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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2018 16:00:15 GMT -6
After a lot of mic's came and went I started thinking about what's my "desert island" mic, it's a tough call but for me it would have to be the Sennheiser MD-441U..
Over the years I've had a bit of a love / hate relationship with it, but every time I get the itchy finger to sell it I compare it to all my other mic's it always come out on top.. I only considered getting rid because it can be a little bit temperamental, it requires a lot of gain / get the positioning wrong and it can sound more like a cheap bright condenser than the king of dynamics (which is odd because every vid you see of it the thing sounds really dark), also get your mic technique wrong due to it's polar pattern it won't forgive you..
With a U89 / SM58 etc. etc. it's relatively plug and play.. Get it right though (circle notch 2, little 200hz cut and a 10K boost, sing slightly off the top axis (for vox)) and for me it sounds fantastic no matter what you stick in front of, it's the only dynamic I'd ever consider on an acoustic, snare, kick, guitar amp, vocals (female or male) etc. it just works.. Kinda like the U87 (which I do like as well) but with more character, plus it takes very well to EQ.!
It's extremely clear, sensitive but not too much, can sit in a room with $6K mics and not sound like the weak link (just different), it's not too fussed about rooms (which is great for on location). It doesn't sound "small" and it has just enough crunch to make it interesting.. Winner.!
What's yours?
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Post by wiz on Jul 29, 2018 18:36:56 GMT -6
KM84 tied with U87i
Cheers
Wiz
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Post by Ward on Jul 29, 2018 18:43:07 GMT -6
1 mic to do it all? C414EB brass capsule. But favorite mic? Wowzers... that's hard. I don't either of my all-time favorite microphones M49, M269, ELA M 251m, Redd Mic But out of what I own, probably the U67, followed closely by wiz's choices. |
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Post by the other mark williams on Jul 29, 2018 19:02:03 GMT -6
There was a magic M269 I used regularly for about five years when I worked for Wes Lachot at his studio. I never heard it sound bad on a single source, ever. It wasn't always the #1 mic choice, but it was never lower than maybe #3. I remember a violin I recorded in 2000 that in retrospect I wish I had tracked with a ribbon instead of that M269. That is literally the only source that just popped into my mind that I feel that way about.
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Post by drbill on Jul 29, 2018 19:16:00 GMT -6
We get to pick 1 LDC and 1 SDC? And a ribbon???  OK, nevermind. Just the LDC and SDC : U87 vintage (with & without an Innertube insert) & KM86 (preferred over 84's, but I had to look for em for 10 years, so if you feel so inclined, you can substitute KM84's). Easy to make a record with those. |
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
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Post by ericn on Jul 29, 2018 19:54:02 GMT -6
No Budget M49, with an M7, really what sounds bad with ?
Sub $1K Gefell UM71, cheapest way to get a taste of what an M49 can do.
SDC well got to be KM84, but my secret sauce is my Sony C535’s.
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Post by johneppstein on Jul 29, 2018 19:54:15 GMT -6
Original long body U47 in good condition and KM84..... probably.
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Post by EmRR on Jul 29, 2018 20:04:35 GMT -6
Really hard question. It so depends on what you are tracking at the moment, especially if you're in a certain type of tracking zone for a longer period. It may change when the type of thing you're tracking changes. At least I don't see anything I've owned thats been universally favorite for ALL TIME. The Samar MF65's may come closest, in that I've tracked almost everything on a couple of acoustic pop records with those, and they're very useful on rock records too. I don't get to use any classics unless I buy one, there just aren't any around here anywhere I work, so there's a lot of stuff I've never heard. Oh wait....there's a U47 at one local studio....and it's pretty well abused, never been serviced, and the times I've had it on tracks it was stuck on the bottom rotor of a Leslie (not by me!)......the horror.....
