KVR Audio

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Sun May 27, 2012 12:32 pm

IrionDaRonin wrote:a friend of mine told me that i also need a Phamtom adaptor or something called like that.
Anyone could explain this better please?
How many costs that Phamtom thing?

Condensor microphones need phantom power. Some mixing desks and audio interfaces have it and some don't. There are Behringer mixers with phantom power from around £40. http://www.behringer.com/es/Products/502.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_power

GIYF

Mike20 · Post by **Mike20** » Mon May 28, 2012 1:42 pm

Thank you very much for the other options - checking them out now

Mike

Hink · Post by **Hink** » Mon May 28, 2012 4:01 pm

Compyfox wrote:Sorry Hink, but from the frequency charts alone, the Behringer B2 has a more flat level and a different boost in the upper midrange.

They might be more cheap alternatives compared to the Neumann's and Shure's indeed (if you can get them outside of the US), but "ear testing" alone doesn't do the trick. At least IMO.

dont apologize, though personally for me how it sounds by my ears is more important than what it says on paper. I'm not sure what Rob's policy is on outside of the U.S. However I wouldn't be surprised if both came out of the same factory. I do know he sells out of his mics all the time..especially the tube mic. He also rejects quite a few mics, "ear test" is a bit misleading as naturally he is going to check the mics with all the resources he has, including his ears (and his partner's)

Dean Aka Nekro · Post by **Dean Aka Nekro** » Mon May 28, 2012 4:33 pm

My opinion, Not suggesting anything in particular is to have one decent LDC (Multiple polar pattern is a bonus/Something I would want...Omni for room mic use for but one example, Although not ideal at bargain prices figure 8 for Mid/Side also...etc. Just not one of the shit back electret battery powered jobs IMveryhumbleHO) and one decent dynamic, I'd go for something less pronouned/aimed at/for the vocal presence which the SM58 or based on it personally (It can be useful though, depends on the room and source immensely). I love the MD421 (guitar amp cabs, snare, toms and almost anything) and also the SM7b (Vocals and same as what my MD421 covers) myself but do not recommend either for the prices they go for as one can easily score a decent LDC and Dynamic for the same, Probably less

My 2 pence FWIW

That Behringer B2 seems like great VFM/might get one myself for the money!

Cheers and all the best to all as always

Dean

mr president · Post by **mr president** » Mon May 28, 2012 4:58 pm

i am wanting a mic for recording my own percussion sounds from around the house
and general recording. I know most people would say shure sm 58 and i would probably agree, but i want one thats not too much money, and one thats a bit more for specific percussion such as conga and bongos. Also, is it worth getting a usb mic such as the samson ones ive seen advertised at thomann, about £70, for more or less the same principles. Im also thinking would a really bright condenser mic be better for getting a more clear detail(percussion wise) also taking into account for recording hi hats and other hi freq content stimulatus

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Mon May 28, 2012 5:10 pm

I've been using a C1 for recording drum samples. Here's a demo if you want to hear the results ...

Sonor Drums Demo

I used an SM58 for the snare ... everything else is the C1.

mr president · Post by **mr president** » Mon May 28, 2012 5:16 pm

well. i think that will probably do it. Ive only just seen the thread so i take it is a behringer that costs £40? also is there any others buy behringer that are similar but at differing prices so as to make a choice from their whole range of mics

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Mon May 28, 2012 5:41 pm

mr president wrote:well. i think that will probably do it. Ive only just seen the thread so i take it is a behringer that costs £40?

I think it was £35 ...

Mike20 · Post by **Mike20** » Wed May 30, 2012 11:40 am

Thanks a lot for all the other recommendations!

Can i just ask - i am going to be ordering one today or tomorrow.. Does a cradle have a sonic difference? I understand the behringer mics don't need one as they fit in a stand anyway but if they go in to a cradle first does that make a difference to the quality of the recording?

Thanks!

Mike

metalifuxx · Post by **metalifuxx** » Thu May 31, 2012 9:43 pm

Mike20 wrote:Thanks a lot for all the other recommendations!

