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Post by Mister Chase on Apr 26, 2021 17:12:56 GMT -6
What do I do with them?
I needed another pair of SDC's, utility, for more "mic heavy" jazz dates like one I have coming up.
Have some Charter Oak M900s, and Soyuz 013s, and a Miktek c5.
I heard some positives about the Shure's here and so I went with em. Not expecting to be wowed, just a good capture SDC kind of sound.
When I get rich I'll get KM84s and DPAs and Schoeps.
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Apr 26, 2021 17:22:18 GMT -6
For the $$$ I don’t think you can beat them as a nice utility SDC. They are kind of in that we don’t suck at anything and we don’t blow you away on anything category. I know a bunch of live guys who have a bunch for those reasons, plus like most Shure mics they don’t need to be treated like the Crown Jewels.
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Post by Mister Chase on Apr 26, 2021 17:43:38 GMT -6
They'll work!
I had 4 ksm 32s at one point. They did a good job but certainly weren't what I would call special. Never chose them for what they did to a source. Just to get a decent capture.
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Post by ab101 on Apr 26, 2021 17:49:25 GMT -6
I love them in omni. Enjoy!!!
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Apr 26, 2021 17:50:23 GMT -6
They'll work! I had 4 ksm 32s at one point. They did a good job but certainly weren't what I would call special. Never chose them for what they did to a source. Just to get a decent capture. That’s the Shure KSM condensers in a nutshell. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2021 18:13:12 GMT -6
They’re amazing for the price. They’re actually good unlike what people say about most things that are “good for the price.” I prefer the Beyer MC 930s but a pair of those cost 3 KSM 137/141 !
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Post by Mister Chase on Apr 26, 2021 18:46:04 GMT -6
They’re amazing for the price. They’re actually good unlike what people say about most things that are “good for the price.” I prefer the Beyer MC 930s but a pair of those cost 3 KSM 137/141 ! Nice. I was thinking about the Beyer's but these are a little less as you say. Once I get towards a grand I would probably get another pair of Soyuz 013. |
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Post by guitfiddler on Apr 26, 2021 18:54:38 GMT -6
How would you compare the KSM 141 to say an SM81? Josephson C42? Just curious if anyone had some experience with all three of these SDC's?
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Post by Mister Chase on Apr 26, 2021 19:07:34 GMT -6
How would you compare the KSM 141 to say an SM81? Josephson C42? Just curious if anyone had some experience with all three of these SDC's? Hmmm I'll be able to offer some sense of that perspective once they come. I owned a c42 at one point and still have recordings of it. At that point, was the brightest sdc I had used. |
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Post by guitfiddler on Apr 26, 2021 20:21:31 GMT -6
How would you compare the KSM 141 to say an SM81? Josephson C42? Just curious if anyone had some experience with all three of these SDC's? Hmmm I'll be able to offer some sense of that perspective once they come. I owned a c42 at one point and still have recordings of it. At that point, was the brightest sdc I had used. I agree as bright, but it doesn’t sound harsh to me, maybe it has something to do with the darker preamps I use with it. I love it on certain acoustic sources IME. |
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Post by Mister Chase on Apr 26, 2021 20:36:26 GMT -6
Hmmm I'll be able to offer some sense of that perspective once they come. I owned a c42 at one point and still have recordings of it. At that point, was the brightest sdc I had used. I agree as bright, but it doesn’t sound harsh to me, maybe it has something to do with the darker preamps I use with it. I love it on certain acoustic sources IME. I can see it being great on some things. It's a very nice mic. |
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Post by ab101 on Apr 27, 2021 0:09:16 GMT -6
How would you compare the KSM 141 to say an SM81? Josephson C42? Just curious if anyone had some experience with all three of these SDC's? Only the KSM 141 with the SM81. I prefer the KSM141. But not everyone agrees with me. The KSM 141 is an under-rated mic. I have also used it in dual omni for nature recording with very good results. I was able to take it places where I did not dare risk much more expensive mics, frankly. I have had several sets of KSM 141 and they have been consistent. But a lot depends on what the rest of the chain is. When I was recording to tape, I also had the mono and stereo versions of the Sm81 (I think it was the VP88) and got really good results. But I drove the tape into just enough distortion. Anyway, I guess I am saying that this is a great tool, like many great tools, and it is how that tool is used that sometimes takes a tool like this and can take it to the next level. (I have also taken really expensive great tools and brought them down to lower levels.  ) Now that I am thinking about it - I guess there is a point that with a tool like the KSM 141 it sometimes requires a little more thought about how it is used and the rest of the chain - and that can be a good think - especially for a project studio. |
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Post by gouge on Apr 27, 2021 2:07:15 GMT -6
I have a pair of 137's which i really like. At some point ill swap for 141.
137 are slightly mid forward. A little bit of bright. Pretty fast so they are good with transient material. Whilst they don't sparkle they do have some 3d
Like them on acoustic guitar, snare and piano. Im shure :-) you'll find a use.
I couldnt get what i wanted from the 137 as a room mic. Which is why id like the 141 with omni
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Post by Guitar on Apr 27, 2021 3:47:55 GMT -6
Used to own KSM141, now I have the 137 pair. They are my favorite drum overhead pair I have ever owned. Been using them here for many years now, they have been adopted as a standard. I find them to sound very open with a clear drum image, which is key to the drum sound I'm after.
"Utility" mics on many other sources, not always the best, but always decent. More useful than many SDC's, some of the good ones. I like gouge's description of the tone.
I recorded a couple tracks for friends and myself with the KSM141 on nearly every track, and they weren't the best recordings I've ever done, but good for a single mic. They don't really have a 'vintage' sound more of a rugged heavy duty approach, whatever that means, slightly coarse, which I like.
