What's the sound difference btwn MXL603 & Oktava MC012?

[mrface2112]

<<Where do you typically place the MXL603 when recording acoustic guitar?>>

some folks go with XY out in front.....i found that i got better results with a spaced pair.

i generally place one 603 over the player's picking/strumming shoulder, next to their ear, pointing more or less towards the ground and back towards the bridge. this gets what they "hear" from the guitar.

i generally place the other 603 about 4-6" out from the 14th fret.

pan hard and mix to taste.

i usually also put a smattering of distance mics out in front, too--4, 6, 8ft away, depending.....lately it's been the combination of my dragonfly and v67, with the dragonfly aimed more towards the neck and the v67 aimed more towards the body/soundhole. the combination of all 4 mics gives me a veritably HUGE sound, although when hard-panned, the two 603's give a perfectly find sound on their own. for most things i record (acoustic-based rock), where the acoustic is the main instrument in the mix, i find myself looking for a "larger" (or more prominent) sound than you tend to typically find in most "rock" music.


cheers,
wade

 

[nuemes]

Thanks Wade. I have a V67 as well and hadn't considered using it as a room mic - makes sense as I've found it to be somewhat muddy for guitar at a foot distance but with 4-6 feet that should do the trick. Will try that next!

 

[mrface2112]

in my experience, the V67 is INDEED a VERY muddy mic when it comes to recording guitar (well, anything for that matter ), even from 4, 6, or 8ft. however, when combined with the brightness (and immediacy) of the close-positioned 603's and the shimmer of the dragonfly, that muddiness actually *contributes* significantly to the sound.

quite frankly, the v67 gets a boominess that would render a solo'd track useless.....but really fills out the low end of the acoustic in the context of a mix.

this is yet another case of the whole being greater than individual parts.....and another example of why i hesitate to use only 1 mic on an acoustic guitar--especially when recording myself (which obviously limits my ability to tweak mic positioning).


cheers,
wade

 

[DJL]

those links dont exist anymore

Maybe if you contact Marik and ask, he will repost the files... anyway, I think Marik's post may have been what Flatpicker was referring too.

 

[Flatpicker]

...I think Marik's post may have been what Flatpicker was referring too.

Nope. It was someone else and they just posted links to one mp3 of a stock 603S and one mp3 of a stock MC012. I remember that it was a good comparison.

 

[Flatpicker]

...I've found aiming the mic between the headstock and the fretting hand to be my favorite sound so far. Do you recall what you've had the best luck with?

Well we are probably going for completely different sounds. Keep in mind that my stuff is mostly bluegrass style, so I want to hear a lot of depth (without the mud, of course) and absolutely no pick-clicking. Using a single mic, I seem to get my best tone with the mic 9" to 12" straight out from the bridge and a little in front of it, pointed at an angle towered the center of the sound-hole. This position seems to give me the depth without the boominess that comes from a mic positioned straight out from the sound-hole. Positioning it out from the bridge also seems to minimize the pick-click. Also, I play a custom Gallagher dreadnought guitar that is a little brighter and not quite as boomy as a D-28, so I would probably have to move the mic further back if I were playing a Martin.

I'll try and ASCII and diagram...Nope - didn't work.

 

[DJL]

Nope. It was someone else and they just posted links to one mp3 of a stock 603S and one mp3 of a stock MC012. I remember that it was a good comparison.

Hmm ok, I just did a search but didn't come up with anything... oh well, if you ever run across it again please make a note. Thanks, Don

 

[Flatpicker]

Here it is... All I did was search on "MXL 603" and "Flatpicker". There were only 10 threads with that combo.

Anyway, the point is moot because the links are dead. However, you could email him and see if he still has the mp3s.

 

[DJL]

Thanks, but I own both so I know how they sound... I was asking because I thought it might be helpful for other hr.com memebers. Anyway, thank you.

 

[Sloan]

BLAST!!!

Does anyone have those files saved?

 

[Flatpicker]

I thought I did, but could not find them. Just email the guy. He's still active here - he might post them again.