vocal/acoustic guitar
- Thread starter cheetah23
- Start date
Harvey Gerst
New member
Not here, you haven't.
cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
Best. Response. Ever.
And so true!
Apparently cost is not a factor (the title didn't say "Best condenser under ___ dollars") - so here goes!
First and foremost, if you are recording acoustic and vocals together, you will not find mics that eliminate bleed (you didn't say you were looking for this, Im just pointing it out) - you might come somewhere near close, but you might as well embrace the bleed just a little.
Do a search for "acoustic", title-only in the mic forum for some good recommendations on small diaphragm condensers, to be used either in mono or stereo-pairs. I just purchased a Shure SM81 to try out, as my guitar is too boomy for the large-diaphragm condenser I was using before.
For vocals, I use a Rode K2 with a swapped out 6922. Sounds great on my voice, but others have had varied mileage. Again, for vocals, search the mix forum, title-only, for "vocal".
You will find a veritable cornucopia of information in just about every price range.
cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
Heh... I'd imagine he's not lookin to drop about 1200 on mics at a clip - I suppose I was more bragging due the excitement of a mic swap/purchase than being helpful (aside from the adice to search, which really is your best bet - there are no hard and fast answers in this hobby)
However, a lot of people around here praise the MXL 603 for small diaphragm condensers on acoustic - I have heard many more mixed reviews about the 990.
Im not a fan of the MXL's I had because they all had a fairly high noise floor. I just sold my two MXL 604's because, while they are functional for most things, when I want to crank em for a nice, soft, acoustic finger-picked guitar part, the noise was just too prevalent for my taste.
Hopefully the SM81 will be nice and low-noise, like the Rodes have worked out
weezerman2002
New member
The MXL 990 is a POS! AN AT2020 destroys the 990.
If you want a great mic for vocals, drum overheads, acoustic guitar, and piano I use Blue Kiwi's.
Some people on here try to do more with less, I try to do less with more. I spend more money to get mics that capture the actual source better, and spend less time EQing. Blue mics have been great for this approach.
If you want a great mic for vocals, drum overheads, acoustic guitar, and piano I use Blue Kiwi's.
Some people on here try to do more with less, I try to do less with more. I spend more money to get mics that capture the actual source better, and spend less time EQing. Blue mics have been great for this approach.
cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
Well, much in the same vein as my post, I don't think whoever the original poster is can afford a Blue Kiwi. I could very well be wrong, but once you are into a couple grand for a mic, you really need to look at the rest of the chain and decide if its worth it.
For most of us, using interfaces with converters that cost a couple hundred, same for monitors and software, those mic's aren't going to pay off.
Perhaps even the ones I bought won't pay off, but they've done me good. Of course, the Kiwi is going to sound better than a 990 even if its going into an Audiobuddy, but the fact that the rest of the chain is of such low or mid-range quality, probably doesn't justify the difference.
My advice is, at least in one regard, the same as weezer's - the 990 probably won't do you justice on an acoustic, or on vocals. It just takes a lot to get a little out, in my experience. However, if you look around the forum and spend a little bit more than 60 bucks on a condenser, you can find something that has a decent response and low noise.
Not to rain on weezer's parade - I'd love to own some Blue's myself, but its not worth it at the moment, nor do I think it will be for a long time... for now, I'll be content with what I consider to be about one rung down the ladder - the 500-1k proce range
Harvey Gerst
New member
God, I don't wanna sound like an MXL shill, but some points that were raised need to be clarified.
603 on acoustic guitar. Try the omni cap and mic in close to increase output and reduce noise.
Can't afford an V69ME? Get the MXL 960; same mic in a different body (currently on sale at MF for $149, according to their latest flyer).
There are a lot of other good choices outside the MXL line of stuff; the AKG C1000 is not one of them, IMHO.
603 on acoustic guitar. Try the omni cap and mic in close to increase output and reduce noise.
Can't afford an V69ME? Get the MXL 960; same mic in a different body (currently on sale at MF for $149, according to their latest flyer).
