sonic difference between rode nt1 and nt1-a?

J

JimmyPeteKeith

New member
i've not had the chance to personally experiment with either the new rode nt1 or nt1-a and certainly have not compared them side by side.

has anyone used both? if so, could you explain the sonic difference between the two, is one better than the other for certain uses or instruments, etc.?

thanks in advance for any comparative info and usage advice.
 
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A nice LDC far superior to a Rode , and a multi pattern super awesome microphone, the AKG 414xls . If you can save a bit it is worth it. Used they are around $400 . They will perform better and in more situations sound better than a high end mega dollar Neumann.

I have problems with most low end LDC's. The budget NT and others sound okay but weaken on comparison. I didn't notice much till I hooked it up for A B stereo. You also get a short distance from the speaker till it breaks up. The 414 you can put up high and pull back much further before it breaks up. If you decide to go ribbon it will drop back very linear and have almost no roll off. That 414 , a SM7b, or some nicely transformer modded long ribbons and I think you would be set. Those are the ones I rotate through, and are the ones I should have started with. The SDC types like kn84's and the royer X Y pair were meh , and budget dynamics sm57/58's I never returned to after advancing to 7b.
 
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mmmm... AT2020

since no one has opined on the question i asked i'll be the first to toss a drop-forged monkey wrench into the turboprop...

AT2020 is available for $50. i know it's not a neumann U87. but for fitty bux why wouldn't i want it for some vox, acoustic guitar, some electric guitar and bass cabs?
 
JimmyPeteKeith said:
since no one has opined on the question i asked i'll be the first to toss a drop-forged monkey wrench into the turboprop...

AT2020 is available for $50. i know it's not a neumann U87. but for fifty bux why wouldn't i want it for some vox, acoustic guitar, some electric guitar and bass cabs?
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The answer - because I would never buy a mic. that costs less than the cable I use to connect it to the mixer/recorder. :D :p
 
JimmyPeteKeith said:
since no one has opined on the question i asked i'll be the first to toss a drop-forged monkey wrench into the turboprop...

AT2020 is available for $50. i know it's not a neumann U87. but for fitty bux why wouldn't i want it for some vox, acoustic guitar, some electric guitar and bass cabs?
Click to expand...

A great mic? No. Good value at $50? Definitely. It'll do you fine until upgradeitis hits.

John Willett said:
The answer - because I would never buy a mic. that costs less than the cable I use to connect it to the mixer/recorder. :D :p
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So you use $50 mic cables? Let's see. Canford HST-R cable is £1.49 a meter so, even if your run is ten meters, that's £15.00. Add in a male and a female Neutrik XLR for £5.44 (also from Canford), 5p for the solder and 20p for the mug of tea essential to soldering and you have a fully pro grade 10 meter XLR cable for £20.69 (about $34.31). And that's ten meters which I suspect is longer than most home studios need. I'd certainly bet my annual pension that in double blind testing there would be NO discernible difference between this and any audiophool cable you care to name.

By the way, those are one offs from an expensive supplier. Buying in bulk from a cheaper place would likely cut that by at least a third.

I'm all for good quality gear but lets not give the home hobbyist the impression that it's necessary to spend thousands to get decent results.
 
Bobbsy said:
So you use $50 mic cables? Let's see. Canford HST-R cable is £1.49 a meter so, even if your run is ten meters, that's £15.00. Add in a male and a female Neutrik XLR for £5.44 (also from Canford), 5p for the solder and 20p for the mug of tea essential to soldering and you have a fully pro grade 10 meter XLR cable for £20.69 (about $34.31). And that's ten meters which I suspect is longer than most home studios need. I'd certainly bet my annual pension that in double blind testing there would be NO discernible difference between this and any audiophool cable you care to name.

By the way, those are one offs from an expensive supplier. Buying in bulk from a cheaper place would likely cut that by at least a third.

