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Post by mrholmes on Jul 19, 2019 4:41:16 GMT -6
I think it was two years ago.
A memeber of RGO pointet at the cheap Samson MTR 201.
I bought one at ebay for ø 70 bucks, not a risk at all.
I used it for vocal tracking from time to time. I never was disapointet, because it never sounded like a typical China Cheapo.
I still felt unsure if it can be a true workhorse. I cant make a statement if it lives a long healthy live.
Its not a true condenser capsule but it is obvious someone knew what he was doing.
Yesterday, after a job was done, we comapred it - just for fun - against an TLM 193.
I had to ask two times if someone can hear something thats really bad, or will not work in a mix. Processing grabed the signal, solid low end LV range....great, but not oustanding dynamics. The dynamic resolution may misses some detail, but given the price -70 bucks- Rock and Roll.
I can say that people with very expereinced ears and very expensive mic lockers could not hide that China is no longer building crap only.
This cheap Samson is not bad at all.
It can take 142 db SPL. Very low proximity effect. SNR is 81 db
Next time a student asks for a budget mic I will point at the Samson MTR 201.
It may is a nice complemnt to an expensive mic locker too...
It will be fun to see clients faces before and after tracking.
The next cheap LDC I will try is the AT 2035. I was told it is one of the exceptions as well.
Do you know a few exceptions as well?
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Post by Vincent R. on Jul 19, 2019 5:44:35 GMT -6
For what it’s worth I have clients who are a rather large, wealthy, Italian family that like to host big parties and usually hire my wife and I to sing. The patriarch of the family plays mandolin really well and has a group of musician friends (guitarists, pianists, bassist, accordian players, etc) that usually show up for what is basically a jam session where we go through old Italian and Neapolitan songs for a couple of hours. They also hire a sound engineer for the parties who usually brings an old Allen and Heath mix console and a dozen or so Samson mics to mic everyone with. They always record these sessions and everything I’ve heard sounded great.
That said it’s all about what you expect from the budget mic and how much you want to spend. There are some really solid mics from R0DE, Warm, Avantone, Advanced Audio, and Shure for $300-$900.
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Post by sean on Jul 19, 2019 7:32:21 GMT -6
I like my Audio-Technica AT4033 (which might be considered medium diaphragm). It’s a great banjo microphone. I’ve owned a bunch of the years and never paid more than $150 for them.
Also, the sE X1 D which has of course been discontinued sounds great on the outside of a bass drum. I paid $79 new. I wish I had a second.
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Post by svart on Jul 19, 2019 7:50:38 GMT -6
Lewitt. They have very little resale value, so you can find used ones for cheap, yet they're amazingly good mics for the money, even at MSRP.
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Post by chessparov on Jul 19, 2019 12:38:00 GMT -6
King of the very Low End (under $100) condensers for me is... The AKG P120 (Black)-at least on vocals. Works much better on me, than their pricier/brighter 214. It's become my main "vocal practice mic". Pretty darn "honest"! If you want "vintage" (in spades), the 'ol Oktava 219/319 series is cool. Don't think of them as tonally "inconsistent", they're "semi-custom"! Supposedly the early runs, and current Production are much more consistent. Mine are both mid-production, and both exceptional ("bright/clear" 219 & "dark" 319) compared to the others made in the "McKay era". Both my "mint" 219 and "mint" 319 used, were only $120 each. Chris
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Post by Johnkenn on Jul 19, 2019 12:54:34 GMT -6
The SE X1 (lame name) are killer mics for around $100
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jul 19, 2019 13:01:44 GMT -6
Also, the sE X1 D which has of course been discontinued sounds great on the outside of a bass drum. I paid $79 new. I wish I had a second. I'm using this on floor tom. Wish I had a couple more.
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Post by chessparov on Jul 19, 2019 13:04:14 GMT -6
Whereas I thought the Rode-NT series name wasn't cheesy. Chris
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Post by Johnkenn on Jul 19, 2019 14:19:03 GMT -6
Missed Sean’s post. You can get the older X1 without the suffix for like $50.
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Post by viciousbliss on Jul 19, 2019 14:50:20 GMT -6
A guy on askaudio.com says it’s very difficult to tell the MTR201 and whatever U87 he had apart. One of these days I’m going to rent a u87 and see how it is compared to my MTR231.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2019 16:00:10 GMT -6
Samson surprises me more often nowadays. I bought an el cheapo 5 mic kit for drums for under 200 quid from them and the rim holders are already better than those from the same range Shure ones. I am really wondering how they do it. The C02 wasn't bad at all, if I remember it right, the Q6 sounds quite good as a kind of SM58 competitor, the Q7 is also a usable dynamic or even the MTR101, they all don't sound *bad*. Not the stuff you are used to with cheap mics. They do a lot of things right in the lowest price segment. I mean - a 5 mic kit for drums for under the price of one M201TG, really? For people on lowest to no budget, Samson offers great value for the money in this range. It is a bit crazy isn't it (in a good way...)?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2019 16:13:59 GMT -6
Well, actually I messed up the C series... I did not mean C02, I meant the CS dynamic. Whatever, for the money, none of them is really bad...
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Post by mrholmes on Jul 19, 2019 16:14:36 GMT -6
A guy on askaudio.com says it’s very difficult to tell the MTR201 and whatever U87 he had apart. One of these days I’m going to rent a u87 and see how it is compared to my MTR231.
