Studio Projects C4's Acoustic guitar?

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Vikki

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Thanks for everyone who's given advice on mics for acoustic guitar, i'd just about made my mind up to buy a pair of C4's, but on a visit to my local music shop today they said Rode NT'3's would perhaps be a better bet (they did not have c4's in stock). I think i will be close micing the guitar as there is not much ambience in the room, any ideas? I thought the c4's may be a good start into the recording world.
Vikki(uk)
 
Vikki said:
Thanks for everyone who's given advice on mics for acoustic guitar, i'd just about made my mind up to buy a pair of C4's, but on a visit to my local music shop today they said Rode NT'3's would perhaps be a better bet (they did not have c4's in stock). I think i will be close micing the guitar as there is not much ambience in the room, any ideas? I thought the c4's may be a good start into the recording world.
Vikki(uk)
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Dunno much about the NT3s, other than Rode's more recent NT5 was released, if that means anything. The C4 is a very good mic for acoustic guitar, strummed, and rather good for fingerstyle too, particularly for the price.

Of course, most would say there are better mics out there. Unfortunately, they cost more, a lot more.
 
Well its no wonder they told you that the mic that just happen to have in stock, that they could make a sale on that day, was better than what you were looking for. Don't let this discourage you, if a C4 is really what you want.
 
IMO the C4 is a better value than the NT5. The C4 comes with shock mounts and true omni capsules.

The C4 is brighter in the high end, where the NT5 are darker. Build quality is excellent on both.
 
There is an accurate review of the C-4's here

You should look at the oktava small condensers, they are the best small condensers in that price range. I don't like any of the cheep chinese mics on acoustic
 
And if they did say NT3 and not NT5 I wouldn't believe anything you were told in that shop in the future.................the NT3's are a overly bright almost harsh sounding mic that I would not waste my money on. The NT5's are apparently a different kettle of fish.

:cool:
 
Vikki said:
...on a visit to my local music shop today they said Rode NT'3's would perhaps be a better bet (they did not have c4's in stock).
Click to expand...
NT (cough! gasp! gaaaaggg!) 3?!?!

Vikki, the NT3 is... well let's just say it's not a favorite of mine. ;)

By the way, a sales guy at Guitar Center tried the same sales pitch on me once, but fortunately I checked it out before I bought it. Stop and think about it: why are they out of C4s, but still have plenty of NT3s in stock? I'm sure it's because they are...better! (Ha! I'm having such laugh here!) I guess they have to say that to move them.

If that's all they have to offer, I'd save my money and just use a SM57. This is all MHO of course, but if possible, always try (and compare!) before you buy.

I can't comment on the NT5s or the C4s, but Richard (Monroe) and others here have me convinced enough about the C4s that they're next on my list. If they sound on acoustic guitar like he indicates, they may just be the ones to have. :)

Other than that, you can go to The Listening Sessions, listen to and compare the mics in Session 5, and that give you a little bit of an idea what sound you’re looking for.
 
Then again, if you want to drop about 4Gs on one, you could just get what Tommy Emmanuel’s using these days – a Neumann M149! :D :D :D
 
Re: Re: Studio Projects C4's Acoustic guitar?

Flatpicker said:
NT (cough! gasp! gaaaaggg!) 3?!?!

Vikki, the NT3 is... well let's just say it's not a favorite of mine. ;)

By the way, a sales guy at Guitar Center tried the same sales pitch on me once, but fortunately I checked it out before I bought it. Stop and think about it: why are they out of C4s, but still have plenty of NT3s in stock? I'm sure it's because they are...better! (Ha! I'm having such laugh here!) I guess they have to say that to move them.
Click to expand...

I think thats because guitar center don't sell em. But they do sell the Oktava MK012 small condensers, wich do sound very good on acoustic. Had a pair of C4's and had to dump em sound like crap on acoustics IMO. You might want to try one good LDC instead of two crappy cheapo's. yYou can grab a good AT for under $300.
 
Voxy, at this point, the Oktavas are not available at GC, and are basically discontinued. I disagree with the review above on the C-4 on acoustic, but each to their own. For cheap, the current best bet seems to be MXL 603s. Actually, I love the Oktavas as overheads, but have never been impressed with them as guitar mics. Too much color, not bright enough. I think it has quite a bit to do with the guitar in question.-Richie
 
Thanks
I'm glad the C4's were out of stock, thats a good revue site. I think i will have a look at the Octavia 012. Don't see m,any here in the u.k though. Don't mind spending more money to get a good result.
Thanks Again
Keep the ideas flowing
Vikki (Rainy UK)
 
I don't own C4's and don't anticipate buying any, as to date I'm getting what I need from the mics I have, that said, I usually read any review with some skepticism and when I find one where the reviewer hasn't got the balls to put their name on it............well you figure it out.