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Post by the other mark williams on Jul 29, 2018 20:12:18 GMT -6
Really hard question. It so depends on what you are tracking at the moment, especially if you're in a certain type of tracking zone for a longer period. It may change when the type of thing you're tracking changes. At least I don't see anything I've owned thats been universally favorite for ALL TIME. The Samar MF65's may come closest, in that I've tracked almost everything on a couple of acoustic pop records with those, and they're very useful on rock records too. I don't get to use any classics unless I buy one, there just aren't any around here anywhere I work, so there's a lot of stuff I've never heard. Oh wait....there's a U47 at one local studio....and it's pretty well abused, never been serviced, and the times I've had it on tracks it was stuck on the bottom rotor of a Leslie (not by me!)......the horror..... Mitch has got a ton of options just up the road from you, Doug! I've never used a Samar, but would love to have the opportunity one day. |
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Post by EmRR on Jul 29, 2018 20:21:28 GMT -6
Really hard question. It so depends on what you are tracking at the moment, especially if you're in a certain type of tracking zone for a longer period. It may change when the type of thing you're tracking changes. At least I don't see anything I've owned thats been universally favorite for ALL TIME. The Samar MF65's may come closest, in that I've tracked almost everything on a couple of acoustic pop records with those, and they're very useful on rock records too. I don't get to use any classics unless I buy one, there just aren't any around here anywhere I work, so there's a lot of stuff I've never heard. Oh wait....there's a U47 at one local studio....and it's pretty well abused, never been serviced, and the times I've had it on tracks it was stuck on the bottom rotor of a Leslie (not by me!)......the horror..... Mitch has got a ton of options just up the road from you, Doug! I've never used a Samar, but would love to have the opportunity one day. Mitch WILL NOT own a Neumann! He has a weird thing about it. He really has no classic mics, he likes weirdo off road stuff. Well, he does own the one beat to shit pair of KM84's I've ever used. I swear I have more mics than he does. He's not really a gear snob, if it makes sound it's good enough for him, and he'll tell ya that. He does have a C37A and an STC 4028. His 19A19 is cool, I don't know if it's a real one on the inside. |
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Post by the other mark williams on Jul 29, 2018 20:34:13 GMT -6
Mitch has got a ton of options just up the road from you, Doug! I've never used a Samar, but would love to have the opportunity one day. Mitch WILL NOT own a Neumann! He has a weird thing about it. He really has no classic mics, he likes weirdo off road stuff. Well, he does own the one beat to shit pair of KM84's I've ever used. I swear I have more mics than he does. He's not really a gear snob, if it makes sound it's good enough for him, and he'll tell ya that. He does have a C37A and an STC 4028. His 19A19 is cool, I don't know if it's a real one on the inside. Wow, that's hilarious - I really did not know that! I've never worked at Fidelitorium, but with as much as Wes loves Neumanns, I just assumed Mitch did, too. I *did* know he is unafraid of unconventional methods. I know at one point his favorite way to address a sticky capstan was with "nose grease." |
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Post by jeremygillespie on Jul 29, 2018 20:51:38 GMT -6
M269. Although I tracked at a spot I’ve not used before a few weeks ago and I swear their 67 may have been the best mic I’ve ever heard. I’ve regularly used 3 67’s for about 10 years that are great examples of the mic, but this particular one blew them away.
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Post by rowmat on Jul 29, 2018 21:01:53 GMT -6
SDC - Neumann KM84 (You know the minute you first use one why it is so well regarded)
LDC - Neumann U77 (More like a U67 than a U87 but with more focus and air)
RIBBON - Coles 4038 (Rich, smooth and large while flat to 15khz with a surprisingly good high frequency transient response)
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Post by geoff738 on Jul 29, 2018 21:20:26 GMT -6
M49. Only got to be on one session it was used on, but it haunts me. 20 years later.
Cheers,
Geoff
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Post by Martin John Butler on Jul 29, 2018 21:24:02 GMT -6
Vintage U67. Pretty much anything you stick in front of it sounds great. For my voice, it tops a vintage U47 and M49.
I should be getting the Stam SA67 soon, and I'm really hopeful it'll be a better fit than the other great, but not quite right mics I've tried.
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Post by johneppstein on Jul 29, 2018 22:57:16 GMT -6
Really hard question. It so depends on what you are tracking at the moment, especially if you're in a certain type of tracking zone for a longer period. It may change when the type of thing you're tracking changes. At least I don't see anything I've owned thats been universally favorite for ALL TIME. The Samar MF65's may come closest, in that I've tracked almost everything on a couple of acoustic pop records with those, and they're very useful on rock records too. I don't get to use any classics unless I buy one, there just aren't any around here anywhere I work, so there's a lot of stuff I've never heard. Oh wait....there's a U47 at one local studio....and it's pretty well abused, never been serviced, and the times I've had it on tracks it was stuck on the bottom rotor of a Leslie (not by me!)......the horror..... Tube or FET? There's a pretty big difference. |
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Post by chessparov on Jul 30, 2018 2:00:10 GMT -6
While it may not be "the best mic", my favorite will always be the AKG D790 dynamic, given to a very good friend (a fellow Barbershopper).
