Quote:
Originally Posted by Larpy
Here's the SM81's frequency response, according to recordinghacks.com:
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That's pretty flat.
Too flat maybe? Seems like the SM81 is respected more than it's loved. As someone just starting out buying decent microphones for recording acoustic guitars, I'd love to know what $300-400 SDC people with discerning ears prefer, of not the Rode NT5. I've had a pair of Peluso CMC6s for about a year now, and at long last I'm hearing why some folks find them too bright. But what's a better alternative for the same money? |
I dont think a mic can be too flat. Im always a bit suspicious of perfectly flat spec curves, tho. That may or may not be "real".
For $400 each, I've seen some good studios, and know of several pro acoustic players use the audio tecnica 4033. Its a LD, but its a solid workhorse mic. For a tad more, you could probably find a pair of Km184s for maybe $1000 used. If there's any mic that the "standard" for acoustic guitar, thats probably it. The SM81 might have been a "standard" 20 years ago, but the km184 is far more prevalent now. Someones sure to say something bad about them, its one of those mics thats so popular no one wants to admit to using it, at least on the internet :-). I was in two different studios recently, where the engineers proudly told me he had a secret weapon mic. I waited with baited breath, until they pulled out km184s.
I struggle a bit over the Rode mics. Fran Guidry's done some A/B tests with a Rode, and i couldnt tell any difference blind. But in my own use, they have always sounded a bit thin, with a sizzly high end. Could be my imagination, since I cant pick them out blind.
All these differences are subtle, tho, in my experience. You should be able to make good recordings with any of these mics.