MIC REVIEWS
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I bought an Earthworks SRO a while back for live sound system tuning (relatively flat SDC omni).
I recently put it right up close (6" maybe?) to a nylon string guitar at about the 12th fret and it sounded very huge. Of course, I could hear the guy downstairs taking a shower almost as loud as I could hear the gutiarist breathing. We're planning to find a very quiet place (or time) and re-record those parts with the same mic.
I've got an Audix D6 that I've used on kick drum a lot in the last several months and I've decided I wish I had a D112 instead. I'll be trading up once there's cash around for that.
Todd Wilcox
I recently put it right up close (6" maybe?) to a nylon string guitar at about the 12th fret and it sounded very huge. Of course, I could hear the guy downstairs taking a shower almost as loud as I could hear the gutiarist breathing. We're planning to find a very quiet place (or time) and re-record those parts with the same mic.
I've got an Audix D6 that I've used on kick drum a lot in the last several months and I've decided I wish I had a D112 instead. I'll be trading up once there's cash around for that.
Todd Wilcox
The BLUE Bluebird and the CAD Trion Ribbon
I got these both around the same time so I thought I'd just review them both here.
I used the Bluebird first on a soprano female (Bluebird---Focusrite Red---Manely Vari-Mu---ProTools) and on a Male bass vocal. Same signal chain. Both came out sounding great. Very smooth with plenty of detail. Nice top, kinda glassy sounding but not overly so. Both of the folks had great voices so they may have sounded good through most anything. Next I used it on as a drum OH. It was placed about 4 feet up right above the drummers right shoulder. Just a small 4 piece kit with a crash and a ride and HH. Very roots rock sorta stuff so nothing terribly loud. Signal chain was Bluebird---Presonus Digimax---ProTools. No EQ No Compression. Well detailed with a balanced sound. Nice highs and decent lows for the toms although I did end up adding EQ in the mix. The only bad thing I noticed was the mic clipped a bit during the loud part and these guys were not what I consider a loud band. Could have used more headroom above the kit though.
The CAD Trion is my first decent ribbon mic. I have a pair of Reslos that are very old and very dark and muddy sounding which is fine if that's the sound I need but they're hardly a go to mic. I'm very impressed so far with the CAD. I used it first on an electric bass. Put it about 6-7 inches out in front pointed half way between the cone and the outter edge of the speaker. Signal chain was Trion---DBX Silver Tube Pre No EQ No Compression...Sounded great! Smooth, deep handled the loud spots well. The only eq I did in the mix was rolling off some of the high end and it popped right in the mix. I'm playing around with some compression to see if I like it or not. I next used it on some male vocals and also on electric guitar. All from the same project, just basic roots rock blues stuff. Good on each. Had a little bit of a bass increase on the guitar so I had to back it off a little bit. I had the mic pointed just a little of axis toward the outter edge of the speaker so I pulled it back to about 8 inches out from the speaker and pointed it more toward the center of the speaker and it was good right there. I'll be interested to see if anyone else has one of these yet and what they think in comparison to other 250$ ribbon mics or the other one's that get talked about here like the shiney box mics.
I used the Bluebird first on a soprano female (Bluebird---Focusrite Red---Manely Vari-Mu---ProTools) and on a Male bass vocal. Same signal chain. Both came out sounding great. Very smooth with plenty of detail. Nice top, kinda glassy sounding but not overly so. Both of the folks had great voices so they may have sounded good through most anything. Next I used it on as a drum OH. It was placed about 4 feet up right above the drummers right shoulder. Just a small 4 piece kit with a crash and a ride and HH. Very roots rock sorta stuff so nothing terribly loud. Signal chain was Bluebird---Presonus Digimax---ProTools. No EQ No Compression. Well detailed with a balanced sound. Nice highs and decent lows for the toms although I did end up adding EQ in the mix. The only bad thing I noticed was the mic clipped a bit during the loud part and these guys were not what I consider a loud band. Could have used more headroom above the kit though.
