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Post by LesTele on Jan 5, 2020 6:46:46 GMT -5
I am getting back into home recording after a break of a few years. I am looking for recommendations for a condenser mic that will serve for recording violin, mandolin and acoustic guitar.
I previously used a Rode mic that could be battery powered - at the time I used a standalone digital multitrack recorder that didn’t have the capability to power a mic. This is not a concern now with my new setup (Focurite Scarlett into a Mac).
I am looking to spend up to $200.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Jan 5, 2020 8:04:45 GMT -5
My most recent mic acquisition was the Rode NT1-A. I think it's a fine mic for its price range. There have been times where I thought it sounded a bit sizzly for vocal, others where I thought the track benefitted from that top end. I would recommend it but my experience is limited. Most of my condenser mics are older/out of production ones that I've acquired over the years.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Jan 5, 2020 8:06:55 GMT -5
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Post by insanecooker on Jan 5, 2020 8:59:36 GMT -5
I often come back to the first LDC mic I bought, a Shure KSM27. I have since acquired a pair of SM81s and AT4041s and though those give me more detail and immediacy on fingerpicked guitar, it’s hard to match the simplicity and great sound of just pointing the 27 at the 12th fret and pushing the red button.
They haven’t been made for a few years, but you can find them all day at GC for around $150.
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Post by LesTele on Jan 5, 2020 9:04:15 GMT -5
Thanks for the info. The mic is readily available in Glasgow.
The world isn’t ready for my vocals, ‘sizzly’ or not. Instruments only.
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Post by rickyguitar on Jan 5, 2020 9:34:41 GMT -5
I use an AKG perception 150, very happy with it. I dont recall what I paid. I think current model, p170 is about 100.
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teda
Quarternote
Posts: 2
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Post by teda on Jan 5, 2020 16:56:51 GMT -5
Kents Is really knowledgeable in this area. Hopefully he will chime in here.
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Post by FlyonNylon on Jan 5, 2020 20:59:19 GMT -5
I think that the typical answer for recording violin, mandolin, and acoustic guitar, in most spaces, would be a matched pair of small diaphragm condenser mics, like the Rode M5.
However, I picked up a Rode NT1-A about a year ago to go with a focusrite interface and have been happy with its performance for vocals and acoustic/electric guitar as well as cello and piano. I have a small diaphragm AKG as well and can arranged in a 3-1 stereo spacing and balanced it still has a nice stereo sound, although the mics aren't matched.
The big advantage with a LDC is you can easily use it for vocals as well, but if I were only recording violin/mandolin/acoustic guitar I might get the SDC matched pair instead of the single LDC..
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Post by LTB on Jan 5, 2020 21:26:37 GMT -5
I bought an Electrovoice ND 66 at a Sweetwater rep's recomendation for a good microphone to record guitar for around $200. It does very well with my Tascam 800 Click here
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jeffscott
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Post by jeffscott on Jan 5, 2020 22:48:09 GMT -5
Check into Audio Technika mics. Great mics that are underrated, many times.
I had a pair of AT4041 SCDs that were superb. I no longer do recording so they are with a good friend, now.
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Post by rickyguitar on Jan 5, 2020 22:52:40 GMT -5
Check into Audio Technika mics. Great mics that are underrated, many times. I had a pair of AT4041 SCDs that were superb. I no longer do recording so they are with a good friend, now. Quite good. Good point.
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Post by Quackerjack on Jan 6, 2020 16:31:08 GMT -5
Another fan of the Shure KSM27. I've had one for about 10 years, and it is my go-to mic.
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69tele
Halfnote
Rockin the Rock !
Posts: 91
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Post by 69tele on Jan 7, 2020 4:37:30 GMT -5
I usually record acoustic by taking a DI from a Boss AD10 preamp into which the guitar is connected via cable using the on board pikcup, and then pointing a Prodipe pencil condensor mike at the sound this usually achieves good results..
i then pan one slightly left and the other slightly right for a stereo image.
