Building the mic “locker”

[Doug Young]

On the matched mic issue, I think the idea of a perfectly matched set is something that mostly comes from historical situations - back when there was more variation in manufacturing. These days, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find any company that offers true "matching", as in they go through their inventory and find 2 mics that have exactly the same measured specs.

For purposes of recording guitar in XY or spaced pairs, etc, "matching" can simply mean the same brand and model - 2 Schoeps CMC6's for example. Manufacturing tolerances are close enough now that for all intents, the mics will be "identical". If you actually buy a "matched" stereo set, what you are usually getting is 2 sequential serial numbers, in other words 2 mics that came off the line one after the other, and therefore are presumably even more likely to be very close in characteristics. I have a set of CMC6's like this. No one actually checked that they matched, tho, just pulled 2 in a row off the line and put them in a stereo set box.

But you could easily find that you actually prefer mixing mics - say a LD on one side of the guitar and an SD on the other, or even a ribbon on one side. And when mixing, you can always EQ each side differently.

So I think it feels nice to have a set that's been sold as matched, but it's far less critical with any modern mic than if you were trying to use some vintage mics (no 2 of which probably match anyway), and possibly not the most important aspect of recording guitar.

[j3ffr0]

I usually record the guitar with a pair, but rarely is it a pair of the same thing or even the same type (i.e., sdc, ldc, dynamic, ribbon)

If you are going to try some vocal mics, I'd recommend buying used with the plan of selling what you don't like. You can end up trying a lot of gear for basically just the cost of shipping and the time of messing with it. You might also want to try a couple of each type rather than assume you're going to sound best with a condenser. Not only do I not always prefer a condenser on my voice, but it is the same with the guitar. I'm starting to like ribbons and dynamics a lot, but that's just where I'm at.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by jim1960

When I complied that list, I created threads for the various categories to find out what people were using. Nothing was added unless it was recommended by a user here, so I'm guessing you didn't respond. I'm happy to make additions. Leave a message in the pinned thread and I'll get to it but please limit your recommendation to what YOU are using not what you've heard others say they are using.

Thanks, Jim.

I may offer the Roswell Mini K-47 in the pinned thread but I hesitate if I'm the ONLY one that has a strong opinion on its strengths.

I do not use the AT2020 and wouldn't make a recommendation for anything I didn't use, but I was surprised by it not being recommended based on the number of times I'd seen it mentioned here on the forum. It has often mistakenly been recommended to those new to recording as a good choice for a LDC, although it's actually a SDC in side address form. Sweetwater even gives it a special sidebar note to explain the common misunderstanding about the AT2020 capsule size in their microphone purchase guide.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

On the matched mic issue, I think the idea of a perfectly matched set is something that mostly comes from historical situations - back when there was more variation in manufacturing. These days, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find any company that offers true "matching", as in they go through their inventory and find 2 mics that have exactly the same measured specs.

For purposes of recording guitar in XY or spaced pairs, etc, "matching" can simply mean the same brand and model - 2 Schoeps CMC6's for example. Manufacturing tolerances are close enough now that for all intents, the mics will be "identical". If you actually buy a "matched" stereo set, what you are usually getting is 2 sequential serial numbers, in other words 2 mics that came off the line one after the other, and therefore are presumably even more likely to be very close in characteristics. I have a set of CMC6's like this. No one actually checked that they matched, tho, just pulled 2 in a row off the line and put them in a stereo set box.

But you could easily find that you actually prefer mixing mics - say a LD on one side of the guitar and an SD on the other, or even a ribbon on one side. And when mixing, you can always EQ each side differently.

So I think it feels nice to have a set that's been sold as matched, but it's far less critical with any modern mic than if you were trying to use some vintage mics (no 2 of which probably match anyway), and possibly not the most important aspect of recording guitar.

I would agree, 20-30 years ago factory matched pair were a standard studio criteria
Today modern production line tolerances are such that I seriously doubt in practical usage anyone could could consistently Blind A/B distinguish any difference from just two of same model and a factory matched set..
And I agree if on a limited budget and you are going to record vocals also a single SDC and an LDC is a completely viable consideration. There a number of renowned recording engineers who have the option but consistently choose an SDC and LDC combo for acoustic guitar

[Brent Hahn]

Seems to me that the only people who are truly in love with the matched-pair concept are the folks who sell them and the folks who design them, especially the people at places like Neumann and AKG who seem to think that a pleasing sound is a quantifiable, measurable thing. And that transformers are a no-longer-necessary evil.

I think it's a good bet that the sound of two brand new mics from the same batch by a good maker will be more closely matched than the left and right sides of any concert hall, or any studio, or your ears.

[Bob Womack]

Just a thought, folks: The notion of a matched pair has a place in professional microphone application. For those who care about being able to plug up a pair and deploy them in a coincident or near-coincident array and not have to worry about spectra differences, owning a matched pair at least offers a predictable starting point. In those situations where you may have a handful of a particular mic model you'll know that they drift and suffer drop-induced response changes. There can also be version differences if you've purchased over time. Buying a matched pair restores that ability to grab and go and can sort of serve as a reminder to treat the pair a little gentler.


Bob