stapes vs. the ghetto army

[the velour fog]

I'm debating over some mics, either getting a pair of stapes omni's or a pair of Oktava MC012's, an AT3035, and a few cheap pre's.

I've heard lots of good stuff about stapes...how they're very realistic sounding on many applications. So would it be better to get a pair of stapes, or to have more of a selection?? so, 2 mics and a decent pre vs. 3-4 mics and 3-4 pres.

[supafuzz]

I have a pair of stapes first run and I sold my oktava's almost right away.

So far they sound great on acoustic..and percussion...supposedly good for overheads and for group vocals..

Gonna do a party recording [room full of people having a party ] and use it
to make a track sound live..using the stapes up near the ceiling [10ft high]

recorded a cymbal track to make a drum loop sound more human and that worked out nicely..they really like distance from the sound source..

Eric is a really nice guy to deal with as well...

[justinf]

Yep, didn't go as far as to sell my Oktavas but I sure reach for the Stapes a whole lot more. Mine are first run too, but I'm sure the new ones sound just as good and might get you laid quicker.

[supafuzz]

I don't know I got laid right away when i received my stapes...uh but then i woke up and ..hey....wait a minute!!!!

[the velour fog]

right now all I have are a couple SM57's...so i'm wondering if it's better to use those on things close up, and fill in the rest with the stapes...or to get different mics for a somewhat larger collection??

[supafuzz]

57's are good for guitar cabinets...vocals..snare drum pretty much that's what i use em for
and you can use it on acoustic guitar as well...for a stonsey sound

You're better off having different mics that do specific things well

Like the stapes for all acoustic stuff..like ribbon mic for guitar cabinets

etc....

[justinf]

With 57s, the stapes, and a cheaper LDC like an AT4033 or Studio Projects C1, you'd have the bases covered for a while. That's the core of what I use these days, along with the aforementioned ribbon (121 in my case). I use that fucker all the time, just waiting to tear it.

[Leopold]

I actually built the DIY Omni's that were in TapeOp a while ago and they sound pretty good so I can imagine the Stapes can only be an improvement (especially over signal noise). I also have the Oktavas and I think for overheads you can't beat them (everyone says that for the money they are great but I think they are just great regardless of the cost). I haven't used the Omni's for OHs yet due to the fact that the room we've been recording in is a building full of rehearsal spaces and I don't want any of the other nosie bleeding in. Also I've used the Behringer Omni ECM8000, for $40 it's a pretty good mic.

Eddie

[toothpastefordinner]

this is slightly off topic, but i have an oktava 012, and i find i can hardly use it on anything! it sounds so crispy, so brittle, so sibilant, it hurts my ears sometimes. whenever i try to EQ it, it just turns to crap. oh well, i guess for $100 you don't get much, do you?

now, i saw some kind of thing where you can get an akg C1000 and a C3000 for $400, does that sound like a decent deal? are those pretty decent mics? agh, it's so hard to tell.

[soundguy]

people like what they like.

I had both a C1000 and a C3000 and I suffered through a record back in the stone age when those were my main mics.

If there was a C1000 and a C3000 on a table for 2 bucks a piece, I'd pocket my four dollars, go round the corner and buy a soda and a candy bar instead.

C1000's might actually be the most brittle sounding mics ever made.

dave

[Flight Feathers]

i'd love a pair of stapes mics, but i feel like i've been waiting like a year for them to come out. and now they are going to be like $400-500 for a pair - not quite the bargain they used to be. but you do get what you pay for.. and i'm sure that hand-carved solid cherry case with crushed velvet interior is totally worth it. sorry, i'm being pissy...



ayan

[the velour fog]

thanks for the help all.

[trodden]

I'm sure you know this, its become common knowledge on the board but just in case, if you go the Oktava route, test before you buy. I checked out 5 different mics to try to "match" two of them. Using my voice and an acoustic guitar. out of the five, one was fuct, two were pretty darn close to each other and the other two were night and day. I'm really happy with the oktave Mk-012's. for the dollar, decent mic. I don't seem to find them to shrill either. I'm sure there are some out there that do sound bad due to the QC issues, but just check them out first. And I totally dig the cheap plastice case they come in. Now thats pro!

[Sicily]

not so sure about the Stapes, but maybe check out the Marshall Electronics MXL 603s.

I have a pair that I use on acoustic and sometimes guitar amps turned down kinda low...I live in an apartment. I am pretty happy with mine and I think it's probably worth it to you to do some research on these as well.

Here's a matched pair w/case and shockmounts at a pretty good price...

http://www.8thstreet.com/product.asp?Pr ... icrophones

Good luck!

[the velour fog]

that reminds me of another question. I've noticed that people have been selling the MXL 2001 and 603s as a pair. Do they work well as a pair? or are people just trying to get rid of back stock?