Mics to fill out a studio on a budget

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Paul Stamler wrote:

> One other thing to know: sit down at a clean
> bench with a pill bottle and some micro-screwdrivers, and an M260. Take out
> the screws in the ring around the ball, and remove the front of the ball.
> There's the ribbon assembly, with a light plastic frame on the front holding
> a very light mesh screen. See if that frame is attached tightly to the
> assembly -- I think it was originally glued. If it's loose, it'll vibrate at
> certain frequencies.

My M260's were bought new just before they offered the "improved" model
without low end response, so I don't think they're rattling, yet. <g>

But My M500's have been opened several times to put that little mesh
quonset hut back in its place. They weren't just vibrating; they doubled
as baby rattles.

> Use a couple of tiny pieces of 3M StripCalk to hold it
> in place and damp vibrations. Cleans up the mike like nobody's business. Oh,
> yeah, the pill bottle is to hold the tiny screws.

Tiny is right; I think they stole 'em from a watch repair shop.

--
ha

 

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I do lots of jazz recordings. A couple of good little mics are the MXL 603s
for overheads, piano, even acoutic guitar. For anything horn related I like
a nice Shure SM7 but an RE20 is fine. I use another MXL (V67G) for sax and
vocals if it fits.

One of my better SM57 replacements is the ATM63He, but it's a little more
than a standard 57 purchase price. Much better though and worth the money,
IMHO. I also picked up a pair of MXL 990s (LDC transformerless) and they
have worked on virtually everything I've tried them with (well, not so much
that good for an upright bass). These are most certainly inexpensive, but
they did a good job on acoustic steelstring guitar in an XY at 24" and for
both lead guitarists at a country show right in front of the amps (had space
problems). I also used them in my main room at a local jazz festival (5
days of festival) on a Steinway and they did a fine job. Not quite the same
as the 603s in past years, but probably fit the sound of a Steinway better.
The 603s would sound better on a Yamaha C7 though (speculation or at least
my first choice).

AKG 535s are an excellent multipurpose condenser but they are around the
$200 range. It's nice to have some multipurpose mics though, and these work
as well for vocals as they do for guitar amps, which can't be said of a 58.

Or check ebay and see if you can come up with some beyer M130 ribbons
(figure of eight which works well in Mid-Side stereo applications as well as
regular side address). Again, more money, but really nice if you run into
jazz with horns or reeds. Even nice on guitar amps but ribbons are fragile,
so be aware. They also typically don't like phantom power, so if you only
have global phantom that could be a concern.

I guess the point being that you can pick up a lot of different mics to fill
out your studio, but I would look to things that fit more into the
multipurpose, or things that most exactly fit specific requirements. The
latter are generally more expensive, but it's always better to save your
money and get what works rather than just buying mics and then having to
work with just what you have.

Also, check around. You may find a rental service that supplies larger
facilities with quality mics. Sometimes it's almost as good as having the
mics in your mic closet anyway and you get to charge the exact cost directly
to your client.

--


Roger W. Norman
SirMusic Studio

<sseifried@fuse.net> wrote in message
news:1105160432.140357.310300@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> I will mainly be doing recordings of jazz groups since that's the scene
> I'm the most plugged into, but I would also be able to record a band
> with a singer if I need to.
> My budget is a much harder question. I just decided I had bought
> enough equipment and I was finished for a long period of time, then
> most of my mics walked away. So ideally I want to spend $0. Basically
> I'm looking at under $100 per mic, perhaps a little more for some small
> diaphraghm condensors if I have to. I don't make much money from the
> studio (at least not yet), so I want to get it back up and running and
> sounding ok for as little money as possible.
>
> I was talking to a guy tonight and he suggested the AKG D880. Is that
> a good idea? Or is that you (Predrag Trpkov) meant by "enough of the
> SM58 variety."?
>

 

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Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

>In article <1105226160.684971.326370@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>
>sseifried@fuse.net writes:
>
>> Anybody know anything about the Samson C-02 small diaphraghm
>> condensors? Through a connection I have I could get a pair for
>> something in the upper $60's. Thanks.

I'd stick to the old stand-by's, SM 57's etc. I do have a pair of Studio
Projects C1's that are a real good sounding mic for $200.00 (US).
There is a Behringer (forget the model) small condenser that I've seen some
good revues on but I have not used.