How do you shop for a mic you've never used before?

[TBman]

What are critical specs?

I usually make note of the "self noise" spec and try to keep that in mind (the lower the better I think).

I also assume that the more it costs, the better it must be.

Pretty close to "oh look, something shiny and new"

What is the real deal?

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by TBman

What are critical specs?

I usually make note of the "self noise" spec and try to keep that in mind (the lower the better I think).

I also assume that the more it costs, the better it must be.

Pretty close to "oh look, something shiny and new"

What is the real deal?

Self-noise is a good thing to look at. I also generally assume that mics described as "bright", with a presence peak would not be what I want - tho you do have to take those specs with a grain of salt, and of course depends on what you want.

I read reviews, and especially like if I can find one on Sound On Sound, they seem to do reviews especially well. The challenge for what you (and I) look for is that demos and even reviews for solo guitar applications are relatively rare. Even when the review uses them on acoustic, it's often in mono, and intended for inclusion in a mix. You can also look at what others are using, not reviewers, but what people here or on you tube, etc, are actually using, especially players who have a similar style and sound to what you want. Ultimately, you have to try them yourself, so reviews, specs, etc, are just a starting point for narrowing down what you want to try.

You can try to find a dealer that will take returns (virtually everything sold via Amazon can be returned easily), or that offers a trial or demo. I bought a mic a while back thru Guitar Center, of all places, but thru their "pro audio" department - which was separate from the store. They got me the mic to try for 30 days. When I decided to actually go ahead with the purchase, I returned the demo, and they swapped it for a new unopened mic. There's also the approach of just buying something and flipping it if you don't like it. As long as you are willing to tie up some money short term, spending, say $500 for a mic, using it for a month or two and then selling it for maybe $400 is the same as "renting" it for $100 for a few months.

[rockabilly69]

Fortunately for me, when I was younger, my brother ran a nice studio and he had a lot of the standards (Neumann U87i, AKG C414 B/ULS, Sennheiser MD421, Shure SM57, etc), so I became very familiar with them, and then when I was ready to buy my own mics, I went about buying what I used at his studio. I particularly liked the Neumann mics, so I bought a U87, U89, and pair of KM184s, and even the often much maligned M147. I use these mics all the time, and they never fail to bring solid useable tones. The M147 works particularly good for my voice, and is also ridiculously good on kick drums about a foot out from the front head.

Like Doug Young above, I read some Sound on Sound articles/reviews, and that led me into buying some of the original BLUE mics (Cactus, Kiwi, Dragonfly, Blueberry, etc). After reading a great Sound On Sound review, https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/blue-kiwi the first one I bought was the Kiwi (along with a BLUE Robbie tube preamp), and that's still a personal favorite combo of mine. It works for a lot of things that I do, but I also find many uses for the other ones too.

The BLUE mics led me to trying mics engineered by the builder of the original Latvian built BLUE mics, Violet, which was founded by the late Juris Zarins.

I bought a used Violet Flamingo Standard, a pair of Amethysts, a Globe Vintage, and a Grand Pearl. I LOVE all of these mics. The Violet Flamingo is one of the best vocal mics I've ever heard, and my brother owned an original U47, and original AKG C12, so I've heard/used some great mics. I keep the Globe Vintage at my house where I record a lot of demos because it's my absolute favorite acoustic guitar mic. And recently I've been putting an Amethyst Vintage on electric guitar cabinets and it's been sounding great.

Until they went defunct, I thought Violet mics were one of the best deals on microphones to be had. Like many of the original Neumann mics, they are dark sounding and take EQ very well. I much prefer that to inherently brighter sounding mics. The offshoot company of the Violet brand, JZ, is still making mics, and have introduced some newer models which many people like. The standouts being the V67 and V47.

After trying out one in a local studio, I also got into Lawson mics, and I'm very fond of his L251 and L47. In my studio I have found that the L251 plugged into a Manley Voxbox, is a killer combo for my voice, and is the first thing I put up on new sessions with other singers.

So a lot of what influences me is the brand. If I find one mic from a company that I like, and I'm getting consistently good results from it, I'm most likely going to try something else that they make.

One mic that I own/use that really surprised me is the RODE Classic II. A close friend of mine, and the best musician I know, got together and tested the Classic II as the mid mic in a mid/side setup on acoustic guitars, and it constantly came out on top. And that was against some heavy hitters. I read a lot of bad reviews on gearsslutz on the Classic II, but because of that mid/side test, I came to love it. It also works great with my voice. Ever since then, I put very little faith into gearslutz user reviews They've also panned other items that I like, specifically the Drawmer 1960 tube pre/comp.

Edit: Doug Young's advice about buying and trying mics, and then selling, is something I've done, and it's worked for me. And it's surely cheaper than renting a mic for a day or two. Although with new mic purchases, many people won't take returns on mics because of health issues, so you need to make sure they will let you return it. Even certain Guitar Centers won't take back mics. So you have to check with each individual store.

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

After trying out one in a local studio, I also got into Lawson mics, and I'm very fond of his L251 and L47. In my studio I have found that the L251 plugged into a Manley Voxbox, is a killer combo for my voice, and is the first thing I put up on new sessions with other singers.

I would love to learn more about Lawson mics. They are rarely talked about and are sold at an incredible price for a in factory hand made capsule. Their 47 is $2,375. The only other company that makes their own capsules and sells the 47 at a reasonable price is Beesneez. Their clone series is $2027.

I would also like to do more research on 251's. KevWind also speaks very highly of the 251. His vocals are super smooth.

[robroy]

I think if you just go with Neumann even their less expensive models like the TLM 102 your search will end happily and you will never look back. and I have reached this conclusion after trying many less expensive mics.

You will sound good to yourself which is most important and to everyone else.

