I just feel like I should have a tube condenser mic

Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 10:19 pm

Well, a burger would be cheaper, and for the entire duration of your ownership of it, it would do you a service, and not gather dust Very Happy

Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 8:51 am

Maybe a free range tube mic would be the ticket.

Thumbs Up

Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 1:24 pm

I think you are on the right track. If you can afford to experiment with gear and the thrill of something new hanging off the big mic stand gets things rolling for you, then you should BY ALL MEANS buy it.

Dont be surprised if one of these mid-priced tube mics doesnt immediately lift your skirt. There isnt a lot of difference at this price range that'll make you really wanna get giddy.

A bit higher up is another story.

I agree 100 and 20 percent with Gaffs take on the AT4060. Thats a real good mic. The Ze5600 looks like a winner but I dont know how it sounds. The Avant is built like a tank (I have caressed one but havent heard it) as are all their mics......

I gotta throw this one out there for consideration...... I have some time on one.....

ADK Area 51 TT. Used, close to the budget you listed. This mic is voiced like those old German thingys.......Tele-something-or-others.......

It is warm and sensitive.....It'll take a crapload of Db's....it has continuosly variable patterns....An NOS tube in it gets you even more warmth.....buy SEVERAL tubes for several different varieties of mic response.

I love this one.

I will have one someday next to my vintage 87, which isnt a tube but still has that....errr.....yeah....that 'thing'...

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 7:47 am

Thanks everyone, I'm gonna chew on this for a while.

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:51 pm

I've heard the Mojave MA-200 and it sounded killer. It's a little out of your price range, but I think it's a large step up from most of the other mics listed here (excluding the ADK, I've never heard it)

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 10:28 pm

How about adding a mic pre with toobs? Better yet, a pre with big transformers! They would make every mic in your collection sound that much better!! Cool

Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 12:44 am

Yeah, it's like sex. You have to have it at least once to know what you're missing. I specialize in a lot of on location work and tube microphones can be relatively inconvenient to use since they have clunky power supplies with cables rarely longer than 15 feet. But in the studio, that's a different deal. Just know that most tube microphones generally function with a dual triode tube (12AX7, 12AU7, 12AT7, etc.), which are quite nice and quite low noise. Whereas some use a pentode (EF86, for example in a Neumann U67), which have a slightly higher noise signature but a vastly different sound. Probably one of the reasons why the M-Audio Sputnik was introduced since it's advertised to have more of that classic sound by utilizing a mil spec pentode instead of a triode.

Still missing it even though I have tubes of different varieties.
Ms. Remy Ann David

Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 11:00 am

Yes, I've been eyeballing the Sputnik. I'd be tempted to grab one of those and just take the chance.

I do have one pre with tubes, the LA610 and recently I've been favoring it's sound over my Great River. Ive heard that tube mic in tube pre isn't a good mix though.

I mean, (if I can use Remy's angle) if it's like two chicks then there's nada thing wrong with that. But two doods.....!??! Shocked

Not meant to offend btw, just having fun.

Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 1:40 pm

sshack wrote:

Ive heard that tube mic in tube pre isn't a good mix though.

If that were true, records from Sinatra to Beatles and beyond would sound like crap...

And I'm certain they got plenty of sex! Shocked

Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 10:26 pm

Tube microphones into tube preamps are the quintessential early electrical recording chain. Sounded perfectly yummy back in the day. Of course all of that stuff had input and output transformers the size of your fists! And a lot of that sound IS those huge old iron heavy transformers. Not necessarily seen in modern-day equipment. Therein lies a significant difference. But that shouldn't stop you. Just know that tubes, like ourselves, age and change over time. Whereas transistors, are more like bugs. Once hatched, they don't change much, even after they're dead. The first one is like the last one, etc.. No 2 tubes are quite the same. That's why so many have to be specially tested and hand selected, for lowest noise & proper performance ratings. But even that doesn't guarantee consistence in sound. Transistors offer a higher degree of consistency and when dealing with stereo pairs, I'll take a transistor condenser microphone over a tube.

Tubular man!
Ms. Remy Ann David

Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 12:10 pm

Well, well, well...I just ran across a Sputnik (locally) for about 5 bills. It seems the argument for this mic is the sound quality at its price point; hard to beat from what I gather.

I may take a gamble and see what the hub-bub is all about.

Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:52 am

Yeah, it's the "U67" Rip. I'd really like to hear one of those Sputnik's since I have a pair of the 67's. I don't use them for everyday stuff since they are so valuable and, since I don't have work every day. They stay in the closet more than I do these days. In that way, the price point of the Sputnik sounds just about right without even hearing it. At least it might get more use than my tired old used 67's?

Rickety engineer
Ms. Remy Ann David

Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 6:45 am

Remy,
I'll be happy to track some samples of the mic. Anything in particular that you'd like to hear?

Shack

Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 12:23 pm

Hard for me to ship you my U67 to utilize on the same sound source for comparison's sake. But thanks for the offer. I think if I went to my local music/sound equipment dealer that I have been dealing with since 1978, I could borrow one. It really could have THAT SOUND? That would literally send me into space.

Spacey broad
Ms. Remy Ann David

Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 8:15 am

And likewise, "that sound" is so subjective to each of our ears that it's hard to tell. I've personally never even seen a real U47/67 much less heard one in action, so there ya have it.

I will say that for the money I'm really impressed with this mic. I powered it up on Sat morning and just recorded some vocals with acoustic guitar and it sounded really, really good to my ears...especially since I sing about as good as Cookie Monster at 8:30 in the morning.

So my fix is fixed....for now.

Twisted Evil

This topic sponsored by: