Who said the NT5s are bad microphones?

I usually find the top end of them make the mic useless for me whenever I try to use them.

But - I will generally grab a 451 before the km184. The 451 is the best all around Sdc in the price range imo.

It’s the beauty of making music - we all have our own ways of getting where we want to be and none of them are wrong! 👍🏻

Yeah, but that's a KM184 you're using as a reference - a mic with a rep for a somewhat nasty high end/presence range, widely regarded as one of Neumann's dogs.

For me the KM184 is the SM57 of SDCs. I like both the KM84 and the Beyer m201 better, but I can make my clients grin ear-to-ear with either one.

[Corrected.]

Here's Terry at 1:39 talking about the NT-4. nohum.ru/video/-pPhr4-PvEM
It isn't the first time I've heard him mention having 3 of them. I'm sure he likes the NT6 also.

The majority of 'affordable' SDC's nearly always hype the high end.
That combined with some proximity effect when micing say an acoustic guitar and you have a smiley face EQ off the bat.
What I really like about the KM84 is its clear, focused midrange that doesn't get lost in the hype of many other SDC's.

[

Rode has been their own worst enemy in so many ways ! They also are on their way to takeing over the low end A for V market.
Driving a Merc, is great fun till that lady in an f150 comes out of nowhere and totals that lovely little super charged AMG ! Though back in the automotive real world you soon learn buying new rear tires isn't normal!

Rode, in general seems like a mixed bag.

I did a location sound interview gig with a Rode shotgun recently and it was quite good for that application.

My K2 on the other hand, is mostly just ok. Have liked it on female vocalists.

The KM84 is the benchmark these days and has been for 30 years for one very good reason: It is idiot proof. You (pretty much) can't get a bad sound out of one.

But if you want jaw-dropping? KM54, KM56 or east Neumann M582 with the SDC cardioid capsule.

The M582 there are two across my street by a nneighbor her father worked at the east German BS.
She wont sell them becasue they remind her on the old man...

I told her her - your dad would be pleased if they get used again.

But no she wont sell... GRRRR

At the very least see if she will you borrow them from time to time.

I've got the following SDC's, and have not used the Rodes, but can comment on the 184's - and their relationship to their brethren KM series.

3-KM84's
2-KM86's
2-KM53's
2-KM140's
3-Vintage C451's - card, omni, etc.
2-Gefell 692/M70's
2-Joly 012's - all patterns + the LDC K47H head (!!)


And at one point, I had 184's. Of all the above, the last ones I'd reach for would be the 184's. The 140's I bought for a specific reason recently (Standup Bass) but the neumann 100 (transformerless) series don't really do it for me. The 184 was cool - UNTIL I put it up against the 84's. That was the end of 184's for me.

The KM84's were cool until I bought a pair of KM86's. That pretty much signaled the end of KM84's for me. I still keep em cause often I need several pairs of SDC's. It might be because the pair of KM86's I bought were only use in orchestral situations on Harp, and came extremely pristine. So that could be the diff between them and the 84's which have been used, but taken care of. OR, it could be (I suspect) the head basket arrangement differences. Either way, the KM84's rarely get pulled now unless for snare, toms, etc..

Then came the KM53's. I'll agree and disagree with Rowmat. I agree that the KM5x series is super "hi-fi", and jaw dropping compared to the ss versions. Personally, I'd call it hyper detailed, but I'm sure were both talking about the same thing. For me, for close or close-ish mic-ing, the KM86 gets right in the sweet spot with less detail, and killer tone - so I end up using the 86's the most these days. I disagree with Rowmatt in that the KM54 is untouchable. The KM53 is equal or or perhaps better IMO. The KM53 is - for me - generally better as I can get it in super close with no proximity, and the pattern is not super-omni, so I have none of the issues in close mic-ing that I have with a card pattern. In a lot of ways, it's the perfect microphone. AS LONG AS - you don't mind the detail. It has that KM thing that the 84's and 86's do that allows you to really "dial in" the amount of room you want quite easily. And for distance mic-ing......ahhhhh, the sweetest.