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  #16  
Old 06-27-2018, 10:00 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DupleMeter View Post
Of the mics you mentioned, I own a pair of the AT4041s and Shure SM81s. I have a friend who has the NT5s at his studio. I don't have any experience with the AT2020/2021. Here are my thoughts:

NT5 - hate them. Sorry...some people like them, I find them strident & 2-dimensional. They go beyond "bright", right to "ice pick to the ears" IMHO.

AT4041 - I like them. They are not "neutral" sounding. They are big & bright. Not in a bad way. Very 3-dimensional with a big low-end and a noticeable presence peak that adds a useful articulation. Did I mention, they have a huge low-end? Yep..they make things sound huge. These are also relatively high output.

SM81 - neutral sounding. If you were to go to the SM81 after the AT4041 you'd feel a little let down. But, these are very honest mics. No hype. If you're looking for less "editorializing", these are the mics. They are lower output than the ATs...so you'll be pushing the preamos more (and that might mean more noise).

I might suggest seeing if you can find a pair of the AKG C451Bs. They fall somewhere between the AT4041 & SM81. Less hyped than the ATs, but give you a little more character than the Shure. I actually like the C451s a lot for acoustic instruments. I use these way more than my SM81s.

HTH
I have a NT-5 and it always comes out as "in your face" to me, just records "hot" as if its too much mic for my home recording room. I'm going to see if I can tame it this weekend, but I'm not putting money on it,
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  #17  
Old 06-27-2018, 10:19 PM
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I've not tried an AT4041, but that seems odd to me. A good condenser should be pretty flat. AT's specs show the 4041 as quite flat other than a pretty big bump right above 10K. It does not show a bass bump, tho who knows if their specs are accurate. But based on their specs, it ought to be a fairly bright mic. How close are you micing? Proximity effect kicks in at 16 inches or closer in most cases, and some mics are more prone to proximity effect than others, it seems.
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  #18  
Old 06-27-2018, 11:32 PM
runamuck runamuck is offline
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I have a 4041 and it's quite bright .
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  #19  
Old 06-28-2018, 11:49 AM
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Originally Posted by TBman View Post
I have a NT-5 and it always comes out as "in your face" to me, just records "hot" as if its too much mic for my home recording room. I'm going to see if I can tame it this weekend, but I'm not putting money on it,
FWIW, Mike Joly makes a replacement cap for the NT-5 ($169 currently).

http://www.oktavamodshop.com/product...6252ac13ecca7d

It's a little pricey, but Joly and his mic mods have had a stellar reputation for years. If interested, you could probably find discussions of it over at the GS forum.
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  #20  
Old 06-29-2018, 06:51 AM
Vindellama Vindellama is offline
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I've gone through dozens of theads on other forums trying to "compare" the at4041 to the sm81.

As a generalization the at4041 will sound "fuller" with more "detail" in the high end, making it brighter. Hence... May sound too harsh depending on the source(?).
The sm81 will sound more "natural" with more "detail" in the low/mids. Hence... May sound "sterile" depending on the source.

The at4041 is half of the weight. The pair comes in a shared case, making it easy to store and carry around. And is cheap enough for me to be able to buy the pair right away.

So... What would be the advantages of the sm81 over the at4041 to make it worth the extra cash? Is it more durable? Are the recorded tracks easier to eq to taste and such? Does it capture more nuances overall? Will it capture the tone of a great guitar better?

Going through the threads I'm also considering the AKG c 451 b that was mentioned before.
Pretty much nobody said bad things about it.
A lot of people recommend it in place of the at4041 and the shure sm81.
And even prefer it over more expensive mics.
There is a pretty good deal on an used one. But the owner says it went for maintance on a company called 'Harman'.
And have no idea if something harmful could been done to it. What should I ask for in this kind of situation?
He has another one on maintance available that will have the capsule replace (not a good sign I guess)... I could pair it with an at4033, akg c214, or other instead.
Would probably go over budget.
And I guess in this case (pairing with other model) recording in XY would be out of question (just spaced pairs)?

