Some nice mics!

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Soundscapemusic

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My first decent condenser mic was a AKG C3000. I still use it on a regular basis. It is a very good mic for the price. (about $300) It does well on vocals, acoustic guitar, and some drum applications. I didn't like it a great deal on electric guitar but then again it pays to try anything!

Audio Technica's make great mics. I have an AT 4050 & 4060. Both excellent mics! FET and Tube respectively. These mics are well made, offer a great sound for price, and are extremely versatile. These are fairly expensive mics but it is worth saving for them.

Cascade makes some pretty darn nice mics as well. I have two M35's which have proved good for drum overheads and vocals, as well as acoustic and electric guitars.

I have had the pleasure to use mics that cost more than my car. But until I can afford those mics, these are what I have found useful. I use many dynamics like 421 and SM57 and 58. I would also highly recomend an Audio Technica PRo37. It's a small diaphram condensor dirt cheap but it rocks!

Anyone else with some mics they like please tell!

Thanks
 
I came close to buying the Pro37's, mainly because of the TapeOp review, but didn't because I was worried they would be too harsh. Do you think you could post some clips where you used the 37's? I would love to hear them! Thanks.
 
If your asking about mics in which we like...

Soundelux, ADK, and Blue are my favorite.
I've only used 2 Soundelux mics, U195, and iFET7, both which were incredible, U195 which because my all time fav mic.

As for ADK, I've yet to come across a mic they make that sounds bad.
And Blue is just a creative company, and I like the way they, for the most part, sound.
 
Cheap but great:

Oktava MC012. I have used them on toms on almost every session I have done since early '99.

The E602 kick drum mic. I have used that on a zillion sessions now... This is my primary inside kick mic regardless of genre. The outside kick mic will be the thing I change from style to style these days...

Oktava ML52 ribbon: I have used this thing a bunch on electric guitar. The secret is to use a shock mount, as it also seems to deaden the ringing shell as well....

EV RE11: I have thrown this in front of all kinds of things over the years. Out of all the recordings i have ever done, this mic is on about a third of them. Usually as a "wild card" mic for the drums. Throw it under the floor tom, sort of aiming at the kick, and roll!
 
I agree on the Oktava MC012 being cool, but its main coolness (here) resides on acoustic guitar stuff. I like the thwack and wood you can get out of the Russian made ones! The pick attack is accented REALLY well. If you have trouble finding the old Russian made ones the AT4041 actually delivers a pretty similar sound in all respects.

The CAD M179 is one of the greatest all purpose mics you can pick up, at any price. Nowadays I primarily use them on drums (I own a fair amount of mics) and they are now receiving close mic tom-tom duties over EVERYTHING else. But they'll kick ass just about anywhere you point them. Know that low/mid boxiness you have to EQ out of your favorite dynamic mic? Pretty much no worries with the M179 on toms. Must use the pad.

The AEA R84 has forever improved the guitar amp sounds I'm putting out now, and is such a huge flavor for certain vocals...overhead drums...room mics...strings...sax...sweet.

The E/V ND468 (now booted from tom-tom duty by the M179's) still make a great guitar cab mic when you want a smaller, tighter sound. Let's face it, there isn't always room in a dense mix for a huge honkin' guitar sound...the ND468 affords a cutting sound and takes up a small amount of sonic "real estate" in the mix. It's a specific reach that it kicks ass on (it can make a good voiceover mic as well, it's very proximity dependent and doesn't boom much).

The CAD VX2 (discontinued) is an excellent "go to" vocal mic, and will excel at anything you point it at. They originally came with 2 capsules and I typically choose the 1.25" for vocal duties and the 1.1" for acoustic instrument / drum type duties (it's a bit brighter). If you see one on eBay...snap it up. I feel like I can freely suggest this now that I have a pair! :) Seriously, this mic kills on vox. I have yet to find a singer that it didn't sound great on (not just good...great!).

The sE Electronics SE3, like the E/V ND468 above gets special mention for doing one thing really well: snare drum. The SE3 makes an SM57 sound like you're beating on a cardboard box by comparison, just smokes it. On everything else the SE3 is "good", but in a recent shootout against many industry standard mics it ate them all for lunch on snare. Must use the pad.

The AT804 is an excellent cheap mic that sounds good on clean electric guitar cabs. It's an omni dynamic, and can be placed right on the speaker without low end problems in most cases and rolls off the high end just right for clean guitar work. It's the only thing I reach for it on, but again it nails it pretty nicely without as much of that tizziness in your ears that you have to EQ out later.

War
 
Underappreciated mics that I have and like:

Beyer MC834 LD cardioid -- cardioid only LD condensor with roll off and pad -- very "realistic" (as opposed to "flattering") and "flat" microphone - really great room mic and sometimes a bargain since they are pretty unknown (list for better than $1000 but show up on e-bay for @ $350 or so)

Beyer M201 SD dynamic - SM-57 on steroids -- guitars, snare, whatever

Actually I like about everything by Beyer and they do seem to be relatively unknown with the exception of the M-88 and maybe the M-160 ribbon mic.

Groove Tubes AM-40/GT-44 MD tube mic -- wonderful acoustic instrument mic with a bit of tube sheen -- a bargain on the used market (or if you got one when GC was blowing them out for $200 last year)

Audix VX-10 hand held condensor - great live and recording vocal mic - IMHO comparable to Neuman KMS 105

Audio Technica AT-4054 hand held condensor - AT-4050 capsule (cardioid only) in a hand held mic -- discontinued and now a bargain on e-bay when you can find them. Great for recording singers that really want to hold the mic.

Beyer M-500 ribbon mic - discontinued vocal ribbon mic - sounds fabulous on some voices that need a little presence peak but with ribbon smoothness.

Groove Tubes MD series (1,2,3 and 1a, 2a, 3a) Original GT tube mics (pre Alesis and M-Audio) - hand built like tanks with replaceable tubes. Wonderful for lots of things. I have models 1a and 3 and wouldn't mind picking up a 2a as well. I believe that Models 2 and 3 have Josephson designed capsules. Model 1a sounds just terrific on electric guitars.
 
Shure SM81s: Very accurate. Great for OHs and acoustic guitars. Not exactly cheap, but definitely cheaper then some of the other SDCs out there like the KM84s, AKG C451s.

Shure Unidyne 545 IIIs: You can find these VERY cheap (I got a pair on Ebay for $65). Just like the SM57 except they sound better. Made in the U.S.A.

AT4033: Does everything well, but doesn't necessarily "shine" on anything. Great mic to have lying around. Cheap too.
 
Joel Hamilton said:
Cheap but great:


EV RE11: I have thrown this in front of all kinds of things over the years. Out of all the recordings i have ever done, this mic is on about a third of them. Usually as a "wild card" mic for the drums. Throw it under the floor tom, sort of aiming at the kick, and roll!
Click to expand...

That RE11, and the RE ds35 or something like that are awesome mics. The midrange on those mics are great. Got them both for less than 30 bucks...
 
All those older EV mics -- RE10, RE11, RE15, RE16 and RE18 are great, cheap and well worth picking up. All can be had for under $100 used (often well under $100). Usable on lots of things from cabs to drums to vocals.
 
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