well, i got a chance to use my brand new HM-1.

whether or not it's good for acoustic guitar seems subjectable to me. i found that if you need the ac guitar to stand out in the mix, then this is not the mic for you. it seems pretty good for placing acoustics in the back rhythm.
now i know what they mean by a "dark" sounding mic. it'll color everything that goes thru it. this mic is not transparent by any means(which is not necessarily a bad thing).
gonna try them on bongo's next.

Sidhu wrote: ... I find myself usually cussing the brittle high mids im getting.. But them im running my mics through a Behringer UB preamp. Cheap Audiotrak AD converters, and the guitars at cheap. not to mention I record in a 10*10*10 foot room.."

thanks a ton
Sidhu

Those are the reason for your brittle high mids and overall poor sound, not the Oktavas IMO. The Oktavas are not overly bright or brittle sounding IMO. Rid yourself of the Behringer mixer and that alone will improve your recordings by 50%. I've had one. I know. Even a $150 M-Audio DMP3 will make the Oktavas come alive.

I've had my HM-1's for a couple of months now. I've tried them on everything I could.

I love them on electric guitars. Much fuller sounding and more detailed than my 57's. These are my go to mics on electric now.

I loved them as OH mics on some drums I recorded recently. I was worried because we were in a room that I felt was a little bright (I like a lot of natural ambience) and so far (still working on it) the drums are my favorite part of the recording.

I've run into some headroom issues, they couldn't handle a bass cab I tried them on. Struggled on a cranked Boogie (stupidly loud MkII combo).

I've had mixed results on acoustic guitar. I had a guy bring in a "cheapy" the other day. The guitar sounded bad to start with, but it was his baby, and my first rule is the musician stays comfortable. The guitar had a terrible mid peak that added a honky/nasal quality and the KEL really brought that out and made it sound worse. I also have recorded a Taylor and it sounded great. Not really forward sounding but very nice.

Most of my recording experience has been plugged into a Sebatron, once or twice plugged into a Mackie VLZ.

I like them alot.

Unfortunately they are now backordered

it didnt take long, ya know the last super recomended mic the cad m9 just came off back order. so mine just came, and it was good.

ShellTones wrote: [quote=Sidhu]... I find myself usually cussing the brittle high mids im getting.. But them im running my mics through a Behringer UB preamp. Cheap Audiotrak AD converters, and the guitars at cheap. not to mention I record in a 10*10*10 foot room.."

thanks a ton
Sidhu

Those are the reason for your brittle high mids and overall poor sound, not the Oktavas IMO. The Oktavas are not overly bright or brittle sounding IMO. Rid yourself of the Behringer mixer and that alone will improve your recordings by 50%. I've had one. I know. Even a $150 M-Audio DMP3 will make the Oktavas come alive.

And just for the record, the Maya soundcard has a beautiful warm sound, with a slightly (very slightly) lower shelf to the highs. So it should actually be helping your problem by removing some of the harshness of your recording setup. I've recorded some amazing things with a Maya, a Behringer, and a darker sounding mic. I've also recorded great things wtih Apex condensors (cheap but very nice chinese knock offs of famous mics, nice sound, slightly bright but very controllable, great for female vocals), but behringer pres don't sound so good with those mics so an ART or similar real tube pre is a good idea then. By the way, even behringer makes a real tube mic pre and I've heard good things about it but you apparently have to replace the tube with a better one to get the best from it. In case you want a cheap real tube mic pre...

I'm suggesting cheap stuff here but trying to show that it can work. Like with high end gear, not every combination of pre and mic and mixer and soundcard sound good. You have to experiment some. Behringer pres can draw extra brightness from dull mics, chinese mics can sound extra harsh with the wrong pre, but I've heard AKGs sound like crap with expensive pres as well. Again, it depends on the interaction between the components and your ears. Worry more about mixing and eqing nicely in the mix. Worry about mic placement. Your gear is just fine as long as it's used well and you're using your ears :-)

Just my two cents worth. I'm a pro LoL, that's so funny. I'm not. I am. Who cares? I'm a serious and experienced musician who puts his all into his recordings. Isn't that fundamental?

By the way, my first post, nice to meet everybody! Name's Don, from Vancouver Canada.

I'd like to thank Kurt for bringing the Kel HM1's to my attention.
I was planning to purchase another Shure Sm 81 for a stereo pair of overheads on drums. I chose to purchase 3 HM 1's instead.
I love them. I think they are very well made and sound great.
I used 2 as o/h, Audix D6 in kick and Beta 57 on snare.
The HM 1's delivered great tom sounds from 5' above the floor ( just above the cymbals) and the cymbals had a lovely clear sound.