There are a lot of other good choices outside the MXL line of stuff; the AKG C1000 is not one of them, IMHO.
cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
That makes sense. I had the omni caps for the 604's I had, but it just didn't do it for me, so I figured I'd try something else out. For budget mics they are definitely worth the price - it just so happens I had the option of upgrading and would like to get my feet wet in terms of experience with different mics.
Sorry if I sounded egotistical before - the MXL's can put out some decent stuff - I guess I jusdt expected more out of them than I was able to get (which may be entirely or at least partially my fault, believe me
)wow
what a flood of replies. thanks for the comments on the akg... I'm hoping
to get at least one decent condenser for $300 or under I currently have an MXL603 and MXL2003.... I like the MXL2003 (any opinions?) but I find the 603 to be sub par for acoustic recording... the bass response is a little weird and unnatural.
what a flood of replies. thanks for the comments on the akg... I'm hoping
to get at least one decent condenser for $300 or under I currently have an MXL603 and MXL2003.... I like the MXL2003 (any opinions?) but I find the 603 to be sub par for acoustic recording... the bass response is a little weird and unnatural.
cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
In that price range, my research on the site unearthed the following two mics:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/KSM137/
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AT4041/
Both have received decent reviews on the board here from multiple people. Harvey can weigh in, if he's used either one - as I haven't used either, I can't tell you what kind of a difference these will make (and even if I had, I could only give my own experience, as quality returned varies per user).
I just purchased the SM81 - which runs a little higher, at 349.99. I'll let ya know how it stacks up to the only other pencil condenser I still have, which is an MXL 991 with cardioid cap.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/KSM137/
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AT4041/
Both have received decent reviews on the board here from multiple people. Harvey can weigh in, if he's used either one - as I haven't used either, I can't tell you what kind of a difference these will make (and even if I had, I could only give my own experience, as quality returned varies per user).
I just purchased the SM81 - which runs a little higher, at 349.99. I'll let ya know how it stacks up to the only other pencil condenser I still have, which is an MXL 991 with cardioid cap.
AKG C1000s are the hot setup if you really want to capture fingernails across a chaulkboard recordings. I highly recommend them!
bubbagump
New member
MSH-1? Used SM81? To be quite honest, one of my favorite acoustic guitar mics is the ADK Generis GC1 (probably the exact same thing as the MXL V63M with a different label as they look identical). It is a Chinese cheapo and sounds meh on most everything else, but for this one purpose I have found it invaluable.
Mr. Antrobus
Thornton Wilder character
How would an Oktava mc-012 work out?
I know their prices have risen, but it still gives the option for a variety of capsules, including large diaphragms from lomo and Red at a later date.
I know their prices have risen, but it still gives the option for a variety of capsules, including large diaphragms from lomo and Red at a later date.
Monkey Allen
Fork and spoon operator
It's exciting isn't it
Yeah, check out e-bay for used SM81s. I got mine for 160 euro(the pair!) and they toast my Oktava MK-012s.
My favourite are the Gefell M70s with MV692 capsules. A bit more expensive but up there with the best Neumanns. You can get them cheap on ebay.de.
Cormac
http://www.myspace.com/thejutefactory
My favourite are the Gefell M70s with MV692 capsules. A bit more expensive but up there with the best Neumanns. You can get them cheap on ebay.de.
Cormac
http://www.myspace.com/thejutefactory
cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
Yea - I just saw a pair of SM81s go on ebay for 320 bucks, when I just paid for a single new one for 360 after tax and shipping. Boned.
Although, I've lost all trust in ebay mic purchases, as all three Ive bought (from different people), have conked out within months of purchase. Just my bad luck though, a lot of people here get great deals on mics that last a long time.
Although, I've lost all trust in ebay mic purchases, as all three Ive bought (from different people), have conked out within months of purchase. Just my bad luck though, a lot of people here get great deals on mics that last a long time.
The easiest way to minimize (but not eliminate bleed) in this situation is to use a figure eight mic pattern on the acoustic with the null area aimed at the singers mic..use a good cardiod dynamic for the vocal..fiddle with the placement until you get the best results-least bleed and acceptable proximity effect from the acoustic mic..
Cheers,
Ray
Cheers,
Ray