High End gear for low $$$

[Jose Mrochek]

I woke up with this question in the middle of the night.

If the SM-57 can be used with a neve pre with great success, going through a distressor.. etc.. etc.. then the 57 could be considered a high end mic for very low $$$ right ? because.. well, it's a great mic that sometimes does the job better than a 5k mic!

Then there is the sans amp bass D.I which sounds great to, and is very cheap.. it could be well considered high end for low $$$

Not everything that costs 3k or above seem to be awesome either, like many people think the Liquid Channel is.

So .. question is, what other cheap stuff like that could one consider high end ????

[dim light]

I bought a used A&H Mizwizard for cheap money and I think the EQ and pre's are pretty good for the money - I'm using the A&H for drums. I also like the NTK for kick and the Shure SM81 is great on guitar. The Behringer auto-com pro works great on some stuff... Cheap stuff can be your friend and I'm a poor bastard.

[Jose Mrochek]

Hey dim-light, my question wen't more along the lines of gear that do the best job. Can the gear you mentioned (sorry couldn't help when I saw the B word listed ) do a BETTER job than the high $$ counterparts ? Like the 57 can ?

Just trying to find out more about these little gems. thanks!

[dim light]

Ha ha ha true man... I have the fatso and the B thing is not as good but almost

miss read your post, sorry!

Cheers.

[audioez]

Originally Posted by Jose Mrochek

If the SM-57 can be used with a neve pre with great success, going through a distressor.. etc.. etc.. then the 57 could be considered a high end mic for very low $$$ right ? because.. well, it's a great mic that sometimes does the job better than a 5k mic!

Yes, more reason to go and book a studio that has a nice mic collection. I like to think the money I spend at a studio is a way of giving back to the same studios that took me under the wing, and showed me the studio side of the music business

Originally Posted by Jose Mrochek

Then there is the sans amp bass D.I which sounds great to, and is very cheap.. it could be well considered high end for low $$$

Not a big fan of sans amp products, high end? maybe it sounds better when you're high!!

Originally Posted by Jose Mrochek

So .. question is, what other cheap stuff like that could one consider high end ????

COUNTRYMAN TYPE 85 DI

[Jose Mrochek]

Originally Posted by dim light

Ha ha ha true man... I have the fatso and the B thing is not as good but almost

miss read your post, sorry!

Cheers.

: ) no problem man, I don't expect to get many suggestions either.. the only two that come to mind really are the 57 and sans amp d.i. for bass. the RNC compressor could come close maybe, it's apperently a great comp. for little money.. but probably won't be the comp. of choice if you have 10 other big priced compressor's to choose from in the same room.

so is there any other high end gear thingys for cheap that may be the weapon of choice if you have the other big brothers in the room ?

[Jose Mrochek]

Originally Posted by audioez

Not a big fan of sans amp products, high end? maybe it sounds better when you're high!!


COUNTRYMAN TYPE 85 DI

Lot's of people who can afford or have higher end gear choose to record with the sans amp. that's why I put it in the category.
Haven't heard the countryman : ) thanks for your suggestion!

[Ruudman]

The 57 is not hi-end in terms of esoteric materials/design/flexibility/specs,
but it can, as you pointed out, be the right one for the job.
It also may
sound better surrounded by hi-end products, but that doesn't make it hi-end
IMO

[Midlandmorgan]

Other "cheap" (can we use the word inexpensive?) stuff include:

- ANY of the older RE series EV mics...
- EV 635 omni condensor
- Ashly CL52 comp (bought mine for next to nothing...matches wonderfully for everything from tracking drums, vox, etc, to final output limiting...)
- Sessions (now Morley) JD10 guitar DI...with the speaker emulator, it is a slap killer in the studio...bought used for $50 a few years back....
- I dunno...with very few exceptions, I am preferring to use old dynamics over newer lines low end/mic grade lines of condensors....since they seemed to all get super results back in the 50s and 60s, they should get the same results nowadays...and I think they are doing just that.

No list of inexpensive gear could be complete without mentioning the RNC/RNP, Rane MP1b preamp, etc...And I think the term 'high end" is thrown around a bit too loosely...low cost does NOT correlate 100% with low quality, just as high cost does NOT correlate 100% with quality...a high end record can be made with just inexpensive 57s and such...yet how many turds have been recorded and released (and become hits) using the "best" that money can buy?

Its all relative...

[dim light]

Oh I got one -> siemens v276 <- my friend bought one very cheap ($ 570) and I really love the sound.

[Jose Mrochek]

Originally Posted by Ruudman

It also may
sound better surrounded by hi-end products, but that doesn't make it hi-end
IMO

Well, I had a vision last night... the SM-57 is a high end mic now in my world : ) hahaha

honestly there is no reason why not to consider it... you can use it as a hammer (built like a tank) , and sounds great.. why won't you consider it high end ?

[warhead]

Lots of D.I. boxes being mentioned, I consider the Radial JDI to be an extremely useful box, very natural and clean and Jensen transformer on board...but it sells for under $200.

