To Rode or not to Rode

M

Mitchmusicman

New member
Guys, I have been reading alot about the Rode NT4 stero mics. Have any of you used one of these yet? What are your opinions of these stero set-ups. Is it just hype? I do alot with acoustic guitar (classical to rock) and it would awesome if someone made an affordable unit that really gave me a rich and wide range of stero sound. Could this be it?? Thanks in advance. Peace, Mitch
 
The new Studio Projects C-4 stereo pair is imminent. At a projected street price of $379, including multiple capsules, airline case and shock mounts, it looks poised to fairly well destroy the competition below the Neumann level. If I was looking for a small diaphagm stereo pair, I'd be waiting on these. I don't know how good the NT-4 is, but the C-4's will be far more versatile. Try using NT-4 as a spaced stereo pair...Richie
 
... that's why there's the NT5 matched pair... basically the same as an NT4 split into two mics, only cheaper!


I disagree that the C4 will "destroy the competition". After all, have you heard the mics yet? I thought not.
But the bigger point that remains is the price point. It's set quite significantly higher than most of the budget SD options. I just bought some MXL603's, because I knew that I certainly wouldn't be able to afford the C4 even if I waited.
Someone from Studio Projects posted here a while ago saying how the C4 "blows away the MXL603's." Well of course it does, it's set in a whole other playing field! The KM184's blow away the MXL603's too.
 
Bleyrad, you're talking about apples and oranges. The 603's are not a matched stereo pair, and I wouldn't even consider them for an X-Y pair. If I wanted 1 small diaphragm cheap, I'd buy an Oktava MC012, just for the pad and the ability to add other capsules. The NT5's are cardioid only, no shock mounts, no pads.
Even if the sound quality is compareable, the NT5's lose massively on versatility. When the price of the shockmounts and a decent case is factored in, NT5 loses big time. $300, no pads, no shock mounts, cardioid only. I have a pair of MC012's that *are* matched, and they cost me $424 plus the shock mounts. If I was doing that right now, I'd wait on C-4. Basically, The Sound Room's Oktavas, NT5, and the new C-4's are the only game in town for a matched set under $500, which the 603's just aren't. Of those 3, the C-4's offer more features for less money by far than the competition. The only way that won't happen is if the mics suck. But knowing Alan Hyatt, and Brent Casey a little, they won't. I know Alan well enough to know that he won't bring the mic to market unless it has a clear advantage over the competition in performance vs. price. That not only means that I'm comfortable suggesting that it's worth a short wait to check out these mics, but that I'd trade my Oktavas for a pair of them right now, without ever hearing them.-Richie
 
Thanks, Littledog, for pointing the KSMs out. They aren't exactly cheap, but beat the Neumanns by at least $400, with multi stage bass rolloffs and pads, cardioid and omni. If they sound good, they're definiely versatile.-Richie
 
I would be very surprised if these new SP mics would sound alot better than the 603s....Unless they sound godlike, like a pair of km84:s (not km184), or a pair of dpa4011 etc.. they prob wont sound better than the 603s, just different. The matched pair+different capsules is a great thing though. :)

people tend to get too much excited every time a new anticipated (hyped) product is about to be launched...Im shure the mics will be great, but not incredible (prob pretty incredible for the price though, just like those 603s mics :) )
 
I would bet the SP C4's are going to be nice... but, I doubt they'll flat-out blow everything else away. And right now there is no C4 on the market so who cares. lol. And I'll second the "nice play on words" lol. :)
 
richard -

it's hard to base mic quality on just the accessories they come with. Saying the NT5s are "no competition" becuase of the wind screen, shockmount..whatever.

You havn't heard the C4s. I'm sure they'll be good, I'm planning on getting a pair sure, for the price - BUT...the NT5s are nice mics too. I have a friend who is getting great results with a pair of them.

If the C4s don't sound as good for most applications as the NT5s do, would you still buy them just becuase they came with a nicer case and other things?

Alan justified the price of the mics compared to the NT5s by showing what more you get with the package, and that is fine...but it doesn't say anything about the mics.

As far as the NT4, it all depends on the person. If you are more of a musician than a recording engineer, you may VERY well prefer to have a stereo mic that is always set up, never having phase issues, only takes one stand, etc. - than having to fool with a separate stereo pair.

