So I pulled out the SP B1 again

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malcolm123

malcolm123

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As I stated before I purchased a SP B1 a while back and when I replaced my V67g with the B1 for some vox we were working on , it didnt last 5 mins before I pulled it down.

So the past weekend I decided to give the B1 another try but using it for a different application. So im working on this track and thought, hey I would love some acoustic guitar in this song. Well we have a little cheap ass toy type acoustic guitar in the studio thats mostly for looks. I cant play guitar ( I play Bass) but I can pull off some basics and stay in key with a song. So I tuned up the little acoustic and pulled out the B1. I have never tracked acoustic before but I do remember reading to place it around the 12th fret so I did. Well I tracked the acoustic with the B1 and listened to the playback. Sounds pretty good. nothing more nothing less. Clean I guess would be a way to discribe it.

I tracked it straight to the Tascam DM24 pre flat.

So then I pulled out the V67g and unplugged the B1 from the stand and tracked the same thing again. The sound was different but I prefer it more. The V67g had more bottom end and a little more upfront sound. Fuller I guess.

So the next day I had a real guitar player come in with his electric , cab, pedals and sh@t. So I tracked him with the V67 first. The sound was a little too much for this setup. Im not sure if it was his cab settings or whatever. SO I told him not to changed nothing and I unplugged the V67g and put the SP B1 up there. Tracked him again and played it back. He looked at me and asked what kind of mic is that. The B1 won hands down.

It captured the sound the best.

Summary = Different mics for different situations, days, climate, etc.

Im learning guys !!

Malcolm
Again my .02 for us newbies
 
Congratulations :)

Happens to me all the time and it only gets worse the more mics you have. Mentally your going to start building a database that takes some of the guesswork out, but resist that temptation and try them all before you make your choice.

Joe Chicarrelli has auditioned as many as 30 mics to find the one he thinks will work at that moment.

SoMm
 
Just to help me add to my mental database..

What kind of vocals were they, and what kind of guitar/amp/music?

Thanks
 
Any good engineer will put up about four mikes and ask the talent/client to play, sing, or whatever it is they do. This way, the engineer while selecting what he/she thinks is best for the application can then decide which sounds best.

Believe me, it changes all the time. The B1 may not have done well on that baby acoustic you tried, but on a Martin D35 or other guitars, the B1 may have won hands down... So, keep trying, you will get plenty use out of all your mics. Any one can be the one...That Day!

Alan Hyatt
PMI Audio Group
 
alanhyatt said:
Any good engineer will put up about four mikes and ask the talent/client to play, sing, or whatever it is they do. This way, the engineer while selecting what he/she thinks is best for the application can then decide which sounds best.

Believe me, it changes all the time. The B1 may not have done well on that baby acoustic you tried, but on a Martin D35 or other guitars, the B1 may have won hands down... So, keep trying, you will get plenty use out of all your mics. Any one can be the one...That Day!

Alan Hyatt
PMI Audio Group
Click to expand...


Thanks Alan,
Im learning. Im sure that I will get more than enough use out of the B1. To me it has already paid for it's self with the last tracking I used it for. After the guitar player heard the sound of the B1, he wants me to squeeze him in for a private session to record some of his own material. My studio is pretty private, but this guy has always helped me so in turn I will return the favor with a cheap rate. I paid around 90 bucks for my B1, so I told him when time permits, I would track a whole song for him for 90 bucks. So there goes my investment.

Im thinking about picking up a couple more.

Malcolm
 
Kudos. Malcolm. The results were predictable. The V67 is darker, and more colored than the B-1. The guitar is weak, so the V67 added bass and presence. If the guitar had that already, the 67 might be too much, and sound boomy or muddy. The B-1 is a utility mic, maybe a little bright, but it sounds pretty good on acoustic, and has applications for percusssion, woodwinds, strings. For most vocals, I prefer dark and colored.-Richie
 
alanhyatt said:
Any good engineer will put up about four mikes and ask the talent/client to play, sing, or whatever it is they do. This way, the engineer while selecting what he/she thinks is best for the application can then decide which sounds best.

Believe me, it changes all the time. The B1 may not have done well on that baby acoustic you tried, but on a Martin D35 or other guitars, the B1 may have won hands down... So, keep trying, you will get plenty use out of all your mics. Any one can be the one...That Day!

Alan Hyatt
PMI Audio Group
Click to expand...

I recently discovered that the B1 works pretty well on Taylors too :)

SoMm
 
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