What are your favorite recording microphones?

[Steadfastly]

Originally Posted by Pitar

So, the message here is a 1-inch condenser mic of one stripe is still a 1-inch condenser mic by another.

Yes, you got it. Marketing hype has relieved billions of dollars from unsuspecting and naive buyers.

[Tico]

Originally Posted by troggg

Agree that the videos are really good and thanks for the links.

That said, do they really sound that great?

Originally Posted by Tico

Yes, but only as good as the worst link in your audio chain.

A high end mic won't sound as good as it could if you listen through computers speakers, iPhone, or typical earbuds, if the mic was plugged into a
low end preamp or D/A converter, arguably even cheap cables can degrade the sound.

This poses a dilemma for buyers.
If you're not a millionaire do you split up your limited budget so each link in the chain is of similar quality?
Or you can do what I did, splurge at the beginning of your journey on forever-keeper mics but cheap-out on everything else since it will gradually be upgraded.
If you take care of them good mics last many decades.

Besides all the gear choices the room, it's acoustic treatments, and your recording knowledge and techniques make a huge difference in the sound you get.
Nice mics are just one tool for a very complex job.

Originally Posted by troggg

I think we can assume than Neumann was using some top end preamps. And I'm listening to it on my studio monitors, not on computer monitors. There actually are a lot of mic demonstrations that sound pretty darned good even compressed on youtube. As nice as the video is on the Neumann series, I heard what I'd consider mediocre sounds. Of course we are talking about their relatively low end series. But still.

Like whose demos do I consider better? Ear Trumpet Labs, for instance. And they're not even supposed to be intended for studio use so much.

I'm certain you are correct that Neumann used high end pres and converters when producing their videos, which are of course ads.

But I wasn't talking about what preamps Neumann used.
I was responding your question, "Do they really sound that great?"
How great they sound depends on the gear they are used with, and this gets overlooked by some.
I'm glad you have nice gear.
The next AGF member may have low end gear, buy the Neumanns, then be disappointed at how bad 'the Neumanns' sound.

In response to the rest of your last post, I suspect we can't judge based on what we hear online, especially on Youtube.
If I was selling gear and wanted to make more money I'd find out what signal processing made my product sound as good as possible with Youtube compression.
Follow the money, as they say.

IMO the only way to truly judge gear is to try it in your home/studio.

[Tico]

Originally Posted by Steadfastly

Yes, you got it. Marketing hype has relieved billions of dollars from unsuspecting and naive buyers.

Yup, the smart people know that mics costing from $1 to $15,000 are actually the same.

[DupleMeter]

my all around favorite acoustic instrument mic is the Audio-Technica AT4041 (single or in pairs). Just gets me what I want without having to add a lot of EQ later on. To be honest, once I got the AT4041s I boxed up my Neumann KM-184s and they haven't seen the light of day (years now).

the old RODE NT1 (serial numbers <25000) is a great mic for the price. Sounds darn close to a U87. It has a very wide pickup pattern for a cardiod (though it's not considered wide cardiod) so it picks up a lot of room.

old AKG C414 (EB or B/ULS vintage). The B/ULS is a bit brighter than the EB, but not nearly as bright as the current crop (XL II & XLS). I'm anxious to try out the Warm Audio WA14, I'm told by reliable sources it was modeled after an old EB era C414.

the Neumann TLM-103 gets a lot of hate for some reason. I like it and have never been disappointed by it on any source.

Neumann U87...well, duh! again, anxious to try a Warm Audio WA87, the same reliable source tells me it matches his 1970s U87 which he finds a smidge warmer than the U87ai. I only have the ai variety so I can't say.

the DPA 3521 set is really nice, though no longer available. I mostly use mine as a main pair for location work or on pianos or as overheads for a jazz kit. Very smooth and flat response. I tend to use them were faithful reproduction of the source is the goal.

[Steadfastly]

Originally Posted by Tico

Yup, the smart people know that mics costing from $1 to $15,000 are actually the same.

Yes, Mr. Stretch.

[Tico]

I'm just "unsuspecting and naive".

[colins]

Originally Posted by Dustinfurlow

I've been recording simple home-studio tunes with an Audio Technica 4033, recommended for live use by my friend and guitar-ace Stephen Bennett, but I'm just curious to hear about some exceptional mics that have a great "bang for your buck" to em. Spaced pair or large diaphragm, let's hear it!

