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Post by zonkola on Jan 30, 2021 12:37:44 GMT -6
Yet another effing mic shootout: A single acoustic guitar noodling "performance" captured simultaneously by four SDC mics into four channels of Hardy M1. A few details: - All mics are still in production and can be bought new today
- All are priced under $800 MAP new for a single mic
- All are manufactured by reputable, well-regarded brands
- None of these mics would be out of place in a pro studio
- Absolutely no "hahaha it's a $49 eBay mic" or "hahaha it's an SM57" style gotchas here, this is a safe space
- One of the mics might not be an SDC, exactly
- Raw tracks with no HPF, EQ, or processing of any kind
And there's a poll. I'll post the names of the mics after 20 votes have been tallied, or after no one votes and I surrender and retreat to the bourbon forum. The 24/96 wav files: |
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Post by tkaitkai on Jan 30, 2021 12:47:33 GMT -6
Nice test!
B is my favorite of the bunch. I feel like this one has the most midrange clarity. Pretty much exactly what I would want this guitar to sound like.
Least favorite would be C. A little too brash for my taste.
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Post by zonkola on Jan 30, 2021 19:07:50 GMT -6
Come one and all! Take the poll & see the grand reveal! Mic model numbers disclosed or double your money back!
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Post by Jason on Jan 30, 2021 19:39:35 GMT -6
I wouldn’t kick any of the four out bed for eating crackers. I think C is the most finished sound, but could see B and D right there with a simple HPF. I’m sure there are others here with ears more critical than mine, but from a pair of Airpods Pro, I don’t mind any of them...sounds like an acoustic guitar.
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Post by craigmorris74 on Jan 30, 2021 19:56:45 GMT -6
I liked the.midrange a C best. I hear the dreaded Chinese sing in A.
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Post by zonkola on Jan 30, 2021 20:13:04 GMT -6
Man, you Mic C people are going to be pumped once the veil is lifted.
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Post by wiz on Jan 30, 2021 20:23:13 GMT -6
All are good...
C might be my least favourite as its a touch bass shy compared to the others... which actually presents best here....but....worries me that its bass shy, and the others are picking up the boom of the acoustic... if you get my drift
I would take A
But would record with all of them
Cheers
Wiz
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Post by ragan on Jan 30, 2021 22:31:32 GMT -6
I pick D. D and B are very close but D has a little smoother top, and top ends are what tend to bug me most about SDCs. I like C the least but none of them are unusable. I just find C a little strident.
What's the guitar?
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Post by zonkola on Jan 30, 2021 22:51:49 GMT -6
I pick D. D and B are very close but D has a little smoother top, and top ends are what tend to bug me most about SDCs. I like C the least but none of them are unusable. I just find C a little strident. What's the guitar? Guitar is a mahogany top Taylor 322. |
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Post by schmalzy on Jan 31, 2021 0:30:29 GMT -6
I feel like I could work with A or D.
B felt boomy.
C was deceptively "good" but had a harsh thing that I'd have had to notch out...that - when gone - would probably reveal some other stuff I'd have to notch out.
I feel like A or D with Kush Clariphonic to lift the top end away from the lows would be right where I'd need it.
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Post by Ward on Jan 31, 2021 7:01:14 GMT -6
None of them appealed to me very much . . . but I'm a KM84/Km54 mid-distance placed kind of guy. I could work with D and a few tools.
You know what did appeal? Your playing! Loved the way you dig into it.
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Post by zonkola on Jan 31, 2021 11:22:10 GMT -6
Thanks Ward! Unfortunately, the KM84/54s didn't qualify under the "currently in production," "under $800," or "zonkola has one" guidelines of the test. OK folks, 10 votes down, 10 to go! |
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Post by drumsound on Jan 31, 2021 11:26:33 GMT -6
Yet another effing mic shootout: A single acoustic guitar noodling "performance" captured simultaneously by four SDC mics into four channels of Hardy M1. A few details: - All mics are still in production and can be bought new today
- All are priced under $800 MAP new for a single mic
- All are manufactured by reputable, well-regarded brands
- None of these mics would be out of place in a pro studio
- Absolutely no "hahaha it's a $49 eBay mic" or "hahaha it's an SM57" style gotchas here, this is a safe space
- One of the mics might not be an SDC, exactly
- Raw tracks with no HPF, EQ, or processing of any kind
And there's a poll. I'll post the names of the mics after 20 votes have been tallied, or after no one votes and I surrender and retreat to the bourbon forum. The 24/96 wav files: Here are my guy reactions, without reading the thread first. Mic A: Really warm and inviting. Mic B: Rounder than A, but less 'exciting' Mic C: Thinner, but would probably be a good choice in a mix with more things going on. Mic D: Pretty pleasing. Actually all of these sound good, and they all have nice detail and bring out what your fingers are doing, and the character of your instrument. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it isn't a Taylor... I don't know that I can vote, because I think they are all useful, depending on the project. |
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Post by drumsound on Jan 31, 2021 11:32:02 GMT -6
I pick D. D and B are very close but D has a little smoother top, and top ends are what tend to bug me most about SDCs. I like C the least but none of them are unusable. I just find C a little strident. What's the guitar? Guitar is a mahogany top Taylor 322. Now I'm embarrassed. It must be that your playing is that good, or the mahogany makes a huge difference, because I generally fucking HATE Taylor guitars. Your is one of 2 I've heard that I was drawn to. A friend I used to work with at a music store got a deal on a used early Taylor that reminded me of a J45, and his was literally the only one until now that I've thought, "ooo, that's nice." I usually just get offended knowing what they charge for those things compared to how they sound. [/rant] |
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Post by skav on Jan 31, 2021 11:56:32 GMT -6
My favorite was A as a standalone track, but i think C can work well in a mix.