The DI is clearer and bright and the mike adds the warmth and depth of the room.
see one of our original songs as a demo. thats a Taylor 114e recorded using this method.
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Post by LesTele on Jan 7, 2020 14:21:01 GMT -5
Thank you all for your thoughts on the matter.
I have ordered up a P170 AKG mic. It will arrive on Thursday. I will let you know how it works out. I reckon the SDC route is the way to go.
I’m Scottish and it was cheap.
The Shure mic recommended is not available new here. The reviews I looked at were over 10 years old. The NT1A seems to be vocal mic that would work. The Rode M5 pair would probably be ideal but I want to keep things simple. The Electrovoice models available are out of my price range in the UK. Audio Techinica - I may still go down that route if the AKG doesn’t work out. The Prodipe is only available as a pair in the UK and I don’t have any on-board pickups in my instruments
Thank you all for your advice.
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69tele
Halfnote
Rockin the Rock !
Posts: 91
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Post by 69tele on Jan 8, 2020 9:26:18 GMT -5
The prodipe I did get as a pair actually and use both as a stereo pair, when instruments dont have outputs.
Hope the one you got works out , it seems similar to the one I have.
You can also add a regular vocal large condenser diaphragm mike at a distance to add room ambiance.
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Post by rickyguitar on Jan 8, 2020 12:13:43 GMT -5
In my experience AKG is a reliable brand. Good luck.
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Juice N
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Post by Juice N on Jan 10, 2020 10:48:24 GMT -5
My favorite all around mic is the AKG C414. I’ve yet to find a source that this mic doesn’t shine on. It may be a little more than you’d want to spend, but I always say that if you are only going to have one good mic, this is the one.
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Post by LesTele on Jan 10, 2020 15:15:53 GMT -5
My favorite all around mic is the AKG C414. I’ve yet to find a source that this mic doesn’t shine on. It may be a little more than you’d want to spend, but I always say that if you are only going to have one good mic, this is the one. Thanks for the response. The new mic is in the house. It’s working well so far. After 24 hours I am aware of it’s limitations but I can easily live with them. Read about the mics 9 polar patterns in the reviews. It’s also a favourite with the BBC. I don’t think I’m worthy! I’m more of a point the mic in the general direction sort of chap. I also mentioned above that I’m a thrifty guy. The 414 is 10 times more expensive in the UK than my purchase.
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Juice N
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Post by Juice N on Jan 10, 2020 18:44:50 GMT -5
My favorite all around mic is the AKG C414. I’ve yet to find a source that this mic doesn’t shine on. It may be a little more than you’d want to spend, but I always say that if you are only going to have one good mic, this is the one. Thanks for the response. The new mic is in the house. It’s working well so far. After 24 hours I am aware of it’s limitations but I can easily live with them. Read about the mics 9 polar patterns in the reviews. It’s also a favourite with the BBC. I don’t think I’m worthy! I’m more of a point the mic in the general direction sort of chap. I also mentioned above that I’m a thrifty guy. The 414 is 10 times more expensive in the UK than my purchase. I saw that you had purchased a new mic. I didn’t think you’d want to spend that much. As far as pro mics go this one is fairly reasonable. 😎
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Post by LesTele on Jan 10, 2020 19:21:02 GMT -5
Juice N
I appreciate the recommendation. I understand that others will be willing and able to pay for a mic that is ‘industry standard’.
I apologise if my last post seemed to be lacking in grace. I had my flippant hat on at the time.
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Post by rickyguitar on Jan 10, 2020 21:24:40 GMT -5
414 is my vocal mic of choice
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Juice N
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Post by Juice N on Jan 11, 2020 8:13:37 GMT -5
Juice N I appreciate the recommendation. I understand that others will be willing and able to pay for a mic that is ‘industry standard’. I apologise if my last post seemed to be lacking in grace. I had my flippant hat on at the time. No need to apologize, no offense taken. Cheers!🍻
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Post by ninworks on Jan 12, 2020 8:57:19 GMT -5
+1 for the AKG C414. It's the SM57 of larger diaphragm condenser mics. There are not many things it doesn't sound great on.
