Hey, I'm new here and I'm looking for a good small diaphragm cardioid microphone that would be good for acoustic guitar and ideally drums or a guitar cabinet. My budget is $500 or less. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Comments
Its all subjective so YMMV but the SM81 has been a studio standa
Its all subjective so YMMV but the SM81 has been a studio standard for as long as many of us have been alive. It's very accurate on-axis, low noise and tough as nails. The NT5 is IMO the best sounding of the budget SDC's on accoustic guitar but I like the C4 better for a budget drum OH. Of course the SM81 is great on both and works well on alot of other sources as well.
BTW, that's $350 each and well worth it.
I'll check it out. I already have 2 groove tubes GT57's that I'
I'll check it out. I already have 2 groove tubes GT57's that I'm enjoying for drum overheads and vocals, but I can't get a good acoustic guitar sound that I like. I remember an engineer using an SM81 on my drummer's hi-hat, so I think I could find some more versatile uses for it, too. Thanks
Variety is the spice of life, my friend. Leave the GTs to the ge
Variety is the spice of life, my friend. Leave the GTs to the geetar amp cabs and some vocals. I have an SM81, A-T AT4041, and Rode NT5 SDCs.
I like the 81 on acoustic instruments and on hi-hats, OHs. Ditto with the 4041. The NT5 pair works great as OH's and on acoustic instruments, not so great on hi-hats (for some reason, they're just more placement-sensitive there). But the Rodes are a real workhorse SDC, and I think are a great bargain for a stereo pair. They are remeniscent of the original AKG C452EB (I used to have a pair before they were stolen :cry: ).
I keep coming back to the apex line I keep coming back to the a
I keep coming back to the apex line
I keep coming back to the apex line
I own a Apex 415 and 460 and both are great entry level mics.
heres a review on the 460
http://www.studioreviews.com/m16-460.htm
Google a 460 mod, which i just recently performed on my 460 by replacing the tube.
It was a simple task, $11 can. for the tube, the noise floor dropped nicely and the presence increased.
If I want a airy crisper sound I use the 415.
both well Worth there money IMHO
Well, a decent quality SDC is invaluable for string instruments
Well, a decent quality SDC is invaluable for string instruments and for OH's. The SM81 is a professional staple for that application. You'd have to go with an Earthworks or DPA to get a perceptible improvement in audio quality, and even then, you're dealing with a mic that's at least twice (or in the case of the DPA, 4 times) the price. While a good LDC can yield decent results on acoustic guitar, they tend to sound "tubby" in the low end range on a lot of instruments because that's the range they were developed to emphasize. And when you add the brightness boost a lot of the Chinese LDCs are designed to emphasize, you have a real mess.
I used to use LDCs for OH's, but have found that a pair of (or even a single) SDC will yield a more "focused" and transparent sound, without the phase anomalies an LDC would introduce, especially with muli-mic'd drum kits, especially in respect to the tom mics.
I have few choices for acoustic 'geetar's', One of my favorite
I have few choices for acoustic 'geetar's', One of my favorite combos is a Apex 460 (modded new capsule, tube and transformer) and a Rode NT1(not the new NT1A the older version).
But I agree wih the SM81, everytime I have had a chance to use them on guitar they worked well.
sm-81 I can't disagree with Big_D or Moonbaby about the SM81. h
sm-81
I can't disagree with Big_D or Moonbaby about the SM81.
heres a good review on it.
http://www.tweakheadz.com/review_of_the_SM81.htm
and yes that LDC 460 is very fat on the bottom end with a high
noise floor but the mod fixes that.
The review compares the SM81 to the SM57 so I guess its never a waist.
Personally, as a guitar player, I hate a mic that has to be to close, now I don't know but the review said 5 inches and that's intruding in my space as a performer. so I use a 415 when I want a crisp acoustic sound.
Anyway, choosing a mic is a personal thing and only you will know what is best for your situation so I will leave you all with a recording that I used the Apex 415 on. It was used for the vox and the guitar, and the noise floor is a bit high from the 460 that was unmoded at the time and placed two feet back for natural verb; but I'm still an armature with no professional training, and I know I have a long way to go, thats why I'm here.
the song is maybe somehow
[[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.acidplan…"]maybe somehow[/]="http://www.acidplan…"]maybe somehow[/]
Actually I find the stock APEX 460 a little weak in the low end
Actually I find the stock APEX 460 a little weak in the low end area. But I found changing the capsule and transformer helped that. Changing the tube lower the gain and harshness of the mic. The quality control the apex mics is almost non-existent, but if you’re willing to tweak a bit you can spend 1K and end up with a 5k mic IMO.
I like SM81's for accoustic guitars and drum OH's. A little more
I like SM81's for accoustic guitars and drum OH's. A little more than your budget but worth the price.