Vikki,

Try out as many mics as you can ON YOUR GUITAR before committing to purchase, for SP mics, search online for PressRed as they have a hire before you buy thing on SP gear in the UK.

:cool:
 
Richard Monroe said:
Voxy, at this point, the Oktavas are not available at GC, and are basically discontinued. I disagree with the review above on the C-4 on acoustic, but each to their own. For cheap, the current best bet seems to be MXL 603s. Actually, I love the Oktavas as overheads, but have never been impressed with them as guitar mics. Too much color, not bright enough. I think it has quite a bit to do with the guitar in question.-Richie
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Hey Richard,
Has Oktava stoped making them or is GC not selling em?
 
From what little I understand, there are legal issues regarding distribution that are interfering with importation. I bet you can buy all you want- in Russia. You can still get very good matched pairs from The Sound Room, at a premium price. There are enough of them out there that I don't doubt they will be available on ebay, etc., for years to come. Oktava builds pretty good mics, so I don't doubt they'll be back. I happen to own a pair of MC012's, as well as a pair of C-4's, and my experience is the Oktavas sound good on cheap acoustics, because they add the color and bass presence that is lacking. Good on an Ovation. On my Taylor, the added color sounds muddy, and the greater bass response comes across as boom. The C-4's are vastly superior on my guitar, as a remote stereo pair, and on high pitched detailed stuff like wind chimes. They rock on anything with nylon strings, whether guitar or harp. The Oktavas are great overheads, and for some people, actually not a bad vocal mic. That's where that color is useful. The C-4 as a vocal mic is painfully accurate. There's my review, and I even signed my name to it.-Richie
 
Re: Re: Re: Studio Projects C4's Acoustic guitar?

Voxy Lady said:
I think thats because guitar center don't sell em...
Click to expand...
I was referring to her store.
...You might want to try one good LDC instead of two crappy cheapo's...
Click to expand...
LOL! you sound like somone else I know.

Again, I haven’t heard the C4s (Will someone somewhere out there in cyber-space please put some clips of these up next to a 603 or MK012 for reference?), but two things caught my attention in the above mentioned review:

Number 1:
“I'm mainly a Rock genre guy”
This tells me he’s after a way different sound then I would want for finger picked guitar.

And number 2:
“one mic pointed around the 14th fret from about six to eight inches out” and then said “proximity effect is boomy with stronger playing”

Listen – if there wasn’t a proximity effect with a mic that close the top of an acoustic guitar, it’d have no low end at all! And again, not throwing rocks at the reviewer because that’s what you want for rock genre – but not for fingerpicking. Incidentally, that’s why he liked the omni better. There’s no proximity effect with an omni mic.

Also, finger picking is much less bass heavy than “rock strumming” so you’d want a mic with more low end.

My point: If I were looking for a mic for finger picking guitar, this review would probably steer me toward it rather than away from it.

BTW Voxy, what style guitar do you play? :)
 
Vicki,

The C4s are good, so are the Octavas, as are the MXL603s. Any will do fine to start recording. Get a pair.

Your Caltecs pre should help alot.

What converters are you using?

How about monitors?
 
Thanks
The recording gear i have at the moment consists of. Raven Labs preamp blender(more for mixing 2 pickups on an acoustic guitar or bass)
A Ridge Farms Gas Cooker(thats a dual valve preamp di unit) feeding a Calrec 1549 dual 4 band parametric and i have that going straight into a 2 channel 2496 sound card in my music computer.
Funnily i have a 25 year old JVC stereo condenser mic which was quite the thing in its day but now seems very very low output, funny its not been used and as new in box. Produced great results with my Akai 4000 about 15 years ago.
Thanks Again
Vikki.
 
Re: Re: Studio Projects C4's Acoustic guitar?

Flatpicker said:
NT (cough! gasp! gaaaaggg!) 3?!?!

Vikki, the NT3 is... well let's just say it's not a favorite of mine. ;)

By the way, a sales guy at Guitar Center tried the same sales pitch on me once, but fortunately I checked it out before I bought it. Stop and think about it: why are they out of C4s, but still have plenty of NT3s in stock? I'm sure it's because they are...better! (Ha! I'm having such laugh here!) I guess they have to say that to move them.
Click to expand...

Do you live in Academy Of Sound country, by any chance Vikki? :)
 
I KNEW IT! :D


Worse selection of mikes (of any shop that actually sells mikes) in the country.

Do they have have the small diaphragm SE condensor in stock? Maybe you could give that a try out (ignore Mrs DJL, for the moment).
 
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