Good thread. The OP is using a single mic but has queried using a pair. Would anyone be willing to comment on the sound difference between using a single mike and using a pair? I am sure a pair gives more options for blending and for a stereo sound but is it a huge difference?

Col

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by colins

Good thread. The OP is using a single mic but has queried using a pair. Would anyone be willing to comment on the sound difference between using a single mike and using a pair? I am sure a pair gives more options for blending and for a stereo sound but is it a huge difference? Col

That all comes down to your technique. - the way you apply the mics. Typically we aren't attempting to change the sound by means of a stereo array but to increase the stereo interest of the instrument. Most modern listeners are thoroughly indoctrinated in stereo sound and used to having a solo instrument spread across the speakers. The trick is to come up with a technique that changes the sound as little as possible while adding stereo interest. All the factors must be balanced in order to come up with a good compromise.

There are techniques that will naturally alter the recorded sound, for instance spaced pair arrays. While a guitar isn't a true point source, meaning that different portions of the instrument put out different spectra, a typical spaced pair will tend to exaggerate the differences between the sections and often will cause a lopsided presentation in the speakers unless it is differentially EQ'd. There is also the question of improper phase relationships between the mics when you spread them apart. Both factors tend to "steer" the listener, making him feel he is being drawn to one side of the stereo field.

Co-incident pairs handle both the EQ and phase issues better but can be a bit bland when it comes to generating a stereo image. The next step is typically a more complicated array. There are a BUNCH to choose from. If you put ten recordists in a room and ask which is best you will usually have at least eleven opinions.

Believe it or not, professional engineers may not have a whole lot of time to fiddle around with multiple arrays. They've got a client waiting and the money clock running so they tend to look for reliable ways to mic an instrument that can be relied upon and please the client. For instance, I've been using George Massenburg's idea of turning a stereo array on its side. I use an ORTF pair turned vertically so that the differences between the instrument's geographical spectra are minimized. The ORTF array preserves the phase information well and I get a nice, balanced stereo image.

Bob

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by colins

Would anyone be willing to comment on the sound difference between using a single mike and using a pair?

My basic take is that there's a single best spot to put a mic. If you have another mic, it's in a spot that's not quite as good. And with the (usually) tight distances involved, at least minor phase issues are a given if you're not in XY.

If someone insists on stereo, I'll do a vertical XY like Bob Womack alludes to in the previous post. Here's a link I posted in another recent thread about that. It's a downloadable zip file with an audio clip plus a photo of the setup. Played on the old Ibanez leaning on the couch; apologies for the clutter.

THE LINK.

It's not super-wow stereo, but I think it sounds nice. And the mono compatibility is perfect.

[Steadfastly]

Originally Posted by Tico

I'm just "unsuspecting and naive".

Maybe a bit unsuspecting as we all are from time to time, but I very much doubt you are naive.

[Steadfastly]

I read a book a few years ago on the history of Nashville. There was some great information in the book about building studios and mic placement. There was a lot of trial and error that is still helping musicians today. A great read if you like those kind of books.

[KevWind]

For the OP there are now many great mic's.

My favorite's are the one's I have chosen after years of research and trial

Schoeps CMC6 with MK4 capsule guitar and percussion instruments

Brauner Phantom V vocals and guitar.

[JeffreyAK]

I've had a Shure SM57 for years, and I recently picked up a couple Neumann KM184s. On my original acoustic guitar recordings, listening through good audio headphones, the differences are obvious, but playing with the EQ I can get them to sound pretty close. Where it matters to my ears is the "ambience", the subtle sounds that make a recording sound like you're really sitting in front of a guitar instead of listening to a recording. A lot of that gets lost when you compress everything and upload it to Youtube, or post it on Facebook, and listen on your computer or phone. If the weak link in the chain is your final medium and playback, like you plan to post it to Youtube and listen through your laptop speakers, then you can get by with pretty low-quality mics.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Steadfastly

This video should give you an answer to your question(s).

Old news, and only really addresses some the more extreme and silly myths. But does not actually address the actual and sometimes significant differences between equipment especially microphones . So any relevance to this thread is unclear at best.


BTW here is another pearl of wisdom :
Be skeptical also of agenda driven crusaders, and self anointed saviors

[TBman]

I have a Rodes NT-5 - too sensitive for my recording needs. Waste of money at this time.

AKG Perception 150 and a MXL 991 I use xy. Not exactly a matched pair, but all I have.

I'd rather have a Zoom H5 or something similar so I can record in other rooms in my house other than the one I do now.

Where you record is just as important to an extent as what you record with.