so what's the deal?

[sponge bob]

I've been hearing little buzzes about the Behringer ECM 8000 mic, and am wondering if anyone who has used them has any comments on them? For $35 a peice, thats got to be too good to be true, isn't it?

What can they be used for effectively?

How do they sound?

Are they just average stuff, or a good performer?

I love small condensors, and am always looking for different "paintbrushes" if you will, to work with. I just don't want joe-average junk. Are they crap or are they cool?

How do you rate them?
Thanks,
Sponge Bob

 

[tdukex]

Bob, I have one and like it on acoustic guitar. I use it in stereo config with a Marshall MXL 603s. In some rooms, I hear they perform very well as drum overheads. Eventually I'll be trying mine on some wind instruments and grand piano. Use the search function and you'll find a lot more comments--most are very positive.

 

[TexRoadkill]

So far I've used one on acoustic guitar and shaker percussion. It works well but I had to use a lot of bass cut on the guitar. Since it is omni you need to have your levels set up as hot as possible. I had mine a little low and there was way too much room noise when it was compressed.

Mixed in with a LD condensor it is pretty nice. I havent had much luck with stereo micing on guitar since the omni's seem to kill the stereo image but I am going to try that a few more times.

 

[Randy Yell]

I've been primarily using mine for drum overheads and they've performed very well.I don't have a lot of experience with other mics,the only other overheads I'ved used are a pair of Nady SD cardoids I have.Compared to the Nadys the ECMs seem smoother,they also do an excellent job at picking up the floor tom (the only drum I don't close mic).

 

[battleminnow]

Definately not too good to be true...

Awesome for OH's, and great if you are like me, and don"t have a multipattern LD yet
I actually set it up about 2 ft back and three feet above the vocalist, pointing right at their forehead. Works really well for a little ambience.

Pete

 

[safarisound]

Get a pair! They are handy and sound great as overheads. IF placed correctly they will give you a very " correct" pickup meaning everything sound the way it should. It doesnt over -emphasize anything, but instead gives you a very realistic perspective.

 

[spiral]

samples!

so who is going to post their example of amazing drum trax with the ecm8000's as overheads or vocals or wherever? i wanna hear.

 

[DaveJ]

Yeah, buy a pair. We tried a pair against some AKG C3000Bs (as overheads) and these little buggers actually came out on top, not bad considering the price difference! I'll be trying them out on acoustic guitar soon and will let you know how that turns out.

 

[Michael Jones]

I tried 'em out, just for kicks, on a 7'-2" grand piano. I think the sound was..... accecptable. I didn't spend a lot of time with them on the piano though as thats not really what I bought them for, but I really think that if I had really experimented with some more judicial placement, the results would have been very good.
I bought them mainly for miking of small acoustic instruments, and choir ensembles.
$35 a piece - hard to go wrong.

 

[knownuttin]

Sponge, in case you're not reading between the lines here, they're what you call "good for the money". IOW, a great bottom-feeder buy. If you have no money or omnis, get em without hesitation. If you're a bit of a gear snob (nothing wrong with that) who is used to spending some bux on quality, well...they're not Earthworks, ya know? Placed well in a good sounding environment with a fairly strong source to weight the S/N ratio in your favor and through a nice clean pre, they can deliver good, very usable recordings. That's all most of us home-reccers ask. Specially for under $40 apiece. But always take note when everyone mentions the price! It may not be as big a factor to you.
-kent