The CAD Trion is my first decent ribbon mic. I have a pair of Reslos that are very old and very dark and muddy sounding which is fine if that's the sound I need but they're hardly a go to mic. I'm very impressed so far with the CAD. I used it first on an electric bass. Put it about 6-7 inches out in front pointed half way between the cone and the outter edge of the speaker. Signal chain was Trion---DBX Silver Tube Pre No EQ No Compression...Sounded great! Smooth, deep handled the loud spots well. The only eq I did in the mix was rolling off some of the high end and it popped right in the mix. I'm playing around with some compression to see if I like it or not. I next used it on some male vocals and also on electric guitar. All from the same project, just basic roots rock blues stuff. Good on each. Had a little bit of a bass increase on the guitar so I had to back it off a little bit. I had the mic pointed just a little of axis toward the outter edge of the speaker so I pulled it back to about 8 inches out from the speaker and pointed it more toward the center of the speaker and it was good right there. I'll be interested to see if anyone else has one of these yet and what they think in comparison to other 250$ ribbon mics or the other one's that get talked about here like the shiney box mics.
Of course I've had it in the ear before.....
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- steve albini likes it
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Yo Joel!joelpatterson wrote:I just ordered two of the little comrades... and naturally the delivery is "constrained" so it will be a month or so until they're delivered.
If even the factual stuff they say is true... evaporated gold diaphragm, 18 dbs of noise, three patterns... well then they should just leave the West behind.
I also like the concept of not equipping it with a substandard tube you'll wanna replace, but sealing in a good tube. Like... the way they put that dog in the spaceship...
So, have you gotten the Sputnik yet? I'm curious to get a non-marketing opinion on this mic. Joel H's review in the last TO sounded pretty promising (to say the least).
- joelpatterson
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To say the least, indeed. I think I can echo his sentiments precisely--great, great mic.ajb wrote:Yo Joel!joelpatterson wrote:I just ordered two of the little comrades... and naturally the delivery is "constrained" so it will be a month or so until they're delivered.
If even the factual stuff they say is true... evaporated gold diaphragm, 18 dbs of noise, three patterns... well then they should just leave the West behind.
I also like the concept of not equipping it with a substandard tube you'll wanna replace, but sealing in a good tube. Like... the way they put that dog in the spaceship...
So, have you gotten the Sputnik yet? I'm curious to get a non-marketing opinion on this mic. Joel H's review in the last TO sounded pretty promising (to say the least).
- manganeech
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Cascade Fathead
I just received a Cascade Fathead yesterday and used it on a fiddle session last night. I'm totally blown away! Getting a good acoustic fiddle sound with various condensers (AKG 3030, earthworks sr69, Octavia, Neumann 105) was becoming exasperating. There was always too much string and bow screech and a forward cardboardy body sound. The FAthead just fixed everything! All of a sudden there is a nice woody fiddle sound with rich harmonics. The string whistles and screeches (due to less than perfect technique) are no longer exagerated. The whole essence of a fiddler in a room comes clear. I can't believe such a quality mic is so inexpensive. The build quality, fit and finish are better than most $500+ mics I've seen. It even comes in a wooden box that fits inside an aluminum case with the shock mount! Maybe I'll find something I don't like about this mic, but it I will still consider it a very useful bargain at $159.
Manganeech@cableone.net
El-Change-O!
El-Change-O!
- calaverasgrandes
- ghost haunting audio students
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Micsi wish I knew more of or could afford to but on a whim. That ugly Samson ribbon. the Sennheiser 906 (I think its a 609 with a 421 style filter on it?)
anybody use the ATM450 (side oriented SDC)?
Or the Pulsar II (Maudio SDC)
or anybody try any of those Heil mics on kick? I am just dying for a new kick mic.
hmmm, the fathead is looking more interesting. I always have trouble with fiddle, Zither, Dulcimer etc being too ballistic and not musical with most of my good mics.
And about the beyers. I actually prefer the 69 over the 88. I was so mad when it just magically got broken that I banned all hip hop from my studio (I like hip hop music, cant stand the posturing that goes on in the studio)
The OM5 I am surpised you liked on a female vocalist, I always found them to be kinda strident on women. But good on screamy guys with higher pitched voices.
anybody use the ATM450 (side oriented SDC)?
