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Old 05-08-2017, 07:53 AM
leonelB leonelB is offline
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Default Mic for recording acoustic

Hi Everyone,

I want to buy a condenser mic to be able to record my acoustic audio. It will be exclusive for the acoustic and no vocals.

A friend is recommending me the Neumann 184 MT, it cost around 600-700$ and that would be ok for me but no more than that.

What are your thoughts here? Any recommendation of good mic for recording acoustics?

The Neumann 184 MT is a pencil like mic, would that be ok for recording acoustic?

Thanks a lot for all your help,
Leo

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Old 05-08-2017, 08:19 AM
KarenB KarenB is offline
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Small diagphram condenser mics are the way most people record acoustic guitars, and I've only heard really good things from people who use this mic. I have an Oktava MC-012. If I the $$$$ I would have chosen the KM 184.

Are you looking to record in mono or stereo? Obviously if you want to record in stereo, you need 2 mics.
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Old 05-08-2017, 08:23 AM
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A zillion similar threads on the Record part of the forum. Check it out.
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Old 05-08-2017, 08:24 AM
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OP, also do some research in the "Acoustic Amplification" subforum. Many threads about mics there.
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Old 05-08-2017, 08:36 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rick-slo View Post
A zillion similar threads on the Record part of the forum. Check it out.
Ditto ....the recording forum . You might even PM a moderator and ask them to move this thread there
Also if you are talking about solo acoustic guitar (as opposed to being part a multi instrument recording) then IMO (and something I learned from both Rick and Doug Young ) you will better served with a pair of mics than one mic and strictly IMO since I do not care for the Neumann 184 for that $700 to $ 800 price you can do much better with a pair of different mic's
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Old 05-08-2017, 09:09 AM
leonelB leonelB is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rick-slo View Post
A zillion similar threads on the Record part of the forum. Check it out.


Oh thank you! I will check it out

Leo
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Old 05-08-2017, 09:12 AM
DupleMeter DupleMeter is offline
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And FWIW - the KM184 works very well with most acoustics.

I also like the Audio-Tachnica AT-4041 for a slightly more "hyped" sound. You could get a pair of 4041s for a little less than a single KM184.

HTH
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Old 05-08-2017, 09:12 AM
jim1960 jim1960 is offline
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Your friend gave you good advice. Get that 184 and have fun with it.
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Old 05-08-2017, 09:12 AM
leonelB leonelB is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KevWind View Post
Ditto ....the recording forum . You might even PM a moderator and ask them to move this thread there
Also if you are talking about solo acoustic guitar (as opposed to being part a multi instrument recording) then IMO (and something I learned from both Rick and Doug Young ) you will better served with a pair of mics than one mic and strictly IMO since I do not care for the Neumann 184 for that $700 to $ 800 price you can do much better with a pair of different mic's


Thank you, great info! I have been playing for quite a bit but now I want to get into recording that's why I'm still a bit "confused" about what to do or what is best.
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Old 05-08-2017, 10:14 AM
leonelB leonelB is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Antaren View Post
Small diagphram condenser mics are the way most people record acoustic guitars, and I've only heard really good things from people who use this mic. I have an Oktava MC-012. If I the $$$$ I would have chosen the KM 184.

Are you looking to record in mono or stereo? Obviously if you want to record in stereo, you need 2 mics.


Thanks for this

I am actually between the KM 184 or the TLM 102.

Not sure what's best, price is very similar
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Old 05-08-2017, 10:20 AM
HodgdonExtreme HodgdonExtreme is offline
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I'm a beginner/hobbyist. My research pointed me towards a Blue Yeti. I ended up scoring the "Pro" version on Reverb for $100 (regular price ~$200). I'm very pleased with it, and I've made some very beautiful recordings with it (at least to my ear).

Having discussed my purchase with some other folks more experienced than myself, I'm told the Blue Yeti is a really great mic for anyone that's not a hardcore audiophile.
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Old 05-08-2017, 10:32 AM
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Paramount Guitars Paramount Guitars is offline
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Check into a Josephson C-42. Awesome mic for acoustic guitar at considerably less than the Neumann.
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Old 05-08-2017, 10:36 AM
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Read up on Omni capsules also for mics. From what I've read, but haven't put into practice yet, is that the room you record in is very important also. Expensive mics in a bad environment might sound worse than a mic costing 1/4 as much in the right room.
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Old 05-08-2017, 10:51 AM
Rudy4 Rudy4 is offline
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Hi Leo,
The KM-184 is well liked by most folks doing recording work, but I'm curious if you have an equally good audio interface and something equally good to listen with. Good headphones or monitors are going to add a few hundred to your bottom line.

A dry mono signal isn't going to sound like $700, so you're also going to need a DAW to implement on your computer to record with, add effects, mix audio and top and tail tracks if you're going to want to produce polished recordings (...and you will).

