Alan Ratcliffe wrote:
Great post, thanks! Luckily, I don't think any of us are in the market for vintage mics anymore than we are in the market for '50s Strats and Les Pauls. Some wishful thinking maybe, but no serious intent.
Sure, the Rode mics pale in comparison when you are moving in the Neuman/Telefunken orbit - most mics do. But the Rodes are very respectable mics -especially in the price range. They do have flatter response mics, but I think the majority of their target market is looking for something primarily for lead vocal, where the hyped presence works well. I have an NTK I'm quite happy with for my voice (especially with a nice RCA 6922 in).
While I have you here - what are your preferences for general purpose small diaphragm condensers? Preferably something available as a matched pair. I'm using an old AKG C535, but am far from happy with it. I've been considering the Oktava MC012s, but am willing to consider other makes/models.
Hey Alan,
Thanks, I'm not saying Rode mics are bad and trying to compare them to the Neumann's (a stupid comparison), but for not much more money (and sometimes less) there are other options. Some models of the Rode were/are GREAT! Heck the first NT1's were excellent, very similar any many respects to the German mics, but as they became popular they went to mass production and now use SMD almost exclusively and I belvie QC has slipped a bit.
The way I look at mics are like crayons, all different colours, all different tastes and I own about 19. From the cheapest to some of the most expensive, each is great at some uses better than others and just because a mic costs a bundle doesn't make it BETTER than another and I've done sessions where an SM57/SM& has suited the vocalist WAY better than any U67/U87 would have.
I feel there is ALOT of hype in the type and since we only have a limited access to many of the mics used abroad I feel it best to educate yourself where possible and don't buy into hype, use your ears. Ebay is great place to pick up deals and I've even scored a few on Gumtree as well, Mics have NO duties other than VAT so often it better to import them direct form the USA/UK (I very rarely buy here in SA).
I'll gladly offer up the studio for a day to the Cape Town guys here if anyone is interested in doing a shoot out so you can take a listen to various mics and compare them? Anyone up for a GF hang out at my place here www.dockyardstudios.com. You guys bring the beers, I'll provide the studio ?
RE SDC's I think value for money the Shure SM81 still kills on alot of sources. I also use the Neumann KM184's as well, but they sound NOTHING like the mics they were supposed to be modeled on, the old KM84.
Currently I use a pair of Violet Design Black Fingers, which I had matched at the factory in Europe. They have a flat clean response up till around 10kHz with a nice top end boost that sparkles without sounding brittle/harsh, go too for stereo acoustics (though honestly I still prefer LDC's here) and Hi-Hat, some stringed instruments etc.
RE the MC012's, be VERY careful! There are alot of the Chinese knock offs floating around going for cheap, but the quality is terrible and no where near the same as the Russian builds... if you are interested here is a page that lets you HEAR the difference:
http://www.sound-patterns.com/mk012/.
IF you get a pair of genuine Russian ones, I think you will like them, the top end can sound a little grainy, but DEF. nice mics for the money.
Cheers
Matt
