condensor mic

[THENUGE]

looking for a for a condensor mic for some home recording...anybody got any suggestions that wont break the bank?

[sdelsolray]

CAD M179 - versatile with very acceptable sonics and behavior.

[fitness1]

what does "break the bank" mean to you?

I may have something for you in the 120 range.....Audix ADX51. I've got three and really only need two. GREAT mic for acoustic guitar, and runs on as little as 9v phantom (sounds great on my Yamaha EMX512sc that only gives 15v)

[dmoss74]

mxl 604, or studio projects c3. the mxl is a SDC, and the SP is a LDC.

mxl= benjie
SP=maybe three benjies.

what will you be using for a mic pre? that matters.

[makikogi]

I;m assuming your recording guitar and possibly vocals? One a budget the rode nt1-a is hard to beat. There's even a mods you can do to it so it takes on a neumann-esque sound

[Herb Hunter]

Originally Posted by THENUGE

looking for a for a condensor mic for some home recording...anybody got any suggestions that wont break the bank?

What price range do you have in mind? Most of the time, will the microphone be used to record just the guitar or will most recordings be of a guitar and vocals?

[Bob1131]

Originally Posted by makikogi

I;m assuming your recording guitar and possibly vocals? One a budget the rode nt1-a is hard to beat. There's even a mods you can do to it so it takes on a neumann-esque sound

+1 on the Rode NT1-A...great mic and one of the highest rated for low self noise.

[Cee17]

I recently ran into a "hot sale" of sterling ST79, through Musiciansfriend and Guitar Ctr, they were "almost" giving them away which was almost too good to be true, any comments/reviews on this one
(didnt wanna end up getting the most elcheapo just coz am a bit lacheapa)

How about the shure SM57?

[Pokiehat]

SM57 is a dynamic mic. As far as mics go its amazing how good sounding, cheap, versatile and indestructible they are but by design they aren't as sensitive as condensers so you have to be real close to the source and/or belt it out real good. They sound great on guitar cabs and snare drums when you move em close and bang em out hard.

If you can't afford to build a mic locker and just want to grab a condenser that doesn't break the bank and kind of does everything well (but most importantly acoustic guitar), I have the grail mic for you:

Audio Technica 4033 and 4050. Both really good workhorse large diaphragm condensers that punch well above their weight. Hugely underrated.

[220volt]

Originally Posted by THENUGE

looking for a for a condensor mic for some home recording...anybody got any suggestions that wont break the bank?

IMO this is the best place to find a good mic on the budget:

http://studio-central.com/phpbb/view...45bd522f1c0b63

[DupleMeter]

Originally Posted by Pokiehat

SM57 is a dynamic mic. As far as mics go its amazing how good sounding, cheap, versatile and indestructible they are but by design they aren't as sensitive as condensers so you have to be real close to the source and/or belt it out real good. They sound great on guitar cabs and snare drums when you move em close and bang em out hard.

If you can't afford to build a mic locker and just want to grab a condenser that doesn't break the bank and kind of does everything well (but most importantly acoustic guitar), I have the grail mic for you:

Audio Technica 4033 and 4050. Both really good workhorse large diaphragm condensers that punch well above their weight. Hugely underrated.

I have to agree. The AT4050 is a workhorse...I have 3 of them. I like them more than the AKG C414s (well, from when Harmon bought out AKG).

That being said - not my first choice for guitar or vocals. a 4050 will do both well, but there are mics that will do much better.

For guitar - in the AT line the 4041 is a better choice. I think they are selling a stereo pair for $300 these days - so it stands to reason that a single mic should be around $150 +/-.

If your budget is higher - the Beyerdynamic MC930 is very nice, Some call it the closest thing to the KM84 since the KM84. They're around $600 a pop.

And the Neumann KM184 is killer for acoustic guitar too. My personal favorite for acoustic stringed instruments. But you're looking at $850 for one of those.

I'd personally stay away from the AKG C1000s. We bought a pair for the studio and we simply can't find anything we like them on.

If you can swing about $350 - Michael Joly mods the Oktava MC012s and many people swear they sound as good as the Neumannns. You can check him out at http://www.oktavamodshop.com/

HTH

[Cee17]

thanks, guys for the info!
am amazed how much i learn just from reading the posts!
(this aint a bad forum after all)

[jhchang]

Originally Posted by THENUGE

looking for a for a condensor mic for some home recording...anybody got any suggestions that wont break the bank?

Do you want to record vocal or guitar only? Both take different considerations.

[Herb Hunter]

Originally Posted by jhchang

Do you want to record vocal or guitar only? Both take different considerations.

I hope you get a response as I, upon asking a similar question, did not.

Originally Posted by Herb Hunter

What price range do you have in mind? Most of the time, will the microphone be used to record just the guitar or will most recordings be of a guitar and vocals?

[Cue Zephyr]

I'm gonna throw in the Oktava MK-012 mentioned before (I have one myself). You could also go for the LDC MK-102 or MK-105.
Or the MK-012-10/012-20/012-30 multi-diaphragm set of course!