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Post by chessparov on Sept 17, 2019 23:23:32 GMT -6
When I checked relatively recently, used 635a's were around $70-80. It'd be cool to run some of these old EV's, through a Silver Bullet on vocals sometime... Chris
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Post by michaelcleary on Sept 28, 2019 9:55:08 GMT -6
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Post by enlav on Oct 5, 2021 8:33:46 GMT -6
Hey guys - had an inquiry, and given that in another thread in 2019, this was potentially deemed the "EV mic" thread, I didn't want to start a whole new one on what I'm hoping could be a short inquiry.
I put an order down on three EV RE-11's that popped up on a certain chain's used inventory. I'm having them sent in to my local store to basically test and inspect before taking home with me.
I've read a few things to check for (like deteriorating foam), but do you guys have any advice for what I should scope out while I check these microphones?
(I'll be taking my own preamp/headphone amp/headphones to test them at the store, of course.)
I'm almost 100% sure the guys who bought in the mic's probably didn't scope them out, since these should have been marked under their vintage tag. My guess is they just popped a price on them and called it good, or their Vintage guys just told them not to bother.
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Post by Guitar on Oct 5, 2021 9:30:04 GMT -6
RE11 is a great mic! One of my first microphones that I still have. I like it pointed at a drum kit (tip I got from Joel Hamilton.) I use it in M/S with a ribbon mic as the sides.
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Post by dreamsambas on Oct 5, 2021 14:15:36 GMT -6
I've read a few things to check for (like deteriorating foam), but do you guys have any advice for what I should scope out while I check these microphones? (I'll be taking my own preamp/headphone amp/headphones to test them at the store, of course.) Other than deteriorating foam, the main issue that I'm aware of is a loss of high end from the mic taking a fall at some point. But be aware that vintage EVs are mellow sounding mics. So I don't mean a natural, relaxed sound - but a complete lack of high end. Should be fairly easy to spot.
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Post by enlav on Oct 13, 2021 16:49:06 GMT -6
So, the three individual re11's I picked up turned out to be in one case. The thing is, they're all in reasonably clean shape (one has more surface wear), they sounded reasonable similar on my zoom f8 and hd380s. And the case's logo was an EV I personally don't remember, so I'm not sure what age we're looking at. I honestly was expecting to pick out the best sounding one (or two) and return the reject(s)... but I ended up going home with all three. Will need to look into the serials later...
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Post by EmRR on Oct 13, 2021 17:30:40 GMT -6
I don't remember that logo at all!
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Post by enlav on Oct 13, 2021 18:01:58 GMT -6
I don't remember that logo at all! Could be a counterfeit logo! The serials are sort of hard to read... mostly imprinting, so I can't be confident if something is a 3 or an 8. One in particular definitely says 9950.
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Post by ab101 on Oct 13, 2021 18:27:22 GMT -6
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 14,928
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Post by ericn on Oct 13, 2021 19:12:31 GMT -6
So, the three individual re11's I picked up turned out to be in one case. The thing is, they're all in reasonably clean shape (one has more surface wear), they sounded reasonable similar on my zoom f8 and hd380s. And the case's logo was an EV I personally don't remember, so I'm not sure what age we're looking at. I honestly was expecting to pick out the best sounding one (or two) and return the reject(s)... but I ended up going home with all three. Will need to look into the serials later... Nice score now go put those mics in ziploc bags with Silica a silica pac in each because the foam in that case is going to slowly detonate and get into everything! I remember that logo on some old cheap EV MI stuff.
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Post by standup on Oct 13, 2021 19:15:40 GMT -6
EV 408's are great, pretty broad frequency range, pretty neutral, use them on anything. I picked up a pair for $100 then another one for more like $75... Super useful.
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Post by ab101 on Oct 13, 2021 19:27:44 GMT -6
EV 408's are great, pretty broad frequency range, pretty neutral, use them on anything. I picked up a pair for $100 then another one for more like $75... Super useful. And great positioning possibilities!
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Post by enlav on Oct 13, 2021 19:30:02 GMT -6
Nice score now go put those mics in ziploc bags with Silica a silica pac in each because the foam in that case is going to slowly detonate and get into everything! I remember that logo on some old cheap EV MI stuff. The crazy thing is how surprisingly okay the foam is here. Good call though. May as well do it now instead of waiting for the inevitable. The foam that was in my old md441 case... it was worse than glitter.