If you're a rank beginner you'll most likely find that messing with all the hardware and software will end up stifling your ability to perform, so that's another factor.

For a total newbie I'd suggest grabbing a hand-held recorder, mounting it on a mic stand and experimenting. You can go for something as minimal as a Tascam DR-05 or Zoom H1 (or H2) and get very good results.

If your goal is to convert to mp3 and post on the web then the KM-184s are going to end up being way too high quality for what your final outcome will be.

If you eventually want to do multitrack recordings I'd suggest something like a Zoom R8 to begin with.

You might want to check out my old website home recording information:

http://web.archive.org/web/201603282...ecording1.html

or Fran Guidry's Homebrewed Music website:

http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/
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Old 05-08-2017, 11:07 AM
dragonfly66 dragonfly66 is offline
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3U Audio is making some fantastic affordable mics. While I was researching mics I came across 3U Audio on the Gear Slutz forum (a forum dedicated to audio recording). I'm "dragonfly66" over there too. Guosheng Zhuang owns 3U Audio and is a microphone capsule designer by trade. He decide a couple of years ago to create is own mics. He supplies capsules to well known mic manufacturers. He sells direct, has great customer service and shipping is fast with UPS. These are not your typical chinese mics, but don't take my word for it. Check out the Gear Slutz threads. The mics have been opened and investigated and many, many people have purchased and used them.

I own five of the 3U Audio mics: GZ67fet, GZ47fet V, Warbler MKIV D, Warbler MKVID, GZ74. I will be purchasing a matched pair of the transformer-coupled CM100s (small diaphragm condenser mics) when they come out this month.

You could get a matched pair of the CM100 (non transformer version) with two capsules and still be within your top budget limit of $600.


SUMMARY
3UAudio.com
Guosheng Zhuang, Director
W: www.3uaudio.com | E: [email protected]
ABN 82 158 441 804

IMPORTANT: Contact Guosheng using the 3U Audio email above for the best prices. The prices direct from him are a little less than they are on his website and eBay store. The prices include shipping and there are no customs fees. It takes about a week to get from China to the US through UPS.

GearSlutz Forum:
SDC
The first SDC was the transformer-less GZ74 which is no longer in production.

The second SDC model is the transformer-less CM100 which has a pad and low cut switches. It's a K84 type mic. It comes with one capsule (cardioid, hyper-cardiod, omni, or omni-flat), but other capsules can be added to your order.

They are creating a transformer-coupled SDC right now which should be coming out this month.
LDC
Their budget microphones are the transformer-less CM-1 and it comes in Teal (ELAM 251 type) and Black (u87 type). These have a -8db and -16db pad, a high pass filter (bass roll-off) and uses a cardioid pattern.

The next level up are the transformer-coupled Warbler mics. All Warbler mics have 3 voices, each voice is progressively warmer than the other. They use a cardioid pattern and have -10db pad and a high pass filter (bass roll-off) switches. The Warblers also come in a D version which has all of the same features of the Warbler but adds two extra patterns, omni and figure of 8. If you don’t need the omni or figure of 8 patterns then you can save money by getting the non-D version of the Warbler.

The next level up is the transformer-coupled GZ FET series. They have a -10db pad, high pass filter (bass roll-off) switches, and omni, cardioid, and figure of 8 patterns. All use dual-diaphragm capsule (67/251/47/M49/800g) - FET w/ American-made AMI transformer-coupled output.

The next level up are their tube versions of the GZ series that comes with a power supply.


You can order matched pair of any of the mics. They have a shock mount that fits both the Warbler and GZ series mics.

DETAILS

Below is what I have read and heard others say about these microphones, the commentary is not mine. I compiled the info for my own use, but think it is useful for others to get a sense of the mics.


CM100
Solid State Small Diaphragm Condenser Microphone w/ multiple capsule choices. These are K84 style mics. The mic comes with a single capsule of your choice, you can buy the other capsules separately or when you order the mic. These are available now, but there will be a transformer-coupled version coming out soon.

CM100-C US
CM100-H US
CM100-O US
CM100-O-Flat US

C = Cardioid
H = Hyper-cardioid
O = Omni capsule
O-Flat = Omni-Flat capsule
GZ74 (no longer available)
Solid State Small Diaphragm Condenser Microphone, w/Omni, Cardioid and Hypercardioid capsules.

"I can't find the email from Guosheng for me to copy & paste word for word but before I purchased a pair I asked him if they're modeled after anything in particular and his response was (something along the lines) the circuit is based on an AKG 451 and the capsules are based after Neumann KM83, KM84, KM85. So like a Frankenstein thing going on."
Teal CM-1
ELAM 251 inspired mic

Teal CM-1 - edge-terminated capsule (251), transformer-less FET output, cardioid only

Black CM-1
U87 inspired mic

Black CM-1 - center-terminated capsule (87), transformer-less FET output, cardioid only

Warbler MK I / MK I D
Airy, sounds like vintage U87.