I'm all for good quality gear but lets not give the home hobbyist the impression that it's necessary to spend thousands to get decent results.
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I use Canford BBC spec. star-quad, terminated with Neutrik EMC XLRs - nothing esoteric. Professionally made up a mic. cable would be about $50.

But it was all said tongue-in-cheek, hence the :D :p at the end.

I never suggested you have to spend thousands to get good results; but when you want to spend less on a mic. than taking your girlfriend out for a meal - I think is a bit too far. In fact you can hardly get a meal and a drink in an average restaurant for one person for less than the equivalent of $50 in the UK.

The very first pair of mics I bought in my early 20s cost me the equivalent of a weeks wages and my second pair were almost a months wages at the time - and I was only a hobby beginner at the time.
 
okay great, we got guys debating the ontological merits of facetious comments about the subjective value of gear.

meanwhile i'm due back on planet earth. do i yoink the at2020 because it's good for SOMETHING at only $50? or do i not buy it because no matter how low the price i will rapidly realize "cheap/on sale" doesn't matter if the mic isn't functionally useful?
 
I'd aim a little higher.
There are $2-300 dollar mics out their punching above their price bracket.
NT1a and mk219 come to mind. ;)
 
John Willett said:
I use Canford BBC spec. star-quad, terminated with Neutrik EMC XLRs - nothing esoteric. Professionally made up a mic. cable would be about $50.

But it was all said tongue-in-cheek, hence the :D :p at the end.
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Serious for a second, years ago we compared Star Quad to more normal (but decent quality mic cable) and found that in any normal application there was no difference in performance, certainly not justifying the cost. We'd still use Star Quad for any extra long runs and/or runs through electrically noisy areas but, even for this application, it was more "just to be safe" than any demonstrable need. As an example of a Star Quad run, years ago BBC contracted us to provide facilities for a weekend morning kids show but wanted to shoot some in our reception. The only route from the control room to reception was 100 meters plus, much of it through an air conditioning service area--as I say, a long "risky" route. The point is, Star Quad was used for additional protection against electrical interference rather than for any sonic improvement.

JimmyPeteKeith said:
okay great, we got guys debating the ontological merits of facetious comments about the subjective value of gear.

meanwhile i'm due back on planet earth. do i yoink the at2020 because it's good for SOMETHING at only $50? or do i not buy it because no matter how low the price i will rapidly realize "cheap/on sale" doesn't matter if the mic isn't functionally useful?
Click to expand...

As I said in my first post, at $50 the AT2020 is a good deal. It's not a great mic and spending more will get you a better one. If this purchase will cause you to skimp on something else then think about it. If it can be a "it's a good price so I might as well have it just in case" kind of purchase, then go for it.

If it'll be your only mic then I agree with the price range Steenamaroo mentioned. If it'll be an "extra for when I need another mic" then it's fine.
 
Craigslist in Raleigh (one of your locations) has a Samson CL7 for $60. A little "better" Chinese built cheapo. Don't know how serious you need your mic to be. Is this a "for amusement and amazement" setup...then either would be an ok choice. Are you trying to accomplish something professional, you probably should at least step up to the 1a. Then again, if the original question is still on, maybe I'm not the person to ask. I've never owned a Rode at all. I have used several "cheap" microphones and done reasonable recordings (Not the 2020, but a CL7 and MXL 2001) I may not know Blue or Rode, but I know CHEAP! :D
 
i love it when a plan comes together.

steenamaroo, bobbsy, broken_h (whatever the hell that's about)... thanks for gettin' real up in here. i'm feelin' ya. nudge-nudge wink-wink.

okay let's up the ante a bit. sweeten the pot as it were. bite a fish in the ocean or whatever.

forget the at2020. i hate at2020s. you have each in your own gracious way advised that it's gahbidge. GAH-BIDGE.

so then.

at2035 at $149. and that's my final offer. i'm not playing around with you people any more. i'm thinking that's a nice mic worth owning and not just because it's on sale. high pass switch, 10db pad switch, true large diaphragm.

heck with those rode mics. everybody knows they're shrill, harsh, one-trick-pony, cold hard witches of a budget condenser mic.

but the at2035, now that's a warm-blooded mammal, a veritable man's-best-friend of a low-cost condenser and i should snap one up pronto for a buck and a half U.S.

somebody please make up my mind...
 
