My SM57... because it's just a mic that is great for so many different things. Now, if I was actually being robbed, I would want to keep my KSM27, since it costs about 4x more than a 57, but nonetheless; my SM57's are my favorite mics.

I almost hate to say it, but I have a pair of M-Audio Solaris mics that have almost completely taken over as my "go to" solution for... Well, almost anything.

The 414's don't even come out anymore unless the Solarises (Solari?) are already being used.

How do the Solaripi sound compared to the 414's?

my senns 421 and oddly enough my sm7b, i love the sm7b as a "go to" dynamic, condensor mic wise, i would loose my mind if someone stole my soundlux ifet7 just becuse the price :wink:

I guess I'd have to choose my M149.

You can have my Gefell M296's when you pry them from my cold, dead hands!!!

My 70's vintage SM57 Unidyne III. Either one of em. The rest of em can be replaced with something that sounds exactly or very close. Nothing sounds like these mics. Nothing.

Massive Mastering wrote: I almost hate to say it, but I have a pair of M-Audio Solaris mics that have almost completely taken over as my "go to" solution for... Well, almost anything.

The 414's don't even come out anymore unless the Solarises (Solari?) are already being used.

Cool, I never really looked into those. I ain't afraid to say that Maudio makes some solid cheap stuff. +/-1db 20 to 20 is pretty crazy specs. Multipattern; output transformer; it sounds like the perfect $300 mic. If I wasn't trying to buy a house right now I would impulsively buy one like I usually would. If it fits the bill, I would probably be looking to use it for vocals, guitars, room mic, and misc acoustic inst mic.

Dave,

I have a vintage SM57 too.
although, i am not sure which decade it came from.
the words "SHURE BOTHERS INCORPORATED" and "MADE IN THE USA" are printed on the capsle cover along with "Unidyne III"

I love it for some micing amps and rock/blues/jazz vocals.
although as fo late i've been noticing a low buzz like there's something wrong with pin 3 or ground loop or something.

its deffinately not the same as a modern SM57. best $5 i ever spent at a garage sale.

Davedog wrote: My 70's vintage SM57 Unidyne III. Either one of em. The rest of em can be replaced with something that sounds exactly or very close. Nothing sounds like these mics. Nothing.

Is the Unidyne III vintage? I have one of those and I thought in was a knock off or something. I'm using it for my talkback. Can you tell me more. 8-)

My SM58. You can do anything with that.

Old-fashioned girl (maybe just old)
Ms. Remy Ann David

I would have a hard time parting with my "Alice" SDC from Scott Helmke. Freakishly acurate mids, tight bottom end, the top end never gets brittle, and it has monster output. They're handmade and don't advertise so some may not have seen them before:

http://www.scotthelmke.com/alice-mic.html

my 2hand from stage use (Sheperds Bush Empire - London) some 8years ago bought beaten up sm57 (it never was in repair!), it's verstaile, always works and sounds. even i also love my 414, but the sm57 is a working horse and i can mic a whole big band one by one with it and make everything sound decent, very hard to achieve with another mic...

I have only had it 1 month, but already I would not be a happy camper if something happened to my Geffel MT70s. GREAT for vocals!

I have a vintage ribbon RCA D77 which is probably over 60 yrs old and definitely can not be replaced. I would definitely take that one first out of a burning studio.... (to change the premise a bit)- well, out of a burning studio I would grab my G5 first with all my projects, then the RCA :D
(one on each hand? :D )
To elaborate on the RCA, it is not only irrepleceable but also its sound its unique. It is my main go to mic for female vox, brass and clean guitar cabs. My 2 K2's come close also but they are replaceable, so they would go down the list a ways. If my friend larry had his 2 mint U87's from the 60's over at the studio they would be at the top of the list as well.

Hey now X! You can't change the scenario here. It's a gunpoint robbery and that's final!

Many of us couldn't possibly risk running into a burning studio to save mics as we're so full of alcohol that we would combust upon entering a heat-filled environment such as a flaming studio. And that's just not fair!!! :cry:

(y)

Hey JMadd! I really loved your group's 3 songs. Very cool little slap echo on geek love which was really wonderful. Jenny was a sweet song. And with a hint of former Beatles " waiting for the answer" was so wonderful that I am " waiting for the answer"! Backward drums! Gotta love 'em!