B and D had some unflattering low-mid information in my opinion.
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Post by bricejchandler on Jan 31, 2021 12:01:42 GMT -6
I picked D as I felt it sounded a bit more natural to me and didn't overly emphasize the pick attack. It just sounds more the way an acoustic sounds when you're next to it to my ear.
I thought B was super close though and I really hesitated, first listen I picked D, then B, then came back to D so honestly I think I'd be happy with either.
The transients just seem a bit slower on D which is something I like on acoustic, particularly in a band context where there are already a lot of percusive elements.
C was just a bit too brash for me but might work on a different guitar who knows.
A sounded good, though I naturally gravitated more towards B and D.
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Post by zonkola on Jan 31, 2021 12:28:07 GMT -6
Guitar is a mahogany top Taylor 322. Now I'm embarrassed. It must be that your playing is that good, or the mahogany makes a huge difference, because I generally fucking HATE Taylor guitars. Your is one of 2 I've heard that I was drawn to. A friend I used to work with at a music store got a deal on a used early Taylor that reminded me of a J45, and his was literally the only one until now that I've thought, "ooo, that's nice." I usually just get offended knowing what they charge for those things compared to how they sound. [/rant] When I bought this guitar about 5 years ago I wasn't in the market for a Taylor, having just sold one a few years before. In fact, I didn't have any brand in mind—I was just looking for a small body guitar that spoke to me. I must have played close to a hundred different guitars in the under $3K range over a few months at Guitar Showcase, Gelb Music, and Frank Ford's Gryphon Stringed Instruments, and this is the one I took home. To me it sounded very different from the regular spruce top Taylors, but also very different from my J45. So yeah, I was ready to blow $3K on a used Collings or a nice Martin, and I ended up with a $1,200 coffee brown Taylor with that ugly headstock. Didn't see that coming. |
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Post by nick8801 on Jan 31, 2021 13:10:56 GMT -6
Didn't fall in love with any of the sound samples. The only one I straight up didn't like though was C. A,B and D are all relatively similar.
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Post by askomiko on Jan 31, 2021 14:02:13 GMT -6
First round I liked D the best. C the least, honky high mid spike in it. The others were much closer together, so if I continue listening after I've decided that I liked D best, and keep the D as the reference, then the A has a bit more highest highs, B felt scooped, and C honky. So D, A, B, C.
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Post by Vincent R. on Jan 31, 2021 15:39:04 GMT -6
I liked C and D for different reasons. B had a midrange thing I liked too. A was fine, but was my least favorite.
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Post by Calvin on Jan 31, 2021 15:46:13 GMT -6
Nice test! B is my favorite of the bunch. I feel like this one has the most midrange clarity. Pretty much exactly what I would want this guitar to sound like. Least favorite would be C. A little too brash for my taste. These are exactly my thoughts. B favorite, C least. Of course, in particular contexts preferences could change. |
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Post by 000 on Jan 31, 2021 16:30:22 GMT -6
D clearly sounded like the most expensive mic to me. A was ok. B and C would cause me to consider looking for something else.
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Post by EmRR on Jan 31, 2021 16:37:27 GMT -6
B or A depending on context. B seems like most flat even harmonic and dynamic presentation. A leans towards ribbon in emphasizing lowest harmonics and their dynamics.
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Post by zonkola on Jan 31, 2021 16:53:07 GMT -6
Just three more votes and the mystery mics will be unmasked!
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Post by dmo on Jan 31, 2021 17:09:27 GMT -6
B and D favorites here - I put D first although close enough I'm not sure I could pick one over the other blind. A sounded somewhat muffled in comparison and C was brighter.
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