Audio Technica AT831b lavalier mic... LOVE IT!!!

Red_Label · #1 06-17-2016, 04:42 PM

So I've had the Kremona NG-1, K&K Pure Classic, and now the Audio Technica AT831b lavalier mic on my favorite flamenco/nylon guitar (Cordoba F10) as of late and the AT831b is my favorite. The Kremona is my least favorite. And the K&K is somewhere in the middle. The K&K sounds good, and I could live with it at gigs just fine. But there's a certain hollowness and un-natural quality there that the Audio Technica mic doesn't have. My amplified sound is VERY natural when using the AT and really sounds just like the guitar itself, made louder. The Kremona seems to be the most-artificial/least-natural of the three.

I bought the AT for my Cordoba C12 SP/IN classical for an upcoming wedding performance, but decided to try it on the F10 when it arrived the other day and I've never enjoyed plugging an acoustic in more (and I've had tons of Fishman, Baggs, K&K, etc pickup systems on my nylons over the years). Sad thing is, I just drilled my F10 for the K&K last weekend, so had I received this AT mic before that, I would likely have never done that. Still... there may be times when being able to plug right into the K&K works better (as in a loud bar, when backing up dancers, etc)

Just wanted to give my comparisons regarding these mics and maybe save someone some money/trial-and-error. I had also looked at the Audio Technica Pro 70 mic, but when I read the reviews it sounded like the 831b would work better for my flamenco-ish styles. I can't imagine liking the Pro 70 (or any other system) better than I'm liking the 831b.

Gonna try the 831b on my Cordoba Mini R as well, after I get through my gigs over the next few days.

dosland · #2 06-20-2016, 04:19 AM

Great tip, thanks for sharing! Where do you position (attach?) the mic? I've thought about toying around with one of these at some stage, but haven't really had a reason that would justify the (relatively small) investment...

Red_Label · #3 06-20-2016, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dosland

Great tip, thanks for sharing! Where do you position (attach?) the mic? I've thought about toying around with one of these at some stage, but haven't really had a reason that would justify the (relatively small) investment...

I hang the mic at the bottom of the sound hole... down a ways.. i had read about people who liked the sound so much that they record this way. I was skeptival. But after hearing it for myself, i may very well do so myself. I've got a pair of Shure SM-81s that may be rendered obsolete. We'll see about that i guess.