I think C4s and NT4s would both have an equal place in a mic cabinet.
 
Don't misunderstand me, Wes, the mic's the thing. If the NT5's sound better, then they're the better mics, and I would buy them at a given price point. I will always buy the best sounding mics I can afford, and if the C-4's are disappointing, I'll be the first to admit it, I don't work for PMI. I also have respect for Rode, I'm tracking half of a project album with NTK, even though I have a B.L.U.E. KIWI in the cabinet. The shock mounts and case are nice, but the omni capsules are huge. However, based on SP's track record, I simply don't believe the mics won't sound good. Of course, the market drives production decisions, and SP could produce a dud, but I'm betting they won't. For my purposes, cardioid only is simply a poor choice for a stereo pair, and pads are essential for some overhead applications. I still believe it's worth the short wait to hear what the heavy hitters have to say about these mics. *If* they sound good, they will offer greater versatility and better accessories at the price point than any current competitor.-Richie
 
Mitchmusicman said:
Guys, I have been reading alot about the Rode NT4 stero mics. Have any of you used one of these yet? What are your opinions of these stero set-ups. Is it just hype? I do alot with acoustic guitar (classical to rock) and it would awesome if someone made an affordable unit that really gave me a rich and wide range of stero sound. Could this be it?? Thanks in advance. Peace, Mitch
Click to expand...

I guess I'm the only one in these forums that owns an NT4. I like them. I personnally feel that they sound pretty close to the AKG 451 (having used both). True they have a limited use, but when I'm in a situation where I need stereo imaging and I don't have time to tinker with dual mic positioning the NT4 shines through. Some artists demand perfection (and will pay for it). For situations like this you may find yourself reaching for some Neumanns over the NT4, but when you have a per hour client who wants to cover as much ground in as little time as possible, the NT4 just plain works. The NT4 is also good for stereo micing for live and location recording as well.
 
It only takes a few seconds to mount two Rode NT5's on a stereo mic mount in an X/Y pattern.
 
DJL said:
It only takes a few seconds to mount two Rode NT5's on a stereo mic mount in an X/Y pattern.
Click to expand...

depends on how experienced you are with stereo miking.

with an nt4 you don't have to second guess yourself - i see that as the place for the nt4 in the studio.

mainly field/live (bootlegging) use I would imagine...

becuase it can run off of batteries can't it? I know the NT3s can.
 
wes480 said:
depends on how experienced you are with stereo miking.

with an nt4 you don't have to second guess yourself - i see that as the place for the nt4 in the studio.

mainly field/live (bootlegging) use I would imagine...

becuase it can run off of batteries can't it? I know the NT3s can.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the NT4 can run off of batteries.
 
wes480 said:
depends on how experienced you are with stereo miking.

with an nt4 you don't have to second guess yourself - i see that as the place for the nt4 in the studio.

mainly field/live (bootlegging) use I would imagine...

becuase it can run off of batteries can't it? I know the NT3s can.
Click to expand...

Placing two mic's in an X/Y pattern is pretty much a no brainer once you've done it a few times. But, I must agree that the Rode NT4 would be quicker and easier for field/live bootlegging... but, don't get caught or you could be sorry.
 
Harvey Gerst, in his review of Marshall mics, said the following:

"Marshall MXL-603 $99 This was a flat-out winner, folks. Almost identical to the MC012 in sound, with a wide cardioid pattern, almost approaching omni. We used them as drum overhead mics, and they did a great job. The diaphragms are easy to bottom out on voice, but with a pop filter (and positioned above the singer's mouth), they wouldn't be bad as a vocal mic on some singers, and they'd probably do fine on acoustic guitar, and many other instruments. They were also a perfect match to the Oktava MC012 - they sounded nearly identical. "

Now, I haven't heard any of these other mics--except the MCO12, but I would reason that none of these mics will "blow away" the 603s, especially since in March 2000 Electronic Musician did a mic shoot-out with the MC012 vs. several SD mics costing as much as 4-times more. The four judges had very diverse yet impressive credentials. The MC012 held its own very well and even out performed many of the other mics in several applications.

So maybe these other mics "blow away" the 603s and maybe they don't. The best sources of info I can find suggest they don't.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top