That would be a big surprise to me. But sure is- if you hit someone with an MTR 201 it will hurt, its heavy, build like a tank.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jul 19, 2019 16:29:30 GMT -6
Missed Sean’s post. You can get the older X1 without the suffix for like $50. The D is specifically for drums.
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Post by drbill on Jul 19, 2019 17:14:45 GMT -6
Oktava 219/319 Almost always a killer bargain although they seem to have been discovered and the price has risen in the last 5 years. I just picked up a 3rd 219 (my fav mic for toms) and low and behold - when I got it I discovered that it was modded by MJ prior to me getting it. (Had his sticker on the box!!! SCORE!!!) I picked it up for $110 and I think he used to charge $250+ for his mod alone.....
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Post by chessparov on Jul 19, 2019 17:52:40 GMT -6
At Thomann USA, new 319's are $225 plus shipping. Funny, my 319 has an old faded sticker on it too... I can only (just barely) make out "Klau eyne" on it. Chris
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Post by drbill on Jul 19, 2019 18:12:12 GMT -6
At Thomann USA, new 319's are $225 plus shipping. Funny, my 319 has an old faded sticker on it too... I can only (just barely) make out "Klau eyne" on it. Chris haha! I seriously doubt KH would even touch a Oktava.
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Post by Guitar on Jul 19, 2019 19:48:09 GMT -6
I have been thinking about scooping up another AT4033. Love the SE mics I have, considering those sort of, Aston also. Saw Sylvia Massey recording drums with the Aston and jcoutu1 as well I think. People keep talking about Lewitt I guess those deserve some investigation.
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Post by chessparov on Jul 20, 2019 1:07:07 GMT -6
At Thomann USA, new 319's are $225 plus shipping. Funny, my 319 has an old faded sticker on it too... I can only (just barely) make out "Klau eyne" on it. Chris haha! I seriously doubt KH would even touch a Oktava. True, now my flashy MXL V69 on the other hand... BTW there was a new Oktava model, MK-119, also being sold on ebay, and IIRC another source. Supposedly, that model has some upgraded internal electronics, with the same 219/319 capsule. Chris
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Post by Omicron9 on Jul 21, 2019 16:08:57 GMT -6
Greetings.
First of all, I have no connection with Shure. But the Shure SM-27 (formerly KSM-27) is really an overlooked and almost unknown LDC. It's not a "good for the price" kind of thing; it's just good. A great all-arounder and the usual Shure build quality. Less than $300. new and not too hard to find used.
Kind regards, -09
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Post by chessparov on Jul 21, 2019 17:08:58 GMT -6
The various SM-27/KSM-27 end user descriptions reminded me of the.... Rode K2 tube mic. Reputed as a very good sounding "plain vanilla" kind of mic, per general user feedback also. I like vanilla too! Chris
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Post by delcampo on Jul 21, 2019 18:24:51 GMT -6
Oktava 219/319 Almost always a killer bargain although they seem to have been discovered and the price has risen in the last 5 years. I just picked up a 3rd 219 (my fav mic for toms) and low and behold - when I got it I discovered that it was modded by MJ prior to me getting it. (Had his sticker on the box!!! SCORE!!!) I picked it up for $110 and I think he used to charge $250+ for his mod alone..... I'll add, that if anyone out there has a MJ modded 012, consider the Oktava M3/M1 head for it. It's probably then closer to a MDC than large, if I understand correctly but, it gets remarkably close to my older U87 with that M3 head on it.
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Post by drbill on Jul 21, 2019 19:45:08 GMT -6
Oktava 219/319 Almost always a killer bargain although they seem to have been discovered and the price has risen in the last 5 years. I just picked up a 3rd 219 (my fav mic for toms) and low and behold - when I got it I discovered that it was modded by MJ prior to me getting it. (Had his sticker on the box!!! SCORE!!!) I picked it up for $110 and I think he used to charge $250+ for his mod alone..... I'll add, that if anyone out there has a MJ modded 012, consider the Oktava M3/M1 head for it. It's probably then closer to a MDC than large, if I understand correctly but, it gets remarkably close to my older U87 with that M3 head on it. Sweet! Thanks for the heads up. I have a pair of those MJ mics. I also have all the standard capsules - Card, Omni, HyperCard - including the K47 heads that MJ designed for the Oktava's. They are remarkably U67 like in their voicing, but without the typical tube euphonic vibe - more like a FET 67 if there was such a thing. Incredibly versatile package. I feel lucky to have it. I traded his K47 heads for the MXL603's when I got these and in retrospect, I wish I had kept those as well. They were brighter, more modern sounding and freaking HUUUUGE! Sigh....oh well. I normally don't get rid of stuff but I gave em to a friend so...all is good. Thanks for the tip! I'll keep an eye open for the M3 capsule!!
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Post by Ward on Jul 22, 2019 1:27:50 GMT -6
I don't have a bad word to say about the CAD M179
A very useful and versatile utility LDC. Not Neumann U series quality, but still a great mic for Toms, acoustic guitars and demo vocals
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Post by sirthought on Jul 22, 2019 6:56:39 GMT -6
I'll add, that if anyone out there has a MJ modded 012, consider the Oktava M3/M1 head for it. It's probably then closer to a MDC than large, if I understand correctly but, it gets remarkably close to my older U87 with that M3 head on it. I'd like to find a M3/M1 head that fits the 012. Reverb has a couple of sellers claiming to use the M3 capsule in other builds, but none so far that fit the 012 as an add on.
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