rode ntk. a good all around budget mic?

[awerwe]

I'm looking for a mic in the 500 dollar range that will be nice for recording a variety of things; namely vocals (male and female) and acoustic violin. The Rode NTK mic seems like a nice choice. I have yet to listen to it, but I know many of you either own one or have used one. As far as a preamp goes, I'm using a presonus firepod, so I'll probably be sticking with the built in preamps on that for now... So would you guys recommend I get the NTK, or would you suggest anything else in that same range?

 

[2012]

NTK

i like it a lot on male vocals and acoustic guitar.
not so much on female vox...

 

[CoyoteTrax]

The NTK is a great mic. The NT2-A has multiple polar patterns though and if you're looking to spend 400-500 bucks on a good R0DE mic the NT2-A (while not a valve mic) will cover you for a broader spectrum of applications IMO. I only say this because it sounds like you're going to depend on this mic as your "goto" mic for quite a while and it really helps to have multiple patterns, high pass filters, and variable pads at your disposal.

 

[stickers]

what coyote said, for sure.

 

[DeeBee]

You could always look at the K2; refined sound from the NTK and multiple-pattern as well as low noise but still the tube in there. What's more, it isn't much more expensive.

 

[Norville]

I have a Rode K2, which i love, and a friend has an NTK. We are working with 2 singers, one of each gender. We knew the NTK sounded quite good on both voices, so when i got the K2 we did an A-B test with both voices. For the female voice the K2 was a clear winner. Much warmer, more intimate, and better defintion. The male voice sounded nicer on the K2 as well, but not so vast a difference.

On the other hand i play guitar, and i was a bit disappointed with the K2 on that. I just couldn't seem to find a good position for it. It just always seemed muddy. I borrowed the NTK, and seemed to get a better sound immediately. I really like the sound of it on my guitar, albeit in some rather odd positions. I've been recording quite a bit of guitar, so we've swapped mics for the last few months. Once i finish this project, we'll swap back, and i'll see if i can get a better sound out of the K2.

In summary, from our experience, the NTK is a better all-rounder, while the K2 is a much nicer vocal mic. The K2 has a control that gives infinite variation between omni, figure-8 and cardiod patterns, which is nice.

Hope this helps... N.

 

[Tonehound]

I would look at the AKG C414.
Look on the bay.
I just picked a brand new one up for 602.75 delivered to my door.
Rode makes great mics.
I don't think anything can touch a C 414 when you get it at that price.

 

[maintiger]

[quote="Norville".]

On the other hand i play guitar, and i was a bit disappointed with the K2 on that. I just couldn't seem to find a good position for it. It just always seemed muddy. I borrowed the NTK, and seemed to get a better sound immediately. I really like the sound of it on my guitar, albeit in some rather odd positions. I've been recording quite a bit of guitar, so we've swapped mics for the last few months. Once i finish this project, we'll swap back, and i'll see if i can get a better sound out of the K2.
... N.[/quote]

a similar experience with my 2 K2's- great on vocals and they also make a super duper percussion stereo pair but they suck on guitar-both acoustic and miced amp- muddy as hell, like Norville said.

On micing guiatr, I miced an amp cab with an oktava m319 and I was very plesantly surprised at the sound! crisp and detailed- what do you know-who woulda thought...- i only did it because I was pissed off at the sound I was getting with the k2's- I normally would just have put up a 57 but I did the oktava on impulse- goes to show you that you gotta try things- I would have never guess that the oktava would be so much better on guitar cabs than the K2 and hadn't I tried it i would have never known... 8)

 

[Cucco]

On the other hand i play guitar, and i was a bit disappointed with the K2 on that. I just couldn't seem to find a good position for it. It just always seemed muddy. I borrowed the NTK, and seemed to get a better sound immediately. I really like the sound of it on my guitar, albeit in some rather odd positions. I've been recording quite a bit of guitar, so we've swapped mics for the last few months. Once i finish this project, we'll swap back, and i'll see if i can get a better sound out of the K2.
... N.

a similar experience with my 2 K2's- great on vocals and they also make a super duper percussion stereo pair but they suck on guitar-both acoustic and miced amp- muddy as hell, like Norville said.

On micing guiatr, I miced an amp cab with an oktava m319 and I was very plesantly surprised at the sound! crisp and detailed- what do you know-who woulda thought...- i only did it because I was pissed off at the sound I was getting with the k2's- I normally would just have put up a 57 but I did the oktava on impulse- goes to show you that you gotta try things- I would have never guess that the oktava would be so much better on guitar cabs than the K2 and hadn't I tried it i would have never known... 8)

Oooo...Try this one guys...

Yes, the K2 does tend to get a little bogged down on smaller guitars (I haven't had too much of an issue with bigger ones though) but when you use it as the 'S' on a mid-side combo with a brighter mid mic, you'll get something quite magical.

Huge, natural, expansive sound that you just can't get with XY or ORTF!!

Just some thoughts...

J.

 

[Norville]

Hey J. Well picked! The guitar i'm talking about is a small-bodied Maton EBG-808 (inserts shameless plug for great Australian guitar manufacturer).
Thanks for the tip, i'll try that out as soon as i have a chance.

 

[JWL]

I'd be very tempted to pick up an Oktava MK319 and have [="http://oktavamod.com/mk319.html"]this guy[/] mod it. $100 for the mod, and you can find these mics for about $200 or less.

Though I agree, the NT2a is probably the most versatile mic that's been mentioned. AKG 414s are versatile too, but in my experience they don't flatter vocalists much. Some voices work great on a 414 and others don't work at all. True for any mic, I guess, but always seemed especially so to me with the 414. YMMV.