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Stereo Mics wanted, $2K budget
So I am looking to purchase a pair of quality mics for acoustic solo recording. I want to make this a one time purchase that will be the basis of my studio.
I have a budget of $2000 +/-. I have listened to a few, but the comparison is so hard based upon the pre-amp etc. I hear Earthworks QTCV40's the other day and really liked them. But I don'y know enough at this time to make a decision. With my budget, what would be some viable options that will allow this to hopefully be a one time purchase for years to come. Looking for suggestions. Thanks |
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The Earthworks are very nice. The QTCV40 are omni mics. However, Earthworks mics are quite noisy because they have very small capsules (the smaller the capsule the greater the self-noise, all other things being equal). I would suggest small or medium diaphragm mics. They are less noisy and work very well for solo acoustic guitar. Here's a partial list of mics you might want to check out (in no particular order): Microtech Gefell M300 Microtech Gefell M295, M296 or M297 (used) Beyer Dynamic M930 or M910 Neumann KM 183, KM184, or KM 185 Peluso P28 Mojave MP100 Mercenary KM69 Neumann KM84 (used) Neumann KM1xx Series (modular) (used) 3 Zigma CHI (modular) Oktava (modified) (modular) Telefunken ELA M 260 set (used) Beyond your budget a bit, new or used, are Schoeps and DPA. I've used or owned all of the above mics for solo fingerstyle acoustic and classical guitar. All are different, sometimes subtly and other times significantly. Some are a bit quieter than others, or appear so to the ear (which is an important behavior for me). Some are more forgiving with mic placement than others. Some take eq better than others. Most have a HF lift of some sort. SOme have near ruler flat frequency responses. Some have bass rolloff (either through design or with a bass rolloff switch) to counteract cardioid proximity effect. Regardless, all of the above mics are what I would call different examples of excellent. If you narrow down a list of a few, I could give you some more thoughts and experiences with those. As to the preamp, many will say a good straight wire with gain preamp is all you need, and if you have one of those then the preamp won't make much of a difference. A good preamp needs to be quiet and provide consistent behavior. Build and component quality come into play, as do feature sets. Good serviceable preamps can be found for $100 per channel (e.g., Presonus MP20, Rane DMS22). Exotic preamps can cost $1,500 per channel (e.g., Gordon Model 5, Pendulum Audio MDP-1). Regardless, the microphones used have a much larger impact on the sonic result than does the preamp used. There is a usually a qualitative difference between inexpensive preamps and more expensive ones. Last edited by sdelsolray; 02-02-2013 at 05:46 PM. |
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Wow, nice budget! Couple of Gefells or Telefunkens would be sweet. I found the Earthworks to be noisy as well. Do you want a matched pair or two mics with rather different capsule sizes/voices? Might be fun to get a great SDC and a great LDC, which would offer lots of tonal options for recording.
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My YouTube Page: http://www.youtube.com/user/ukejon 2014 Pono N30 DC EIR/Spruce crossover 2009 Pono koa parlor (NAMM prototype) 2018 Maton EBG808TEC 2014 Hatcher Greta 13 fret cutaway in EIR/cedar 2017 Hatcher Josie fan fret mahogany 1973 Sigma GCR7 (OM model) rosewood and spruce 2014 Rainsong OM1000N2 ....and about 5 really nice tenor ukuleles at any given moment |
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Ya know, I am not sure, I always felt a matched pair was what I wanted. I wondered about the Earthworks floor noise.
I am very inexperienced with recording studio stuff other than I design then (I am an architect) from a functional and acoustic point of view. I never did the tech stuff. Now it's my turn for my own use. Should be lots of fun. Thanks for all the great suggestions. Problem is getting to hear them. Guess Earthworks is now off the table...on to the next option. I am not in a rush and would love to get some a/b time somewhere. Thanks. |
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It isnt just the Mics , but the Preamp is going to have a lot to do with the sound as well .
Factor that in the equation , and you will come out much better |
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Get Doug Young, Fran Guidry, and AlohaChris (among others) to chime in. They know everything...and then some!