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 14,928
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Post by ericn on Oct 13, 2021 19:32:37 GMT -6
Nice score now go put those mics in ziploc bags with Silica a silica pac in each because the foam in that case is going to slowly detonate and get into everything! I remember that logo on some old cheap EV MI stuff. The crazy thing is how surprisingly okay the foam is here. Good call though. May as well do it now instead of waiting for the inevitable. The foam that was in my old md441 case... it was worse than glitter. Yeah I just know those old cases at some point it just breaks down. I also suggest it for ALL MICS!
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Post by bossanova on Oct 15, 2021 13:51:00 GMT -6
Does windscreen foam hold up over time? I have a couple mics where it stays on for vocals 24/7.
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Post by ab101 on Oct 15, 2021 18:14:34 GMT -6
Does windscreen foam hold up over time? I have a couple mics where it stays on for vocals 24/7. Take the foam windscreen over a piece of white paper. Rub the windscreen over the paper. Do you see a lot of foam particles? If so, it is not a good thing! (Some new windscreens also do not hold up well under this test.)
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 14,928
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Post by ericn on Oct 15, 2021 19:48:58 GMT -6
Does windscreen foam hold up over time? I have a couple mics where it stays on for vocals 24/7. At some point they all seam to start to shed, the thing is the windscreens seam to last longer if they stay on the mics.
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Post by EmRR on Jan 8, 2022 22:03:11 GMT -6
I had a rock band tracking today and the direction was to try to get usable vocals in the room with drums, in case performances were good. RE-16 does it way better than SM-7 or RE-20 or any condenser, and sounds like a finished vocal in quality. I put a second RE-16 18” away with a foam baffle between the two, so there’s something I can use to cancel even more bleed pretty well. 635a’s are also great for this, since off axis omni always sounds ok.
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Post by dreamsambas on Jan 9, 2022 12:52:46 GMT -6
I had a rock band tracking today and the direction was to try to get usable vocals in the room with drums, in case performances were good. RE-16 does it way better than SM-7 or RE-20 or any condenser, and sounds like a finished vocal in quality. I put a second RE-16 18” away with a foam baffle between the two, so there’s something I can use to cancel even more bleed pretty well. 635a’s are also great for this, since off axis omni always sounds ok. Tell me more about this bleed cancellation trick...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2022 17:57:03 GMT -6
Seen as I'm a bull in china shop tonight.. I don't get the love for dynamics (honestly just never understood), they lack sensitivity, stereo spread and most have this damn annoying spike in the upper mid range.. You always end up with some hollow relatively 2D and flat sounding production once you've EQ'd and crushed the daylights out of them to sort out their inherent flaws.
Sorry for being impertinent here but why? Even the venerable MD-441 is no match for a Neumann U67 (which is great on practically every instrument ever made). Need something with less bleed for drums? Hypercardiod SDC's rock it.. The only time they've come in handy for me is live use or I needed something cheap.
Let me know why I'm being daft here please, after going through about 15 different "classics" I'm still not getting the message (apparently)..
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Post by EmRR on Jan 10, 2022 22:43:03 GMT -6
Seen as I'm a bull in china shop tonight.. I don't get the love for dynamics (honestly just never understood), they lack sensitivity, stereo spread and most have this damn annoying spike in the upper mid range.. You always end up with some hollow relatively 2D and flat sounding production once you've EQ'd and crushed the daylights out of them to sort out their inherent flaws. Sorry for being impertinent here but why? Even the venerable MD-441 is no match for a Neumann U67 (which is great on practically every instrument ever made). Need something with less bleed for drums? Hypercardiod SDC's rock it.. The only time they've come in handy for me is live use or I needed something cheap. Let me know why I'm being daft here please, after going through about 15 different "classics" I'm still not getting the message (apparently).. Guess you haven’t used an RE-15/16. Or maybe you haven’t found a plve where dynamics rule. Or maybe you’re not old enough to remember when the average local studios didn’t really have many/any condensers. I made rock records for years with nothing but dynamic mics. Yeah, i have a 67, a good 47 clone, a UMT70, a 414, a ton of nice ribbons. Vocals are their own thing, you never know what wins, and an RE-16 seems to eat an SM-7’s lunch any day of the week. Condensers are frequently a crapshoot on new singers, with lots of shit to tweak in post if you don’t pick the right one. These EV sound damn finished with no weird shit and take EQ great. Better off axis than many things. I’m using vocals cut in the room with loud drums! Doesn’t sound compromised! Forget that with any LDC I own, or an SM-7, or an RE-20.
