Help me buy my first good mic!

manhattanresearchinc · Post by **manhattanresearchinc** » Sat Aug 04, 2012 9:12 am

Hey y'all,

I've got some extra cash laying around from the summer. I want a "swiss army knife" type mic that I can throw on pretty much anything to get good, clean reproduction. My budget is probably around $600. I use a MOTU 828, no external preamp, and mostly Ableton. I work with a lot of grain delays and dark, ethereal sounding effects.

Here's the thing: I'm not sure whether I'm going to get more use out of a stereo pair of nice, entry-level mics (like a pair of Rodes) or one nice microphone (like, maybe a used Mojave). I'm definitely going to be expanding my collection, but it'll be a slow process since I'm in school and student loans suck.

Here are some mics I've ruled out:

SM7 (I want one, but without a preamp I think I'll have trouble making it all that useful)
new 414. Read too many bad things about them to want to buy one, and have had some experience with bad QC from Harman/AKG.
I know a lot of people are going to tell me to buy an SM57/58 but I already own one.

I'm considering the AT 4050 or a KSM44 if I just buy one mic. It doesn't have to be a multi-pattern mic. I think I want a large diaphragm condenser, but could be convinced to buy something else. Tube is a plus, I think.

Is there some boutique manufacturer that I'm missing out on that sells a LDC (or a pair) for around $5-600 that isn't hyped and weird sounding?

E.Bennett · Post by **E.Bennett** » Sat Aug 04, 2012 9:51 am

Does the 828 have mic preamps? If not, you need a microphone preamp.

manhattanresearchinc · Post by **manhattanresearchinc** » Sat Aug 04, 2012 9:58 am

Yes, the 828 has 2 mic ins with preamps that are good enough for now. That will be my next upgrade.

dfuruta · Post by **dfuruta** » Sat Aug 04, 2012 10:31 am

Are you sure you want an LDC? With $600, I'd buy a used pair of audio technica at4051s. There's no "mojo", but they sound good on everything (including vocals).

kslight · Post by **kslight** » Sat Aug 04, 2012 11:25 am

Here's the thing: I'm not sure whether I'm going to get more use out of a stereo pair of nice, entry-level mics (like a pair of Rodes) or one nice microphone (like, maybe a used Mojave). I'm definitely going to be expanding my collection, but it'll be a slow process since I'm in school and student loans suck.

Well the easy answer to whether or not you want a stereo pair or a single mic is what you will be recording? Unless you are planning on recording sources in stereo (drums, piano?) then I'd vote for a single mic. I have a pair of the Rode NT5s that I use for drum overheads when nothing better is available and they are all right (they are a bit bright sounding, but do the job), but I don't think they would be really useful on as many sources as a decent LDC would.

If you think student loans suck while you are in school, wait until you get OUT of school and you no longer have the option of in school deferment...I pay over $300/month just in student loans...

I'm considering the AT 4050 or a KSM44 if I just buy one mic. It doesn't have to be a multi-pattern mic. I think I want a large diaphragm condenser, but could be convinced to buy something else. Tube is a plus, I think.

I personally have a soft spot for the KSM44. If you can afford one, buy one...if you can afford two....buy two

I used to have access to a pair and would put them up as overheads all the time, was great. I only have one myself....I like them on just about anything, but they are especially nice on vocals. I have A/B'ed it in the past for a U87 and I liked the KSM44 better. Shure may not make their money as a glamorous boutique East Germany brand, but they do make great mics that you will reach for every day.

Obviously, whatever you buy, I'd highly suggest buying used! There is a lot of gear out there for a small fraction of its retail value... I happened upon a "right place right time" deal where I basically bought almost all the mics of a closing project studio, among some other things, and I spent $2k but I saved over $5k from retail.

Matt C. · Post by **Matt C.** » Sat Aug 04, 2012 11:34 am

i like the KSM44 a lot. good choice if you're getting an LDC. I'd also consider getting a large diaphragm dynamic instead, like a MD421, RE20, M88, etc. not as glamorous but they sound great on almost everything (including vocals). all of these choices are way under your budget if you buy used.

manhattanresearchinc · Post by **manhattanresearchinc** » Sat Aug 04, 2012 12:07 pm

I actually like the sound of those big fat dynamic mics a little more, it's just that I need a lot of clean gain and the MOTU just isn't gonna give me that right now. I think I might go with the KSM44.

What about the 4050? What's the story on that?

Also has anyone ever had experience with Karma or ADK products?

chris harris · Post by **chris harris** » Sat Aug 04, 2012 1:56 pm

I love the Mojave MA200 on lots of stuff.. But, if you're looking for "clean", that's not really the mic for it. It's got loads of "character".

CedarSound · Post by **CedarSound** » Sat Aug 04, 2012 2:06 pm

The 4050 is the first good mic that I ever purchased..used, along with a 4047. I got a pretty amazing deal on the two from a friend.

I still use it all the time. Sounds great, and doesn't need a preamp with a ton of gain to sound good. I don't own a KSM44, but I have used one, and I know it is also a great sounding mic. I think you can't go wrong with either.

manhattanresearchinc · Post by **manhattanresearchinc** » Sat Aug 04, 2012 2:10 pm

Regarding the "clean" thing, I'm willing to branch off and get a mic with character, as long as it sounds good and adds that character on pretty much whatever you throw it on. 'Good' being subjective, of course. It also still needs to work with my current setup.

I'd probably wind up with a lot of unique-sounding recordings, and it's always nice to have a "sound," right?

Does this open it up to anything else in my price range?

blungo2 · Post by **blungo2** » Sat Aug 04, 2012 3:16 pm

As i write this, i know it's going to sound dumb, but i think if i could only have one mic it would be either a ribbon or an SDC omni (ideally both). Ribbons do need a bit of gain from the pre, but that can be ameliorated with something like a cloud lifter or a fet head. I personally haven't had good luck with the short ribbons like the fat heads. AEA and Cloud both make beautiful sounding ribbons that you might be able to pick up used within your budget. I've also heard lots of good things about the shinybox ribbons and still want to try some.

Avenson makes some great sounding and reasonably priced SDC omnis. The chameleon TS-1 comes with interchangeable caps and is a really nice tube SDC that work on a ton of sources.

I've had good luck recording almost everything with either of the mics mentioned.

One possibly worth considering is the neumann tlm 102 LDC, also good for lots of stuff IMHO.

Just thought i'd throw out some more choices...

E.Bennett · Post by **E.Bennett** » Sat Aug 04, 2012 4:43 pm

The Shure KSM44 is a really useful microphone. Getting two of these used wouldn't be too far above your budget. Having a good neutral pair of multipattern microphones would be a smart move when building a microphone locker. With that said, I would probably spend the money on a preamp and a few electro-voice dynamics. The mics in the RE series can be found for short money. An re10 and an re55 would serve you well.

manhattanresearchinc · Post by **manhattanresearchinc** » Sat Aug 04, 2012 5:11 pm

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?

blungo2 · Post by **blungo2** » Sat Aug 04, 2012 7:05 pm

manhattanresearchinc wrote: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?

FWIW, i record into abelton all the time. I use dynamics, condensors, ribbons, whatever works best on a given source. I'm not sure i understand your premise though, so my reply may not apply.

Magnetic Services · Post by **Magnetic Services** » Sat Aug 04, 2012 8:59 pm

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!

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Help me buy my first good mic!

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