[Brent Hahn]

With mics and other studio gear and even things like acoustic guitar pickups, I tend to buy, try, and either keep or return. I probably return 95% the stuff I buy and try.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by AcousticDreams

I would love to learn more about Lawson mics. They are rarely talked about and are sold at an incredible price for a in factory hand made capsule. Their 47 is $2,375. The only other company that makes their own capsules and sells the 47 at a reasonable price is Beesneez. Their clone series is $2027.

I would also like to do more research on 251's. KevWind also speaks very highly of the 251. His vocals are super smooth.

I can't speak highly enough of these mics, I bought the combo kit. The one with two mic bodies (one tube/one solid state) and the the two capsules (L47 / L251), and one power supply. and I haven't found one combination that doesn't sound good. This is the kit... https://www.lawsonmicrophones.com/pr...tube-fet-combo

Funny thing, I bought mine used, and it was one of the first combos that came out of his shop. So I contacted Gene Lawson about going through them and checking them out. I had him replace the older capsule mounts and clean the capsules, and he did this, along with a total inspection of everything to make sure everything was in spec. He did this for very little money, and turned them around lightning fast. Communication with both he and his wife was excellent.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

With mics and other studio gear and even things like acoustic guitar pickups, I tend to buy, try, and either keep or return. I probably return 95% the stuff I buy and try.

Most studio gear I buy used, as there's so many failing studios, or studio guys that a flavor of the moment types, so it's pretty easy to find good gear cheap. And I generally know what I want, so there's not much risk in going after something I know will work for me. But even then, I make sure I can return the item if I find anything wrong with it. And by buying used, if you don't like it, and you were patient about finding the item at a decent price, you could usually sell it without losing money. I've even made money on some gear.

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

... I generally know what I want, so there's not much risk in going after something I know will work for me...

I get that and I'm the same. But I was limiting my comments to stuff where I don't know one way or the other, since that was the gist of OP's question. I'm probably gonna order a Baggs HiFi pickup in the next couple days, and my statistical history suggests that I'll also return it.

[Doug Young]

rockabilly hinted at another approach - book some studio time at a well-equipped studio. For a few hundred $$ you should be able to record a few tunes, see (and try) what mics they use, and learn a ton just by watching. With any luck you'll come home with a reference track or 2 to try to match on your own, and learn a bunch of new techniques. Each time I've recorded in a pro studio, it's been eye-opening, and way more enlightening than all the stuff I've read online or in books/articles. Most studio owners I've worked with are happy to share what they're doing and encouraged me to "try this at home". If you tell them you're partly doing the session because you're interested in finding the right mic for you, they may pull up a variety of mics, which again can be very helpful.

[Feste]

Barry,
There are a lot of solid ideas posted here, all worth considering. I have been through a bunch of mics over the years, more often than not, buying used and then selling again. There use to be great shops like Mercenary Audio that would allow you to try a bunch mics at the same time and send back what you didn’t want. Man those were the days. A few shops will still let you try and return, but only on some mics, usually very few. If you can borrow from others that’s the ticket. If you can get to know people who also use and have mics that is the best situation possible.

The thing about different brands is that just because others like them, doesn’t mean you will. For years I read about how incredible the Schoeps CMC 641 MK series mics were. I heard good things online and eventually bought one used. Amazingly I just didn’t hear what others were hearing. This has happened to me a few times. The bottom line is you won’t know if you like a mic until you try it. There just isn’t any other way. Of course, like guitars, the better known the mic is, the easier it will be to sell it. I should also mention it is a very cool adventure trying new mics and adding to your mic closet. I wish you luck on your journey!

[jim1960]

There's a ton of good advice in this thread so I won't repeat it all; however, I'll add this... over time, as your ear develops and you become better at critical listening, you'll start to pick up on the characteristics that work for you, and perhaps more importantly do NOT work for you. We're incredibly fortunate right now because for nearly any mic you might be interested in, you can almost always find at least one sample of that mic somewhere. Listen and take your time. Let the sound of a mic grow on you before you pull the trigger.

I'm not lying when I say I listened to this video, sometimes a dozen times a day, for about a year before I pulled the trigger on my Flea 47. It was a scary purchase for me at the time. Don't put a time limit on your decision. Listen long enough to the available samples to really get a sense of what a given mic brings to your table.

[TBman]

Thanks everyone!

[AcousticDreams]

There is a norm that works for a majority of people, but that doesn't mean that everybody else's norm will work for you. This is something I have had to come to grips with.

Sometimes the mic you are interested in isn't a stock mic at any of sellers or pro studios. There is no other alternative than to do your research, listen over and over to the sound bytes, and then take a gamble. And even then, it might take you several months of owning it to realize if it is perfect for you or not. Sometimes it is not an instantaneous recognition. And the reason being that small increments of mic placement can make or break the function. Or, your mind won't accept what stands in front of it. Hmmm? A good example might be the first time you heard your own voice. I would bet good money you said " that's not me!" I know I did. Took me a while to realize that was my own voice. As it has been years since I really recorded voice...I will be going through that once again soon.

To complicate matters, as your knowledge grows so does your understanding of your true needs. What you think you need, and what you really need might not be the same. For example, the type of guitar I thought I needed 10 years ago, is not the guitar I realize I need today. And unfortunately, I might still need another guitar for a different sonic palette.

There are those guitarist that can sound great through most any mic. Then there are people like me, that have very specific needs in order to accommodate my specific style.

It is all very frustrating TBman isn't it? I know I get frustrated myself. Then I realize...it is a journey. And the Journey is what keeps us young.

[TBman]

I know, and then we spend hours practicing, recording, researching, buying better gear and someone posts "doesn't this Crafter guitar sound just as good as this Olson?"

Yeah, happened the other day in general discussion. You can't make this stuff up