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Post by rowmat on Jul 16, 2017 21:44:45 GMT -6
The 4038's use a short path motor assembly with an extremely thin 0.6 micron ribbon.
I've heard modified Apex 205's can get you in the ballpark and Mic Mods do a replacement short path ribbon motor assembly for the Cascade Fathead.
Is there anything else or should I grit my teeth, sell my gold fillings and just get a pair of Coles?
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Post by johneppstein on Jul 16, 2017 22:37:58 GMT -6
The 4038's use a short path motor assembly with an extremely thin 0.6 micron ribbon. I've heard modified Apex 205's can get you in the ballpark and Mic Mods do a replacement short path ribbon motor assembly for the Cascade Fathead. Is there anything else or should I grit my teeth, sell my gold fillings and just get a pair of Coles? An STC?  |
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Post by ragan on Jul 16, 2017 22:39:42 GMT -6
The 4038's use a short path motor assembly with an extremely thin 0.6 micron ribbon. I've heard modified Apex 205's can get you in the ballpark and Mic Mods do a replacement short path ribbon motor assembly for the Cascade Fathead. Is there anything else or should I grit my teeth, sell my gold fillings and just get a pair of Coles? I don't have the answer but I've done a few things with 4038's on OH and that sound haunts my dreams... A pair is, I hope, in my future. |
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Post by Coil Audio on Jul 16, 2017 23:30:58 GMT -6
Stager SR-2N or SR-1A - thank me later
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Post by NoFilterChuck on Jul 17, 2017 0:16:30 GMT -6
Samar Audio VL37. altho, it is a ribbon mic that sounds like a condenser. so, figure that one out lol
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Post by jazznoise on Jul 17, 2017 2:08:26 GMT -6
I've only been sent stuff with a 4038, never used one. From what I've been told the proximity effect is massive, even as ribbons go. Great on Tambourine! A short motor ribbon with a lot of proximity effect is the goal - I got a pair of RM500's as a 'close enough' cheap way in. 160 for the pair, probably not anywhere near the real McCoy but I'm happy with the sound.
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Post by bricejchandler on Jul 17, 2017 2:58:29 GMT -6
Hey,
Over the years I've owned an R121 pair. A pair of m160s, a coles pair, a pair of reslos, some cheap apex ribbons and others and have used pretty much all the usual suspects in studios. When the building my studio was in was sold, I sold most of my mics and kept the aea r44 for my home studio and The only mics I truly miss are the Coles,
They just had something extra that I loved, i can't think of anything they sounded bad on. I could see someone liking the r121 better for a modern guitar amp sound but that's it.
They are the ultimate overheads for me, beautiful on acoustic instruments ( acoustic guitar, mandolin etc), kick drum, vocals you name it.
I never quite understood why they weren't that popular in the states, but here in Europe, they are very very common.
The only other ribbon mics I'd consider buying are the aea r88 or the stereo royers because having a stereo mic that you can just put up withut worrying about phase can be a great time saver.
Now I haven't heard the stager or the samar and I'm sure they're great but there's a reason the Coles are such classics ( from Ringo's drums to dark side) and to me are in a category of their own in the history of ribbons along with the RCA 44s and 77s.
If I ever set up a new studio, they are the first mics on my list.
You'll need a heavy mic stand as they're heavy, not rca44 heavy, but quite heavy nonetheless; and you'll also need some clean mic amps for quiet sources as I love the sound of the Coles on delicate acoustic instruments but with the wrong preamp you can end up with a lot of unwanted noise.
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Post by allbuttonmode on Jul 17, 2017 4:41:15 GMT -6
you'll also need some clean mic amps for quiet sources as I love the sound of the Coles on delicate acoustic instruments but with the wrong preamp you can end up with a lot of unwanted noise. This is true. But a Cloudlifter will take care of that. |
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Post by EmRR on Jul 17, 2017 4:55:31 GMT -6
Samar definitely won't sound like a 4038.
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Post by rowmat on Jul 17, 2017 5:11:26 GMT -6
you'll also need some clean mic amps for quiet sources as I love the sound of the Coles on delicate acoustic instruments but with the wrong preamp you can end up with a lot of unwanted noise. This is true. But a Cloudlifter will take care of that. We have Cloudlifters and also an AEA RPQ preamp so we have plenty of clean gain available. |
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 14,928 
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Post by ericn on Jul 17, 2017 6:51:28 GMT -6
Stager SR-2N or SR-1A - thank me later Man I Hope your right! |
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Post by nnajar on Jul 17, 2017 8:21:13 GMT -6
Nothing sounds like a 4038. Luckily they aren't expensive and the £ is low now so they're even less expensive.
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 14,928
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Post by ericn on Jul 17, 2017 8:29:14 GMT -6
Anybody try the Coles 4030?
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Post by adamjbrass on Jul 17, 2017 8:39:28 GMT -6
The Stager SR2N comes the closest...I have used the Samar VL37 passive and thought it was quite different from a 4038. Its way more open and detailed. The SR2N comes the closest to that tone, top end, proximity. Thick velvety bottom end. I would also recommend checking out the Mesanovic Model-2, which has a similar thing to both the Samar and a Coles. But the Stager will knock your socks off, especially for the price.
