AKG D88S Dynamic? A Steal??????

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 6:25 am

Well I was leaning toward a condenser until I read some topics about condensers. Are Condensers only good for really quiet rooms? I have a air conditioner here running & sometimes it can get loud with pple here. I also have no booth to record in. I have a mixer that has phantom power, but would i be better off with a dynamic mic? I'm recording in a house room here.

I'm guessing a dynamic might be the way to go, but would love some advice from some pros.

I saw this mic & was wondering if one of you could tell me if it's more of a vocal staging mic than recording? I read some reviews & it was being compared to the shure sm57 & sm58 for a better price.

AKG D88S Dynamic Supercardioid Vocal Microphone

http://www.zzounds.com/item--AKGD88S

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 11:48 am

Balki, welcome to RO! You are on the correct path to consider a dynamic mic in your circumstances. A condenser can easily pick up too much of the "room" sound, and if that "room"is a bedroom,say, the results can be frustrating.
I would suggest sticking to the Shure SM58 or the Audix OM5 for vocals. I personally do not care for the AKG dynamics, mainly due to their inability to stand up under hard conditions. Plus, I believe that both Shure and Audix, make the 2 best handheld vocal mics around. You may find that the OM5,with its tighter pick-up pattern, is even better suited for your application. The tighter the pattern, the less the room becomes a problem.

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 12:22 pm

moonbaby wrote:

Balki, welcome to RO! You are on the correct path to consider a dynamic mic in your circumstances. A condenser can easily pick up too much of the "room" sound, and if that "room"is a bedroom,say, the results can be frustrating.
I would suggest sticking to the Shure SM58 or the Audix OM5 for vocals. I personally do not care for the AKG dynamics, mainly due to their inability to stand up under hard conditions. Plus, I believe that both Shure and Audix, make the 2 best handheld vocal mics around. You may find that the OM5,with its tighter pick-up pattern, is even better suited for your application. The tighter the pattern, the less the room becomes a problem.

Glad to be here bud. Wow! I just read some reviews on the Audix & I'm impressed there was alot of compliments on how it reduces the feedbk and just catches the voice real well so you could get great voice at very high gain. I have a really cheap dynamic mic & that's something that bothers me alot all the air & hiss it picks up when my gain is turned up all the way & you really can't hear my voice to good bc of it. I might consider getting the audix. I'm using it for recording, but if it's good for live use should be good for recording .

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 1:33 pm

The audix is a good mic, but if your getting lots of air and hiss from your cheap dynamic mics with the gain way up theres a good possibillity this is coming from (I'm assuming) your cheap preamps. So while your tone would improve if you have to continue to crank the gain to get the levels that you want, you may still hear the hiss. At least at this point you'll have a nice mic and know exactly what to buy next. Good luck

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 1:59 pm

I have a Yamaha MG10/2 Mixer. I also heard that the audix is good but you need a good pre-amp bc the levels are real low is this true?

Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 6:18 am

Balki, the sensitivity of he Audix OM line varies a great deal. This is because some models are designed for a high-decibel environment, like a stage loaded with chugging Marshall stacks. I believe the OM7 is that model. The OM5 and 6 models are great, the OM5 is a dynamic and rocks.
I don't know what the price is where you live, but you should definitely try one out. And if push comes to shove, you can't really go wrong with a 58.
Lots of rock'n'roll has been laid down with it, even in the studio.

Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 12:02 pm

I do second the 58, like moonbaby sasid, lots of great records have been made with it. You may also consider a sennheiser 835- same price, a little darker, my personal favorite. Either way you can't go wrong-

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