dynamic mic vs condenser ADVISE!

[mattianlaseppia]

hello people!

well.. i've always been unhappy with microphones.. my first mic has been a nt1a.. great! it capture all.. wow.. than i've started using it.. and wow great.. but i miss something.. not very much consistence .. and too much peaks.. the sound distant..

than i've bought a sm57 more consistence, but the sm57 sound.. and i don't like very much the proximity effect specially on voice.. than i've bought a at4040.. great microphone!!! very natural, it's really a great mic.. a lot of detail.. than i've tried a re20 WOWOWWW it's GIANT! the real lows.. the real woody sound.. i feel the strings.. as i hear them.. than i've bought a at4047 thinking it more dark and similar to the re20 than the at4040.. yes.. detailed as the 4040 but warmer and much more expressive on vocals.. but i miss something comparing it with the re20.. it takes more the ambience and maybe more lows in some way.. (a bit more in extension seems..the very lows i mean) but the strings in a guitar or in a bass.. are thinner than the re20.. and less real.. so i've got a great opportunity to buy a 441 at 320 euros.. (that is like at 300 dollars in usa.. not for the price in absolute, but in a relative way.. because new it costs 1000 euros in italy..) well... i've tried it.. and now what i record is what my ears are hearing..

(huh i've changed all these mics in 8 years.. so i know very well them..)

consistent as the re20, less fat, but has exactly the range you need and a particular presence that works on everything.. i mean that in the low range the most of the time when you compare it to a re20 you will think.. well i will cut or compress the lows in the re20.. while in the 441 you have the exact amount of lows..

so.. what i'm thinking now is.. i will never buy another condenser.. just dynamics and perhaps ribbons.. i never tried ribbons, but probably the sound similar to a dynamic..

i'm asking my self for what the condenser are better than dynamics.. i mean.. i know theoretically but when you put a dynamic on a source, a high end dynamic i mean, probably, or just a GOOD sounding dynamic.. or ribbon, i don't know a lot of mics, but based on what i've tried.. the re20, 441, and 421.. will win over dynamics..

do you have advise about other dynamics or ribbon (in a low end price) that works so great vs condenser?

thanks

bye

[KeithMoonwannabe]

sure do...

For dynamics:

Heil PR30 and Heil PR40
Shure SM7b
Beyerdynamic M99, M88, M201

obviously the RE20, MD421 and MD441 are great as well


For ribbons:

well depending on your price range
Coles, Beyer, Royer, Cascade, Shinybox all make good stuff

[moon_unit]

Is English your native language?

If not, then you do a good job of getting your ideas across, and I commend you. If it IS your native language, then you've got some work ahead of you, I'm afraid.



Regardless, I think it's important to point out that ... you can't ask for a Cat that looks and acts like a Dog. Cats and Dogs are different animals, and you choose them based on any number of reasons, from lifestyle and personality, to aesthetics.

When choosing a cat, I say get the very best cat you can find. Don't try to find a cat that acts like a Dog. If that's what you want, then I would recommend that you buy a Dog. Cats aren't inherently better than Dogs, or vice-versa.

Mics are no different. If you want the characteristics of a condenser, then dynamics aren't the first place I'd look. You seem to have found a particular preference for dynamics, which is totally fine. If you want recommendations for other dynamic microphones ... you're already familiar with most of the usual suspects, so I don't know if there's anything else I can add that hasn't already been beaten to death on this site. Am I making any sense?

[mattianlaseppia]

no i'm italian.. sorry for my english..

and thanks for your suggestion

[tINY]

If you are not working close (mics 1m or more from source), then an old pair of D200 form AKG might be worth tracking down.




-tINY

[mattianlaseppia]

thanks tiny!

could you describe a bit the mics you are suggesting me?

[BOWIE]

I think you're going to have to try out some different mics. Your tastes are not typical so you are probably going to have a hard time getting recommendations that will sound good to you. Based on what you like so far, you might want to try an SM7 (not to be confused w/ SM57). Finding the right mic is a long process so be prepared to do a bit of buying and selling if you want to find something that truly works for you. Mic selection is highly personal. There is no real "good" or "bad".

[KeithMoonwannabe]

to bowie on the SM7, definitely another good place to start.

I really think what he wants is a large diaphragm dynamic mic since he seems to love the way his RE20 behaved and the MD441 and MD421.

I recommended the PR40 from Heil because it behaves much like a condenser but it's still got the dynamic vibe going on.

And in regard to the RE20, I think if that's what works for you, than why fix it? Yeah I'd suggest trying other mics but if that's what you like I'd say keep using it.

[mattianlaseppia]

thanks to all!

well for now i'm ok.. with the 441, i think is perfect!

honestly i've written this thread just to debate between various type of mic, and because i think i'm not the only one..

most of the time i read threads where newbies ask for mic with definition, with open sound, with warm sound, real sound, clear sound.. things like that..

and they think about condenser because are the most pricey and because when you sing in a sm57 and than sing in a nt1a you say.. WOW that's my voice (the one on the nt1a) but after that.. when you listen to your voice in the song, with the other tracks.. you don't recognize your voice, i mean you hear a lot of frequencies that you don't need.. but actually you don't think that.. you think just.. it sound harsh.. maybe is the mic, maybe is the room, maybe both.

than if you are lucky and you can try a md 441 you just hear this is what my ears needs.

i think is really educative also using some amp simulator that let you choose between dynamic, condenser, ribbon, have you ever used thresh by izotope? i ALWAYS choose the dynamic. ok it's a cab and not a voice, probably for the voice are better condenser.. but the consistence is incredibly more with dynamic.

maybe the best is using a dynamic for close micing and a condenser to take a bit of ambience.. as a lot of recording engineer does.

but the condenser track will be at least 6 db lower than the dynamic, in the mix.

maybe is also because i've tried one of the best dynamic mics, and i've never tried one of the best condenser, but i've compared the 441 to the AT 4047 and i don't think the at 4047 sound isn't of a cheap mic

[GeorgeHayduke]

I understand your feelings about condensers. I recently pulled out some old stuff I did with a condenser, and all of a sudden I could hear rock'n'roll again, in my thin voice. Sweet, I think I can turn pop into rock'n'roll My friend tells me I need to sing more like a bad boy. So now I feel like getting a condenser next time.