As for using small diaphragm condenser mics, they definitely have their place. I used them on acoustic guitars forever. Not so much these days unless I pair them with another mic. Not enough low mids and bottom end for my liking. I still use that type of mic for lots of things though. I have a number of different ones. A matched pair of Octava MK-12's, a matched pair of Neumann KM184's, and an old Sony ECM33-P.
Roswell makes some very good larger diaphragm mics for not-a-lot-of-money. Their Mini K47's are very nice and only about $300 US each. I picked up a matched pair of them as well. Those work very nice on acoustic guitar, vocals, amps, piano, etc. As with all mic selection, it has to do with the source and what sound you are going for. Mics are kind of like guitars in that one can never have too many. Using different mics on the same source can make a lot of difference on the character of the final recorded sound.
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Juice N
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Post by Juice N on Jan 12, 2020 12:30:42 GMT -5
I’m interested in trying some of the Warm Audio mics. Sylvia Massey uses them extensively and they’re not crazy expensive.
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Post by insanecooker on Jan 20, 2020 21:36:17 GMT -5
The Shure mic recommended is not available new here. The reviews I looked at were over 10 years old. It isn’t available new anywhere, and the reviews are contemporary with when it was current. Doesn’t make it any worse, as I didn’t realize from the OP that the mic had to be new. Used mics can be amazing value.
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Post by LesTele on Mar 15, 2020 19:50:10 GMT -5
The Shure mic recommended is not available new here. The reviews I looked at were over 10 years old. It isn’t available new anywhere, and the reviews are contemporary with when it was current. Doesn’t make it any worse, as I didn’t realize from the OP that the mic had to be new. Used mics can be amazing value. I now have an eBay alert set up for the Shure. The AKG works fine on violin, mandolin, ukulele and harmonica. It’s lacking in the acoustic guitar department! Buy cheap, buy twice!
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Post by insanecooker on Mar 16, 2020 6:02:08 GMT -5
The AKG works fine on violin, mandolin, ukulele and harmonica. It’s lacking in the acoustic guitar department! Buy cheap, buy twice! LOL! Classic. I often consider picking up a second 27 as I just find them tremendous value at their typical used price, and I would wait for a complete one in good condition (with the original shockmount) as they don’t tend to go for much more than those that have been abused.
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Post by ninworks on Mar 24, 2020 7:10:14 GMT -5
I relate the different sounds that different microphones make when recording a single source to different speakers used when plugged into same guitar amplifier. The microphone choice, like the speaker choice, can make the exact same instrument, or voice, sound drastically different. ie different colors to paint with.
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Post by larryguitar54 on Apr 27, 2020 19:56:38 GMT -5
I have found that you can go down a path with mics the same as gassing for guitars and amps. It's not long before you are explaining to the wife, "Yeah I know I have a bunch already but honey...I just gotta have a Neumann"
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Post by ninworks on Apr 29, 2020 8:10:45 GMT -5
I have found that you can go down a path with mics the same as gassing for guitars and amps. It's not long before you are explaining to the wife, "Yeah I know I have a bunch already but honey...I just gotta have a Neumann" Isn't THAT the truth?!! I have a bunch of microphones. A little bit of almost everything. It's a shame that most of the stuff I record is plugged directly in to the computer. There are still a couple mics that I would really like to have. I want a Neumann U87. I have a U89 but, it has a smaller diaphragm and is not as well suited for vocals as the U87. The U89 does work really well recording things other than vocals. It even works well on vocals for some singers. Just not me. My AKG C414XLII works better on my voice than the U89. I also have some other Neumanns, some other AKG's, some Senheisers, Shure, Electro-Voice, Octava, Sony, etc. All of which have their applications. One can never have too many microphones.
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