All round "hi-end" mic on a budget?

[requiem]

hi there, ive been lurking round these parts for some time so firstly, thanks for all the great info i have picked up from here.

so, i am looking for an LDC mainly for vocals (rapping, male/female vox,), but also some accoustic guitar and various perc stuff so am looking for high quality and versitility. I have heard nothing but praise for the soundelux u195, and that is about as far as my budget will stretch. Also in that price range are the Brauner phantom AE and the Audio Technica AT4060 which are also apparently great mics.
(i am aware that the at4060 is a tube mic and the others are not, though im not particularly after a heavily coloured mic)

Could anyone possibly elaborate on the differences in these mics?, and feel free to add more mics to the list. I do recognise that its very important to actually demo these for yourself, and this is something i will be trying to organise in the next few weeks or so.

many thanks

[RecTeach]

Originally Posted by requiem

hi there, ive been lurking round these parts for some time so firstly, thanks for all the great info i have picked up from here.

so, i am looking for an LDC mainly for vocals (rapping, male/female vox,), but also some accoustic guitar and various perc stuff so am looking for high quality and versitility. I have heard nothing but praise for the soundelux u195, and that is about as far as my budget will stretch. Also in that price range are the Brauner phantom AE and the Audio Technica AT4060 which are also apparently great mics.
(i am aware that the at4060 is a tube mic and the others are not, though im not particularly after a heavily coloured mic)

Could anyone possibly elaborate on the differences in these mics?, and feel free to add more mics to the list. I do recognise that its very important to actually demo these for yourself, and this is something i will be trying to organise in the next few weeks or so.

many thanks

I just responded to a question very similar to this.... go with the Brauner... you will NOT be dissapointed.

[iziphonics]

Phantom C should be a good choice for you.

[requiem]

thanks,
you have both chosen the brauner, could you possibly elaborate on what it has over the other two i mentioned? (meaningless adjectives most welcome! ) and why it would be a better choice for me?
I quite like the versitility of the u195, with the norm/fat switch, how useful is this in reality? would the phantom AE be more versitile regardless of the lack of a feature such as this?

I had originally decided it would be either the u195 or the brauner, but i came accross the 4060 for around £600 which is why i included it, as it usually retails for around £1000 and seems to be very highly praised on this board. Im not too keen on having a tube mic as my main mic though, i get the impression that many of these are somewhat coloured (i have never actually worked with a tube mic).

many thanks

[mixerguy]

Originally Posted by requiem

... (snip).....Audio Technica AT4060 which are also apparently great mics.
(i am aware that the at4060 is a tube mic and the others are not, though im not particularly after a heavily coloured mic) ... (snip) ...

The AT 4060 IS NOT a heavily colored mic.

It sounds like what you put it in front of!!!

a great mic.

[HudHudson]

AT 4050 is a good value for a multi-pattern LDC, and quite a bit cheaper than the 4060.

[Tibbon]

I just won an AT4060 from eBay, and i'm waiting to get it. Are you in the Northeast? I might be able to let you borrow it and give it a try if you'd like. I have only gotten a chance to hear the AT4060 when a fellow GS booked some time in the studio I used to work in and brought his in. I think for an all-around mic, it's a pretty good idea.

[RecTeach]

I have a Phantom AE, AT4050 and U195. It would be hard to pry any of them from my hands but if I had to choose one it would be the Phantom. The U195 is pretty close to the Phantom but the Phantom has a little better transient response. Whats great about the 4050 is the variable polar patterns and it's a great sounding as well.

[requiem]

Originally Posted by Tibbon

I just won an AT4060 from eBay, and i'm waiting to get it. Are you in the Northeast? I might be able to let you borrow it and give it a try if you'd like. I have only gotten a chance to hear the AT4060 when a fellow GS booked some time in the studio I used to work in and brought his in. I think for an all-around mic, it's a pretty good idea.

im afraid im in london e! but many thanks for your kind offer, really appreciated! theres one on ebay right now for £600, the chapest ive seen this at any online store was £999. very tempted.

regarding the at4050, im not particularly concerned with variable polar patterns at the moment, so feel that the extra money spent on that feature could go towards a cardioid only mic of slightly higher quality. is this a realistic concern or should it not really make a difference?
im certainly open to mic's like the at4050, im sure it would eb a big step up from the SE mic im currently using, but i really want to get the best i can currently afford. how does the 4050 differ sonically from the at4060? or any of the others mentioned?

thanks

[theother]

The 4060 is a great mic. I'd get a better (NOS) tube. Makes a lot of difference.

Telefunken or Mullard depending on your taste.

I'm not a fan of the Brauner mic.

Go out and try both if you can, pointless asking these question here IMO. Tastes are too different.

[Jim Williams]

When you say budget, I think budget. $500 for a mic isn't budget.

How about a great mic for $39.95?

Check out the MCA SP-1.

www.mcamics.com

Same capsule as the Marshall 603 with schoeps style electronics.

Pro sound stage and lighting in Cypress, CA still has a few left, order online and they pay shipping.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

[Rep]

GT55 , cheap , good balance...

[AllAboutTone]

I have all flavors of mics from u87 to c3000, steadman, Rode, 414s, Groove tube etc
Right now im in love with the GT66 tube mic for $349.00 on sale, but i can assure you that most mics sound great enough if you are pushing good pre's.




Where would we be without Pre's and compression ?

[T. Morgan]

Shure KSM44 or AT 4050(a bit brighter)

[Tone Laborer]

That's interesting, because I own a 4050 and was using a KSM32, and in a brief comparision, I thought the shure had more of a neumann like presence and the AT seemed a tad darker, with fuller low mids. Not arguing with you, however, I didn't spend much time doing it. Both good mics.

For me , the hard choices come in the $1000-1300 range between U195, Gefell M930, the Brauner, and I like the Neumann TLM 193. And for something different, the Royer R121. By most accounts all those are great mics, though someone will most likely rag on the Neumann.

How do you all think those stack up as far as versatile workhorse mics?

[Lagerfeldt]

In this price range you could look at the sE Titan, Pearlman TM-1 and Soundelux U195. Perhaps you could also check out the Langevin CR-2001 if you find one.

Not too fond of the TLM 103 myself, it sure didn't compare well to the above.

[ripper]

Originally Posted by theother

The 4060 is a great mic. I'd get a better (NOS) tube. Makes a lot of difference.

Telefunken or Mullard depending on your taste.

I'm not a fan of the Brauner mic.

Go out and try both if you can, pointless asking these question here IMO. Tastes are too different.

interesting point re: gs info. I'm a Brauner fan, but not an Audio Technica fan. And they are both good mics for the price.

GS is good for opinions but how do we approach applying these to a purchase? tally them up?

That said, i've gotten some great info here and i enjoy reading informed opinions even if i don't fully agree with them all. it helps remind my that my views are simply opinions as well.

so now you have some starting points. maybe you can try a few of them at the same time, make your own opinion and buy that one. if you can develop a relationship w/ a dealer that stocks several possibilites, this shouldn't be too hard to arrange. this has really worked well for me over the years.

goo!d luck