Great advice, Repair Dude. The preamp/interface is a crucial part of the equation here. A $1000 mic through a $169 preamp/interface sounds like $169 or so. What kind of recording space do you have, Spirit?
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My YouTube Page: http://www.youtube.com/user/ukejon 2014 Pono N30 DC EIR/Spruce crossover 2009 Pono koa parlor (NAMM prototype) 2018 Maton EBG808TEC 2014 Hatcher Greta 13 fret cutaway in EIR/cedar 2017 Hatcher Josie fan fret mahogany 1973 Sigma GCR7 (OM model) rosewood and spruce 2014 Rainsong OM1000N2 ....and about 5 really nice tenor ukuleles at any given moment |
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Preamp will be the next part of the equation. I am sure I will be asking for suggestions here as well. After purchasing the mics, it truly wouldn't make send to use a $169 preamp. I would prefer something that can sit on the desk as I really didn't want to have rack mounted gear. |
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I've done double blind tests between $100 and $1500 preamps and been unable to distinguish them. I'm not the only one. http://www.soundonsound.com/forum/sh...part=1#1009249 Feature set, yes. Build quality, yes. Ergonomics, yes. Workflow yes. Sonics? Please demonstrate with level matched same performance clips that show an audible difference between clean preamps operated in their linear region. Fran
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I'm the friendly local "it ain't the gear" curmudgeon. Here are clips of four different mics recording the same source at the same time. The clips are pretty well level matched. The mics are Shure KSM44 (LD), KSM141 (SD), Schoeps CMC64 (SD), CAD M179 (LD) (not in that order, of course). http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/audio/20090626-F.wav http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/audio/20090626-G.wav http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/audio/20090626-H.wav http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/audio/20090626-I.wav I've posted these a number of times, especially when the discussion seems headed in a direction that implies that cost is a microphone performance factor. One of these mics costs about $150. One costs over $1500. If cost can predict mic performance then that $1500 mic will jump out, and that $150 mic will be obvious too, right? Just as in preamps, a high priced mic is different from a low priced one in build quality, finish, ergonomics, or whatever. But there's no necessary correlation between price and audible performance that I've ever been able to hear. You might very well find sonic nirvana with a pair of Audio Technica AT2020s (and the scrupulously clean M-Audio DMP3 preamp). Fran
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E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi Slack Key in California - www.kaleponi.com My YouTube clips The Homebrewed Music Blog |
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Sonic Nirvana
Fran
Since we are on a first name basis, I am Michael: First, thanks for your response. Second, before I spend boatloads of pesos, I appreciate the links and time you took to write the response. I will give it a listen and check back in with you shortly. I have Ultrasone 8 headphones so I am sure that they will allow me to hear the nuances if any. Please Standby.... After listening to all of the recordings, I have to say that the nuances are very minimal, yet to my ear and to my tastes I like recording "H" the best followed by recording "I". All of which brings up an interesting question. Assuming that my room will have some amount of imperfection as most do unless it is acoustically perfect, I read that the Schoeps CMC641 is very forgiving of room imperfections. Obviously a matched pair of CMC641 is somewhat over my budget, but buying a single CMC641 is certainly an option adding a second down the line. How real is the 'matched pair" advantage in a microphone of this quality? Michael Last edited by SpiritShooter; 02-03-2013 at 09:09 AM. |
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Thoughts this AM...
I want this to pretty much be a one time purchase. I feel that spending additional funds now, may prevent the need to sell and purchase again in the future.
My gut tells and ears tell me to buy the Schoeps CMC641 Matched set from the start. I really don't want to add additional work to EQ something else to get what I want. I listened them in a few Sound Pure Studio recordings and they sounded amazing to me, especially with the Pre they were using. So the next step is selecting an interface/preamp to allow them to express their talents. |
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I'll send the key to the mic comparison in a PM. Fran
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E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi Slack Key in California - www.kaleponi.com My YouTube clips The Homebrewed Music Blog |
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Fran
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E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi Slack Key in California - www.kaleponi.com My YouTube clips The Homebrewed Music Blog |
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Makes complete sense...
Thanks Fran |