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Post by ragan on Jan 10, 2022 23:20:43 GMT -6
I like good dynamics a lot. I like slower transients, I like more forgiving high end, I like a meaty midrange. I usually go with the 67 for vocals, but when I track a lead vocal track, I almost always have the 441 up too. Sometimes I just like what the 441 is doing for the energy of a given vocal and it's the winner. I also always have an RE50 up (over and in front of my right shoulder, facing down) when I track acoustic guitar. I love what that mic adds in that context. I like SM7s too, they're really enjoyable to sing through.
And on snare or electric guitar cab? My ear still picks a 57 as sounding 'correct'. Ok, on snare I like the 441 better sometimes. On bass cab, I like an RE20. LDCs don't do it for me in any of those roles. I dunno, what's not to like? Dynamics are rad.
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Post by chessparov on Jan 11, 2022 3:10:02 GMT -6
I have an EV 635a and a 58 for conventional dynamics. And also 2 Neodymium's... EV 767a/AKG D790.
The most replaceable is the 58, due to their ubiquitous nature. Plus they seem to be everywhere. Chris
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Post by sirthought on Jan 11, 2022 3:52:53 GMT -6
Seen as I'm a bull in china shop tonight.. I don't get the love for dynamics (honestly just never understood), they lack sensitivity, stereo spread and most have this damn annoying spike in the upper mid range.. You always end up with some hollow relatively 2D and flat sounding production once you've EQ'd and crushed the daylights out of them to sort out their inherent flaws. Sorry for being impertinent here but why? Even the venerable MD-441 is no match for a Neumann U67 (which is great on practically every instrument ever made). Need something with less bleed for drums? Hypercardiod SDC's rock it.. The only time they've come in handy for me is live use or I needed something cheap. Let me know why I'm being daft here please, after going through about 15 different "classics" I'm still not getting the message (apparently).. If you haven't heard it yourself, why take the energy to convince you to change your mind?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2022 5:05:51 GMT -6
Guess you haven’t used an RE-15/16. Or maybe you haven’t found a plve where dynamics rule. Or maybe you’re not old enough to remember when the average local studios didn’t really have many/any condensers. I made rock records for years with nothing but dynamic mics. Yeah, i have a 67, a good 47 clone, a UMT70, a 414, a ton of nice ribbons. Vocals are their own thing, you never know what wins, and an RE-16 seems to eat an SM-7’s lunch any day of the week. Condensers are frequently a crapshoot on new singers, with lots of shit to tweak in post if you don’t pick the right one. These EV sound damn finished with no weird shit and take EQ great. Better off axis than many things. I’m using vocals cut in the room with loud drums! Doesn’t sound compromised! Forget that with any LDC I own, or an SM-7, or an RE-20. Guess you haven’t used an RE-15/16?: Hmm Nope.. Used an RE-20 though, are the really that much better than the 20 and MD-441? Or maybe you haven’t found a place where dynamics rule?: I'd never say they "rule" but effective tools in the right situation? Sure. I did begrudgingly buy quite a few for live engineering or dense tracks (usually metal) where you need something lower-fi and narrow to fit in a mix. Although my point is I used them out of necessity for the task at hand, if an arrangement or circumstance allowed for it I wouldn't go near one. Or maybe you’re not old enough to remember?: You're right, I only started recording at the beginning of the millennium but it's irrelevant. Maybe I need to try out an RE-15? IME all dynamics have "weird crap" that needs dialling out. The only dynamic I've ever taken a shine to is the MD-441U, it's boxy, lazy and still has pokey upper mids but at least it has some semblance of personality, width, dynamics and detail. However I have some sub $1K very modern SDC's or LDC's alongside some expensive stuff which does the job better so?!. If I need to control transients a decent opto will crush the life out of or mimic the "dynamic" sound if needed but at least I have the choice. Don't get me wrong in a less than ideal environment I'd always recommend something like an MD-441 over any mic, it's when my studio expanded and I had options galore the dynamics ended up in the mic locker collecting dust.
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