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  #61  
Old 03-13-2013, 09:15 AM
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Doug Young Doug Young is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ombudsman View Post
. So it's pointless to tell people that they should build up their skills first because actually using these things is often not really why they are being bought anyway.
.

I think it's great if someone wants to buy good gear. I like good guitars, good mics, etc. if someone can afford it, by all means, they should buy whatever they like. Good gear may even help one "grow" into it. Where I think we do a disservice is when we tell people they can't make a decent recording unless they have X mic, or Y preamp. So my concern is the opposite of what you're saying. It's fine to have good gear, but lots of people can't afford it, and that doesn't need to mean they're locked out of making some good music.
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  #62  
Old 03-13-2013, 09:36 AM
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For me, it boils down to a simple question: how do we give people the best advice about what to buy?

If someone asks "how do I make a good recording?" performance, instrument, and acoustic space are all important, at least as much as the mics & other gear.

But if someone asks "what's the best mic I can get for my budget?" the answer depends solely on the characteristics of different mics.

I think there's a clear answer if we're comparing NT1-A v ADK A6: get the ADK A6. The excessive NT1-A high-end can be more or less pronounced depending what source you feed into it, but it's definitely there. The A6 isn't perfect but it is a nice, fairly natural-sounding mic overall.

I still think that's good advice even for people who couldn't tell them apart. One day you might upgrade your monitoring chain and discover the difference.
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  #63  
Old 03-13-2013, 10:08 AM
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Doug Young Doug Young is offline
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For sure, if someone really wants a mic recommendation, recommend away. If they want a better mic stand, we can reccomend that, too! Whatever they're asking for.

But if someone wants to know how to make a better recording and they already have a mic that even pros have used successfully (like the Rode's - note that I'm not a fan of those, but I do know of pro releases that have used them), then we can choose: do we help them achieve a 10X improvement by better recording techniques, or a 0.1% improvement by buying a different mic?. A lot of times people ask for mic recommendations because they think that will help, not because they have everything figured out and know they need a better mic. As moon points out, in some cases, a better answer might be "spend your money on better monitors, instead". Monitors aren't as sexy as mics, so people don't realize how much of a difference it will make.

I just like to proceed in the sequence that offers the biggest improvement. If someone doesn't know how to place a mic, getting a better one won't help. If they have such bad monitors that they can't hear the difference in mics, a different mic also won't help. I guess there's two approaches - chip away at tiny things and hope they all add up even if you don't notice along the way, or go for top-down major improvements so you can appreciate the small differences eventually.

To me, "fix the biggest problems first" makes the most sense. But if someone's at a point where a "better" mic will be noticed, or they just feel the need to buy a mic, then great. If people have the budget, they can't go wrong with the Schoeps. The others in Fran's test, I don't hear enough to make a big difference, tho each has its issues.
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  #64  
Old 06-23-2013, 05:22 PM
Larry Villella Larry Villella is offline
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Default Thanks for all the interesting comments!

Hey folks - I'm new to this forum, and want to say
I find the comments are spot-on and very articulate.

My only added advice would be to take a look at this
month's (July 2013) Recording Magazine. The feature
article is about Marty Stuart and the recording of his
double Grammy® winning Ghost Train CD. Marty has
one of the finest acoustic fret collections in Nashville.

My other comment is this: if you're comparing an A6
to a Rode, the high end does seem to be a bit more
hyped in the Rode, and the A6 only slightly 'forward'.

The purpose of the A6 was to be near-neutral, yet
with a very subtle sheen, at a very affordable price.

However, if you're going to compare it to Shoeps
(which I LOVE), then to compare apples with apples,
the Mics that Mick Conley used to do the tracks of
Marty's million-dollar guitar collection - namely the
3 Zigma Series - is a much better a/b comparison.

I've been collecting (and using) guitars and mics for
45 odd years. The A6 is the best acoustic guitar mic
I can build for under $300. The 3 Zigma System is in
a different class. (And not off-the-charts price-wise).

Just to put that on the record.

Thanks!

Larry Villella, ADK))) - 3 Zigma Audio
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  #65  
Old 06-23-2013, 05:58 PM
moon moon is offline
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Hi - good to hear from you. I always thought it was a bit unfair that ADK mics don't seem to be as well-known as some other brands. I think I bought the very last ADK A6 in Scotland a couple of years ago and now no-one seems to be selling them in the UK at all.

My own A6 has been used mainly on guitar but it has also been a great general-purpose mic for anything else I've stuck in front of it. Keep 'em coming
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  #66  
Old 06-23-2013, 08:05 PM
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rick-slo rick-slo is offline
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I listened to the clips again with this thread revival and they all sound about the same. I would say that with one mike mono recording you are getting a phasey thin sound on all the recordings. That makes telling them apart more difficult. Best would be recording in stereo with a pair of each type of mike - I realize that is not possible in this case.
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