BroKen_H said:
Cheers! Its BROther KEN (one of those there religious kooks, don'tha know!)
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Don't be so modest, my brother. According to your previous post you're a CHEAP religious kook. Which means we worship at the same altar, as I too am a disciple of "cheap."

Dude seriously, all this effery aside. I got new microphone fever, okay? Do I pull the trigger on this AT2035 or hold out for one of the Rodes?

And for everybody else, especially residents of Queensland, Oz (you know who you are) I would dearly love nothing more in the whole world than to own an Oz bit of gear. I'm serious. So tell me... do I want the newly re-released NT1 or the been-around-awhile NT1-A?

Which was my original question if any of you were paying attention thankyouverymuch.
 
JimmyPeteKeith said:
.....do i yoink the at2020 because it's good for SOMETHING at only $50? or do i not buy it because no matter how low the price i will rapidly realize "cheap/on sale" doesn't matter if the mic isn't functionally useful?
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The right microphone is the one that gives you the results you want.

Microphones are a mature technology, so it's worth investing properly. I still have the microphones I bought back in the early 1970s and they are still good today.

My advice has always been to get the best mic. you can afford, as it will be the cheapest option in the long term as you won't have to get rid of it and buy something better at a later date.

But if a $50 mic. gives you the sound you want, go for it - though I strongly suspect you will soon long for something better.

AT are one of the good guys and do make microphones that are good value at their price point.
 
Bobbsy said:
Serious for a second, years ago we compared Star Quad to more normal (but decent quality mic cable) and found that in any normal application there was no difference in performance, certainly not justifying the cost. We'd still use Star Quad for any extra long runs and/or runs through electrically noisy areas but, even for this application, it was more "just to be safe" than any demonstrable need. As an example of a Star Quad run, years ago BBC contracted us to provide facilities for a weekend morning kids show but wanted to shoot some in our reception. The only route from the control room to reception was 100 meters plus, much of it through an air conditioning service area--as I say, a long "risky" route. The point is, Star Quad was used for additional protection against electrical interference rather than for any sonic improvement.
Click to expand...

Of course - I never said anything about "sonic improvement".

But I record on location, not in a studio, and star-quad gives me that peace of mind of better RF rejection running cables in unknown conditions. The Neutrik EMC connectors also give that extra RF safety.

With RF radiation getting more and more and smart phones with higher RF interference; getting as much RF safety as possible is a good idea.
 
JimmyPeteKeith said:
Dude seriously, all this effery aside. I got new microphone fever, okay? Do I pull the trigger on this AT2035 or hold out for one of the Rodes?
Click to expand...

Honestly? You gotta try out some mics and find out which one suits you.
If you can't do that at least watch some hands on youtube reviews or something with the obligatory pinch of salt.

Or better yet, just get an mk219. ;)
 
JimmyPeteKeith said:
And for everybody else, especially residents of Queensland, Oz (you know who you are) I would dearly love nothing more in the whole world than to own an Oz bit of gear. I'm serious. So tell me... do I want the newly re-released NT1 or the been-around-awhile NT1-A?

Which was my original question if any of you were paying attention thankyouverymuch.
Click to expand...

I bought an NT1 in 2003 (roughly), then an NT1a maybe a couple of years later. I have been very happy with both. I still have and use both from time to time.
 
I don't mind the NT1A but, for that money the mics I'd recommend listening to would be the sE2200A II or the sE X1. Both excellent mics...slightly warmer and more natural than the NT1A to my ears.
 
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