Studio Projects C1 and Marshall V69M

[jeffoest]

I got a Marshall v69M on Friday and decided to A/B with my Studio Projects C1. I have made a couple of clips of a 'mic test' song with both mics used.

No EQ was applied to either of them and no EQ was applied in the final mix (this was done fast). The Grace 101 as preamp. Recorded at 24 bit. Reverb added from TC Electronics M-One XL.

Let me know which one you like best on my voice. I will let you know which clip is which in two or three days (I know that's mean - if you MUST know before then- send me a private mail!)

BTW, Unfortunately the Marshall blew something after 3 takes and looks like I will have to take it back or get my money back.

MIC A
MIC B

 

[bleyrad]

haha, i don't think i've ever laughed out loud listening to a piece of music before. that was incredibly funny and cheesy


as for the mics - they both sound EXTREMELY similar when mixed, so similar that I would say it's not going to make much of a difference between them at all. that said, i think i liked A slightly better, as it doesn't seem to have quite as much of the "cheap condenser fuzzy breath hype" on certain inflections of your voice.

i'm guessing A is the Marshall and B is the SP, though i've never heard either of them before.

 

[bleyrad]

actually, upon listening again, i'm not so sure anymore.

B has its own advantages, in that it seems to have more low end. maybe B is the Marshall after all? still, the sibilance on B is a bit more blurry and weird sounding, and it does have that breath flange hype shit going on - which is interesting because the sibilance isn't as "high-end" as on mic A.



so i would say both have their advantages and neither sounds better, just a little different.

 

[chessrock]

LMFAO ! That's some GREAT stuff, Jeff ! ! ! What a songwriter ! !


Quite frankly, B sounded kinda' yucky to me; as in sort of harsh and yucky.

I'd go with A . . . of course, with the diclaimer: "on this particular Saturday with your particular voice, etc. etc. "

 

[Gidge]

i rather your voice with A....it was a lot clearer in the low end......very similar mics.......

 

[Henri Devill]

If the V69 sh*t the bed..possibly it didn't sound "right" in the first place..just a thought



Don

 

[Flatpicker]

I already responded over at HC, but I'll repeat it here: For this particular song, I prefer Mic "B". It just has a smoother, sort of soothing high end, and fills out the bottom a little more, which really works on this piece, IMHO.

I'm pretty sure I know which is which, but I'm not gonna say. A better comparison would be to put the V69 up against the TB1. Anyone want to do that? (Dot, maybe?)

BTW, I really appreciate jeffoest taking the time to post these examples.

 

[jeffoest]

Henri,

That's a very fair point - it failed within 5 minutes of the 'good' takes so it could have very likely been on it's way out.

 

[jeffoest]

Flatpicker - No worries - Actually I'm surprised that more people don't put up clips of their A/B comparisons. But I guess you can't make TOO awful much out of them - as Chessrock mentioned in his astute disclaimer!

 

[Flatpicker]

Flatpicker - No worries - Actually I'm surprised that more people don't put up clips of their A/B comparisons...

Yeah, I agree. I'm going to be posting some mic A/Bs as soon as they're finished.

 

[bleyrad]

i'm back because i just can't stop listening to this wicked song seriously, it's so great.




anyway, i've definitely made up my mind. A is better, hands-down.
B has that immediately-impressive "scooped" sound that sells cheap mics well, but upon listening for more than a few seconds, definitely isn't as smooth.

 

[werewolf831]

First off, great song!

I think mic B sounds smoother. The vox in mic A seem to have some kind of pumping sound to it, similar to my MXL 2001. I'm using pc speakers by the way. Mic B would be perfect except for the S's. I wouldn't say they are harsh, but sound kinda artificial sounding to me.

I haven't used either mic but by all I have read, I'm saying mic B is the MXLv69

 

[werewolf831]

I'd sure like to hear an A/B with the C1 and the v67!

 

[Mr Funk]

OK, just listened to A twice followed by B twice. I think that A is a little cleaner and clearer, but B is rounder and more 'musical'. There is a wierd fizzy sound to the 'Ch' & 'S' sounds on B, but they don't sound bad.

I'd guess that B is the Marshall and that A is the Stdio Projects? I own a C1, but not any Marshall.

Without EQ, on your voice I prefer B. It sounds more classic! However, I think that with EQ, mic A may be better, as it does seem to be a little more detailed?

I too am listening on very poor PC speakers!

Nice song BTW. How many takes did it take you to be able to sing it without laughing?

 

[std1]

I think b is the 69 and a is the c1

b has got that old vintage vibe
and a got that open pop sound.

b blended better in the mix But a sounded better on the chorus.
I furst listend tru my hifi set and they where very simeller.
but on my ADAM's you could clearly hear the difference.

Just my opinion.

 

[omtayslick]

I like "A" better. No contest. "B" sounds almost harsh by comparison. My son Mike listened also. As for "A", Mikey likes it.
I'm guessing "A" is the MXL.

 

[chessrock]

Alright, Jeff. Time to come clean.

Which is which?

 

[jeffoest]

OK, And the verdict is..... drumroll please!....





A - Studio Project C1
B - Marshall MXL V69

My comments:

1) I'm so used to the C1 on my voice that I liked it better immediately.
2) After a while I'm 'warming' up to my voice in the Marshall tube mic (no pun intended) so I see a lot of potential
3) I'm awed by the observations from this and some other newsgroups that I posted to - you all truly have really useful and insightful comments
4) I'm excited to really try the Marshall on some other material and am thinking that since the succesful takes on it happened within minutes of the problem with the mic, that the sound may be a bit affected by the mic trouble
5) One person posted that the difference between the two was almost like the difference between a Taylor and a Martin guitar - the C1 being a bit brigher like the Taylor, the Marshall being a bit warmer and fuller like the Martin - I thought that was a reasonably accurate analogy - maybe the C1 is better for cuttin through in rock and pop material and the Marshall better for sexiness (!) in classical jazzy type stuff - I'm excited to try it on that as I like to write that kind of stuff too.
6) Anyone know how I can get my Marshall fixed? I bought it new from a retailer on ebay with a warranty but they haven't gotten back to me through phone calls and emails. I'm thinking I got a problem here..... :-(
7) Agree totally with the comment about the Marshall sounding better during the harmony part. Here's my thought - all the harmony parts were done with the C1. (I was going to replicate with the Marshall - but, well you know what happened to THAT idea....). I'm thinking that maybe the Marshall worked better because the background harmony was done with a different mic and therefore created a bit of a more open dynamic. What do you think?
8) Finally, I have put up a "MIC TEST" web page and have included the instrument track with backing vocals if anyone wants to try this song at home with their own mics!! (lyrics are posted as well). I'll be happy to post any contributions! Thanks to Dan Richards for the suggestion.

MIc Test Page Featuring "Testing Mics Again"

 

[Flatpicker]

Well, did you get in touch with Marshall and are they going to fix it?

 

[jeffoest]

Flatpicker,

Thanks for asking! Yes, actually I called both the vendor and Marshall and they were both very helpful. Marshall basically told me that I would be very 'happy'. I DID send back the mic two days ago to their California facility.

I get the impression they are a pretty good company.