On vocal against a Shure Beta 58, the 58 sounded brassy and harsh, the Kel clear and smooth, but without a presence peak may not cut through as well live.
The Kel definately needs a good pop filter for vocals.

> edit - I neglected to mention all 4 mics went into a Sebatron VMP 4000e (another Kurt endorsement) which sounds fantastic..<

Thanks Kurt

cheers

omaru

Just got my HM-1s yesterday.

First impression: They look great! the finish is really nice and they feel heavy and solid. Much better than most cheap condensers.

Can't wait to use them!

yea the first think i do with a mic is take it apart. not compleatly just enuph to see how well its made.

Got my matched pair of KEL HM-1s yesterday as well, and so far they seem to be absolutely awesome. It wasn't any surprise to hear they're much darker and warm sounding than the microphones I'm used to (SM58 and a pair of ADK Model TL mics), and where the TL's, large diaphragm transformerless microphones, are extremely sensitive and pick up virtually everything, the HM-1s seem to be smoother and add their own color to the sound.

Boy, they're cute! They look good and seem to be very well built - and at a hundred dollars each, one can hardly afford not to get a pair!

Got to try them this weekend on pretty much everything.

Oh – They we’re great. I could use only the oh’s and a bass drum mic to get a perfect sound. The toms sound huge and the details in the ride and hi-hat is really good.

Voice – Completely cut the sound from the room. (mine is still bad with no treatment for another 2 months at least) The singer was really upfront and warm. Definitely a great vocal mic for the kind of music I make.

Electric guitar – As clean as it gets. Sounds exactly like the amp but a little bigger and clearer. Can’t say no to that. I put the mic right up on the grill.

Acoustic guitar – This was the only thing that actually sounded horrible. Really really boomy! Might have been the room + mic combination. My B1s sound a little boomy but I suspect the Hm-1 really brought that out with its loud low mids. I’ll have to test this again with I’ll have my acoustic treatment up.

...still waiting for my HM-1:(

My HM-1 arrived late today, man this thing is a little beast!

So far i've tried it on vocals and some perc.
its really meaty up close, and posisioned further back it doesn't pick up all the room noise like some other more sensitive condencers.

One thing i don't care for so much is the mic mount, its kinda odd...you'd have a really hard time micing upside down.

oh well, the mic itself seems to be a winner hands down.
(if only i had gotten a matched pair)

Thanks Kurt and crew for the tips, this community rocks!

-Blaumph

rudedogg wrote: im not saying i don't like KF's reviews. but i have to take with a grain of salt a microphone that he recommends that is also a paying advertiser on his site. i just noticed him lobbying fairly hard for a microphone that doesn't fit his normal MO.

for instance, sebatron has a very good reputation on here with a lot of users, but if it was just kurt saying that they were great, i would be suspicious since they are obviously a paying advertiser here. i don't think it is disrespectful to ask for second opinions in this (rare) case. i just wanted some additional reviews. this was not a dis on kf, he is a wonderful resource.

i also have very little trust in anyone who refers to others on here as the "pros" thus implying they themselves are not pros makes me suspicious. it is just that "us and them" mentality that tricks people into believing that they cannot do what these others are doing, just because they do it for a living and we don't. the definition of a "pro" is so loose in the context it is thrown around. i've mixed better sounding recordings than some of the "pros" in town here, and they have been doing it a long time. and this is not me bragging about myself, this is others telling me. everything is subjective. i have a long way to go, and will continue to contribute and learn from this board.

the only thing that makes a "pro" is someone who does audio engineering as their "profession" thus, if i made the majority of my money recording audio, that makes me a pro. hmm. i would hardly consider that the basis of right and wrong in this industry.

thank you frob for your review. i found it quite helpful.

steve

Being a moderator myself, I take pride my reviews, which are brutely honest opinions. They are perceptions based on the limited time spent with the gear in our environments.

I have only heard the KEL's via samples online. MP3's and 4's suck, and should not be the basis to evaluate a product. Based on what I have heard, I don't like them at all. To me they appear ultra scooped.

Should they send me some to review during a contemporary music service, with a full band, Midas Heritage, Crown MA's, EAW 760 line arrays, etc, etc, etc., then I might come up with a different opinion.

Kurt, The MP3's/4's suck, so that's why I don't like them. Just as that shouldn't determine my decision/opinion, neither should a review. People should try them out for themselves in their environment.

Personally, I would yank the demo's from the website if I owned the company. I would have some money mixes with the mic in them as a demo. To me, there are too many distractions with the crappy vocals and guitar playing/tone.

sheet wrote: Kurt, The MP3's/4's suck, so that's why I don't like them. Just as that shouldn't determine my decision/opinion, neither should a review. People should try them out for themselves in their environment.