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Post by john on Jul 17, 2017 8:44:05 GMT -6
I had a Royer and Mojave and sold them both to get the Coles about a year ago. No regrets. I had been daydreaming about a RCA 77 but the Coles does it for me.
I also stumbled upon the 4035 dynamic and took it home. Sounds great!
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Post by drbill on Jul 17, 2017 11:25:16 GMT -6
If you're looking for creamy cream, the 4038's are IT. Sometimes it's just too much for me though. On piano for instance where mid-range harmonics build up on anything more complex than simple lines, the 4038's can get tedious and I preferred my Michael Joly modded 205's. I've got 3 of those and they see a lot of use. That said, for some things I'd still love a pair of 4038's.
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Post by svart on Jul 17, 2017 13:59:44 GMT -6
The Stager mics I heard in Nashville the other day do the Coles thing pretty well. Seemed like really good mics.
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Post by john on Jul 17, 2017 20:09:51 GMT -6
The one I'm still curious about is the Altec bird cage mics. Wonder how they compare to the Coles and other good ones. Anyone?
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Post by noah shain on Jul 17, 2017 21:00:06 GMT -6
The Stager mics I heard in Nashville the other day do the Coles thing pretty well. Seemed like really good mics. Man I am geeked out on those stager mics. I'm comin to Nashville in September. I do believe I'm gonna come home with a pair. Just put my Royers up in the classifieds. |
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Post by noah shain on Jul 17, 2017 21:01:40 GMT -6
The one I'm still curious about is the Altec bird cage mics. Wonder how they compare to the Coles and other good ones. Anyone? Had one. Had it worked on at AEA. Sold it. It's a ribbon and a dynamic in one. Not great sounding. Band limited on both sides. Bad ass looking but not so great sounding. |
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Post by bricejchandler on Jul 18, 2017 2:19:59 GMT -6
The one I'm still curious about is the Altec bird cage mics. Wonder how they compare to the Coles and other good ones. Anyone? A studio I work in has a couple, I's not a very good microphone honestly. It's got kind of a lo fi vibe to it and could be an interesting addition to a large mic locker, I've used it on drums and horns and it was ok. I could see myself spending like $200 on one maybe, but definitely not what they're going for these days. |
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Post by bricejchandler on Jul 18, 2017 2:44:31 GMT -6
The one I'm still curious about is the Altec bird cage mics. Wonder how they compare to the Coles and other good ones. Anyone? If you're interested in some cheap character ribbon mics you may want to check the little reslo bbcs mics, you can find them for about $150 a piece. They were also ordered by the bbc but They're the opposite of the coles. The coles have a really hifi topend for a ribbon, the reslo's high end is very trashy, agressive and to me sounds like it has a narrow peak around 4k that realy helps with some percusive sources. It's my favorite kick out microphone, as it reaches very low but also has that peak that makes it sound like the ribbon version of the beta52, I also love it on floor tom. I've also had some success with it as a mono overhead. I usually use my aea r44 there which sounds huge and very polite, but sometimes for some more punky gnarly garagey tones the Reslo can't be beat, not great sounding soloed but cool in the right mix. |
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Post by Coil Audio on Jul 18, 2017 9:34:52 GMT -6
Stager SR-2N or SR-1A - thank me later Man I Hope your right! I am! Its gospel at this point. Been using Coles 4038s almost daily for 20+ years - i never thought ANYTHING could replace it - until the Stagers came along. Put them next to a Coles - they're bigger, Put 'em next to an AEA (any model)- the AEA will sound scooped and thin. We pretty much established this in the first 10 seconds of our little event in Nashville the other day using one great tube preamp and a single SR-1A over a drum kit - the result was jaw dropping. |
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Post by Tommy Harron on Jul 18, 2017 9:48:37 GMT -6
I am! Its gospel at this point. Been using Coles 4038s almost daily for 20+ years - i never thought ANYTHING could replace it - until the Stagers came along. Put them next to a Coles - they're bigger, Put 'em next to an AEA (any model)- the AEA will sound scooped and thin. We pretty much established this in the first 10 seconds of our little event in Nashville the other day using one great tube preamp and a single SR-1A over a drum kit - the result was jaw dropping. Do you feel similarly about the Stager SR-2N? |
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Post by john on Jul 18, 2017 10:15:35 GMT -6
The one I'm still curious about is the Altec bird cage mics. Wonder how they compare to the Coles and other good ones. Anyone? If you're interested in some cheap character ribbon mics you may want to check the little reslo bbcs mics, you can find them for about $150 a piece. They were also ordered by the bbc but They're the opposite of the coles. The coles have a really hifi topend for a ribbon, the reslo's high end is very trashy, agressive and to me sounds like it has a narrow peak around 4k that realy helps with some percusive sources. It's my favorite kick out microphone, as it reaches very low but also has that peak that makes it sound like the ribbon version of the beta52, I also love it on floor tom. I've also had some success with it as a mono overhead. I usually use my aea r44 there which sounds huge and very polite, but sometimes for some more punky gnarly garagey tones the Reslo can't be beat, not great sounding soloed but cool in the right mix. Thanks. A friend uses a Reslo and loves it. I think the next mic I will save for is U47 fet. I'm very happy with my 4038 for the ribbon sound. |
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