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+++ HERE +++ is a comparison of 14 microphones used to record a fingerpicked guitar. The microphones range in price from $99 US to $1,500 US.
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Apr 2017
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Hands down, the most incompetent mic comparison that I’ve ever seen or heard.
Comparing a dynamic to stereo pair to another dynamic with a thick foam screen to single condensers and an active ribbon with absolutely no context is ridiculous. This guy doesn’t even try to keep the diaphragms the same distance from the guitar and since some were stereo pairs, that would be impossible anyway.
Oh wait—the same reverb was used on all 14 mismatched tests. That doesn’t make this so-called shootout any less silly.
This is the equivalent of a dog show where a couple sheep and a cow were included in the lineup.
The Sweetwater tests try to duplicate the same conditions when they compare mics so you know that you are actually hearing the differences.
BIAB 2025 Audiophile Mac
24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia, M1 MBAir, 2012 MBP
Digital Performer11, LogicPro, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScorePro64/Notion6 /Overture5
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Back in my early days in the cakewalk forums a lot of guys were using the first mic listed (or similar) due to it's super low price. They got really good results.
All of the mics sounded good to me with sometimes subtle differences and other times very distinct differences.
A number of the low end mics sounded nice.
Years ago at a Taxi road rally I had the opportunity while browsing the vendors, to compare Gauge mics, which were inexpensive, side by side in A/B with mics which were 5 to 10 times or more as expensive. Given that the headphones were the same, it was really difficult to determine the more expensive mic by listening.
Does that mean the expensive mics are a waste of money? Oh absolutely not. But for the average person that has a bedroom or basement studio, there's better things that one should be spending hard to come by dollars on to get the biggest bang for the buck.
I use the Rode NT2A for everything audio. I have a Shure SM58 and a few other mics which are rarely pulled out to use. The 58 was the first good mic I bought. $99 at the local music store. It's a road hammer for Shure. Still sounds good.
Anyway.... My 2¢
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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GH.
i agree , i once got rid of a big name mic costing several k from a big rig i once owned. that i a/b'd with some cheaper mics.
many hit vocs have been done with a sm 57.
best
om
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs(90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 1,987
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 1,987 |
Back in my early days in the cakewalk forums a lot of guys were using the first mic listed (or similar) due to it's super low price. They got really good results.
All of the mics sounded good to me with sometimes subtle differences and other times very distinct differences.
A number of the low end mics sounded nice.
Years ago at a Taxi road rally I had the opportunity while browsing the vendors, to compare Gauge mics, which were inexpensive, side by side in A/B with mics which were 5 to 10 times or more as expensive. Given that the headphones were the same, it was really difficult to determine the more expensive mic by listening.
Does that mean the expensive mics are a waste of money? Oh absolutely not. But for the average person that has a bedroom or basement studio, there's better things that one should be spending hard to come by dollars on to get the biggest bang for the buck.
I use the Rode NT2A for everything audio. I have a Shure SM58 and a few other mics which are rarely pulled out to use. The 58 was the first good mic I bought. $99 at the local music store. It's a road hammer for Shure. Still sounds good.
Anyway.... My 2¢ Nothing like noisy rooms at NAMM to hear mic comparisons—yet manufacturers still set them up. Ridiculous. I still have some Radio Shack mics and battery powered SONYs that I bought in the early '70s plus EV and Shure mics from the '60s. What to use depends on context and your mic locker. I recently used a $20 Realistic stereo mic as a drum overhead—guy thought I was nuts till he heard his kit in the mix. That gave the exact lo-fi sound the producer was looking for. I keep planning to thin my locker out while many of them are still worth some big $$$. I find myself using the same 5 or 6 mics or mic arrays these days. many hit vocs have been done with a sm 57. Yes they have but in the '60s and '70s, the tube preamps found in studios made them sound a lot better. No, it wasn't the tubes but it was the 600Ω Bell telephone spec input impedance that those normally had and that Shure dynamics were designed for. Here is a great article on that and an inexpensive way to recreate that environment. Shure SM57 high fidelity
BIAB 2025 Audiophile Mac
24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia, M1 MBAir, 2012 MBP
Digital Performer11, LogicPro, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScorePro64/Notion6 /Overture5
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I thought it an interesting comparison.
Not really pro but just as far from incompetent.
Missing the point that a stereo pair was contrasted with a single or that stereo mixed matches were used to demonstrate the DIFFERENCE or lack thereof in capturing an acoustic guitar is a) par for the course and b) more telling of the commentator than the presenter.
Capsule distances may have, and by the sounds of it were, varied to accommodate difference in level &/or what suits the mic...it would be less than transparent to crank the preamp to compensate.
The comparison worked..there were "darker", "thinner", "rounder" and "harsher" captures.
I have a few of the mic models in the demo.
As with many folk I have a range of mics collected over time and "upgraded" as needs and technique required. From a few Sony Electrets, Apple IMac accessory mics, boundary, no names, Behringer to "nicer" things but each has a place and a purpose.
A producer introduced me to the Sony ECM-19B electret condenser microphone...one of those little 70s types that requires a AA battery to be inserted in a body that's not much bigger than it. It's a cheap thing with a bit of self noise but minor tilts and angle changes work wonders with different acoustic instruments and it's really quite nice on cello.
In the end it's what you have and what you can do with it.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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