Or the Pulsar II (Maudio SDC)
or anybody try any of those Heil mics on kick? I am just dying for a new kick mic.
hmmm, the fathead is looking more interesting. I always have trouble with fiddle, Zither, Dulcimer etc being too ballistic and not musical with most of my good mics.
And about the beyers. I actually prefer the 69 over the 88. I was so mad when it just magically got broken that I banned all hip hop from my studio (I like hip hop music, cant stand the posturing that goes on in the studio)
The OM5 I am surpised you liked on a female vocalist, I always found them to be kinda strident on women. But good on screamy guys with higher pitched voices.
??????? wrote: "everything sounds best right before it blows up."
- calaverasgrandes
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Crystal and Carbon Button
this is may latest thing to do when I get bored.
I pick up old carbon or crystal mics. They have absurd impedances like 20 ohms or 5,000 ohms, or in the case of the crystal sometimes they just dont really have an impedance. So I cut off the usualyly useless connector and screw a couple of bannana plugs on there, then connect those to my bannana to 1/4" adapter then run that to a passive DI box. This is just to figure out the polarity by clapping my hands and such. Then I actually solder a 1/4" on there. I was trying to do it with XLR and play with the input impedance on my summit but it was stupid bad sounding not stupid good. Thru the DI it works somehow.
These work great on guitar amps when you want that exploding destruction burning in the sky kinda sound. Not by itself of course usually with a 609 or a 57 as teh bulk of the signal.
My two faves right now are a Sony F95(?) which is a mighty 25 ohms, has a beefy square aluminum body and is cardiod somehow? Sounds freaking excellent for its limited frequency range. Good at low levels, but cruds out in a bad way at medium to loud volumes. No way to mount besides tape so I usually just put an amp on its back and place it face down on top.
Then there is my little Wollensak b162. sounds awful consistently. Very rocky and raspy. with a ringing at 2k or so. mounts to a standard mic stand thread though!
I pick up old carbon or crystal mics. They have absurd impedances like 20 ohms or 5,000 ohms, or in the case of the crystal sometimes they just dont really have an impedance. So I cut off the usualyly useless connector and screw a couple of bannana plugs on there, then connect those to my bannana to 1/4" adapter then run that to a passive DI box. This is just to figure out the polarity by clapping my hands and such. Then I actually solder a 1/4" on there. I was trying to do it with XLR and play with the input impedance on my summit but it was stupid bad sounding not stupid good. Thru the DI it works somehow.
These work great on guitar amps when you want that exploding destruction burning in the sky kinda sound. Not by itself of course usually with a 609 or a 57 as teh bulk of the signal.
My two faves right now are a Sony F95(?) which is a mighty 25 ohms, has a beefy square aluminum body and is cardiod somehow? Sounds freaking excellent for its limited frequency range. Good at low levels, but cruds out in a bad way at medium to loud volumes. No way to mount besides tape so I usually just put an amp on its back and place it face down on top.
Then there is my little Wollensak b162. sounds awful consistently. Very rocky and raspy. with a ringing at 2k or so. mounts to a standard mic stand thread though!
??????? wrote: "everything sounds best right before it blows up."
Nady RSM-5; review comparison
Great discussions on the RSM-2 - I see the price drop in RSM-5 (looking for a smooth inexpensive vocal ribbon). Has anyone tried the Nady RSM-5? $179-199 and musicmart.
- Recycled_Brains
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Josephson C42MP
I recently acquired a matched pair of Josephon C42's and have finally had the opportunities to put them through their paces.
I have to say, that I'm really really happy with these mics. They're extremely clear, crisp, and detailed sounding, and have performed really well as OH's, and on bass cab, acoustic guitar, snare drum, tamborine, etc.
They translate transient information in a detailed manner. They are very "fast" and leave nothing behind in that regard. They're great for brightening up dull sources or for bringing out the little details in the sound.
The high frequency rise allows you to place the mic farther away from sources, while still retaining the high frequency content, or if you want a nice intimate finger picked guitar sound, put it right in close.
They also handle moderately high SPL well, and have a nice clear bass response, so the proximity effect is really nice.
Plus, they're tiny, so they'll fit anywhere.
