SP B1 again.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Han
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The vocals are absolutely perfect, aren't they? There is a little clump of dense stuff in the lower mids of that guitar to my ears, but if it was in a bigger mix it'd be a breeze to take that down a bit to make space for other instruments anyway. :)
 
Okay, it's not my intention to promote the SP B1 here, but I do think it's a very decent $100 LDC microphone.

I will get a V67 soon, I'm just curious about that mic too although I don't need any mic since I own more than 40 mics. :D
 
I use two SP B1s to record acoustic guitars, steel and gut, solo and backing, into a Yamaha aw16g. I can understand how everyone has a personal preference for one mic over another, but I find the SP B1 to be an excellent low-cost mic for this purpose. With many years of work in pro studios as a session guitarist, I'm a pretty picky guy, especially with choosing cheap equipment. With careful mic placement and minimal EQ, I'm able to achieve quite a clear, smooth, natural--and very useable sound. For $100 a pop, I've heard nothing I like more. I hope to pick up a couple of 603s, though, for a different flavor.

I've also been waiting for the new (June) SOS mag to hit the stands here--rumor has it that Paul White gives the B1 somewhat of a rave review. Makes sense to me.

Yeah, it's a great mic for the money, but as with everything artistic... tastes differ.

J.
 
jefree, that's a great way of putting it. tastes differ a lot. if you like what you're getting with the B1, then you've found an affordable way of getting a sound. if not, move on. i wish more people accepted your philosophy.
 
fellas,

not to take anything away from the performance but, i dont like the sound of the guitar either...its either too backed out in comparison with the vocals or its just plain like this..might be the guitar though..

either way, i was gonna get a B1, and now im having second thoughts :/
 
listening closer..its probably the guitar alright...

tanx for the link!
 
Thanks, Tryptophan, and sorry, Noise. I'd forgotten where I heard about that review, and now I remember it was you.
I'm still waiting for it to hit the stands, but your link sums it up. Pretty strong review by a well respected guy.

Diogo, your post reminds me about something with the B1 that could be good or bad for different folks. I've found that, with guitars at least, it seems to give me back the sound I put into it. Period. There aren't any big flattering boosts, so the sound might even be considered boringly flat by some. Personally, that's just the sound I like for my guitars; I prefer to work with mic placement and then do any EQ tweaking myself, when needed. Then again, I have about 1% of the mic knowledge of some folks here.

J.
 
Jeff,

your mic knowledge outruns mine for sure, i can assure you. ;)

i just thought there was not enough low end on that guitar, but then i remembered an acoustic i got to take to the beach a few years ago, think it was a squier, and it had the same sound..i dunno wich guitar was used, but now im blaming the guitar not the mic :D

then again, i realize its all about personal taste..a mic translating exactly whats going on there is exactly what one would want it for, right?...this reminds me as well that i can get pretty fine results (according to my taste) with a 57 on an acoustic, so the B1 must be fine, im sure!

thanks for pointing that out and making me think ;)
 
Not that it matters, but I personally don't like a lot of low end on recorded accoustic guitar. This is all so subjective, not everyone can even agree on how they like a guitar to sound much less like the sound of a specific mic. I think that as long as a person likes they sound they are getting, then more power to them, brand or price point of the equipment be damned!

lol

amra
 
Actually, I agree with you, Amra, on all of those points. Sadly I keep finding that to get a guitar that I like the sound of I will have to spend at least £800! :)
 
the B1 won't flatter what you put it in front of--maybe that's why some folks don't like it? i like the B1 a lot--i've said it before and i'll say it again--it's the SM57 of LDCs. works on just about everything--is it the best on everything? usually not, but it'll certainly "get the job done".

although, it's imperative that you get the source sounding good in the first place. and, with ALL mics, you have to find the right spot for it. laziness makes for crappy recordings.

try the B1 on an amp--very nice.


cheers,
wade
 
Well thanks for all the kind words on the B1.

tryptophan, I have no problem if the B1 did not work for you and that you do not like it. We will never please everyone and the fact is, mikes sound better in some rooms than others, so I take no offence to your experiences, and I hope you don't take offence to those who have experienced excellent results. :)

The SOS review was quite good, we are very happy with it. The reviewer saw no negatives on this mic at all, and he was quick to point out how much he liked it on acoustic guitar and vocal! He has since then added one to his collection, so he must have liked it. I am more familiar with the USA reviewers, but I understand Paul White is pretty respected in the UK and SOS is a big magazine.

It will always be different stokes for different folks. We think the B1 is an outstanding value and worth well more the its asking price. Of course your milage may vary as it did on this thread, but for $99.00, there is only so much you can do.

I am however glad this thread did not get hijacked as it would have. My hat is off to this group and its civil behavior..... :) :)
 
On SOS - I don't trust all their writers as much as each other. Like all reviewers, you have to work out who you trust. But Paul White and Hugh Robjohns most definitely know their stuff and I trust their ears, and Martin Walker seriously knows how to get a PC working.
 
I've never read a bad review in SOS.

Do you think they just say everything's great to keep the advertisers happy or do you think they decline to review stuff they don't rate that highly? I've often wandered that.

I like the B1 a lot but I wouldn't have bought it (or anything else for that matter) on the strength of a magazine review. I'm sure lots of people do though.
 
I'm not sure they ever do write a bad review. But if you read it often you learn to spot the difference between a tepid review and a raving one ... it's subtle because Paul White in particular tries to maintain what he feels is a 'professional' approach to his reviewing. But the differences are there - he writes many very polite but uninformative reviews of mics, but this is the first time I've seen him say something like this about such cheap gear:

"The budget Chinese mic market is hugely competitive, but the B1 is one of the few mics that has made me sit up and take notice."
 
Kevin, as a regular SOS reader, I find it easy to get the gist of each review. You're right when you write that few reviews hammer a product. Yes, money from advertisers could be a big part of the reason. Still, there's a very different tone evident in the reviews that praise or condemn--even if the words are not spot on.

Two recent examples of pretty negative SOS reviews come to mind. One was for the M-Audio BX5 monitors (which I use): it stated that the mids and highs were great but that the low end was completely unworkable without a sub at least. Thumbs down. Another such review was of the newer Boss 16-track stand-alone multi-tracker. Despite mentioning some positives, there was an overall tone of frustration present. The writers at one point stated that they didn't know quite how to review such a machine because it was so confusing for anyone with any studio experience (i.e., Roland was targeting a competely different user audience). Compare that review to the SOS review of the similar 16-track Yamaha aw16g: the review closed by calling the Yamaha the current leader of the stand-alone pack at this price point. No hestitation there.

You get my point. I think the more that one reads a particular mag's reviews, especially by the same reviewers,
the thrust of each review becomes pretty clear. At least that's what I've come to notice.

Best,
J.
 
Now you come to mention it Jeffree I do recall them hammering the Spirit absolute 2's.

I just think if your only exposure to recording gear was through that magazine then you could be forgiven for thinking that there is hardly any bad gear out there. As I said, maybe they just don't bother with naff gear?

I have to say I regretted making that post because on rereading it, it seems a bit like I'm trying to piss on Studio Projects' parade. I was just thinking out loud really about something that occurs to me frequently but which I've never discussed here.

I own a B1 and as I said I really like it and I think the SOS review is fully deserved.
 
Dot said:
You have a right to your opinion, and at this point I'd call your opinion on the B1 superficial and unexamined.
Click to expand...


Why? Just because it doesn't jive with yours?

.
 
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