your first condenser, how did it feel?

  • Thread starter Thread starter cordura21
  • Start date Start date

What did you feel when you got your first condenser?

  • Big difference

    Votes: 381 80.9%

  • Not so big difference

    Votes: 37 7.9%

  • Realized you could have get same results with dynamics

    Votes: 27 5.7%

  • other (please specify)

    Votes: 26 5.5%
  • Total voters
    471
I must chime in!!!

Yeah, I know... There's a million posts on here but it was so much fun reading you guys' posts!!!

I was a SM58 user as well... I did like the sound but I didn't like the fact that if you needed to record a week later your voice had to be in EXACTLY the same position at the mic as it was before or the tone of your voice sounded different...

That was my biggest relief when I purchased a condenser... I did not need to mark my "place" on the floor in front of the mic to get the same tone quality...

And yes, the clarity was amazing...
My buddy "slop choming" on a peanut butter and jelly behind me told me something needed to be done about isolation - and quickly...!!

I now have a nicely baffled sound booth with acoustical foam...
I just got the stuff a few months ago through a deal with a customer of mine.... And it changed the tone of the Mic even FURTHER!!!

Before the foam I used "x" type of EQ to get a specific tone quality for customers...
After the Foam - I could record in the booth perfectly flat - But some vocals weren't completed so I had to "screw up" the EQ to get the same sound I had before the foam!!!

Anyway...
Cheers for the cool thread...
 
My first was an MK319 from GC.
BIG step up from the dynamic I had.

Wished I would have kept it,great mic for acoustic guitar strumming.
A lesson learned for me,if you buy decent mics,then upgrade to something better,don't trade the old ones in!
You'll always find a use for them.

Pete
 
Have you tried a Sennheiser MD421 mic on your sax, and maybe some Sony MDR7506 headphones?

Giganova said:
condensors are so damn sensitive that I'm having problems with leakage from my headphone when I record my tenor sax (which, as you might imagine, is fairly loud). This sucks.
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glad that you mention the 421 for sax recording:

I was recently shopping for a mic to record my tenor sax and decided to either get the 441 or the Neumann KM184. When I found a store where I could get the Neumann for $399.- (same price as the 421, right?) I decided to get the Neumann instead of the 421. Dunno if it was the right choice, but the Neumann is GREAT. The only problem is that it clips if I am closer than 3 feet. It also picks up some leakage from my headphones (Sennheiser 530 II) as I mentioned earlier, but I can live with it.

The clipping is strange coz Neumann sent me an email and said the mic shouldn't clip even if I'd stick it right into the bell and blow hard :-) Unfortunately I could never directly compare the 441 and the 184 so I don't know if it was the right choice to opt for the Neumann. If I'd had a chance to get a cheap 421, I'd definitely add it to my mic collection to use it both for sax and vocals (the Neumann is not suited for vocals).
 
You should try a Sennheiser MD421 on your sax, and the last MD421 (mint cond) I got for under $200 on eBay.
 
The older MD-421, I think, are the better ones. There is the MD-421 II or MKII, I'm not sure what they are calling it now. But I do know that the original MD-421 does not have a problem handling the SPL of a sax of any size. Shove it right down the bell if you want to. The MD-441 is the same way but handles a higher SPL. But for a brass application I think you are better off with the 421.

I wouldn't hesitiate to use a 441 if I had to, I just think brass sounds better through the 421.

Best dynamic mics I've ever used or heard.
 
i just found an old 421 in a pawn shop for under a hundred bucks. i'm gonna sell it to some poor schmuck for $250. never had much use for 'em. try a coles 4038 or a u67 on a sax sometime. that be some sweet sweetback.
 
Richard Monroe said:
My first condensers were Oktava MC012 and AKG Solid Tube. The Solid tube never really worked for my voice, although I'm told ripping out the internal wind screen and replacing the tube with Telefunken or Sovtek tubes makes a huge difference. I do remember, though plugging in the 012 the first time. My room had not been conditioned much at the time, but it's basically a good room. What I heard was thump-thump Thump-Thump THUMP-THUMP! and then this rumbling, vibrating noise that sounded like a washing machine out of balance. That was my cat Sputnik, coming doun a carpeted staircase, and sitting there purring!- Richie
Click to expand...

