U195 and too many midrange mics

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standup
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U195 and too many midrange mics

Post by standup » Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:06 pm

In the last 20 years I've accumulated a lot of middle-tier mics. I have a u195 that used to be my main vocal mic. I still use it a lot, it's very useful. I'm trying to thin things out though, and I'm on the fence about that one. Mostly this question is "Convince me to keep the u195, maybe?"

Keeping: Pair of Sony C38's mostly on drum overheads, where they excel. Gefell UM70s, for everything. Blue baby bottle, which is useful to me with its midrange detail and lack of crispy high end.

Ditching: Warm WA14. Useful, but I probably don't need it. BLUE dragonfly deluxe, their "high end" version with B6 capsule. Also useful, but used less than the others.

On the fence: U195. I'm thinking it's too useful to get rid of. Good all around.

What does anyone else think?

I do tend to track band-at-once whenever possible, ensembles where everything gets a mic.

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Re: U195 and too many midrange mics

Post by drumsound » Thu Jun 06, 2019 10:13 pm

Ny thought is if things are paid for, they are worth having around, unless you hate them, or are trying to fund something else.

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Re: U195 and too many midrange mics

Post by TapeOpLarry » Thu Jun 06, 2019 10:20 pm

I rarely sell mics. They all shine at some unexpected juncture.
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losthighway
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Re: U195 and too many midrange mics

Post by losthighway » Fri Jun 07, 2019 12:12 pm

Wise words here. Also I wouldn't weigh your needs, or surpluses based on midrange, cheap, or pricey. On any given day I imagine people with some of the best mic lockers (and use them often) would see their setup ranging in combination of cheap workhorses, in betweeners, and pricey bling mics.

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Re: U195 and too many midrange mics

Post by Nick Sevilla » Sat Jun 08, 2019 8:30 am

You really need to only keep the mics which outperform other ones.

Hopefully, you only keep one Stereo set or an individual mic from each category:

LDC 1 - Large Diaphragm tube amplified (U47 type) - over 1" diaphragm, tube preamplifier.

LDC 2 - Large Diaphragm solid state (transistor) amplified (Neumann U87 type) - over 1" diaphragm, transistor preamplifier.

SDC 1 - Small Diaphragm tube amplified (Neumann U64 type) - small (under 1") diaphragm, tube preamplifier.

SDC 2 - Small Diaphragm solid state amplified (OktaBa MC012 type) - small (under 1") diaphragm, solid state preamplifier.

SDD 1 - Dynamic mics, like Shure SM57.

Ribbon 1 - Ribbon mic like Royer 121, etc.

Ribbon 2 - Ribbon mic like RCA 44 etc.

Etc. Just make a list of what types you most commonly use, and keep the BEST pair from your collection.
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.

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losthighway
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Re: U195 and too many midrange mics

Post by losthighway » Sat Jun 08, 2019 12:33 pm

I probably have between 5 and 9 different dynamic mics up (all under $400) any time I track a whole band depending on how many guitar amps they're using and whether I was using a ribbon or condenser on said guitar amps.

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Re: U195 and too many midrange mics

Post by A.David.MacKinnon » Sat Jun 08, 2019 5:17 pm

losthighway wrote:
Sat Jun 08, 2019 12:33 pm
I probably have between 5 and 9 different dynamic mics up (all under $400) any time I track a whole band depending on how many guitar amps they're using and whether I was using a ribbon or condenser on said guitar amps.
I seem to rock more dynamics than anything else on a full band session. As soon as there are lots of things being tracked at once the number of condensers being used starts to drop dramatically.

I’m with Larry, unless you need the cash for something else or you go a long time (year/years) without reaching for a particular mic I’d keep everything. I’m always finding new uses for old mics. Just this weekend I used an ev PL6 on fingerpicked acoustic guitar. It was in the room with the drums and everything other mic made tha hats sound gross. The EV didn’t empathize that range and it still made the guitar sound great.

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Re: U195 and too many midrange mics

Post by GeorgeToledo » Wed Jun 12, 2019 3:35 am

One thing about the 195 is that - if you like sticking to manufacturer servicing - if anything breaks in the future, David is in California. That’s easier and less pricy than international shipping that can be necessary with some mics. He has top notch equipment, an actual anechoic chamber that he can test in, etc. There are for sure other things in that price bracket that don’t have quite the same level of attention paid to how very small details of the construction effect the actual frequency response.

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Re: U195 and too many midrange mics

Post by standup » Wed Jun 12, 2019 9:03 am

I guess this thread is a symptom that I already knew the answer. I'm keeping the U195, it works well on a lot of different stuff--vocals, upright bass, front of kit, etc.

To be honest I started this thread exactly because I'm buying something new... I've got Barbaric Amplification working on an m49 clone that I'm hoping will be my "airy" mic after the Dragonfly and WA14 are gone. Though I don't think the frequency response goes quite as high, m49 is reputed to be cool for distant mic'ing. Got to hear it.

So I am falling (again) for the lure of a tube-based large diaphragm condensor.

I've read nothing but good stuff about Barbaric, and the sound clips Chris Prucher posted lead me to believe it's going to be an excellent vocal mic.

And in the end, I'll have one less large diaphragm condenser hanging around.

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