EDIT: Used one on some Dobro slide stuff last night with excellent results. Very organic sounding. You can really hear the texture that the [brass] slide adds.
EDIT: Used it this past weekend on a number of things. Worked out great on the outside of a kick drum, on electric guitar (tele through a Reverberocket), percussion, hand claps, amped vocals...
These are quickly becoming my favorite mics.
I have to say, that I'm really really happy with these mics. They're extremely clear, crisp, and detailed sounding, and have performed really well as OH's, and on bass cab, acoustic guitar, snare drum, tamborine, etc.
They translate transient information in a detailed manner. They are very "fast" and leave nothing behind in that regard. They're great for brightening up dull sources or for bringing out the little details in the sound.
The high frequency rise allows you to place the mic farther away from sources, while still retaining the high frequency content, or if you want a nice intimate finger picked guitar sound, put it right in close.
They also handle moderately high SPL well, and have a nice clear bass response, so the proximity effect is really nice.
Plus, they're tiny, so they'll fit anywhere.
EDIT: Used one on some Dobro slide stuff last night with excellent results. Very organic sounding. You can really hear the texture that the [brass] slide adds.
EDIT: Used it this past weekend on a number of things. Worked out great on the outside of a kick drum, on electric guitar (tele through a Reverberocket), percussion, hand claps, amped vocals...
These are quickly becoming my favorite mics.
Last edited by Recycled_Brains on Tue Oct 07, 2008 1:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Crystal and Carbon Button
I just got the Sony F95, well its in the mail... Does it need phantom power? Can i just attach a female banana to a 1/4" and stick it into my line input on my digidesign mbox or will it sound like shit? thanks...calaverasgrandes wrote:this is may latest thing to do when I get bored.
I pick up old carbon or crystal mics. They have absurd impedances like 20 ohms or 5,000 ohms, or in the case of the crystal sometimes they just dont really have an impedance. So I cut off the usualyly useless connector and screw a couple of bannana plugs on there, then connect those to my bannana to 1/4" adapter then run that to a passive DI box. This is just to figure out the polarity by clapping my hands and such. Then I actually solder a 1/4" on there. I was trying to do it with XLR and play with the input impedance on my summit but it was stupid bad sounding not stupid good. Thru the DI it works somehow.
These work great on guitar amps when you want that exploding destruction burning in the sky kinda sound. Not by itself of course usually with a 609 or a 57 as teh bulk of the signal.
My two faves right now are a Sony F95(?) which is a mighty 25 ohms, has a beefy square aluminum body and is cardiod somehow? Sounds freaking excellent for its limited frequency range. Good at low levels, but cruds out in a bad way at medium to loud volumes. No way to mount besides tape so I usually just put an amp on its back and place it face down on top.
Then there is my little Wollensak b162. sounds awful consistently. Very rocky and raspy. with a ringing at 2k or so. mounts to
a standard mic stand thread though!
- calaverasgrandes
- ghost haunting audio students
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- casey campbell
- buyin' a studio
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calaverasgrandes wrote:Micsi wish I knew more of or could afford to but on a whim. That ugly Samson ribbon. the Sennheiser 906 (I think its a 609 with a 421 style filter on it?)
anybody use the ATM450 (side oriented SDC)?
Or the Pulsar II (Maudio SDC)
or anybody try any of those Heil mics on kick? I am just dying for a new kick mic.
hmmm, the fathead is looking more interesting. I always have trouble with fiddle, Zither, Dulcimer etc being too ballistic and not musical with most of my good mics.
