What type of mic to use?

  • Thread starter Thread starter halfred
  • Start date Start date
Or find some locals that will lend or rent?
What is you location btw? (I know fat chance you're in my neighborhood. :rolleyes:

Seems 6' out is well into your room zone. Omni and fig 8 will definitely add some more of that.
 
hello mixsit,
I'm in Phila. and the very few rental places that there are seem to rent stuff for conventions, you know, pa systems and the like. Unfortunately don't know anyone in in the audio field, wish the hell I did!! Had a question for you. My room is fairly quiet. If I'm 4-6' back with the omnis(which I'm still debating whether to buy or not), what exactly in the room would I be picking up? I already know that the reflections probably aren't much given the absorbing quality of the room, you know, paintings ALL over the walls, carpet, furniture etc.. The first floor of my house(small row house) is open space more or less, goes back from where the piano is about 20'. The piano sort of butts up against where the kitchen begins, which has hardwood floors. I'm assuming the piano sound reflecting off of my appliances and potrack wouldn't be something worth adding to the recording LOL.
 
halfred said:
My room is fairly quiet. If I'm 4-6' back with the omnis(which I'm still debating whether to buy or not), what exactly in the room would I be picking up? ..
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Simply, the sound of the room's decay and/or frquency humps.

"The sound isn't "dead" but of course it doesn't have the reverb and reflections that I would like to hear. I've been told that hall reflections and reverb can be added by the engineer, so that's cool. "
This is what got me going on about room control etc. in the first place. Then, come the questions of do you like the room's verb effect, will you want it drier' for later, when you move back for piano tone' is it then too much room tone', will you be more or less restriced in those placement option points with omni/fig8?
 
Well all I can do is keep experimenting. Alas, no one can be me , my room ,and my piano. (-: Just have to keep going until I hit a sound that I like--so many variables----
 
halfred said:
hello mixsit,
I'm in Phila. and the very few rental places that there are seem to rent stuff for conventions, you know, pa systems and the like. Unfortunately don't know anyone in in the audio field, wish the hell I did!!.
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Get on the google and try...thats how I found my guy...there is a few places here in KC...you should have twice the number we have in Philly.
 
thanks all for the great feedback

didn't realize that I had posted here twice
 
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Thanks all for the great feedback

I've have read all of it closely. If nothing else "my microphone madness" has lifted, and I ordered a new matched pair of Rode NT1A's for $370. Great deal, more than fits the budget and it is one of the mics Doug Oade highly recommends as working well with the rebuilt preamps on his Tascam HD P2 high definition mod. Also chose Rode's based on reputation for extremely low noise as I will be recording out at a distance, and the Pulsars 11's I was using got pretty hissssssy. What I have realized is, that what is good, and great to one person is not necessarily the same to another. Depends on application, environment, quality and properties of the sound source, and most of all your ears, the sound you are after, personal taste---etc. Crap, when one engineer says some SP mic sounded better then some Neumann mic in a particular application, you realize how personal and subjective it can be. So, the truth has set me free and I'm off to experimenting a whole lot, and after I've tried the Rode's out in a 101 ways and if I'm not satisfied with the sound, I'll sell them and my pulsars on craigs list, and move on. I really wanted to try the AT 4050's but they are at present outside my budget and I couldn't bring myself to buy their little cousin the 2050's.
 
Well I wouldnt have got the AT2050 mics either...but Ive had the rode nt1a...and it was a noisy mic...one of the reasons I sold it...but Ive seen the Blurb on the guitar center ad about it being the worlds quietest mic.

You might have better luck with them than I did.
 
Well I'll see what happens. I've read a few complaints about the Rode nt1a, not many, but mostly about harshness or overly bright or brittle highs, no one said they were noisy, so I'll see. I think I just have to find out what works for me. Athough I have to admit, it's hard knowing that probably what would REALLY work for me is way outside my budget.

BTW (I've probably read online just about every review of every mic and there are complaints lodged against all of them whether they cost $100 or $5,000!!!)
 
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thanks for the suggestion

being a stone cold amateur recorder I need to cut down the variables(and I noticed good ribbons tend to be pricy) I'm about to try out the Rodes tommorow. I got some great sounds yesterday with the Pulsars in ORTF. Amazingly better than XY. Completely different, much more "lush" sound. I think I'll probably like the Rodes pair even better.
 
halfred said:
BTW (I've probably read online just about every review of every mic and there are complaints lodged against all of them whether they cost $100 or $5,000!!!)
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That is pretty much true...sometimes the first year is plauged with problems...which Is why Id never reccomend a brand new design...and there are allways defective ones no matter who makes them.
 
OK--the Rode NT1a's sound awesome. Absolutely no noise and more of the "lush' warm sound that I'm after. However my cheapo Sansom boom stand ($29.95) is useless. The mics are just to heavy and no matter how much I tighten it, the boom slowly lowers. Plus I have to but all kinds of crap on the flimsy tripod base to prevent it from tipping over. The boom stand was barely working properly with SDC's, but now with these big chumpys, forget it. Can anyone suggest a decent boomstand for not too much money? Most of the ones online seem to be the tripod type and they seem to unstable.
 
I use a Blue Baby Bottle condensor mic with a Focusrite Voicemaster Preamp and the sound is incredible.
 
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