Which mic to buy?

[RAK]

Indeed!
I ltook a listen to all RODE mics presented, and find their sound quality much clearer in the highs.... seemed just a tiny bit less bass than Neumann TLM-103.

I wonder, how come most Rode mics do not have any patern swithes... only 2 do have it - NT2 and NT2000.

Was looking at Rod K2 ... but did not see the sound sample for that one.... also, does not have any switches.

Anyway... thinking

PS I listened to AKG C414... compared to others, hmm I expected a better sound. Maybe it's my ears. Others sounded reacher.

Just curious about your testing setup, what are you listening on? You know, if it's just going to be for vocals/voice overs you'll probably never really need the omni/bi-directional polar patterns, but then again, if you want to use it for anything else, it's there. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever used the AKG C414 for vocals.

For voiceovers I would echo the RE20/SM7 choices and throw in the Senn. MD421, if you're thinking about dynamic.

 

[balky]

Listenning on computer speaker set with subwoofer. It sounds very good. Right now I amy not need the multi pattern, but who knows ... maybe tomorrow I will, and I think, it is best to have it

 

[chipwits]

Indeed!
I ltook a listen to all RODE mics presented, and find their sound quality much clearer in the highs.... seemed just a tiny bit less bass than Neumann TLM-103.

Yeah the Rode NT1-A doesn't have as much bass. But sounds less noisy, less distortion, less grainy and smoother than the TLM103. Hrm.. wish it did have a bit more bass. But I think I end up eq'ing a lot of bass out of stuff anyways when summing multiple tracks. Well I am gonna try out the mic and see.

James

 

[TragikRemix]

honestly, all joking aside.

Studio Projects T3- $500, Tube condensor.
Rode NTK -$500, Also tube condensor.

i think the T3 is variably pattern though!

untreated room.... well, you have to work on that..

 

[sound125]

Yeah the Rode NT1-A doesn't have as much bass. But sounds less noisy, less distortion, less grainy and smoother than the TLM103.

Yeah at 7db-A of self-noise it sure is noisy and distorted. My older U87 is also grainy. I guess I should have bought the NT1-A

 

[balky]

Guys, what about a preamp? I would like a dual channel... with compr and gate
I remember seeing something like that but did not need it then.
Which ones do you use?

 

[chipwits]

Some ideas:

1. M-Audio DMP3 for inexpensive
2. Green Pre DIY
3. Seventh Circle Audio (DIY, 4 different modules)

Of course they don't have any compressor or gate though. Hrm.

 

[TragikRemix]

Yeah at 7db-A of self-noise it sure is noisy and distorted. My older U87 is also grainy. I guess I should have bought the NT1-A

yeah get rid of that POS neumann... i'll take it off your hands..

 

[chipwits]

Hehe. Well to my ears for that specific recording I liked the Rode NT1-A a bunch. Suppose they could of done the TLM103 more justice with a different setup.. dunno. Maybe that is how it sounded actually and the Rode NT1-A colored it and smoothed it bunch.. dunno. But I am gonna buy a Rode NT1-A just to see how it sounds on my stuff. Cheap enough of an experiment.

James

 

[homestudioguy]

The sE Electronics Z3300A is a very worthy mic at $499 IMHO.
http://www.seelectronics.com/Z3300a.html
3 pattern Class A FET with a 1.07" diaphragm.
I own one and love it.
Very good vocal mic and very tasty on acoustic guitar.
It has a bit of a bump in the hi end which gives some nice "air".
Not grainy. Very smooth.
To be honest, the last 2 vocalists I recorded, one male and one female, ended up using the sE Titan which is going for about $1249.00.
http://www.seelectronics.com/Titan.html
There is just something about that mic.
Tames the soprano without subtracting anything and gives "balls" to the tenor. sE recommends it for vocal and broadcast use and I can see why.
I've also used it for trombone and bass amp.
The titanium diaphragm is just a different animal!

 

[Madguitrst]

I have both of the above mics and my favorite go to mic on male vox is a Karma K58 which can be bought new for under $400. If you don't need multi patterns then check out the Karma K55
which can be bought for $175 as it is on special or at least it was.

Good luck with what ever mic you choose.

How about a phantom powered ribbon?
I think the Karma K6 would suit this application well.

Team it up with a GT Brick - they go together very well.
The Brick adds just a hint of sheen and the marriage is just great.

Seriously consider this combo...........

 

[nuemes]

If you have a bad room and don't plan on creating a vocal booth then the C414 is not a good choice. I use both a SM7 and C414. The C414 will pick up the room, even in cardiod mode.

If your room is bad go with the SM7. It's a high quality mic and pretty hard to mess us with. It gets much more vocal/voiceover use than the C414 in my studio.

 

[pohaku]

If you have a bad room and don't plan on creating a vocal booth then the C414 is not a good choice. I use both a SM7 and C414. The C414 will pick up the room, even in cardiod mode.

If your room is bad go with the SM7. It's a high quality mic and pretty hard to mess us with. It gets much more vocal/voiceover use than the C414 in my studio.

I agree. A C414 or other LD condenser will pickup all kinds of extraneous noises and room sounds. If you don't have a good sounding room, you would be better off with a good dynamic like the SM7b or RE20. Or even a Sennheiser MD441. If you really really want a condenser and the price bracket has gone up to $1000, you should consider the previously mentioned Soundeluxe and Peluso, as well as the Gefell 930, the AT4050 and AT4060.

How much were you thinking of spending on a preamp/channel strip? Getting a good two channel strip with a compressor can run you some $$$. Candidates include strips made by Presonus (Eureka), Joe Meek (3Q and Twin Q), Univeral Audio (6176) and Pendulum (Quartet). Some channel strips will be single channels so you would need to get 2 of them if you want 2 channels.

I think you would probably be better off getting separates myself, but YMMV. Mine run the gamut from a Symetrix SX202 two channel preamp with RNPs for compression (price for 2 independent channels @ $400), to an RNP and a Peavey VC/L-2 (@ $1400), to API pres and compressors in a lunch box (@ $3200), to a Pendulum MDP1 and a Drawmer 1968ME (@ $3400). Prices are used gear prices.

Do you really need 2 full channels? You can do pretty well with a good dynamic mic like an SM7b, a RNP and a RNC (the RNC is a stereo compressor, but does not operate as 2 independently settable single channels). Total cost would be on the order of $1000. Somewhat less than that used. An alternative 2 channel compressor that is a bargain for the money is the ART Pro VLA -- add another $100 or so for the ART. All of the gear would continue to be quite useful, even if you eventually bought more and "better" gear later.

 

[balky]

Hey, Guys!
Thank you so much for providing your feedback...

I finally got it all

So far, I am happy!

I got BlueTube as a preamp (Presonus) and Rode NT2000

Even my old mic of which I did not think that high, sounded pretty decent with a new preamp...

I recorded my voice and played it at a professional studio... it sounded very good - no worse than their AKGC414

Once again, thank you for all of your suggestions