I need to amend my previous answer and side with Xavier. I would run back into a burning building to retrieve my 2 77 DXs. 1 1950s-ish TV gray. 1 1968 chrome with the big bold block lettered " RCA", one of the last in the production run. Both Xavier and I use them almost identically on female vocals and trumpets. Which brings to mind an event that occurred about 10 years ago with the chief engineer of Omega recordings in Rockville Maryland (I think I blocked up this guy's name in my head), which also has the second largest independent recording school (supposedly) in the country. Their chief engineer was working on a jazz album that I ended up as coproducer on. When it came to the female vocalist and trumpeter overdubs, I requested a ribbon microphone, to which the chief engineer (a full Sail graduate) said to me, " we don't have any ribbon microphones, ribbon microphones are noisy"! To which I replied " you're telling me the largest recording studio in Maryland doesn't have one lousy ribbon microphone???" " No, how about the A. K. G. tube?" I said no! " Give me an RE20 on them". So he put up the A. K. G. tube in addition to my RE20 requested! I was really pissed! He left the studio soon after and good riddance! The next day I'm watching a GRP jazz special on PBS. It was a big band! There were 8 trumpets and in front of each one of them was a vintage 77 DX! I was vindicated! I love GRP jazz.

A very particular old woman
Ms. Remy Ann David

BTW, I wasn't at the mix down and upon receiving the final piece of vinyl, I hated it! I could tell they did not use the RE 20 in the mix but used the A. K. G. tube instead. I was even more PISSED!!! Of the female vocalist and trumpeter were strident sounding!

Steadfast
Ms. Remy Ann David

yeppers- hey Remy we have the D77 which is the one before the DX and its pure butter on female vox and can't be beat on brass. It probably still has the original ribbon as this one has been with us over 30 yrs already- well maybe it was changed before that, who knows. It belonged to a radio station and they were getting rid of it to make room for who knows what. Susi used to be the rock'n'roll DJ at the station and dug it from the trash... can u believe it!

Jeremy- i will go in a burning building to retrieve it and of course my G5 tower with all my files- which brings up the issue of back ups- how many of you have your back ups in another building? i don't, all my back ups are in 8 xtra drives in the same studio. If I :cry: have a fire I'll be sol....

Xavier, Way cool!

My 1968 chrome I swapped in lieu of a fee from a bunch of rock and rollers in Richmond. I had the remote truck in their driveway and we were recording in their garage, where at the end of the day, as I was cleaning up my stuff, I noticed what looked like a microphone grill laying under a bunch of trash on a shelf! It caught my eye and I moved the trash to see what it was? Low and behold it was a 77 DX! The boys said they had retrieved it from the Richmond Virginia dump, when they went to dispose of a mattress! It had no cord and a big dent in the grill. I figured it was trashed but it would be cool to look at as a conversation piece. Remarkably, once rewired, it sounds great and I thought the winds would have destroyed it? It got lucky and so did I!

The 1950s TV gray was found while talking to a couple of recording students over lunch that told me when I was talking to them about the 77 DX, from Richmond, that they had seen one at a small guitar shop in Manassas Virginia. I told them that guitar shops (not Guitar Center) don't sell these things but they assured me that was what we were talking about. So I paid for their lunch with the promise that they would lead me the 35 miles to the guitar shop. And there it was! On consignment. I got it for $400 about 12 years ago!

Now what I really want yet is a BK 44 (for those that don't know the predecessor, easily recognizable by its rectangular, angled grill and boxy shape). I just don't have the funds for it these days as that would be a luxury, when you can find one or under $2500.

Girls love ribbons!
Ms. Remy Ann David

what good strories, Remy! If our 77's could talk they would tell us all kind of interesting stories. On the subject of BK 44, we don't have one but Susi does have a golden mic that looks like one. She won it for best 15 minutes news writing award, the equivalent of the grammys for radio.... it looks great, too bad you can't record with it! :D

Hey remy, thanks for listening. Vocals on the 3 tracks in the link were done using a 414. I will say that the MT70s is much better in my opinion for vocals.

Justin

I can't poo-poo the 414 as it got me a Grammy nomination on a Delos recording when used on the soprano. It's all a matter of personal taste, I can't really say anything is better than anything else when it comes to my tools. After all, you really can't use an Allen wrench in place of a Phillips head.

Screwy broad
Ms. Remy Ann David

Ill have to agree the 414 and inparticular the C414 XL2 is a great sounding mic for vocals. I would still have to keep the U87 in my cupboard purly because it is such an honest mic for practically anything and it is almost 3x the cost of the 414.