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anonymous 28 December 2005

Hey there,
I'm looking to add a Tube mic to my home studio set up. I will (at least fro the first little while) be running it directly into my Digi 002R. Eventually I'll invest in a nice mic preamp. I'll be using it mainly for voice over work, but would also like to record vocals for music projects as well.

I have been eye balling the RODE K2, any thoughts on this? It's really the only one I've actually tried. Can anyone offer me different brands or ideas for under 900 US? Thanks in advance for all the help. Cheers!
Jay

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Davedog Wed, 12/28/2005 - 15:41

I'll second the K2 though I have nowhere near the hours on one as my friend XMan has. I was surprised that it wasnt nearly as hyped as many people had claimed it to be. So there goes their credentials!

The ADK Area 51 TT is another multi-patter tube mic that should be tried. I use it on most everything and it is as smooth as it gets. They retail for a lot but the street should be around what you have to spend.

Audio Technica 4060 is a single pattern tube mic that is really superb on a lot of stuff. The 4047 is not a tube mic but kinda sounds a bit like the old FET condensers and has patterns. A very very good mic.

The Rode Classic 2 is a very nice mic. Try before buy.....as always ....YMMV.

I gotta ask ....why tube? Theres a whole bunch of mics in this catagory pricewise that are serious sounding and superbly built. Just curious. If you arent that experienced with mic choices and are wanting to do voice-over as your mainstay, there are several dynamic mics that have a much lower pricetag but superior lineage for this kind of use.

anonymous Thu, 12/29/2005 - 07:56

Why tube?

Well I guess just because I have the use of a Neumann U87 at work (I'm a radio producer full time) and I also have a CAD E-300 as well. I can use either one anytime I want so I guess I'm just looking for something new and different with a warm tone.

Thanks for the feedback on the K2 as well. I will look into some of the other mics that you suggested as well. Cheers!
Jay

maintiger Thu, 12/29/2005 - 09:12

Davedog wrote: I'll second the K2 though I have nowhere near the hours on one as my friend XMan has. I was surprised that it wasnt nearly as hyped as many people had claimed it to be. So there goes their credentials!
.

the good thing about the k2 is that you can taylor the sound to the singer by playing with the variable patters- the poster also has access to an '87 and the k2 would be generally a bit darker. I am a big fan of 87's for male vocals though as I like the 'sheen' that it delivers. I participated a shootout with several mics on three vocalist some time ago and i found the k2 a bit darker and rounder as compared to the 87. I still picked the '87 as my favorite but like I said, i just love the sound of that mic on male vox. On female vox (at least this particular one we used) i picked the k2 over the '87 :D

anonymous Fri, 12/30/2005 - 08:29

thanks for all your help guys. I'm going to demo a few different mics before I buy. My buddy recently picked up a Rode NT 2000, and some of the stuff he has recorded with it sounds GREAT! This is kinda why I'm leaning toward Rode gear. The K2 is in the price range and I've heard it before and like what I've heard, but in all fairness I'm gonna put a few others side by side and see what I get. Thanks again, Cheers!
Jay

Cucco Fri, 12/30/2005 - 08:55

FWIW, I thought I'd jump in and second the K2. This mic should cost $4,000 - hell, the comparable Neumann does - and in some situations, I prefer it to its German brother!

This is the best little secret in microphones! (I wasn't even gonna buy one, but my Sweetwater dude told me I had to try it, so I did. Thanks Craig!!!)

Oh, another mic to consider is the Beyer M130 - it's not tube, it's ribbon, but it's OH SO SWEET!!!

You can't go wrong with either one!

J.

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