Studio projects C-1

[c9-2001]

the C-1...is it actually that good?
i mean i had a friend that said he liked the c-1 over my tlm193 and his brothers u87ai...
i haven't had enough time to really run a lot of test with one, but if a $199 mic can sound as clean if not cleaner than a $1600+ mic.. i'ma have to look at the studio projetcs c-1 and maybe a c-3.
i use a ADK a51-Tc now as my main vocal mic.. can the C-1 top it?

 

[Middleman]

It's a good mic in my opinion but not a great mic. I ended up just using it for backing vocals on which it was excellent. It did not however, produce any stand out main vocals on anything I recorded over a 6 month period. I ended up selling it.

Better than a U87? I doubt that, unless you are running through a pretty crappy preamp which is destroying most of the sound.

I have gotten better main vocals out of a Marshall 67G which is about half that price.

 

[TexRoadkill]

I'm growing to dislike the C1. It has an intersting character but everytime I use it I always second guess the tracks and feel I should have used something else. Acoustics sound too midrangy and vocals have a lot of siblance.

I much prefer my MXL V93 as an all around mic. I've been using the C1 on electric guitar for a few tracks and I kinda like them so far but I haven't really mixed the songs yet.

 

[shackrock]

For a pro studio, the C1 may have a different opinion.
For a home studio, where it is indeed the most expensive mic you own, it IS as good as it is acclaimed to be.

Honestly, it rules...ha. Of course, this is coming from a guy who uses mainly SM57's and MXL 603s for basically everything else. So having such a stand out condensor mic in a mix REALLY is noticable.... It sounds THAT much better.

So, I suppose that it just depends on what kind of sound you can ALREADY get.

But of course, I have seen at least 3 reviews (just searching on yahoo, etc.) that say this mic holds up very well in the pro studio for the average voice, even egainst some neumans, etc.

 

[DJL]

This is a statement question/answer type of reply...

I think the Studio Projects C1 is a bright mic... is that good or bad? It depends on what you want. I have a C1... do I use it much? No. Will I sell my C1? No. Do I like the C1? Sometimes.

 

[c9-2001]

thats how i felt.. i thought it was very bright sounding an dmaking vocals very siblant.. but my boy kkeps sayin, its better than my tlm193 and his brothers u87ai and he didn't even pay $215.. i said what ever..
as for a preamp.. he's running a focusrite voicemaster pro which to me is a great pre/strip for a home/projrct studio. i'll go over his spot tomorrow and work with the mic some and take my new adk a51Tc over there

 

[alanhyatt]

thats how i felt.. i thought it was very bright sounding an dmaking vocals very siblant.. but my boy kkeps sayin, its better than my tlm193 and his brothers u87ai and he didn't even pay $215.. i said what ever..
as for a preamp.. he's running a focusrite voicemaster pro which to me is a great pre/strip for a home/projrct studio. i'll go over his spot tomorrow and work with the mic some and take my new adk a51Tc over there

C9,

With mics, its different strokes for different folks. So much can affect a mics performance, and individule ears are not the same, so what one hates, another will love.

The Focusrite is a good unit, but it is a bit on the bright side in the mic amp department to me. Hey, the end result is what makes you happy. Go to your friends house and listen to the mic. Saying the C1 is better than a U87 or 193 is not the best approach as it brings out all kinds of rebuttles, but if your friend likes it better, then it works for him. Just remember, it may not work for you.

So check it out, use your ears, and hopefully you will be able to form your own opinion.

 

[Flatpicker]

Honestly, it rules...ha. Of course, this is coming from a guy who uses mainly SM57's and MXL 603s for basically everything else. So having such a stand out condensor mic in a mix REALLY is noticable.... It sounds THAT much better.

Well, for that matter, the SM57 can be a "best" sounding mic. If you don't believe me, check out the "3D Mic CD" where it's put up against just about every big-name mic out there. But there again, it depends on the preamp you run it through. I actually liked it better than about half of the high dollar LDCs and ribbons on there.

 

[Chris Shaeffer]

I think that this mic has seen a lot of hype since its release. Its one of the first, stunningly useable mics to emerge from a pack of really *cheap* bad ones a couple years ago. To those who had come to detest the sound of all cheap mics, the C-1 was a surprise indeed and it set everyone on the ears to check it out. Lots and lots of good words flowing around about how great it was for the price, even from begruding pros who had to admit it was a useable mic.

