KEL AUDIO mics

Brett Siler · Post by **Brett Siler** » Tue Nov 08, 2005 10:38 pm

I have been looking for some beefy overheads for drums for awhile know and I ran across this company called Kel Audio (www.kelaudio.com). I did a little reschearching on the internet and everyone had good thigs to say about the HM-1. Lots of people said they sound very thick and smooth on the drums I wanted what you guys thought. I hold your guys opinions on here much high than those of other sites. So what are your guys experiences with them?

heylow · Post by **heylow** » Tue Nov 08, 2005 11:08 pm

I am so about to try these out. I posted something somewhere on one of the first threads of the new board...I can see these being really useful even if they're only half as cool as the site claims they are...places you'd love to try something like an 87 but are too afraid like toms, etc for the price of your typical low cost dynamic.

I'd be curious to hear what others' thoughts are. You can't really go wrong though....the guy's got a full money back guarantee. I'd have likely gotten a pair already if it weren't for the costs of getting a record out and making sure my stage setup is in tiptop gigging condition.

heylow

brianb · Post by **brianb** » Wed Nov 09, 2005 12:40 am

Here the text of a post I make on this micabout a year ago shortly after I got it.

Well I finally got that kel microphone and have been playing around with it for about a day. First off all the comments in the ?owners manual? were pretty annoying. It was like they were continuing to try to sell the thing after you bought it, Talking about sonic palette and another color in your mic closet and similar meaningless drivel. It seemed designed to prepare you for the fact that this thing has very little top end detail. I?ve got the usual cheap crap to play it through. I did all my comparisons through a symetrix 202 that I haven?t got around to modding yet. I compared it to a sm 57 and a mxl 603, Here?s what I got. On acoustic guitar it sounded muffled. I tried it on a new mahogany martin my wife just got for playing on the road and my own ?42 d18. In both cases I thought the mxl sounded better and the 57 did what the kel hm-1 did more or less but seemed clearer. The high end of this thing sounds kinda buzzy to me. On mandolin the 603 sounded much better. After using the kel for about a day I really ended up appreciating the 603. I have a relatively cheap mandolin I got made by mid-missouri. (Pretty nice for the price but it?s no Lloyd Loar) and that is what these mics are supposed to shine on. On accordion It was pretty much a toss up between the 57 and the kel. Again a little buzzy sounding on the high end but it kinda worked for the accordion, On snare (stick rimshot and brush type of thing) it seemed even with the 57 ditto when I tried it on lap steel. (micing a fender champ) The one advantage it had over the 57 was that it was much more sensitive. I had to crank the volume on the 57 almost all the way up to get what I got out of the kel at about 2/3. You can try these things out for 21 days and I haven?t made up my mind whether or not I?m going to keep it yet- I hate sending stuff back. But it seems that even with the limited mics I have there isn?t much of a use for it. I think I would've been better off trying out that new audix mic that Larry reviewed inthe latest tapeop. I?d be interested to hear what other people who?ve tried it thought.

I ended up keeping it mostly 'cause, like I said, I hate sending stuff back but haven't really changed my opinion much on the thing. Still use it on snare and lap on occasion still wish I had gotten the i5 insead. The guy is pretty dedicted to his product though. After I posted this i got an e-mail where he speculated that i might have a broken and I think he even offered to cover my shipping costs to get me a new one. There's nothing wrong with it though but it says something that the guy will stand behind what he sells.

Brian

Brett Siler · Post by **Brett Siler** » Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:31 pm

Sounds like you aren't too fond of the HM-1. I thought the audio clips on the their site sounded nice. I mean I am it's on $99 buck and you can get your money back if you hate it, whats there to lose?

Most people seem to speak highly of them though...

