man those are the worst mics out there!!! don't buy them!! they are piece of craps!!! garbage!!!

man those are the worst mics out there!!! don't buy them!! they are piece of craps!!! garbage!!!

You don't offer any evidence what-so-ever to support your *opinion*. I have actually heard many good things about these mics, although I have not tried them out themselves.

So according to YOUR statement, he woul dbe better off running to radio shack and picking up 2 $10 dynamic microphones, since the c1000's are THE worst.

If you would like to elaborate on what made your experience with the c1000's unpleasent, most of us would be pretty open-ear'd as to at least listen and comment.

I have a set I purchased a few years back. They aren't the best on the planet by any means, but I don't think however that they are useless. Pro? Well, not as much when comparing to the better classic stuff. I have heard a lot worse stuff out there than these though price wise. And they are by far not at the very bottom of the list.

They're are pretty decent actually when starting out and on a budget.
They come with 2 capsules, 1 is a presence boost and the other changes it to a hypercardiod pattern if I remember correctly. :')
They also have a foam windscreen inside that myself and others remove to get a little more performance on the highend.

In my creative opinion you can never have enough mics (even bad ones). I even have some of those 70's tape recorder mics with the switch that starts the recorder somewhere around here. Good mics are needed for accuracy and bad mics are usefull as instruments themselves in a sense... (entirely subjective but being creative is just that, being creative) and it doesn't take a $1000.00 mic on every track to do so... Do a little seaching to see if you can find some info on Al Kooper's "sphinctaphone"!

I probably have some audio examples of using them as overheads, and as room mics and also acoustic guitars etc. but I will need to look around to see what I can find.

Best Regards-

Karbo

I have a pair of c1000's.

I have used them on Hi-Hats, but never as OH's. My opinion is that you can find a much better overall sounding mic for the same price.

I would suggest the Rode NT-5s. the are exactly the same price as a pair of c1000's would be (according to sweetwater anyways) and sound ALOT better to my ear. i have used these as OH's and i found them to sound almost as nice as my matched pair of earthworks (which are about 5x the price)

my only real complaints with the NT-5's is that they seem to be lackin a bit in the low end, and they don't seem to be too versatile.

amen to karbo's theory on crappy mics. i have a bunch of old weird mics that i've found at garage sales and such. they are great for effects and getting weird sounds. makes your recordings unique.

I too have used them on hi hats... they were good for that application.

Thanks Ant-

Keep in mind also that they have manufactured a whole bunch of mics since I was in the loop so to speak. So they could have made many new better mics since these first came out that I would not be aware of yet.

Speaking of wierd sounds, I should hunt down a track I recorded where I made a microphone out of a ride cymbal and a piezo element!

Best regards-

karbo

I always find it interesting that whenever the C1000 is mentioned in audio forums, it generates more controversy and critical comments than about any other mic I can think of. So here's my take on it:

When I bought my first C1000 - about 12 or 13 years ago - I believe it was one of the best mics out there for the money. They were about $300-350 in those days I believe, and were a charcoal color instead of the current gold. I did a bunch of voice-over work using that mic before I sold it. I eventually ended up purchasing a pair of the gold versions about 8 years or so ago. Even at that time I still believe they were pretty darn good for the money - about $200 each. They can be a bit harsh for some things. I used them for drum overheads (good for what I had at the time, but a bit harsh and brittle) and hi hat (better on hihat than on OHs), and even recorded a couple of CDs with them as my main vocal mic. I used it both for solo voice (overall pretty good, though again can be a tad harsh) and the pair for small ensemble recording (again pretty good for the time).

O.K. now let's move to the present...

I still own the two C1000s. I still believe them to be excellent for on-stage live vocal mics. Our band uses four of them for live sound so we all match. If pressed, I would still use one for hihat, maybe even acoustic guitar if you want that jangly rhythm guitar sound - but again they can be a bit brittle. So even though I still like them and have a use for them, I believe that today there are much better choices for the money. For drum overheads and hihat, the Oktava MC012 mics are generally less expensive than the C1000 and sound better. There's also the Studio Projects C-4, Rode NT-5, etc. that seem to get good reviews around here. For acoustic guitar I now use an Audio Technica 4047 on the body and an Oktava MC012 on the neck for a MUCH better sound (albeit for more money) than I could ever get with C1000s. There are also numerous other large diaphragm condensers on the market that I would buy before a C1000 that could work on guitar and vocals. Like the Studio Projects C-1, Rode NT-1A, MXL V69, etc., etc. etc.

So what's the point of this long-winded semi-rant? That if you have not yet purchased a C1000, I would advise you to consider other options. There are a lot of good choices for the money these days. For those people who already own C1000s, though? Just because there are now better choices for the money does not mean that you can't still use them. Especially if you are recording mostly for your own enjoyment, or for demos, or for band rehearsals. Or you want to use them for live vocals or live drum OHs.

O.k., enough rambling. Have fun!

Rob

I had one many years back...probably the same era as Rob's.I liked it simply because it worked on a battery and allowed me to do some cheap but good quality remotes.They are harsh compared to many other mics in their price range and I wouldnt buy one today.The main problem I have is the price point.They're one of those items that seem to be living on their badge and not their sound.In fact with all of the 'C' series, AKG has gone a long ways to tarnishing,in my opinion, a quality company's reputation as one of the leading pioneers and developers of hi-fidelity sound.

I have a pair I bought early on, I do use them for O/H, but plan on buying something else for this ASAP. They're not horrible, but not great either (a bit too much sizzle). They are very good on hat, also I get very good acoustic guitar sounds with them when used as a pair through a tube pre. I have a Guild D-25M, large body and dark sound, I have no trouble getting the fullness of the sound. Not bad as a guitar amp mic up close either.

Nobody seems to like them much and/or say that there are others that are a better value for the money- actually, I haven't run into any favorable reviews in a long time- its a wonder they sell them at all! I know they budle them like 2/$200 or one with an LCM 3000B? for like 399- maybe this is how they still sell them

I don't care much for them either. For many of the same reasons cited already.

These are not true pressure gradient type condensers but instead they ar electrit condensers. While electrits have came a long ways towards being better than in the past, IMO it's still no cigar.

Most of the problem lies in how they are powered. 9 volts is certainly better that 1.5 volts but any mic that uses a battery is going to represent a compromise for the same reasons that a lot of cheap mic pres do ... poor power supplies that lack voltage swing.

i had them years ago when i started out recording and agree with the "too brittle for OH's" theory. i have heard them work well on a couple of vocal tracks and hi hat as well.

mckay

damn....there's more people named Kurt in this forum than what I thought! hehehe

Thanks all, I will reconsider and do more research, looks like I'll have to wait a while longer so I can save the bucks for something a little more for the job.

thanks,

Sammyg

sammyg wrote: damn....there's more people named Kurt in this forum than what I thought! hehehe

Thanks all, I will reconsider and do more research, looks like I'll have to wait a while longer so I can save the bucks for something a little more for the job.

thanks,

Sammyg

8-) and take a look at the studio projects c4... 319$ the pair!

Agreed. C1000=Crap! But then a lot of people like, use and buy crap so the C1000 is as good as any other form of crap that is out there to he had, it's just a little more expensive peice of crap.