Neumann U67 vs Telefunken 251 Acoustic Guitar

I'm nobody special but prefer a KM54 to the 84.

Thanks Tony :-)

 I wanna audition a Tele 251 at VK sometime before I pull the trigger.

54s are fabulous but very rare.

If the 184s are significantly quieter than your 84, the 84 may still have the output pad connected which was how they were sold in the U.S. You can download the manual from the Neumann USA site and it tells how to remove the pad and change the mike from 50 to 200 Ohms.

Wiz, can you give a few more details regarding the sound difference between the 84 and 184?

I like the 84 so much, I'd like to get as close to it as I can when buying one for myself. (I can borrow an 84 if I need to, but would like to own a mic for acoustic I like). I'm intereted in the NOS Panther ribbon for this purpose as well, but a 2nd hand KM184 might be reachable..

Referring to the original thread topic, I'm curious how you guys feel about something. I've used one good mic to do most of my song demos and my Naam Music Project CD. In my mind, using the same mic for everything has the possible drawback of exaggerating the same frequencies on every track. Still, my tracks sound pretty good, all things considered.
When I had the  K84 for a week and did some tracks, I loved how it just fit into the track. My LDC sounds good when just listening solo, but the K84 is just plain ol' right, sounds like a no nonsense pro recording, just plug and play, no EQ necessary.

So, am I imagining this "same mic=same sound" on everything issue, or am I reallyissing something by not having a mic locker?

My plan is to eventually have a Sennheiser MD421 for miking guitar amps, (maybe a vintage SM57), a pair of acoustic mics, ( KM184 or a Vin-Jet or Panther ribbon), at least one more vocal mic, perhaps a Lauten Atlantis to complement my Blackspade U17R Blueline. ( For reference, Oliver Archut and Henge noticed the U17 w/ Thiersch Blueline M7 upgrade) sounds quite like a U49, but I have no experience with a U49).

I own KM184's and have used KM84's on occasion.  Not together at the same time, so I don't have an A/B type of comparison.

They do have a very similar sound, as you would expect from using similar/same capsules.  The KM184 is a tad brighter, but not as much as the internet would lead you to believe IMHO.  As Wiz said, the KM184 are "tighter" but a bit lighter and faster in the low end too.  Not so much round booty in the low end.

The KM84 is more "silky" on some sources if that makes sense, while the KM184 is a little more detailed.

Overall, the sound is similar enough that I don't feel like I'm missing anything by having 184's and not having 84's, but I would still want some if I found a pair for a good price.

Thanks Svart, that's really helpful.What you're describing is exactly what I thought I was hearing when I've listened to files of the KM184 online.

I'd still like to know how the guys here feel about using one mic on most tacks, ( I'm a stay at home recordist for now). Is it likely using only one mic will give me too much energy at specific frequencies, or does it not really matter that much.

I use three Mics on acoustic. Since much of it is bluegrass and no layered guitars, I use the Peluso's top and bottom at 10-12th fret and a Royer at ear height over the shoulder. Blend to taste for the track.

R

Of the 3 km84's I've owned, they all sounded so different from one another. Radically different, like different models. All were original capsules. Not sure why they were so dissimilar.

Wow... why so many? Did u use them on lots of sources simultaneously?

Now I have used the KM184 and MK012's on the same sources, so I have a much better idea what the differences are.

The MK012 is a lot darker than the KM184.  I suppose you can think about it as "vintage" sound vs. "modern" sound.  The MK012 sounds more like vinyl and has more "body" and seems to pick up midrange a lot more.  I'm not sure if it's just lacking high end or if the midrange is bumped a bit, but I have to HPF and also do a broad cut in the 400-1Khz range using the MK012, where using the KM184 I do not have to do the midrange cut at all.  The KM184 sounds more "modern" where everything is clear and tight, as described above.  Besides these descriptions, all I can say is that one will not be mistaken for the other and they are very distinct in their own sounds, but it's not so much you couldn't use them together on stuff.  I could see using the MK012 on bright sources and the KM184 on dark sources and getting a very even mix from them.

The MK012 has a sort-of sheen it puts on things without sounding muffled, it's hard to describe.  I call it the "russian sound" because most Oktavas I've used have a similar tone regardless of model or type.  The KM184 is very clear and detailed, and can be much too detailed on some sources, almost getting a raspy quality (but different and better sounding than the chinese sizzle we all know).

I tend to use the Oktavas on things more since I've had them for like 15 years and know what I'm getting out of them, but I'm starting to mix the KM184's in on projects.  I might just try using the KM184's for everything I would use the Oktavas for, on the next project.  Nothing quite like jumping in with both feet!

2 of my 3 MK012's are modded, but the difference isn't that much to the unmodded one, mainly the noise is less.  I also replaced the PCBs(with my own layout) in the 2 modded mics because the original PCBs are extremely delicate(very thin copper and no plated holes at all) and I kept having solder joint issues with them over the years.  I didn't treat them very roughly but jostling them around over time seemed to break the solder to the XLR easily, and later broke the pads and traces.