IMHO the C1000 might just be my nomination for the second ugliest sounding mic ever made, with the the Oktava MK 219 (original large diaphragm model) taking first place. That being said, it follows that almost anything you buy will improve your sound. (I'd stay away from the C3000 too.)

There have been about a hundred "what is the best mic for under..." threads already published here. You might want to check those out for specific recommendations. :cool:

If you want to stay in the same price range as the C1000, I would go with the Rode NT3's. My deaf Grandpa can hear the difference between the two ;) . The newer Neumann KM184's are ok, but I would personally choose the MBHO 603 mic bodies with the interchangeable KA200 Cardiod capsule (their KA800 figure 8 capsule would be my first choice, but that seems to be far off your budget). I hope this helps a bit.

check out the Oktava mc012s from the Sound Room,a matched pair is ~600$ work well for Overheads and acoustic Gtr...they're hard to beat for the money.
Rivers

Rivers! Where have you been buddy? I haven't seen you on here in a while. Check your private messages :)

I was having the same problem with cymbals (too harsh/brittle) - in fact, I've had that problem in general since I started recording digital vs. analog. It's been suggested by many that ribbon mics do a lot to smooth out cymbals on digital recordings, and that seemed like an obvious solution to me, so I got a Beyer M160 ribbon mic and it works like a charm as an overhead! They go for around $600 apiece new, but I found a used one in great shape for $400. Definitely they are worth $600 and I think you will notice a huge difference (and I don't like C1000's either).

--Lee

I recently used a pair of Oktava MC319's in a 3 mic setup to record adrum kit. They sound great. If you want to check it out go to:

[[url=http://[/URL]="http://www3.telus.n…"]MP3[/]="http://www3.telus.n…"]MP3[/]

And listen to the song Randene. Literally 95% of the drum sound is the 2 Oktava's.

Mark

Originally posted by Lee Flier:
I was having the same problem with cymbals (too harsh/brittle) - in fact, I've had that problem in general since I started recording digital

I haven't noticed this phenomenon with digital. What mic, pre, A/D combo were you using when you encounter this harshness? I am going from a pair of MBHO 603 w/KA800 Figure 8 capsules to a Great River (transformer coupled) to the Apogee Rosetta for OH. Even back when I was using a pair of Neumann KM-84's I didn't notice it...could be your mics or preamp.