Staging a Mic 'Showdown'

  • Thread starter Thread starter MisterC
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MisterC

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I've managed to line up 5 <$300 mics that I can use for this weekend. I want to check them out in MY recording environment ("studio" would be a little generous) on the material that I record (mostly voice-overs, some acoustic guitar & solo vocals)

Any suggestions on how to stage the "showdown" ???

My thoughts so far:
* Record each mic in action
* Use the same source material for all
- 30-90 seconds of dialog
- 2 different guitar pieces
- 2 solo vocal pieces (+ 2 more if I can get another vocalist to help out)
* Identify the mics A, B, C... (so I forget what they cost )
* Make a grid and 'rate' them (suggestions here would be great)
* Buy the winner!
 
Mister C, sounds like a fun task. I think your to do just about covers it. Please post your results.
 
wow yes please do post the results and the cantadates when u are done bro.......peace
 
Lowdown on the Showdown

Here's the 'Lowdown on the Showdown'

Starting for the Dynamics
==========================
Radio Shack 33-984c ['58 copy, the "best" mic I currently own :-( ]
Shure SM57 - the "Baseline"

For the Condensers
===================
Samson C01
AT3035
Rode NT1
Studio Concepts C1

It should be a "thriller" Full of no-holds barred microphone action!

Stay tuned for the results.
 
First showdown casualty...

The Samson C01 arrived DOA.

The phantom power LED lights, but NO signal is produced. I really hope this is an oddity and NOT an indicator of quality problems, $69 is a NICE price!

Should have the final results soon.
 
I might be doing a showdown here soon too, but with a little higher priced microphones. I'm curious to know your results.
-DAN
 
To add to your vocal and guitar recordings, do some percussion tracks--shakers and tambourine for example. Or congas and bongos--or both. This will give you an idea of how they respond to fast transients.
 
Results are IN

Final Results:

Winner = Studio Concepts C1
Runner-Up = Rode NT1
Consolation = AT3035
Ms. Congeniality = Shure SM57
Disqualified = Samson C01
Banned from further events = Radio Shack 33-984c

[Remember, these are all based on my space, my voice, my guitar, etc.]

The C1 was rated #1 in all 3 categories (spoken word, vocal, guitar) by all 3 judges.

The Rode was a close 2nd in all categories.

(I might like an AT3035 if I was recording nylon stringed guitar... but I don't)

A VERY pleasant bonus to the sound of the C1 is the "coolness" factor. It just 'looks' like I ought to sound great through it ;-) Plus the case, windscreen and shock mount are included.

Now I need to get into the studio and USE it!

Thanks for your interest!
MisterC
 
Too bad the C01 was disqualified. I did my own mic test today against the following:

Marshall V67G
Marshall V69B
NTK
C-1
AT 3050
C01

Here is how I would rate them ONLY FOR MALE VOCALS. I did not test any instruments.

NTK
Samson C01
Studio Projects C1
Marshall V67G
AT 3050
Marshall 69B - this could be an anomally as this particular mic kept breaking down on loud vocals.

All mics tested 6 inches away into focusrite pres in a digidesign digital console.
 
One thing I learned from a post by a noted engineer, Ty Ford,
is that there's an optimal distance for EACH make and model of microphone type. So going 6" (or any other set distance) away from different models will almost always skew your test results.
6" away is perfect for me on a Shure SM57, and Mud City on a Beyer M88TG-even though the M88 tends to sound better on me
relatively speaking (or singing). 9-10" away is the right distance
on the Studio Projects C1 although YMMV.

Chris
 
treble

from this list:

Winner = Studio Concepts C1
Runner-Up = Rode NT1
Consolation = AT3035
Ms. Congeniality = Shure SM57
Disqualified = Samson C01
Banned from further events = Radio Shack 33-984c

looks like you like high frequencies- pretty close to the order of brightness...
 
Chessparov,

10 inches is too far away in a music store with a lot of noisy people. I tried that but could not hear the characteristics of the mic. 6 inches will give you a better test of the brittleness of the mic. The chinese mics break down at that distance sooner and you can see which mics handle transients better.

Now if I had them all in a studio, I think your advice is applicable.
 
Well you all know how I feel about tests, but in the end, it is always about what makes the user happy, so in this case, I am happy that our products came in on top for Mister C...:)
 
Sorry Middleman, I had assumed it was done at your home.

It's funny, they had the TV show "20/20" where they did a segment
that seemed to indicate males generally can screen out extraneous
noise better than females (like in a music store). It's probably to
prepare us to be...husbands! :)

Chris
 
Chessparov, no problemo. Yes, I have perfected the fine art of nodding my head and acting like I'm listening while I'm actually thinking about the next mic sale at GC.

I went back over these mics results and, just listening to the recorded tracks solo, no music, I would stand by these results. However, after putting them in a mix with piano, violin, bass and guitar the Samson C01 goes down dramatically.

Here is the rating for sitting in a ballad mix.

NTK
Marshall V67G
Studio Projects C1
AT 3050
Samson C01

Marshall 69B - Did not get to test this in the mix and so can't comment on this.

Not that any of this means anything. Just my own experience.
 
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