Do you have any sound clips of using them at all?

heylow · Post by **heylow** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 1:07 am

Review much appreciated but I wouldn't expect it to have much top end based on the info on the site. Actually, that's one of the reasons I'm kinda interested....it seems to me there is no shortage of cheap chinese condensers doing the top end thing already.

heylow

brianb · Post by **brianb** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 1:10 am

I guess I'm just sick of getting sucked in by some companies hype and being disappointed. With all the cheap mic's and preamps I've got I could've gotten somthing like a Hamptone by now. The mic is ok but it sounds like a cheap condenser mic-surprise surprise. It might by just what you need though, and all you have to lose is the shipping cost and the time you'll spend trying to figure out if it'sworth keeping. I didn't hate it so much thet I got rid of it and the thing seems to be built pretty well. One thing I do really like about it is the way the it attatches to a stand-easy to swivel into diferent postions and the mic mount is real sturdy. I haven't heard much about the thing from anyone who has actually used one so it'd be great to get another end users opinion so if your're that curious get one-I'd be interested to hear what you think.

Brian

heylow · Post by **heylow** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 1:23 am

Yeah...right on. Point taken. It's cool.

I'm coming more from the direction of already having some fairly great mics that I like a lot and trying to keep an eye out for things that might actualy do that whole "filling out a sonic pallette thing".

Plus, there are wild card things for me like...I have 2 4047s and I love using one on the outside of kick drums. This leaves me screwed if I was to do something stereo with them at the same time. Something like the Kel may or may not be as great as the 4047 but it just MIGHT free that one up nicely for a hundred bucks. If so, I'm in.

heylow

brianb · Post by **brianb** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 1:54 am

I think we posted at about the same time heylow-hadn't seen your post when I posted. I type at about two words a minute.

Anyway, I got the mic cause I was sick of the high end hash of the cheap condesers I have and was disappointed by the imidrange hash I got. Like you I was hoping it'd fill a spot for cheap but was disappointed-I play mostly acoustic stuff aside from the lap steel and never really need more than two mics at a time so it might be a good fit for you if your'e playing harder stuff. I've heard great things about that 4047. I bet if I had that and a Hamptone I wouldn't need much else. Hell maybe the thing sounds great through a decent preamp. If you think you have a use for it pick one up. I really am pretty curious about what other people think of this thing.

My wife is thinking about getting that audix i5 for her live rig and if she does and I'll try to put up some clips up of the two of them on the same source if I can ever get around to figuring out how how to do that. God I'm lazy. It's appalling.

Brian

Brett Siler · Post by **Brett Siler** » Fri Nov 11, 2005 6:26 pm

What about drums? Have you used it for that? I am really just looking a for an overhead.

soundguy · Post by **soundguy** » Fri Nov 11, 2005 6:37 pm

do they publish where they get their capsules from?

dave

heylow · Post by **heylow** » Fri Nov 11, 2005 7:17 pm

I don't think so. Any particular reason? I mean, I'll bet we could find out.

heylow

brianb · Post by **brianb** » Sat Nov 12, 2005 1:50 am

I looked to see if I had the spec sheet that came with the thing but I couldn't find it. The thing has a 1/2 inch capsule though I remember that.

It might be good as an overhead. I tried it on snare doing that peek over the rim thing and I liked it better than the 57 mostly 'cause it was hotter and for some reason that I don't quite understand I have trouble getting the level I want without clipping. I've never tried it as an overhead but I don't play drums. Even with just a snare and highhat I'm holding on for dear life.

I've gotten curious about what other people thing since this thread started and checked the reviews on other boards. One thing that makes me wonder how much to trust some of the good reviews it's gotten is that most of the people that like it on overheads etc. also thought it was great on acoustic guitar, and of all the crappy mics I have it is unquestionably the worst for that.

Brian

soundguy · Post by **soundguy** » Sat Nov 12, 2005 11:36 am

brianb wrote:makes me wonder how much to trust some of the good reviews it's gotten

george martin and your 15 year old cousin probably have a slightly diffferent perspecctive on what is helpful and why, they work in totally different universes. Perspective is everything.

dave

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