I just bought 2 Oktava MC012 's . My stomach hurts...Stop talking about us.
I think I know what you mean, as I was tooling around, and recorded a stereo acoustic bit , while listening back thought I had a metronome on but it was my foot...
I will use them for overhead cymbals and my drummer is light and agile on his feet so it will be fine...hmm but he does have that chronic cough thing going on???
They sounded OK otherwise.
They are my first.
 
I like the older Sennheiser MD421's also, and IMO the 421 rules on brass.
 
My first condenser was a Cad E-100...I remember that it worked ok for me at the time{I've still got it}.Most of the problems with it were me and lousy micing tecnique.LOL


Don
 
My first was an MXL2001....Not a great mike, but better than what I had. Main thing that I noticed is that it picked up everything.....I had to really make my vocal booth quiet. I like my v67 much better
 
My first condenser was a Rode NT1000. The first thing that impressed me was that all of the character in my voice was all of a sudden there. It made a difference how I attacked a note and how I released it. Made me a better singer. Since then I have bought an Oktava MK319, a Studio Projects B1 and a Shure KSM32. The NT1000 is still my favorite, at least on my voice. They are all quality mics.

Blessings, Terry
 
I went from an SM57 and an SM57 clone to the "harvey gerst collection" (e.g. V67, 603s, ECM8000).

The first thing I noticed: every room in the house sounds really bad.

The second thing I noticed: every room in the house is noisy.

The third thing I noticed: these make my cheap acoustic guitars sound even cheaper.

The fourth thing I noticed: I still couldn't get that "open", natural sound I thought I wanted. Since then I have learned that open and natural are not at all what I want, and have come to appreciate the marshalls a bit...even though the V67 farts out (although I appear to be the only person who can hear the farting) and the 603 is just a tad too dark for anything I'm using it for at the moment. The ECM8000 is cute...omnis are fun to experiment with...can't beat the price.

The fifth thing I noticed: hey, there are no end-all microphones, even if I'm just "recording myself". I still use the SM57's. In fact, I think in terms of overall quality that they sound the best of all my microphones (even though i prefer the V67 for vocals...it's hard to describe what I mean, but maybe you'll get it).

Slackmaster 2000
 
My first (and only) condenser is an AKG C535B. I like it alright and it was a big step up from recording with my old Shure Unisphere B’s :D

I wish I would have been a little smarter when I bought it (3 years ago) though…I may have made a different choice. Although I was able to sneak this into a mic stand without my wife noticing ;) :D. A C1 or some such would have probably raised a flag :D.
 
Excellent thread guys. I laughed myself silly reading your posts. Musicians really are funny people.
 
:D Felt like a BIG DOG!:D

THey're great for listening to your noisy house,neighbors, the great outdoors while the windows are closed. They also do a real good job while recording in the studio. And yes, cheap instruments sound cheaper.


da MUTT
 
Garak said:
My first is the Studio projects C1 and for the first few weeks it was like wow. Now its just the best mic in my studio and not the coolest mic on earth but it still blows the SM-57's away.

Last weekend I rented a RE-20 and some MD-421's. The RE-20 sound great on my voice, really the first mic I have ever used that makes me sound cool. The 421's wern't all that great on vocals but they rocked on toms, what I rented them for. The RE-20 is great on kick too.

The 57's have their place on snare, on some gtr amps and as a talk back mic.
Click to expand...

God the 421s are so amazing on toms.. I've never heard my toms sound like that before (cause they sure as hell don't sound that good in real life). Too bad I can't afford 3 of these bad boys.

Oh yeah, about the condensers.. My frist was an NT-1. I wasn't completely blown away because I kind of knew what I was getting into after recording with my friends CAD something or other. The CAD was so damn sibilant and harsh (even moreso than the NT-1) so I was not too happy but it was cool to be able to hear every little thing in the room!

Scott
 
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