can be a bargain if you find one is the Beyer MCE93 or 94. These are SD condensors that never seemed to get popular in the US and as a consequence seem to go cheap on e-bay. I bought a couple pairs for around $225 a pair. I think they list at @$500 each. The MCE94 takes a battery as well.

Here are some nice review links:

http://emusician.com/mics/emusic_smokin_condensers/

http://emusician.com/mics/emusic_tell_truth/

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun...=yes&session=a0aed17f32f9780b3ab28f9b0d542595
 
I'm going to go out on a limb and say MSH-4.

BTW, I'm not seeing that on their store this week. I was just thinking I should get a second one.... Sweet little mic. MsHilarious?
 
Another vote for the MSH-1O, however, if you're willing to spend 400 bucks, I think the SM81 is very sweet. But the MSH mics cannot be beat!
 
dgatwood said:
I'm going to go out on a limb and say MSH-4.

BTW, I'm not seeing that on their store this week. I was just thinking I should get a second one.... Sweet little mic. MsHilarious?
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Out of stock until next year.
 
another vote for two SM81s, or even 1. Currently, I run two in X/Y into one stereo track, and use a third input channel for an acoustic pickup -- mono track. Then, I leave the stereo mic'ed track alone (because I can pretty much only make it sound worse) and put some reverb on the pickup track. Still playing with this, but I like the results for all the configs I've tried with the SM81s. If you're amenable to used mics, the SM81s are durable enough (and non-vocal enough) to be considered that way -- I got mine used at different times.
 
For a cheap but excellent small diaghragm "condenser", You owe it to yourself to try out the ElectroVoice CO4 (actually a dynamic mike). They are dirt cheap, and accurate. I have a matched set of Earthworks QTC1s to compare directly to, and yes, there is a difference, but it is not a $2000 difference !
Check it out. If I am wrong, you just use the CO4 for miking something else. They are only $59 ! ...but I am not wrong. They are an amazingly realistic and accurate mike.

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jamie_drum said:
I currently record vocals and acoustic guitar with a Rode NT1-A, which I really like. However. I would like to get a second mic so I can record the vocals and acoustic guitar together, instead of in two separate takes.

Most of what I read recommends a small diaphragm condensor for this sort of application. Any recommendations? Is the Rode NT5 a good choice?

I am thinking < $400 here. My current signal path is mic--> M-Audio DMP3 --> Audiophile 2496 soundcard.
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If you like NT1-A in guitar then get one new NT1-A or a pair I think your budget would fit.
 
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