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  #16  
Old 10-22-2017, 08:27 PM
DupleMeter DupleMeter is online now
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Originally Posted by Ty Ford View Post
Yes, but a mic's sensitivity plays into this big time. If you have two mics with the same selfnoise and one is more sensitive than the other, it will make recordings with less selfnoise because it doesn't require the same amount of preamp gain as the less sensitive mic. Increasing the preamp gain increases preamp noise and mic selfnoise.

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Ty Ford
Yes, this is very true.

It doesn't help that mic companies can express mic sensitivity in several ways: dBV/Pa, dBV/microbar or mV/Pa. So it can be hard to compare different models without knowing the math to convert amongst all the references.

I, persoanally, wish they would all express it in mV/Pa, since it is the clearest. The others can be easily confused. I mean -35 dB/Pa is the same as -55dB/microbar, even though they would appear to be 2 very different specs. How easy is that to confuse? Yet they both represent 17.78 mV/Pa.
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1996 Taylor 510c (custom)
1996 Taylor 422-R (Limited Edition)
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1998 Taylor 912c (Custom)
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  #17  
Old 10-23-2017, 07:57 AM
Ty Ford Ty Ford is offline
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Originally Posted by DupleMeter View Post
Yes, this is very true.

It doesn't help that mic companies can express mic sensitivity in several ways: dBV/Pa, dBV/microbar or mV/Pa. So it can be hard to compare different models without knowing the math to convert amongst all the references.

I, persoanally, wish they would all express it in mV/Pa, since it is the clearest. The others can be easily confused. I mean -35 dB/Pa is the same as -55dB/microbar, even though they would appear to be 2 very different specs. How easy is that to confuse? Yet they both represent 17.78 mV/Pa.
Amen!

Regards,

Ty Ford
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  #18  
Old 10-23-2017, 09:46 AM
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Doug Young Doug Young is offline
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It's great to look at specs, and with low-end mics, noise is one of the biggest potential problems. But for people with less experience than some of the members here, it's hard to know what these numbers mean in practice, and there are so many variables. For me, the bottom line is whether it sounds good. The AT2020 is certainly not a "great" mic, you definitely get better as you move up the food chain (even within the AT line, things get noticably better as you get higher models). No idea about the Rode M5. But, especially for the price, the 2020 can get the job done. I have a pair that I grabbed just because it's hard to resist a half-way decent mic at that price point.

Here's a short recording I did with the AT2020s into a Zoom H6 a while back, tweaked a bit in Logic (No noise reduction, just some EQ, reverb, etc). You can maybe get some idea of whether the AT2020's can achieve results that are acceptable to you or not:

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  #19  
Old 10-23-2017, 08:19 PM
DupleMeter DupleMeter is online now
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Originally Posted by Doug Young View Post
It's great to look at specs, and with low-end mics, noise is one of the biggest potential problems. But for people with less experience than some of the members here, it's hard to know what these numbers mean in practice, and there are so many variables. For me, the bottom line is whether it sounds good. The AT2020 is certainly not a "great" mic, you definitely get better as you move up the food chain (even within the AT line, things get noticably better as you get higher models). No idea about the Rode M5. But, especially for the price, the 2020 can get the job done. I have a pair that I grabbed just because it's hard to resist a half-way decent mic at that price point.

Here's a short recording I did with the AT2020s into a Zoom H6 a while back, tweaked a bit in Logic (No noise reduction, just some EQ, reverb, etc). You can maybe get some idea of whether the AT2020's can achieve results that are acceptable to you or not:

I agree that the AT mics get noticeably better as you go up the food chain. I have a handful of 4050s because they are great "Swiss army knife" mics. They work on almost everything and sound good.

That recording is quite nice. It says more than nay specs or technical data can. And wth a modest preamp too.

And you're 100% right. It comes down to sound. In the words of Joe Meek "if it sounds good, it is good."
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  #20  
Old 10-23-2017, 09:41 PM
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Originally Posted by DupleMeter View Post
I have a handful of 4050s because they are great "Swiss army knife" mics.
I recently picked up a 4050ST, which I like a lot. I thought it would be nice to have a single mic for videos, but it sounds good across the board.
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  #21  
Old 10-23-2017, 10:50 PM
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Originally Posted by Doug Young View Post
I recently picked up a 4050ST, which I like a lot. I thought it would be nice to have a single mic for videos, but it sounds good across the board.
The 4050s are great mics. They sound good on just about anything. With a good preamp I think they really shine.

My only complaint is that the shockmounts die quickly. I'm on my 4th shockmount for my 4050s. And it's all 3 of them, so I can't believe it's a fluke...or maybe I'm just hard on them...who knows.
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1927 Martin 00-21
1986 Fender Strat
1987 Ibanez RG560
1988 Fender Fretless J Bass
1991 Washburn HB-35s
1995 Taylor 812ce
1996 Taylor 510c (custom)
1996 Taylor 422-R (Limited Edition)
1997 Taylor 810-WMB (Limited Edition)
1998 Taylor 912c (Custom)
2019 Fender Tele
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  #22  
Old 11-16-2017, 09:04 PM
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Originally Posted by DupleMeter View Post
The 4050s are great mics. They sound good on just about anything. With a good preamp I think they really shine.

My only complaint is that the shockmounts die quickly. I'm on my 4th shockmount for my 4050s. And it's all 3 of them, so I can't believe it's a fluke...or maybe I'm just hard on them...who knows.
I was playing around with my 4050 the other night, and recalled this thread. One annoyance I have with the AT shockmount is that it isn't stable, doesn't hold the mic firmly, and even the weight of the cable tends to pull it off balance. I can't position it anyway that's isn't straight up. So I started looking and came across the Rycote USM, which seemed like it would fit. It arrived today, and seems quite good. No idea how it will hold up, but it holds the mic firmly in place so that I could even hang it upside down.
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  #23  
Old 11-16-2017, 10:33 PM
DupleMeter DupleMeter is online now
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Originally Posted by Doug Young View Post
I was playing around with my 4050 the other night, and recalled this thread. One annoyance I have with the AT shockmount is that it isn't stable, doesn't hold the mic firmly, and even the weight of the cable tends to pull it off balance. I can't position it anyway that's isn't straight up. So I started looking and came across the Rycote USM, which seemed like it would fit. It arrived today, and seems quite good. No idea how it will hold up, but it holds the mic firmly in place so that I could even hang it upside down.
Yes! I've always had that issue as well.

Keep me posted on the Rycote. They have a good reputation in the location audio world. If it holds up as you use it I'd like to know. I'll grab myself a couple of them to replace the AT mounts...which are due to be replaced (again).
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1927 Martin 00-21
1986 Fender Strat
1987 Ibanez RG560
1988 Fender Fretless J Bass
1991 Washburn HB-35s
1995 Taylor 812ce
1996 Taylor 510c (custom)
1996 Taylor 422-R (Limited Edition)
1997 Taylor 810-WMB (Limited Edition)
1998 Taylor 912c (Custom)
2019 Fender Tele
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