The MKID is very U87ish. Low mid beef, mid forward in general. The MKID is more muscular sounding than the GZ67. Sort of an assertive, classic sound. It's just really U87-y. For my uses, I prefer the MKID on my voice because my voice is bright and benefits from the weight the MKID adds. The MKID's absolutely kill on drum room. Smash 'em with an 1176 and they have ZERO fizz up top. Just controlled beefiness.

Warbler MKI - center-terminated capsule (87) - FET w/9.5:1 transformer-coupled output, cardioid only
Warbler MKID - center-terminated capsule (87) - FET w/9.5:1 transformer-coupled output, multi-pattern

GZ67fet / GZ67 tube
Falls in somewhere between a U67 and a 70's U87...M269 comes to mind. GZ67fet continues to impress, used it today on a female gospel singer and it really delivered the character of her alto voice..."smoooove"!

NOTE: The M269 is a broadcast version of the U67, powered by an AC701 tube. They are prized for their airy top end. Same capsule as the 67. Same body and grille as a U87 and U67, IIRC.

The GZ67 is kind of it's own animal. I believe it's tailored after the M269. Anyway, it's got a little more air up top than the MKID and it's got less of a prominent low mid kinda bump. It also has a touch more detail in general, transient wise than the MKID. When I do drums, I use the GZ67's for OH. The GZ67's are tighter in the bottom end and offer great detail on OH. They're kind of a velvety sounding mic to me. On guitars I always use the GZ67, acoustic or electric. My favorite on acoustic is a GZ67 in front of the neck body joint and a Teal CM-1 over my right shoulder. Best acoustic sounds I've ever gotten.

Warbler MK II / MK II D and GZ47fet / GZ47 tube
Smooth and balanced, sounds like vintage U47

Warbler MK II - center-terminated capsule (47) - FET w/6.5:1 transformer-coupled output, cardioid only
Warbler MKIID - center-terminated capsule (47) - FET w/6.5:1 transformer-coupled output, multi-pattern

GZ47fet V
Smoother than GZ47fet, sounds like vintage M49. The GZ47fet V is better for dynamic female vocals where you want to tame any strident qualities, adding a more velvety texture, or possibly horns or violin which can also demonstrate strident qualities.
Warbler MK III
Warm and bright, sounds like vintage C12. The MK III is voiced like the classic C12 (slightly scooped mids with good low/low-mid response and nice clear top-end), and works nicely on some female voices and really well on drum overheads. If your key application is going to be vocals, the MK IV may be the better choice, but if you want to do room micing and overheads, and some vocals, the MK III could be the mic for you, both have their strong points, and these are very generalized descriptions.

Warbler MK III - edge-terminated capsule (C12) - FET w/12:1 transformer-coupled output, cardioid only

Warbler MK IV / MK IV D and GZ251fet / GZ251 tube
Warm and airy, sounds like vintage ELAM 251. The MK IV is voiced like the ELAM 251 (has the low-end but with a bit more mids and nice air on top) and works better on a broad range of voices. Like the classic 251, the MKIV trades off some high-end from the MKIII (C12) for a bit more upper-mid push, while still retaining the air on top. That's the beauty of that voicing, it's not dark, it's just not bright. That’s a voicing rarely heard in this price category.

Warbler MK IV - edge-terminated capsule (251) - FET w/12:1 transformer-coupled output, cardioid only
Warbler MK V / MK V D
Warm and smooth, a little tight, sounds like smoother or darker ELAM251. The voicing of the MK V is quite unique and while it might border on the dark side of a 251, it has a voicing that responds almost ribbon/dynamic like.

Warbler MK V - edge-terminated capsule ( dark) - FET w/12:1 transformer-coupled output, cardioid only

Warbler MK VI / MK VI D
This is how Guosheng describes the voicing options on the new MKVI:
V1 - This is the brightest setting, with the intent of offering Sony C800g-like presence (the C800g is on a lot of R&B, Hip Hop, Rap vocals). V2 - This setting is a brighter voicing of the MKI, possibly more U87Ai-like. V3 - This setting would be closest to the MKI in voice position 1. So if you had both the MK VI and MK I you could go from MK VI voice 1 to voice 3 and then MKI voice 1 to voice 3 and have a variation from the brightest to the darkest.

GZ800fet / GZ800 tube
We've completed a new capsule design to match C800g frequency response. We'll use it on GZ800fet and GZ800 tube mics.

OTHER:
"We are busy for some tube mics. We are considering a mic for voice over artists."
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Last edited by dragonfly66; 05-08-2017 at 01:08 PM.
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