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Old 09-17-2000, 11:49 PM
J.R. Rogers's Avatar
J.R. Rogers J.R. Rogers is offline
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Post REVIEW: RODE NT1 -vs- AKG C3000

Here is a review I wrote a long time ago.
*See sound samples at bottom!*

Overview:
Recently I've been doing some work on my home recording setup. I've been using a trusty pair of AKG C3000's for awhile now, as they have always provided great sound and excellent sensitivity, with very low handling and ambient noise pickup. Recently, in search of a better vocal mic (read "warm"), I bought a RODE NT1, after having read several favorable reviews on it. I've been working with this mic for a few weeks, and have come to the conclusion that I really like it. Tonight, I decided to work on a side-by-side comparison of the two mics, and compare them for those out there that might be interested in either.

AKG C3000:
In the "under $500" and "under $300", there is a dizzying array of large-diaphragm condenser mics to choose from. I've listened to mics from C.A.D., RODE, AKG, EV, Alesis (GT), SHURE, Audix, etc.. All of these mics seem to have their own unique character, and I doubt that none of them can be considered "great" for all types of recording, but rather, each would probably sound good in one situation or another. I originally chose the AKG C3000, because of it's obvious high-sensitivity and good presence. It's not a terribly "warm" mic, nor is it bright or harsh like many of it's competitors. The sound is crisp with good tight bass response, and the mic doesn't muddy up when pushed. (I've heard that this mic is a favorite among "tapers", and I would have to agree that it would probably do a good job recording a live concert.) The C3000 has a switchable bass roll-off, -10db pad (in case you're inclined to mic a kick drum at close range), and two polar patterns - cardiod and hypercardiod. It can handle very high sound levels even without the -10db pad, as it's rated at 137db SPL. The frequency response is an even 20hz-20khz. The overall sound is very clean. The mic doesn't color the sound much if any. Pretty much, what you hear is what ends up on tape. That makes this a good mic for a lot of different situations, such as micing a choir or live performance, or acoustic instruments, etc.. Again, the mic has a very crisp sound, which might be undesirable on acoustic instruments such as the acoustic guitar, where too much "finger noise" might be picked up. However, mic placement is a true art, and if you find the right spot, you can get a very nice acoustic guitar recording with this mic, with minimal unwanted finger noise. For vocals, the C3000 does a good job, but it certainly isn't going to give you the warm vintage sound that is so popular right now. It will give you a very "accurate" vocal sound, though, with very minimal coloring if any. As always, listen to one of these yourself and see what you think before you buy. Your ear is definitely the best judge.

RODE NT1:
This mic has received some rave reviews, and I'm not surprised. From the first time I heard this mic through my own equipment, I new it was a winner. I bought it because I wanted a "warmer" vocal mic, and the first recording I did with it was with an acoustic guitar. I was instantly impressed with this mic. It's very sensitive, and has a very warm character, without being muddy, or sounding "too colored" like some other vintage wannabe mics. Yes, this IS a vintage wannabe mic. It's supposed to sound like an old Neumann. Now I don't claim to have a "golden ear", nor have I spent much time in a studio with a couple of U87's. However, I'll bet that RODE knew what sound they were looking for when they built this mic, and I'll bet that it's the same mic that the NT1 is cosmetically similar to. Since most of us working folks can't afford a U87, nor do we want to drop the money ($1000) for a "budget" TLM-103, The RODE series mics are an excellent alternative. The NT1 is a very basic mic in it's design. It only has one polar pattern, no bass rolloff or, no -10db pad, etc.. The warm sound from the NT1 is VERY welcome for vocals, as it even made my voice sound good, and that's VERY hard to do! It also does a really nice job on most acoustic guitars, though I wasn't 100% happy with how it recorded the 12-string. I don't think that this mic would be good for recording a live concert or choir, but I do think that it might add just the right coloring to many acoustic instruments. It does color the sound, but it does it in a good modest way. The recordings you get from this mic can be very vintage sounding depending on your pre-amp and EQ settings. I suggest seriously checking one of these out before looking at other mics.