And about the beyers. I actually prefer the 69 over the 88. I was so mad when it just magically got broken that I banned all hip hop from my studio (I like hip hop music, cant stand the posturing that goes on in the studio)
The OM5 I am surpised you liked on a female vocalist, I always found them to be kinda strident on women. But good on screamy guys with higher pitched voices.
yes, i have used the Heil pr40 for kick for about a year now. before that i was using d112's. ok, the Heil is a really great mic for kick. i have used it in several different locations on several gigs and sessions, and so im very familiar with it. i have found that generally speaking it's really good for rock, jazz, and country type kick sounds. i have recently recorded two black gospel projects, and i would have to say that i had to add a couple of db (eq) wise in the 50-60 hz region due to the fact that producers in that genre tend to want very big kick sounds. one thing i have noticed is that i have always had enough "snap" in the 4-5k range. never had to dial that in like what ive had to do with the older d112's i was using. lots of definition going there, but without being overly harsh. this was welcomed for me as it helped cut through more modern mixes in this kick-crazed music industry we're in. the mic (or at least my particular pr40) is also very sensitive to mic placement. which for me is a good thing.
physical build:
this mic seems to be VERY solidly built. it's kind of a heavy mic with a robust feel. it seems to be made for the long haul. not to mention it also comes in a really nice looking wooden case.
i have also used it for voice and guitar work. it fared pretty well for these uses, but has it's own sound.
if you want an audio example, there's one here (towards the bottom of the page under "jael medium overdrive"):
http://www.in-visiontech.com/products.htm
this page is the boutique pedal company i run, and no im not trying to sell
you a pedal, it's just the only sample i have of the pr40 on kick that i can show you right now...
none of it is properly mixed....a little compression was used, no eq. straight kick sound. hopefully this gives you an idea....
that's all i can think of right now as far as the heil pr40.... maybe i should put this post as a separate review....
best of luck...
Microphone comparisons at AES
I just want everyone to know that I will be at the Telefunken booth at AES in san francisco, from 10am til 2pm each day,doing mic comparisons of new and old U47s and 251's. come by and say hello. Dan Alexander
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Re: MIC REVIEWS
Hi Guys, I recently sold one of our CM47 microphones to Edan Everly and he raves about see his comments on my site.
Robin Eaton in Nashville just cut me a check for one of our CM12 microphones after trying a demo in his studio last week.
Joe Pisapia loved our new CM414 on acoustic guitar as we used it to cut a track for one of Robin's songs. He is planning on buying a couple of microphones from us when his studio is completed in the next several weeks.
Craig Northey of the odds bought one of our CM12 microphones after using it at Bakerstreet Studios in Vancouver.
Cheers, Dave Thomas
www.aamicrophones.com
Robin Eaton in Nashville just cut me a check for one of our CM12 microphones after trying a demo in his studio last week.
Joe Pisapia loved our new CM414 on acoustic guitar as we used it to cut a track for one of Robin's songs. He is planning on buying a couple of microphones from us when his studio is completed in the next several weeks.
Craig Northey of the odds bought one of our CM12 microphones after using it at Bakerstreet Studios in Vancouver.
Cheers, Dave Thomas
www.aamicrophones.com
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I recently bought a Sputnik off the GearSlutz board, just finished using it as a room mic for drums.
I placed the mic about five feet in front of the kit, about four feet up, through a Chandler Germanium pre and straight into an Echo AudioFire12 clocked to a BLA MicroClock.
I prefer to use overheads in a spaced pair, mostly as "cymbal mics", so I was hoping that the Sputnik would be able to give me a nice room sound I could mix in as needed to get a nice picture of the entire kit. Sure enough, the room sound I got from the Sputnik was warm and natural and incredibly detailed. I was sending kick, snare, and Sputnik to a headphone mix while we were tracking guitars, and when I heard our drummer's voice in the headphones, I literally thought he was speaking to me and looked around for a second. As Joel P. suggested in his review of the mic, it really does capture the feel of a room. Great mic for this application!
I placed the mic about five feet in front of the kit, about four feet up, through a Chandler Germanium pre and straight into an Echo AudioFire12 clocked to a BLA MicroClock.
I prefer to use overheads in a spaced pair, mostly as "cymbal mics", so I was hoping that the Sputnik would be able to give me a nice room sound I could mix in as needed to get a nice picture of the entire kit. Sure enough, the room sound I got from the Sputnik was warm and natural and incredibly detailed. I was sending kick, snare, and Sputnik to a headphone mix while we were tracking guitars, and when I heard our drummer's voice in the headphones, I literally thought he was speaking to me and looked around for a second. As Joel P. suggested in his review of the mic, it really does capture the feel of a room. Great mic for this application!
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