Help me buy my first good mic!

[manhattanresearchinc]

Regarding the Ableton thing, I use a lot of soft synths and direct sounds so I sometimes need to brighten up the tracks with some re-amping, live sounds and room sounds. I'm just curious as to whether dynamics would give me the same top-end that a good LDC or SDC would.

I'm pretty torn here. The Avenson SDC pair seem like a good investment...any opinion on those? Can I record drums and still get a lot of LF punch?

Thanks for your responses, by the way.

[vivalastblues]

wait, what instrument(s) are you recording?

[SafeandSoundMastering]

The AT 4033 is solid microphone on a variety of sources, no hyped top and bottom but whats there is natural and good. You can definitely get one on your budget but 2 would be a stretch. Great mics are always a good investment in your sound.

cheers

SafeandSound Mastering
online mastering studio

[metrocenter]

For starting a microphone collection, It's a good idea to "cover the bases" of basic mic types first. It seems like LDC would benefit you the most right now, but try to get one or a pair of each before sinking cash into finding the perfect "character" or "tone". One nice drill will not build a whole barn.

Bright dynamic (guitar amps, snare drums, multi-purpose)
Thicker dynamic (Vocals, kick drum, bass cab)
LDC (Vocals, acoustic instrument, room, amps, etc)
SDC (Drums, acoustic instrument, amps, room)
Ribbon (Room, vocals, acoustic stuff)
Specialty?? (PZM, vintage, etc)

Matched pair is a good idea for SDC, LDC, and Ribbons.

Get something that's built well and has the features you want (pads, patterns, filters). All the rest is hype and brand wars and marketing.

Let us know what you get!

Spot on. My garage contains a couple hammers, drills, saws, several screwdrivers, and on and on. So a better question to ask yourself is: what do I need *most*, right now, in a mic.

What are you planning to record, and (more importantly) which of these are most important to your recording?

In most cases, any working mic will record any source. However, it may not give you the results you had in mind. For example, an SM57 may not be best for a pop vocal. Or for you, maybe it's perfect: even within the category of "vocals", different voices and styles have different needs.

And so you have to consider the "needs" of each of your sources. These needs may include:

* Bass boost
* Presence boost (for vocals, perhaps)
* Flat response (no boosts anywhere)
* High SPLs
* Detail/clarity
* Pads/HPFs/etc.
* Ability to use w/o phantom power

What sources do you plan to record? And what features do these sources need?

I love my SM7B, which sounds good on a lot of things. But there are certain things I wouldn't use it for. Same for my lovely-sounding KSM32.

[GooberNumber9]

The first serious mic I used was an AT4033. It's a good-sounding and flexible mic that is affordable.

The first serious mic I bought for myself was a KSM44. Even better sounding (IMHO), more flexible, and still fairly affordable.

In terms of recording in stereo, if you have a usable cardioid mic lying around, and you get only one multi-pattern LDC (like the KSM44), you can always record mid-side with the LDC in figure eight mode.

I guess that's a long-winded +1 on the KSM44 or a half-hearted +1/2 on the AT4033.

[cgarges]

I'd get a 4050. They sound great on everything and you'd be able to use it for a lot of stuff, even as your collection grows. I'm up to owning three of them now (out of a collection that includes well over a hundred mics) and I still find myself using the 4050s for stuff all the time. As your collection grows, you'll be glad that you've got a mic that can do figure-eight and omni. AT is also a great company to deal with if you ever have issues and their repair department in Ohio is really terrific.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[mjau]

I'd get a 4050. They sound great on everything and you'd be able to use it for a lot of stuff, even as your collection grows.

Amen to that. The only alternative I might suggest (of things I've used extensively) is an Oktava mc012 with a Lomo M1 capsule. Between the Lomo and the three Oktava capsules, you'll have lots of options, and they all sound solid.

[blungo2]

I'd get a 4050. They sound great on everything and you'd be able to use it for a lot of stuff, even as your collection grows. I'm up to owning three of them now (out of a collection that includes well over a hundred mics) and I still find myself using the 4050s for stuff all the time. As your collection grows, you'll be glad that you've got a mic that can do figure-eight and omni. AT is also a great company to deal with if you ever have issues and their repair department in Ohio is really terrific.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

As my mic collection grows and i've had to have a few mics repaired, i'm coming to realize just how important good service is. I just had and ATM450 go bad and i think they turned it around in 4 days, and at a very modest cost. That kind of service makes me much more likely to buy more audio technicas. I can definitely see either a couple 4050s or 4047s in my future.

[No Wave Casio Kitsch]

You could not possibly go wrong with an AT-4033, 4047, or 4050. They are all good mics that would still prove useful even if you eventually ended up with a locker full of amazing mics. I'm not sure if you could snag a 4060 on the used market within your stated budget.

The Mojave stuff is also excellent. I do most of my work out of a room where I have access to a U-67, U-47, old 87's, Royers and I still use the 4033, 4050, and Mojave MA-201 on pretty much every session.

[Nick Sevilla]

My issue with buying dynamic mics is that I'm not sure whether they will give me the sparkle I need. A lot of the stuff I do in ableton needs a presence boost from live percussion and room sounds. Am I wrong in thinking this?

Yes.

I've been darkening mics for years. Sparkle is good and stuff, but in the mixing stage usually too much top end can be a bad thing. You can't tell direction if everything is bright.

Cheers

[vvv]

+1 on the AT4047's which I like on vocals but love on drum OH's.

[rhythm ranch]

http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopic.php?t=80966

[vxboogie]

http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopic.php?t=80966

Nice call and I gotta say that is one freaky avatar RR!