Well, its still a great mic for the price. Is it a fantastic mic that will blow away mics costing many times its price? As with all things, it depends on the mic and what you're using it for. It has been around long enough now for the hype to die down and I think it has proven itself as a very soid choice for the home recordist at the very least.

I have 2 and regularly use them as a stereo pair for busy bluegrass jams. Frequently they are the only mics that end up in the mix, with EQ's subsets being bussed out, fiddled with, and mixed back in for any details that need to be brought out. They sound that good in my room. (and many of the players can't stay on their spot mikes for shit. I've even had a few of them move their mics around mid-jam for some #@%! reason.)

Its one of only 2 main vocal LDC's that I regularly use. The other is a Groove Tubes 5sm solid state mic. If I have a busy mix, I'll tend to like the GT as it gives me a...narrower?... sound that is easy to slide into a busy mix. The C1 sounds better where the vocal needs to be very up front and polished. With my voice in my rooms. I also use it a lot for voiceovers. Nice proximity effect, sounds big and glossy. I don't like it so much, by the way, the further I get from it, so I tend to track loud and quiet vocals seperately instead of "working the mic" too much.

I also have some *cheap* Nadys and a couple Oktava 319's that come out when I run out of mics, or have a lot of backing vocal over dubs and don't want to use the same mic over and over. The Nadys have never sounded that good on vocals (except once, a singer with an unusual voice) and the 319's.... enh... nothin' to write home about, but they work for backing parts.

So that's what I have to compare them to. In my book, they are indeed great mics for the price. I'm very happy I have them, and glad they are not the only mics I have.

 

[muttley]

For a home recording, a fairly good mic for accoustic guitar, not suitable for "critical" recordings of high end accoustic instuments. I got mine for 175.00 off of this board,no shipping ,from Dudley100.



da MUTT

 

[Richard Monroe]

I don't own C-1, but I do own a C-3, and it's become the main vocal mic I put up when nothing else works, and I have a fair amount of something else. I think of it as an in-between mic. If I want detailed, up-front, in-your face main vocals, I put up B.L.U.E. Kiwi. If I want background vocals to stay in the background, I put up Shure SM7 or Oktava MK319. If I'm singing with one woman where we're closer to being on even footing harmonically, but I still want it to be clear that I'm singing the lead, I put up C-3 for the backing vocal. It settles into that mix nicely.-Richie

 

[dafduc]

I'm pleased with the C1. It's not as good as my BLUE Baby Bottle, but better than my MK-319. I like it on my voice - very realistic.

Daf

 

[alanhyatt]

Once again, conditions play havoc on mics. I have seen guys change their monitors, and all of a sudden they love the very same mics they claimed they hated.

This is why it is hard to say what a mic can really do. So many people out there have gear they like, but in many cases it is not condusive to a particular mic, not to mention the room!

Impedance matching is a big factor as well, and this is why one person prefers one mic over another. It is not that the one they do not like is a bad mic, but rather that mic works best in the conditions it is being used.

 

[chessparov]

You can "warm" up a C1, or any other condenser for that matter, by
putting it above the singer's mouth, and pointing it downwards to get
more of their chest voice. Plus you'll cut out some sibilance and popping.
I suspect most people instead are miking staight down the barrel here.


Chris

 

[chessparov]

Oops.
I meant "straight" not staight.

Chris

 

[willovercome]

i've noticed that too. i saw in most pro studios the mics are mounted above the singer, so i tried it and i've loved the results. it cuts down on sibilants, the air from the plosives goes down so not as much of it is caught by the mic, and the mids are accentuated. the only problem is you lose a bit of the presence and breathyness - which for a lot of you isn't a problem at all.

 

[DJL]

Yea, the Studio Projects C1 is a bright sounding mic and not very smooth on the top which can be a little harsh at times. IMO, the Marshall MXLV67G is smoother than the Studio Projects C1... but, you should at least audition it.

 

[ozraves]

I like the C1. Here's my story on this mic:
http://www.piemusic.com/mp/c1.html

 

[Glawfindle]

Yea, the Studio Projects C1 is a bright sounding mic and not very smooth on the top which can be a little harsh at times. IMO, the Marshall MXLV67G is smoother than the Studio Projects C1... but, you should at least audition it.

C9, it would be worth your while to check out the Rode NT1000 as well.

 

[c9-2001]

well my main vocal mic was a Tlm193, but now its a Adk 151-Tc.. the adk is so much smoother and sounds much cleaner... after being at a studio yesterday... the only other mic i want right now is the Rode NTV.. that mic sounds very nice.. why did they stop making it?