rode ntk. a good all around budget mic?

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?

 

NTK

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

 

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.

 

what coyote said, for sure.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

[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)

 

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.

 

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.

 

I'd be very tempted to pick up an Oktava MK319 and have 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.