*Note: The NT1 is said to have an internal shock mounting system, but it definitely picks up a lot more handling noise than the C3000.*

Sound Samples:
I'm not posting these samples to demonstrate my playing in any way. I'll be the first to admit that my playing needs a lot of work. These recordings were done to demonstrate the C3000 and the NT1. You'll notice that these mics actually compliment each other very well! The C3000 is panned hard Left while the NT1 is hard right. These were recorded using the stock mic preamps on the Alesis Studio 24, which aren't exceptional, but they are clean and work well for our purposes here. The signal was routed through a DBX DDP compressor with a very light amount of compression added, and the signal boosted a few db. It was then routed to a Tascam CDR. Getting the signal over to MP3 wasn't exactly done the best way... The signal was routed back through the mixer from the CDR, and into my Soundblaster card for conversion over to MP3. The MP3 conversion colored the sound much more than I would have liked. However, it will give you a rough idea.
Left=AKG C3000
Right=RODE NT1

Taylor 712: http://prsmccarty.tripod.com/audio/712.mp3
Taylor 414CE: http://prsmccarty.tripod.com/audio/414ce.mp3
Taylor 355: http://prsmccarty.tripod.com/audio/355.mp3

*Notice in the 355 sample how the NT1 seemed to color the Taylor 355 12-string a little too heavily? This just goes to show you that one mic isn't going to accel in all areas.*

Conclusion:
Both of these mics are very good mics, period. Forget about the price range.. I'd be willing to bet that the NT1, especially, would hold it's own against a $1000+ mic. The C3000's are good "utility" mics, and at their price point, you can afford a nice stereo pair. These are handmade in Austria and appear to have very high quality construction. The internal shock mount is very effective, and makes handling noise virtually non-existent. Another big plus for live taping situations. At $269, everyone should own an NT1, unless you don't like it's sound of course. It's a great vocal/instrument recording mic, with just the right amount of warmth and vintage flavor. It's very sensitive, even more so than the C3000. Also, there's no substitute for a good mic preamps. Fortunately, costs have come down and you're now finding good preamps built into mixing boards like Behringer and Mackie. I'm even pretty impressed by the preamp in my Alesis Studio 24. Surprisingly enough, it's very clean unless you push it really hard. Tube preamps will of course give you a vintage sound, but be careful. The coloring of a tube mic preamp might not compliment the sound of your "vintage sounding" mic. If you're trying to warm up a cheaper condensor mic or a dynamic mic, then a tube pre-amp might be what you need. Be careful about buying into the "hype", though. I've heard some pretty expensive "tube" mic preamps that sounded terrible, while I've heard some modest priced solid-state preamps that actually sounded very good and polished. As always, your own ears are the best judge.

J.R.
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  #2  
Old 09-26-2000, 07:37 AM
gmstudio99 gmstudio99 is offline
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JR...well, an NT 1 has just made the Christmas list...thanks for the review and samples.

I'm glad you said what you did about the Alesis Studio 24 mic pre's, because I've really enjoyed the sound of my Studio 32's pre's. I have an Art Tube MP on the way to try out for a bit. My only current condenser is a CAD E1000, so I'll be running that through the Tube MP and see what's up. I'll post the results here in a few weeks.

Paul
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Old 10-22-2000, 06:57 PM
RL RL is offline
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Hello,

Back a couple of months ago, I started looking for a mike to record acoustic guitar in the under $500 price range. I record to my VS880EX.

I went to a nearby store and using a Taylor 514, A/B compared AKG's 1000/3000B and RodeNT and NT2. The mikes were run through a preamp and into a VS880EX, like mine for comparison.

I walked out of the store with the RodeNT2. I found both the Rodes to be warmer - not necessarily more accurate - but warmer in sound.

At home in my hobby studio I use the RodeNT2 as my main acoustic guitar and vocal mike. I've been pretty happy with it.

RL
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Old 10-22-2000, 09:43 PM
J.R. Rogers's Avatar
J.R. Rogers J.R. Rogers is offline
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The NT2 is reportedly a great mic. I wonder how close it sounds to a U87? I wonder if I could hear the difference. Of course, for $2500 it had better be a big difference.

J.R.
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