I've been through too many pairs of SDC and these are the first ones that 'stuck' along with the Oktavas, which seem to work where the Shures don't and vice versa. Dare I mention the KM184 as the third mic that became a keeper.
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Post by gouge on Apr 27, 2021 3:56:05 GMT -6
Interesting monkey because i tend to use mine for stereo recording by preference. Thats where i think they shine.
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Post by bricejchandler on Apr 27, 2021 5:58:04 GMT -6
I love KSM 141s on guitar amps!
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Post by Guitar on Apr 27, 2021 6:05:51 GMT -6
I love KSM 141s on guitar amps! Agreed! I don't remember if it was in cardioid or omni, but I got a pretty special clean guitar tone with the KSM141 on my selmer amp. KM184 also works for this application on some amps. |
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Post by bricejchandler on Apr 27, 2021 6:13:51 GMT -6
I love KSM 141s on guitar amps! Agreed! I don't remember if it was in cardioid or omni, but I got a pretty special clean guitar tone with the KSM141 on my selmer amp. KM184 also works for this application on some amps. Never tried the KM184 but the Ksm are really cool. If I had a studio I'd defnitely have a pair, very versatile. I remember a session where I was tracking guitars, and I was like wow this sm57 sounds really different but great, turns out I was tracking through one of my Schoeps that'd been up for stand up bass and the guitarists moved the mic stand when he was setting up his rig and the mic ended up being like 5 inches from the speaker, and it sounded perfect. Ever since I've often used Sdcs, I always thought it was weird and then I read that Brendan O'brien often uses KM86s and he gets some pretty decent guitar tones. |
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Post by gwlee7 on Apr 27, 2021 7:21:46 GMT -6
Agreed! I don't remember if it was in cardioid or omni, but I got a pretty special clean guitar tone with the KSM141 on my selmer amp. KM184 also works for this application on some amps. Never tried the KM184 but the Ksm are really cool. If I had a studio I'd defnitely have a pair, very versatile. I remember a session where I was tracking guitars, and I was like wow this sm57 sounds really different but great, turns out I was tracking through one of my Schoeps that'd been up for stand up bass and the guitarists moved the mic stand when he was setting up his rig and the mic ended up being like 5 inches from the speaker, and it sounded perfect. Ever since I've often used Sdcs, I always thought it was weird and then I read that Brendan O'brien often uses KM86s and he gets some pretty decent guitar tones. what a happy accident. |
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Post by gouge on Apr 27, 2021 7:26:34 GMT -6
agree the ksm works on guitar cab. has a royer121 like mid tone but with more bite and highs.
also on cats...
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Post by bricejchandler on Apr 27, 2021 7:40:23 GMT -6
Another one I've had is with guitar room mics. I was struggling to get a nice room sound for an amp, while experimenting, changing mics and moving them around then I finally got something I really liked. I was like, hey I love this, turns out I was listening to a $20 SM58 knock off talkback mic set up for the guitarist that was facing completely the opposite direction from the amp. It filtered out all the low end and mid information and all I got was this bright reflected sound which made the guitar sound really wide. So now I actually often start with that setup...doesn't always work but it can be cool. I'm pretty happy that I'm an idiot and screw up with my patch bay cabling pretty often since it sometimes turns out cool. Though, one rule of recording does seem to be that the talkback mic set up wherever ends up sounding nicer than the pair of expensive room mics that you spend 15 minutes setting up. |
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Post by gouge on Apr 27, 2021 7:49:39 GMT -6
hey i love sm57 as room mics... seems to even them out.
but back to the ksm...
and
fk... now i need some more ksm's
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Post by Omicron9 on Apr 27, 2021 11:36:06 GMT -6
How would you compare the KSM 141 to say an SM81? Josephson C42? Just curious if anyone had some experience with all three of these SDC's? I've had all three. The following is all just my opinion. C42: I sold the C42 due to its self-noise. It was a hiss machine. The top end was reminiscent to me of a Neumann TLM-103. That's not a slam against either mic; I like the 103 for some things. SM81: More proximity effect than the 141 in cardioid. The top end of the 81 seems a bit more brittle than the 141. These aren't bad things; just observations. It all has its purpose in the proper application. I have three SM81s. 141: Love these. Omni on classical guitar = love. Very flexible between cardioid and omni. Top end is well-defined, but not harsh at all. Lower self-noise than an 81, but not by a lot. More accurate than the 81 without being clinical or dull. I've yet to find a source on which these don't work, and work well. I have a matched pair. Happy mic'ing! -09 |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2021 12:01:48 GMT -6
Clarifying what I said before, I prefer the Beyers for overheads. These are the real workhorses and holy shit they’re cheap enough for everyone to afford a pair due to Bill Clinton and NAFTA.
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Post by Mister Chase on Apr 27, 2021 12:15:54 GMT -6
I have a pair of 137's which i really like. At some point ill swap for 141. 137 are slightly mid forward. A little bit of bright. Pretty fast so they are good with transient material. Whilst they don't sparkle they do have some 3d Like them on acoustic guitar, snare and piano. Im shure :-) you'll find a use. I couldnt get what i wanted from the 137 as a room mic. Which is why id like the 141 with omni Very cool. I like the dry sort of vibe they have on acoustic guitar. Could be fun for folk stuff.
Thinking of using them on snare for the upcoming gig. Either that or toms.
Sweet!
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) Now that I am thinking about it - I guess there is a point that with a tool like the KSM 141 it sometimes requires a little more thought about how it is used and the rest of the chain - and that can be a good think - especially for a project studio. 