A few years later he returned it back for me to use-Which was a few years before he passed on unexpectedly.
Not just my imagination either that it sounds very good. The sound been mistaken for a $1000+ microphone, more than once.
Ironically, I bought a second D790 (not quite as good sounding) as a back up, that may very well get replaced by a M88TG, before the end of the year.
I'm also very fond of the beautiful sounding Bock Soundelux U195 (won at NAMM/Anaheim) and the exceptional Octava 219 I was fortunate to get ($100!).
Objectively for humble home recording, it's possible for me to make pleasant "demo level" stuff already.
Around 2K and under, my favorite is the (new) Bock iFET. Right now this is the highest price range, where I feel confident I could make a pretty intelligent choice. Unfortunately IMHO the U87 isn't the best sort of "sound" for my voice. I was also surprised that the U67 reissue wasn't much better than a U87ai either. I actually liked the TLM 67 better! (gasp) Within the Neumann line, I felt the U47 FET reissue sounded the best on me.
Considering the Bock only costs around half of the U47 FET, and I like (love) it as much... Makes that easy to decide.
Lots of other fantastic microphones above that of cour$e, but I'd have to spend time shooting them out more, ideally with a good AE present.
Air is pretty rarified up there!
Chris
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Post by mcirish on Jul 30, 2018 7:39:37 GMT -6
My favorite that I was able to borrow for a session was an original U48. I already owned a Wunder CM7GTS/M7 but the U48 was a step above that. A very sweet mic that i wish I could afford. The Soundelux 251 was also very nice but not "magic". I don't own any nice SDC. Just a matched pair of Oktava MC012. I'd love to try a KM84, but I'm worried I would like it too much and i'd have to buy it. ha!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2018 8:23:49 GMT -6
Mitch has got a ton of options just up the road from you, Doug! I've never used a Samar, but would love to have the opportunity one day. Mitch WILL NOT own a Neumann! He has a weird thing about it. He really has no classic mics, he likes weirdo off road stuff. Well, he does own the one beat to shit pair of KM84's I've ever used. I swear I have more mics than he does. He's not really a gear snob, if it makes sound it's good enough for him, and he'll tell ya that. He does have a C37A and an STC 4028. His 19A19 is cool, I don't know if it's a real one on the inside.
I suppose I'm kinda the same, at this moment in time I'm "Neumanless".. It's not because I don't like them, some of my favourite recordings of all time include many a Neumann (like Hetfield with a 47).. It's just dynamics change a lot when you become a home recorder, instead of not knowing what's coming through the door next you get a lot of time to experiment.
That's what sets Neumann apart for me, they are IMO the king of utilitarian. At my peak I probably had 25 - 30? Decent mic's in my locker, I'd of been crazy (plus wasteful) to audition every mic for every application for every song.. I'm sure with every track I recorded there was a mic that would give me something more (now I record at home, I found that to be the case) but every instrument sounds different and I could almost gurantee a U67, U87 or U47 / KM56 would do the job..
Most of my experiences with expensive Neumann's were via rentals or whatever X studio had at the time, so I'm sure some of them weren't in the best conditions.. The only one's I bought was a U67 (I got silly cheap in a liquidation auction) and I purchased a brand new M149 that was on sale.
If a pro studio was viable for me nowadays I'd be kitted out with Neumann.. For my home stuff though, I can't say I miss them all that much..
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Post by Blackdawg on Jul 30, 2018 9:05:26 GMT -6
DPA 4006a
Nuemann TLM67
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Post by svart on Jul 30, 2018 9:16:42 GMT -6
Desert island? Gefell M930.
One to rule them all? U47.
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Post by bigbone on Jul 30, 2018 11:21:52 GMT -6
AKG 414 EB with brass capsule , Everything sound good with it, !!!!
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Post by chessparov on Jul 30, 2018 11:40:33 GMT -6
Also RCA/AEA 44 & RCA 77...
Chris
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Post by joseph on Jul 30, 2018 12:19:11 GMT -6
Hmm, if I had to choose one mic that sounds good on everything, and a mic that I have regular access to, then Josephson e22s. It works better on more sources than KM84s, and that's saying a lot.
If not access to, then U67. But I'd be worried about abuse.
If two mics, U67 and KM84.
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Post by aremos on Jul 30, 2018 17:38:09 GMT -6
"desert island" = 414 (EB & B-ULS)
My favorite "dessert" = C800G
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