What would you choose?

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pranaearth

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Hello all.
I am looking for advice.
I am in the market for 1 or 2 microphones.
I record Vocals(Tenor, Baritone, Alto, Soprano, Boy Soprano) Woodwinds, and some "folk" winds.
I might in the future, record:
Spoken Word
Acoustic Guitar
Classical Strings (Violin, Viola, Cello)
Brass
These are the mics I am looking at.
Rode NT1000
Rode NT 2000
Neumann TLM 103 (I think this might be too high end for me, but I can always fgrow into it, yes?)

If you have suggestions please let me know.
I'm just starting my research and would like input.
Thanks again for the help!
Prana
 
I'm not personally familiar with the TLM103, but it seems to be highly regarded here.

I have an NT1000, and it is a pretty decent all-round microphone -- but the sound you get can depend a lot on the preamp you use. With some preamps, it gets too bright. Some also find, when used with a bright preamp, that if you record all your tracks with it, the top end gets a bit crowdy and overdone.

My personal experience, at least with the one I have here, is that it is reasonably warm and well balanced when run though my VC3Q preamp. Taking it direct to the ST Audio i/f makes it a bit brighter.

If you're just starting out, maybe there are other mics you should have a look at. In the cheap end, a Studio Projects B1 could get you a long way. There are also a bunch of good mics (others will comment here also...), such as the EV or Sennheisers or AT's, in the same class. Or you could jump up a bit and get a NTK or K2, or maybe a ST T3 (tube mics)? Or maybe you would need a good vocal mic plus then a pair of SDC stereo mics, such as the Oktava 012, MXL 603, SP C4 or the Røde equivalents?

What type of music will you be recording?


-- Per.
 
Is your recording room acoustically treated and/or do you have access to good sounding room(s)?

Also, how experienced are these singers/instrumentalists?

Chris
 
Those are all pretty bright mics (I have not used those RODE mics in particular but all of their LDC's sound bright to me) and the TLM103 is pretty bright as well (uses one U87 capsule).

Between those 3 I'd take the Neumann though, if those are your only choices.

War
 
I will be recording my own music, which ranges from small chamber works for 5 or less musicians, techno, house, world influenced dance, experimental electronics.
My room is not treated, but that is the next step after getting all the equipment.
The musiciand I use range from very experienced to somewhat experienced. Some musicians I I used to play with years ago, but have stoped playing becuause of family raising/careers. They have the talent and prior experience, they just need to get the chops back.
I also am not limiting myself to these mic's. I am looking for suggestions. You all have the experience, I just need to reap the benefits from it! :D
I guess the first microphone I would be looking for is something to record my own voice. I am a tenor with a very bright tone. I'm hoping I can get a mic that would mellow my voice out without resorting to EQ (if that is even possible). I have been recorded before (voice and acoustic instrument playing) but I never thought I would want to record myself so I never paid attention to what the studio guys were doing. The shallowness of youth, I guess. :o
Big Kenny, what is CAD or SP. Are those name brands or type of microphones?
Thanks again for the suggestions.
Prana
 
DOT is right, if your voice is too bright any of those will be great. The CAD m179 is especially useful (and cheap) with it's variable patterns. The sm7B is a great dynamic that will get a lot of use too. I haven't used the Marshall or ADK so I cannot comment, The SP is a Studio Project C1 or better but you will want to audition that because it is, or can be, on the bright side
 
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Haven't heard it in person, but I've heard others say the AEA R84 excells on vox, woodwinds and especially brass. I bet it would be a great all on all of your apps--with a good preamp, of course.
 
pranaearth said:
I will be recording my own music, which ranges from small chamber works for 5 or less musicians, techno, house, world influenced dance, experimental electronics.
Click to expand...
Wow -- that's quite a range in styles: from chamber music to techno! I figure that for all of the dance music genres, the actual "recorded" parts are less important than the samples and loops you'll be working with, so you don't need mics that cost a fortune. One good "allrounder" LDC should do the job and you should be all set. For "techno, house, world influenced dance, and experimental electronics" a mic like the TLM103 would be totally over the top. After all, the tracks will be so heavily processed that the quality of the actual recording is almost irrelevant. Let me give you a quote from BT (world-famous dance music producer) on one of his mega-seeling dance music tracks: "I went into the bathroom of the Eurorail, plugged the headphones into the mic input of my iBook and sang the whole vocal into the laptop".

As for woodwinds, I think that a small diaphragm condensor might be better suited. I compared many large (LDC) to small (SDC) condensors, and found that a good quality SDC will deliver significantly better results. Excellent mics for these sources are a Neumann KM184 or Schoeps. If you wanna go with a LDC for woodwinds, I'd suggest a RODE NT2, AT4047 (low cost option), or an AKG414, TLM 103 or Gefell M930 (more expensive). These mics will offer you a large enough spectrum to sound good on most of your sources (vocals as well as instruments). Some dynamic mics (like the Sennheiser 421) sound better on woodwinds than low-priced LDCs. However, for a clean 5-piece chamber orchestra recording, you need something completly else.
 
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