Last edited by Vindellama; 06-29-2018 at 07:27 AM.
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  #21  
Old 06-29-2018, 06:56 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DukeX View Post
FWIW, Mike Joly makes a replacement cap for the NT-5 ($169 currently).

http://www.oktavamodshop.com/product...6252ac13ecca7d

It's a little pricey, but Joly and his mic mods have had a stellar reputation for years. If interested, you could probably find discussions of it over at the GS forum.
I could buy a AT2020 and a Thalia capo almost with that $$ instead, lol
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  #22  
Old 06-29-2018, 09:56 AM
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I could buy a AT2020 and a Thalia capo almost with that $$ instead, lol
Yes, you could. My post was intended to give you a relatively inexpensive option to improve your recording chain by upgrading your existing mic into something many believe is superior. I thought improved recording quality was something that you were interested in.
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  #23  
Old 06-29-2018, 10:05 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DukeX View Post
Yes, you could. My post was intended to give you a relatively inexpensive option to improve your recording chain by upgrading your existing mic into something many believe is superior. I thought improved recording quality was something that you were interested in.
And I appreciate that, but sometimes that rabbit hole is a lot like throwing good money after bad in a way.
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  #24  
Old 06-29-2018, 10:27 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vindellama View Post
I've gone through dozens of theads on other forums trying to "compare" the at4041 to the sm81.

As a generalization the at4041 will sound "fuller" with more "detail" in the high end, making it brighter. Hence... May sound too harsh depending on the source(?).
The sm81 will sound more "natural" with more "detail" in the low/mids. Hence... May sound "sterile" depending on the source.
People's opinions are going to be all over the map. Even on this thread, you have one 4041 owner who says it's dark and another who says it's bright. Your best bet is to get your hands on some mics and get some experience, hands-on. All that matters is what works for you, but even that will evolve as you gain experience. I'd suggest ordering whatever you're interested in from a place that will accept returns (Amazon? Sweetwater? Your local store?) and trying it. Or borrow a mic, any mic, just to experience different options. Some places will rent. Go to a studio for a session and hear what their mics are like. Even hands-on, comparing mics is like comparing wine or guitars. That one's better, no that one's better, no wait, that one...
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  #25  
Old 06-29-2018, 12:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TBman View Post
And I appreciate that, but sometimes that rabbit hole is a lot like throwing good money after bad in a way.
I hear you, I have had a MXL 603s and an Oktava MC012 for about 12 years. There are a lot of mods/upgrades that can be purchased for these mics, and they can get expensive. I still have not decided if the upgrades are worth it to me. I also have eight other mics...so I have certainly stepped at least knee high down into the mic rabbit hole.

At least it is not as deep as my guitar/amp rabbit hole...
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  #26  
Old 06-29-2018, 12:21 PM
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Originally Posted by Doug Young View Post
...Go to a studio for a session and hear what their mics are like....
I have heard this advice often before, and it makes a lot of sense to me. You also would get the benefit of the engineer(s)' assessment of the various mics.
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  #27  
Old 06-29-2018, 06:19 PM
Vindellama Vindellama is offline
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I'm going with the AKG c 451 b.
I've heard some recordings and like it.
The seller assured this one is in perfect condition.
A 500 usd mic for 290... Can't pass on that.
On a later date after testing it out I'll decide if 'im going to buy the other one with the replaced capsule or a LDC.

From the samples I've heard it seems to capture a lot of detail in the mid/high end. Hope it will capture the "thump" from the low end also. If not I guess a LDC on the lower bout would be better for this?
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  #28  
Old 06-30-2018, 09:02 AM
Vindellama Vindellama is offline
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Part 3 of the saga...
The seller was dishonest.
When negotiating I asked if he could make another listing but a free listing and without free shipping, and then discount what he would pay from the asking price.
He did that and didn't change the price...
I saw his seller reputation and there was a pretty bad review from just a month ago.
I pointed out that he changed the product listing and didn't change the price.
And he started dodging the complaints. Lying, changing everything we talked about.
After going through what we talked about and saying that I changed my mind about buying for obvious reasons.
He turned around and "offered" discounting the price he was going to pay on the paid listing as was the accord.

But now with serious doubts on my mind. I guess the deal won't go through.
Everytime a seller pulled out this sort of tactics to earn more money. I ended up losing money.

Started considering staying under budget with the at4041 pair with the shared case again. Their not as good as the c 451 b... But they'll probably be a great improvement over the h5 capsule.

Bummed out by this... Thinking I was going to get a great mic on a great deal.
And that's not going to happen due to dishonesty.
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  #29  
Old 06-30-2018, 12:37 PM
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If you're starting your hunt again you might want to look at the Oktava Mk-012 and the 3 Zigma CHI series. Front End Audio is offering those at 15% off through Reverb during the current sale. I've used both brands for recording acoustic guitar.
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  #30  
Old 08-25-2018, 07:43 AM
Vindellama Vindellama is offline
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Update*
Hi!
After a lot of back and forth...

I just got a great deal on a akg c 451 b. But it's a single mic.
Which mic could make a good pairing with it in spaced pairs?
I'm thinking maybe another akg like the 214?
Or something else up to 400usd new.
To fit my budget I'm looking in the used market, so it needs to be a popular mic that is easy to find used.
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