War

[Jose Mrochek]

Originally Posted by warhead

Lots of D.I. boxes being mentioned, I consider the Radial JDI to be an extremely useful box, very natural and clean and Jensen transformer on board...but it sells for under $200.

War

Question is does it perform better than the 1k plus D.I counterparts ?

[Jim Williams]

I've found that all DI boxes are useless for recording bass except for the Jensen DI transformer and that only works with an active electronics bass. For passive basses, a line amp with a 1 meg ohm input impedance works best. Some of the higher end DI's are actually line amps like the Avalon and Millenia. Avoid a DI that reduces the signal level to mic levels to feed a high gain mic pre. This reduces the low end response of the bass. Avoid phantom powered DI boxes as not enough current is available to pass the low end energy. Avoid micing cabinets with the AKG D112. It has no low end either.

You have been warned...

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

[Jose Mrochek]

I didn't want this discussion to end up in best "d.i box" : (


A 57 outperforms in certain situations a 5 k $ mic.

what other pieces of gear have this magic ?

[chetatkinsdiet]

dbx160x compressors/limiters can be had for $200-300 and are great on just about everything. Every studio needs one or two.

Ditto for the mxr dual limiter.

Fender Princeton or Champ guitar amp. Silverface is just fine. They sound great in the studios and will sometimes sound better than the $1000+ rigs.

Ludwig Supra snare. $100-300 depending on condition. The best.

SM7 for vocals...everyone's learning about these now, but they still surprise some folks.

That's all I can think about off the top of my head.

later,
m

[cgarges]

I'm gonna put in a vote for the Oktava MC/MK012s on toms, especially with the hypercardioid capsules. I've been using these things for years and just recently started going back and checking out other mics I've used in the past to see if my perspective's changed. It hasn't. To me, the Oktavas still outperform U87s, U89s, and 414s 99% of the time.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[Bob Olhsson]

Originally Posted by Jose Mrochek

... the 57 could be considered a high end mic for very low $$$ right ? because.. well, it's a great mic that sometimes does the job better than a 5k mic!...

"High-end" is a term that was created by gear pimps. To the rest of us it means "cost no object." This obviously cuts both ways in the real world.

[Jose Mrochek]

coool posts!! these are great suggestios, as one with little money, it's good to know you are buying stuff that is cheap, but will not wan't to sell as soon as I try them! thank you all!

[seb37000]

I think the oktava mc 012 is better then most s.d mics that are considered high-end.

Sorry but another D.I thing : I find that for a small price the studio projects vtb1 is just as good as some higher-end D.I's ( avalon u5 ).

the md421 is for me the high-end version of the 57 althought its a low-end price.

Well actually whene you think about it theres a lot of cheap low-end gear that could be considered high-end in a perticular situation.

[covert]

Originally Posted by Midlandmorgan

- EV 635 omni condensor

Huh? 635 has always been a dynamic afaik

[cfjis]

The SM-7 gets my vote (though it is becoming very popular lately)...
I do also like the Sans Amp bass driver DI... great for rock stuff.
And, even though it is from the dreaded Behringer... the 4700 heaphone amp is easy on the wallet and gets the job done.
The RNC is also a good deal.
The Aveson STO-2 mics are a pretty good value, too.
In terms of usefulness, my Auratone soundcubes were about the best $250 I've spent.

Cheers,
CJ

[threm]

Originally Posted by Jose Mrochek

So .. question is, what other cheap stuff like that could one consider high end ????

Question is wrong, not much, if any, cheap gear is high end. Of course it depends how you define the words cheap and high end.
But are there cheap gear that are usuable and with potentially great results if used right, no doubt.

The same question, whether there`s a free lunch or not, pops up from time to time. If not free, some lunches don`t cost a lot and will give you what you need to move from a to b.

Diamonds in the Rough? Tell us your favorite "sleeper" gear.
http://gearslutz.com/board/showthrea...5&pagenumber=1

Things We Are Supposed To Hate, But Love!
http://gearslutz.com/board/showthrea...&highlight=BEL

unsung heros (preamps...eq's...etc.)
http://gearslutz.com/board/showthrea...threadid=28596

With a Cheapness (Compressors) Inexpensive Compressors for the Budget-Minded Slut
http://gearslutz.com/board/showthrea...threadid=20828

Cheap Ol' Gear
http://gearslutz.com/board/showthrea...t=sleeper+gear

favorite cheap mics?
http://gearslutz.com/board/showthread.php3?t=37563

Little Black Boxes: Funky and uncommon recording gear, Part 2
http://www.mojopie.com/blackbox2.html

[Jose Mrochek]

Great links Threm! thank you! yes, I'm sure this subject has come up in the past.. but it's always a curiosity to see if new little gems have appeared lately. Don't confuse good cheap gear, with cheap gear that outperforms the high end stuff in certain situations. Like the RNC, it sounds like a affordable comp. that does a good job... but will it outperform the atomic squeeze box in certain situations ? well.. maybe it will, I don't know.. that's the stuff i'm trying to find out : )