Can i just ask - i am going to be ordering one today or tomorrow.. Does a cradle have a sonic difference? I understand the behringer mics don't need one as they fit in a stand anyway but if they go in to a cradle first does that make a difference to the quality of the recording?

Thanks!

Mike

You usually never want to have to hold a mic by hand when recording anything, unless it is a live vocal performance on stage. Handling noise/booms can be very apparent, especially in solo/quiet parts, and condensers are able to pick up the smallest of details or ambient room noise, even picking up outisde noise like birds chirping etc. The Behringer condensers come with a nice hard case and foam padded inside, foam mic cover "wind screen" (probably better off with a standard pop filter screen), and also come with a cradle/holder that can be attached to a standard mic stand. If buying a mic then you should also invest in a decent boom/live mic stand that can be adjusted to place the mic in just about every position/angle top to bottom. You never know what you might want to be recording. A cheap condenser mic designed for the podcast thing will usually come with some sort of rickety desktop stand, but a cradle and mic stand is definitely the way to go, if that is not included with the mic purchase. Don't forget an XLR cable too, and possible additional 1/4 cable or connection adapters depending on what preamp/interface you are plugging into and how you are going to route or monitor it. That is when those all-in-one USB condenser mics seem like a bargain, but you are usually severely limited with those. Also a factor is interface and latency, whether you are doing single source recording or multi tracking. If it is just single source, one track, then latency wont be a factor or matter.

Mike20 · Post by **Mike20** » Fri Jun 01, 2012 5:11 pm

Thank you very much for your reply very helpful!

Well actually, aside from all the recommendations (and I'm really grateful of them) my friend decided to sell his SE X1 microphone and i got it at a real bargain so i couldn't pass it up!

http://media.soundonsound.com/sos/feb10 ... EX1_01.jpg

And i am going to buy this stand for it, it would look smart on my desk and not take up too much room, however it doesn't come with a boom arm :

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/2 ... AA300_.jpg

So i was thinking with not having a boom arm to buy the cradle, however i cannot seem to find a cradle that will fit it anywhere! Are cradles universal and any will do?

And of course a popsheild!

Thank you again!

Mike

metalifuxx · Post by **metalifuxx** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 4:58 am

I kept refering to them as "cradles" for lack of a better term off the top of my head, but the proper term would be "mic mount" or "shock mount"

http://www.seelectronics.com/shock-mounts
From that link:
"Replacement shock mounts for our products are available. Please contact support@seelectronics.com with your requirements."

I don't have varied mic experience to know if they are universal or not. Some could be brand specific as not all condensers have the same width/circumference. Check that link for the SE site, maybe you can email them or you could possibly contact/call Sweetwater/MusiciansFreind etc, or a local music store (Guitar Center if in US)

That stand should be compatible with any mic clip or shock mount, I think the threaded connectors are universal, as I have a regular mic stand/boom, and also a smaller kick drum mic stand (which could be a desk stand too) that has a clip like in that picture because I have a vintage Shure SM53 that is too thin to fit into a standard mic dynamic stage mic holder/clip. I use that kick drum mic stand to mic my guitar cab with the Shure SM53. But as far as separate boom stand or ("telescoping boom" attachment) with that desk stand, I think you you can find one, and it will attach to the connector, but I don't know how sturdy/balanced it would be at that low center of gravity with that specific stand. I've been able to use the standard mic boom stand to get my mic in all sorts of heights/different positions and keep it from being wobbly and unbalanced. So if the stand's feet are heavy and wide enough to support something like that, then you could probably use it. If you have the room I would say just get the standard/boom mic stand, and they also might be the same price or cheaper.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessor ... oping-boom

Mike20 · Post by **Mike20** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 11:51 pm

Thanks very much for all the info it was very helpful!

Mike

ghettosynth · Post by **ghettosynth** » Sun Jun 03, 2012 1:43 am

Buy an SM-57, you'll never need to sell it, it will always be useful for something, and it will often be better for some things than other mics.

First Microphone (Again)