Personally, I would yank the demo's from the website if I owned the company. I would have some money mixes with the mic in them as a demo. To me, there are too many distractions with the crappy vocals and guitar playing/tone.

You're preachin' to th' chior on that one Brent. I had nothing to do with the recordings you are referring to ... Those are something that KEL Audio has done all on their own. Just as I do not have any financial ties to RO, I don't have anything to do with KEL Audio either. I just think the HM-1 is a great mic.

But you should'n't let that keep you from trying a very interesting mic. Your negativity is only going to keep you from dicovering a very cool little sd mic that has a lot of nice applications. I don't think you are convincing a lot of other people not to try one out.

The HM-1 is a seriously decent little microphone. It is different in interesting ways. A long thread like this does of course hype the product. Realistically, the HM-1 can be said to be a good microphone.
This cannot be argued.
The way I read this thread, Kurt Foster has not in any way hyped the product. I own this microphone myself, and I agree with him.

However, this is a microphone, not some mythical object.

Alright, I know this is probably a dumb question, but how do I mount these little guys with their mic mount on a standard mic stand?

I've never seen that kind of mic mount before, do I need some kind of adapter?

:lol: :!: :!: :!: ....Take a dime and unscrew the brass inset from the threads in the mic clip ... Now it will fit.

BTW, a lot of mics come with those brass insets... very standard. :lol:

elektro80 wrote: The HM-1 is a seriously decent little microphone. It is different in interesting ways. A long thread like this does of course hype the product. Realistically, the HM-1 can be said to be a good microphone.
This cannot be argued.
The way I read this thread, Kurt Foster has not in any way hyped the product. I own this microphone myself, and I agree with him.

Thank you for your kind words of support ....

However, this is a microphone, not some mythical object.

That's right! ... It's just a cool little mic that sounds freakin' good.

I don't do reviews or comment on gear because I'm being paid by RO, or to boost advertising sales. I do my best to be honest when I make an appraisal or do reviews and to do a competent appraisal that will be useful to everyone. .

While I freely admit that I can be accused of "chatting up" products (that I really like) quite a bit, I would not speak positively about anything unless I really thought it was something deserving. All it takes is one bad recommendation or endorsement and any credibility I might have with others is gone.

You will not find one post or thread here on RO where someone said, " that bastard KF said "such and such" was good and it really sucks" ... All remarks and comments from members and readers have been positive, expressing thanks for helping them find what they needed ... and that's what it's all about for me.

Kurt,
While you're often in the middle of controversial topics, I have to say that many things I bought were recommended by you and you were never wrong. We (who buy cheap gear) should be greatful of your advice because many pros will just never recommend gear unless it's over a couple grands.

Thank you very much for helping us out in our quest to professional sound (on a budget).

my two cents:

I haven't even gotten mine yet and I'm sold.

Kelly, the owner, responded to all e-mails himself, didn't charge me anything for selecting a matched pair, did it himself as he doesn't trust anyone else to select and match, sent them out express post to get them here as soon as possible at no extra charge, and didn't cash my cheque until the mics were sent out, even though it had already been received.

This is the kind of long forgotten service we all dream about, and I would buy again from this guy in a heartbeat. The mics would have to absolutely suck out loud for me to even consider returning them.

Great to deal with the owner of the company too. Of course, when you send an e-mail to Neumann, Mr. Neumann probably answers them himself too, right? :wink:

Cheers
Keith

My two cents from a hip hop perspective. I bought the mic after reading Kurt's review. I figured for $100 I had nothing to loose. I also have a 414, c1, and akg3000b. The mic is decent for rap vocals. The thing I like about it is when you back off the mic (as some rappers like to eat the mic when recording) it still sounds full without picking up alot of room ambience. I recorded a few artist running into a GT Brick, through a Delta 66.

Kurt Foster wrote: :lol: :!: :!: :!: ....Take a dime and unscrew the brass inset from the threads in the mic clip ... Now it will fit.

BTW, a lot of mics come with those brass insets... very standard. :lol:

Thank's Kurt :)

I can't wait to get mine. My uncle has it at the moment. But he told me he was hugely impressed with how it was mailed!!! :) I was impressed by the service I got. Kelly was an extremely nice and professional guy to deal with.

I've bought numerous things from word of mouth on this site having never tried them and I've never been dissapointed. My next purchase is going to be a Sebatron.

Its great that there is some decent people out there to help. I haven't been doing this to long but I already know there is alot cynical people out there who don't give a rats ass about ya and would stab ya in the back to suit them selves!!

Thanks again Kurt and everyone else who has helped me out...