Just bought an AKG C414B...now what!?!

[Sean Sullivan]

So, I just got an AKG C414 on Craigslist for $310! The guy was desperate to sell it, so of course I'm happy. However, I don't know where this baby excels. I've used them as drum overheads/room mics, but nothing else. I'm not going to be using them to record any drums in the near future (dorm room) so how do they sound one guitar amps, acoustics, and vocals?

[Blade]

So, I just got an AKG C414 on Craigslist for $310!
so how do they sound one guitar amps, acoustics, and vocals?

Congrats!

How do they sound on guitar amps, acoustics and vocals?

LIKE COMPLETE CRAP!!!!!!



Just kidding.....have fun and experiment!!!

Enjoy!

[JohnDavisNYC]

RECORD SOMETHING WITH IT!!! WHOA!!

*high fives a dolphin while doing a jump over a shark whilst windsurfing*


john

[Moon Unit]

I'm not going to be using them to record any drums in the near future (dorm room) ...

I hear they're excellent for recording foosball tournaments and kegger parties. Ideal for any dorm room setting, in fact.

.

[channelcat]

I have a pair of 414B/ULSs. I usually use them in conjunction with another mic on amps (SM57) and acoustics (AT4033SE). I like it on my voice sometimes, but usually end up using an AT4047. What pre are you pairing it up with?

Stu

[vatoben]

i've been using one in combination with a royer 121 on guitar cabs lately. i'm really digging the balance between the two. the figure 8 setting and the pad have been more helpful than i thought they'd be in this setup. i like this mic alot.

[vsr600]

I like using my 414-BULS's with dynamics on cabs too. Also they work well on female vocals, group vocals, drum overheads, front of kick, snare (if you're brave and using -20db pad), banjo, upright piano, hand claps (in omni).... etc etc etc. Very versatile mics.

[channelcat]

i've been using one in combination with a royer 121 on guitar cabs lately. i'm really digging the balance between the two. the figure 8 setting and the pad have been more helpful than i thought they'd be in this setup. i like this mic alot.

Yeah, I've been using fig 8 on cabs and omni at the 12th fret on acoustics. There's definitely a lot of options with this mic. I'm glad I have 2 of them.

Stu

[Jeff White]

I have one, use it for guitar rooms (omni), drum room (omni), drum mono overhead (again, omni), acoustic guitar (cardioid/omni) in conjunction with an Oktava MK012, Bell Kit with a AT4047sv. When I was in music school back in the 1990s, I had a chance to record some demo work at the school studio for Congolese music legend Samba Ngo. I used (and fell in love with) the 414B/ULS for percussion, sometimes in conjunction with an SM81 and a Sennheiser 421 (conga bottom). It also sounded great on kalimba, and I used the figure 8 for background group vocals during those sessions, which was pretty cool and reminds me that I need to do that sort of thing more often.

The 414B/ULS is a great mic, and you got it for an amazing deal. I paid $405 for mine 4 yrs ago and would love to have a second one or a pair of AT4050s, which I hear are also quite nice. I'll make the jump sometime soon.

[Ryan Silva]

I've got a pair of buls's and I have absolutly given up on trying to use them on accoustics. I always used them on the 12th fret and a Shure 141 over-shoulder in omni, until I started noticeing how much bass I ended up rolling off in the mix. Maybe it was because the guitar was often a lot of picking style, but I have gotten much more comfortable with SDC on Acoustics.
That being said I use them(414) on absolutly everything else.

Have Fun

[permanent hearing damage]

i've had good results on bass cabs, female vocals sometimes, and acoustic guitars. i usually use them as overheads, though.

[matyas]

One of the most famously versatile mics ever made. Rarlely sounds flat-out bad, except on things that don't sound that great to start out with. There might be better mics out there for certain applications, but it's rarely the worst choice.