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Viveka
refutation bias
Registered: 10/21/02
Posts: 4,061
Last seen: 7 years, 5 months
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Condenser Mics Online?
#3658061 - 01/21/05 11:00 AM (19 years, 2 months ago) |
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Anybody know of an online company with good deals that sells microphones? I'd really rather avoid the WalMart of music equipment stores -- Guitar Center. I just moved to Seattle about 6 months ago and I'm really disappointed to see that there aren't many local music equipment shops. At least not as many as I'd like to see in a place like this. Or maybe there are plenty and I just haven't found em.
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PsillyNilly
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Re: Condenser Mics Online? [Re: Viveka]
#3658347 - 01/21/05 12:30 PM (19 years, 2 months ago) |
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Well the Sam Ashes and Guitar centers you are gonna find Mics that are pretty shitty compared to the ones out there. Im sure there are online sites that sell good condesors like Neuman U-87's, TLM-170---a great one for guitar. AKG is another great company which makes the 414 B-ULS. Hmmm... Sennheiser makes the best shotgun IMO....the MKH 70...but tis hypercardiod patterned. Off the top of my head I can anme a few more good ones like the Shure/ KSM-44 (which has a selectable pattern), the Shure/SM-81 and SM-94 are good all around mics that are standard cardiod/ cheapest of the condesors and of course lets not forget the Electrovoice/ RE-1000, Stedman C-15, AUdio technica/4041 and the earthworks/ TC30K (I think). These are all condesors and especially the AKG's and Neumans are some of the best mics around along-side the vintage ones no longer in production. Bottom line is I dont know how much you want to spend, what you are micing up or what pattern (omni, cardiod, supercardiod or B-directional) you want. Ebay or just typing in the brands I listed in google should get you something but if you tell me what instrument/vocal you are micing up, I can narrow this list of Condesors down. Peace
Edited by PsillyNilly (01/21/05 12:33 PM)
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Divided_Sky
Ten ThousandThings
Registered: 11/02/03
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Re: Condenser Mics Online? [Re: PsillyNilly]
#3660301 - 01/21/05 06:52 PM (19 years, 2 months ago) |
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I think SweetWater has some cool stuff.
My favorite condensors are: AKG 451, Blue Bluebird, Earthworks TC30k, Nueman U87 and M147. Blue Bottles and U89s are cool, and Soundelux mics souns awesome, but I've never used one.
Ribbon mics are really cool. I really like the sound of Royer's stuff.
-------------------- 1. "After an hour I wasn't feeling anything so I decided to take another..." 2. "We were feeling pretty good so we decided to smoke a few bowls..." 3. "I had to be real quiet because my parents were asleep upstairs..."
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PsillyNilly
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Re: Condenser Mics Online? [Re: Divided_Sky]
#3660373 - 01/21/05 07:04 PM (19 years, 2 months ago) |
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eh...Blue bottles look cool and are nice to hvae in a studio just to impress the artists (client) but I dont think the sound is that great that comes from them. Ive personally only used the blue bottle once for a kick drum but it sounded like shit and all washed up until I combined that track with a BETA 52. As far as the Earthworks TC30K goes, I have only used them for overheads and make GREAT room mics, other then that, the Omni pattern kinda sucks for any instrument...but once again I dont know what this guy is micing. The musicians do love the big Blue bottle though for vocals, we hardly use that track but it seems to entertain them when we stick one of those next to a U87
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Divided_Sky
Ten ThousandThings
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Re: Condenser Mics Online? [Re: PsillyNilly]
#3660459 - 01/21/05 07:18 PM (19 years, 2 months ago) |
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Yeah, I prefer the sound of the Bluebirds over the Bottles. The Bottles are alright on some things but don't blow me away. And yes, I mainly use the TC30k for overheads and ambient miking.
-------------------- 1. "After an hour I wasn't feeling anything so I decided to take another..." 2. "We were feeling pretty good so we decided to smoke a few bowls..." 3. "I had to be real quiet because my parents were asleep upstairs..."
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Viveka
refutation bias
Registered: 10/21/02
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Re: Condenser Mics Online? [Re: PsillyNilly]
#3661015 - 01/21/05 09:33 PM (19 years, 2 months ago) |
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Well, I gave in to the beast. I compared a few mics online to what they had at guitar center and the prices were identical. I'm talking about budget stuff. I'm shopping for drum mics. I got a Marshall 603s for $100 because i already have one and i wanted a stereo pair. So I'm trying the 603S's in X-Y config for overheads.Sounding good so far, still trying to get a good balance as there's too much right-side in the mix. I'm using an SM57 on my snare (top), some sort of dynamic mics for toms and a Shure Beta52 for my kick. It's sounding great so far. Overheads are KEY for drum miking. Having a good working stereo overhead pair has really solved my recent recording woes.
On a side note, one misconception I had about recording was that you want an acoustically dead space to record in. This is the opposite of what is good. A really wide open room with hard surfaces (like a garage) makes an awesome drum sound. Of course, you have to know how to reign in your kick sound, but all that space gives everything, especially the snare and cymbals, a really live, powerful, huge sound.
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PsillyNilly
Stranger
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Re: Condenser Mics Online? [Re: Viveka]
#3661048 - 01/21/05 09:48 PM (19 years, 2 months ago) |
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Ya I recommend the SM87 all the time just because its relatively cheap and is a good all around MIC..... The ambience a garage provides is not necessarily always the sound your lookin for. Ya sure for a Punk recording, or you want it to sound Industrila/raw, then a garage would be a good place to record in. I however would rather pad up my room and throw in the plugins or patch up some outboard gear, compressors FX etc....So I can get exactly what I want. It's cool to experiment though....One time we Miced up a Toy Piano in the bathroom.
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Viveka
refutation bias
Registered: 10/21/02
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Last seen: 7 years, 5 months
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Re: Condenser Mics Online? [Re: PsillyNilly]
#3661605 - 01/22/05 12:27 AM (19 years, 2 months ago) |
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Yeah, it isn't good for everything, I agree. And i love the slick studio stound of a lot of 70's and 80's recordings, like on a steely dan record. It's definately good to have control of your sound that the studio setting gives you. But man, there's nothing quite like the character, almost urgency of sound of live instruments in a big open room. Im talkn about for punk, or progrock or metal or jazz or funk or whatever. Of course bass and lows have to be focused somehow but drums, guitars, keys, horns all sound great in big spaces. But I've relatively little recording experience and i'm talkin about moments in time for the most part. Experimentation is key. Possibilities are infinite.
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SneezingPenis
ACHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!111!
Registered: 01/15/05
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Re: Condenser Mics Online? [Re: Viveka]
#3661981 - 01/22/05 04:50 AM (19 years, 2 months ago) |
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most good quality condenser mics are gonna cost you a good amount. I think people have begun to go condenser crazy lately. The best kick mic that i have heard is the Shure Beta 52. Everytime i say that someone thinks i am BSing , but i have turned many a devoted D112 fans to the Shure 52. Red Hot Chili Peppers use almost nothing but SM57's on the drum kit in the studio. Most of the Blue's are quite delicate also, many stories of busting. 414's are pretty good, and Earthworks kick ultimate ass for OH. ALso, unless you know what you are doing, dont put any condensers on any amps or kicks.
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runnerup
student
Registered: 03/23/04
Posts: 708
Loc: USA
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I recommend AT 4047/SV
Edited by runnerup (01/22/05 04:06 PM)
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