Mic closet recommendations

Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 10:35 pm

3 KM 184's (I personally would lean towards a different pencil condensor mic)

What do you recomment for recording acoustic guitar (I play a Santa Cruz OM - very even/balanced guitar) ?

Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 8:38 pm

We record everything from big bands to pipe and drum corps: this is a list of the ammo in my cabinet. I use 'em all...each has it's own individual characteristics...even between 2 mics of the same type and vintage....just because a mic is an 87 doesn't mean that is necessarily an excellent mic...ya just gotta listen before ya buy....ya can't just buy on a name alone..or so I found out many years ago. Microphones:
Neumann U67
Neumann M49
2-Neumann U87
2-Neumann U89
Neumann KM84
Sony C-800G
2 AKG C414 EB
2-AKG 460
AKG C60 tube mic
Beyer M160N Ribbon
2 RCA BK5A Ribbon Mics
4-Sennheiser MD421-V-5
2-Altec 201
5-Shure SM57
AKG D112
RODE NT4 Stereo Mic
COLES 4038 Ribbon Mic

I'd still like to add a c-24, or an sm-2
...a pair of c-12's would be nice too.
I have a few mic pre's to choose from so by mixing and matching the mics and pre's I can have numerous and interesting combo's.
These are the pre's that I have found work best for most applications.....2 API 512C Mic Pre
4 Ampex 351 Tube Mic Pre
12 Neve mic pre's (in our Melbourne)

If yer interested my bare essentials are listed at:
http://nationaltreasures.ca/gear.htm

Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 6:02 am

Spiff wrote:

3 KM 184's (I personally would lean towards a different pencil condensor mic)

What do you recomment for recording acoustic guitar (I play a Santa Cruz OM - very even/balanced guitar) ?

I'd probably use an AKG C60 maybe a U89....it really depends on the guitar and the tune......

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 2:25 am

gone

Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2005 3:20 am

Great mic kit list....

Kurt, since you offered a cheaper option to the Neumann, could you offer cheaper options for all of them? apart from the 57's and that kind of mic, as they are already in that category. Although we could be daring and say Shure unidynes instead...as they are about half price.

This new list would be for those who wanted similar roles to be fulfilled by their mickit, but either currently treat their studio as an inexpensive training ground for the better mics/gear (while working to earn enough mo' to get the better mics:) ) or have no intention of ever spending that much on mics alone due to whatever reason...maybe they just bought a house or something Smile

You know the C3 is an 'alternative' to the U87, in your opionon are there some 'cheapo' options for the other pricier mics?

I'd be interested in this new list for reference even if this 'low cost kit' doesnt earn your full respect or fit into the 'minimum requirement' category !

I'm not asking you to ''endorse' the kit in any way Smile

you'd be merely satisfying a request and helping some of the poorer hobbyists turned pros out there....till they could afford the better stuff!

there's gotta be a place for this doesn't there?

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2005 11:39 am

Guys, check this website out - Electronic Musician magazine editors picked mic cabinets from a minimum number of mics to record a band, to a full studio cabinet - at varying budgets with the goal of getting a professional sound.

http://emusician.com/ar/emusic_build_microphone_cabinet_2/

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2005 1:33 pm

Spiff wrote:
3 KM 184's (I personally would lean towards a different pencil condensor mic)

What do you recomment for recording acoustic guitar (I play a Santa Cruz OM - very even/balanced guitar) ? [/b][/b]

I use a tlm 103 just at the bottom of the neck about 1 foot away and then reamp the balanced out from my acoustic into a second channel, then mix accordingly in the stereo field. I get excellent response from clients who have recorded acoustic guitar in my studio.

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2005 3:59 pm

an akg c60 is really sweet on a good acoustic guitar

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 8:30 am

Again...just personal preferences I guess, but there are GLARING omissions from "the list"

- SM7: use for darn near anything...incredible vocal mics.
- RE16/RE15: dynamics rule, baby...they just rule.

There are lots...LOTS...of mic choices that can yield killer results, without sounding just like the studio across the street...

Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2005 2:13 pm

my favourite mic is the Lawson L47 , it's amazing on vocals i'm using it for more then a year and it always worked for any vocal i've recorded , very flattering , it never failed,
It's great for bass , guitars , an amaing woodwinds mic and a killer sax mic , i used it last month for recording two cellos and i've got GREAT resaults , it's also great as a room mic , the only things i'm not using it is for world percussions (shakers , kwika , caxixi ,triangles which i'm using a tlm103 or akg 451\460 if i need a bright sound)but it also great for some other percussions like cowbells, tantans, kahon back hole , and a frame drum heaven mic ,it's capturing the overtones very good because of the tube even harmonics distortion.
for the money i think the l47 is the BEST , i've heard of studios that owns a neumann u47 and prefer to use the l47 for vocals , it's easily outperforms the u87 for just about everything and they cost the same !!! so it does with the 147 , and 149 (with the exaption of pianos) i've heard the Lawson l251 (which i believe is my next mic) is even a crazier mic , the l47 is a must have mic in every professional studio , it's a fat accurate and very detailed sounding mic that is working great with all my main mic pres (1064's , 1081's , avalons, neumanns, ua's and even old altecs) ,gene lawson who is building them isn't sellin them through audio shops , he sells them directly and that's why they are so cheap, you are paying directly for what you geti guess i'm starting to sound like a lawson sellsman ,which i'm not of course but i would recomand on this mic even if its price was twice as much

Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2005 2:33 pm

thanks for the tip....how do I reach Lawson...

Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2005 2:40 pm

here's the link :

http://www.lawsonmicrophones.com

Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2005 3:50 pm

Keith, aka 'took-the-red-pill' outstanding suggestion, or scenario if you will. What are they smoking up in Calgary?

I'd rather own 8-10 excellent versatile mics on that island (but it's a challenge to narrow it down and keep it on the $Cheap).

Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 3:21 pm

took-the-red-pill wrote:

Blood Sugar Sex Magic was recorded almost exclusively on sm-57's(and a pair of C414's for overheads). Most of it was done with one 'sweet' SM-57 that just seemed to work on everything.

errm...no...
watch the funky monks dvd..
overheads look like neuman type mics,on toms md421..
leadvocals sm7b, acoustic guitar sennheiser md441..
backingvox u87, git amp sm57 indeed, but i think i saw a large diaphragm on there too.. anyway i saw lotsa non-sm57 mics..
sorry 'bout being smart-assed, but, hey, we ARE talking about a classic sonic and musical masterpiece...

Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 4:57 pm

Good catch. We all need to keep the true facts and weed out the myths that are so rampant on these boards. Some wrong things get said ( often innocently) and then repeated endlessly and before you know it, it's accepted as fact. Someone comes along and reads it then says. "I read somwhere, that "Long Cool Woman" was recorded on an old dictation machine", and before you know it, people are out looking for "vintage" belt recorders.

This internet thing is very powerful.

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