Let's Talk Hypercardioid Dynamics

lightandmind · Post by **lightandmind** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 11:23 am

For, you know, upfront guitar sounds. Snare sounds. Bottles breaking, stuff like that. I typed "Hypercardioid Dynamic" into the search bar and only 14 results pulled up, let's change that.

What are some benefits and drawbacks?
What models do you like and in which applications?
Any budget options that are considered very hifi and/or musical?
What about the Beyer line?

The Scum · Post by **The Scum** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 12:18 pm

Try searches for Sennheiser MD441 and Beyer M201, and you'll turn up plenty of leads.

I use the 441 a lot - not specifically for it's polar pattern, but because it's got a nicer top end than many dynamics.

accordion squeezist · Post by **accordion squeezist** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 12:53 pm

They can call the MD441 a hypercardioid all they want. To me it's a tight cardioid - just like a 57 but sounding different.

Scodiddly · Post by **Scodiddly** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 8:05 pm

accordion squeezist wrote:They can call the MD441 a hypercardioid all they want. To me it's a tight cardioid - just like a 57 but sounding different.

Actually they (Sennheiser) calls it a supercardioid. FWIW.

drumsound · Post by **drumsound** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 10:26 pm

the null on Hypercardioid mics seems to reject better than cardioid nulls to my ears. I love to use a hyper scratch vocal mic in the room with the drums in the null. I can actually listen to the vocal while we track and not have it full of drum hash, and sometimes even use the scratch. Usually it's an M88 in this position, but I've had decent luck with a 421 as well.

I also use a hyper ATM23he on snare most of the time and it does a decent job of keeping the hat out of the snare.

roscoenyc · Post by **roscoenyc** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 5:39 am

I also like the M-88 and the AT ATM 23.
They started making those ATM 23's again.

They are fantastic for placement on drums (toms/snare)

I wish I had a little more experience with the Heil mics.
The ones I've used at other people studios have sounded really great.

A.David.MacKinnon · Post by **A.David.MacKinnon** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 6:52 am

Another vote for the M88 for all the reasons stated above, also because it's a great sounding mic on lots of voices. I will also sometimes substitute a 421.

The M88 is also great on guitar and bass amps. toms, snare, kick, and lots of other things you might want to point it at.

norton · Post by **norton** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 8:52 am

Love the 441.....and I'd say it was super cardiod. Great vocal mic, awesome on snare top and bottom. Good for guitars too.

lightandmind · Post by **lightandmind** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 9:01 am

Excellent posts guys, I would love to hear some more feedback on the M201 and Heil mics.

dfuruta · Post by **dfuruta** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 4:13 pm

Which of the Heil mics are hypercardiod? Pr20, 30, and 40 aren't.

I had a PR30 and didn't like it. Too bright & crispy for me. I have a PR20 still. Sounds nice, but the handling noise is too much for hand-held use.

ott0bot · Post by **ott0bot** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 4:48 pm

check out the electro voice re11/pl11 is a great super cardioid mic. nice midrange, low noise, low proximity effect...great on lots of sources.

also, the hyper cardioid audix OM2 makes a surprisingly nice amp mic.

sir hills · Post by **sir hills** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 6:49 am

The M201 is my go to for snare & a top choice for acoustic guitar - particularly when there's other instruments in the room or the player of said guitar is singing. It's also nice on guitar amps as well, though it depends on the sound...if the amp/guitar is super bright/brittle I might choose something different, like a 421 or a ribbon. I recently used it for some doubled backup vocals (singer about 2-3' away) & it sat in the mix quite well.

I'm a big fan of the M88 as well, my go to kick mic & I like it for focused electric lead sounds, most vocals, bass. Oh, & I got one of the best mono overhead drum kit in a small room sounds ever with it.

tonewoods · Post by **tonewoods** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 8:03 am

drumsound wrote:I love to use a hyper scratch vocal mic in the room with the drums in the null. I can actually listen to the vocal while we track and not have it full of drum hash, and sometimes even use the scratch. Usually it's an M88 in this position, but I've had decent luck with a 421 as well.

Any other mics that work well in this application??
I'm using a Beyer M500, and it's working OK.
But I want to do a shootout with a bunch of candidates, and would love some other suggestions...

sir hills wrote:The M201 is my go to for snare...

+1 here...
Love that mic on snare...

lightandmind · Post by **lightandmind** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 8:11 am

Lots of love for the M88, that's the Phil Collins mic, right?
"I can feel it,, coming in the,, "
What's the diff between that and the "TG" model?

~

~
I heard that the M201 is a sort of "does everything a 57 can do but better" kind of thing, anyone agree with that? I like the upfront, focused mid/upper midrange that a 57 captures, only I don't like the 57, (how can that be?!?!), does the M201 really EXCEL on anything besides snare?

How does the 441 compare to a 421? As strange as it sounds, I have never been able to make love to an MD421. To me, it's just not a musical sound. There is something about the upper mids and top-end that just feels too aggressive in frequencies that are not attractive, maybe around maybe 8-9k and again around 12-14k. I don't know.

losthighway · Post by **losthighway** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 3:46 pm

You can get a really up front electric guitar sound with an m201, it doesn't always have as much heft, or texture as some other choices, but it places itself really naturally in a mix, especially micing a smaller amp.

It can be really cool on sax or trumpet to.

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Let's Talk Hypercardioid Dynamics

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