Quote:
Originally Posted by Howard Emerson
Bob,
But now at least you're ready for the client who comes in and says "I really want my vocals to have that 'close-to-the-wall' sound"
HE
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Yes, Howard, and that's why it is often hard for me to participate in these "which-mic-is-better-than-which" discussions: quite often, every mic and piece of gear is useful for
something. Thirty years ago when I was starting as a recording engineer I read a great little article in
Recording Engineer & Producer magazine about mic applications. In it, as an illustration of this, they portrayed a young tyro engineer asking "What is the best mic for acoustic guitar?" The old experience engineer scratches his head, thinks, and then mumbles, "Mmmmm... It depends..." When pushed and given more details, he goes to the mic locker and pulls out a dusty old mic that is considered disreputable in fashion but turns out to do the job perfectly.
That is why we don't throw out stuff very often. A younger engineer at my place recently enthusiastically discovered the virtues of the lowly ElectroVoice RE-15 dynamic condenser for live work. When was the last time
anyone enthused about the RE-15? Yet I was happily using it for PA and recording of guitar back in my leaner days in the late 1970s.
And that is why that Reflexion screen is still in one of our mic closets: someone may yet find a perfect use for it. We haven't tried it yet on drums, to screen one drum mic from another, for instance. It might be to bulky, but it's a thought.
Bob