mic characteristics

[fivedoor]

I read a lot about mic character - dark/coloured/bright etc.- both in positive & negative light on the forum . . . .

Baring in mind so much of choosing a mic is subjective - it feels like asking what is the best mic for $xxx is to an extent a bit meaningless without the context of what u want it to do. . .

So I wondered . . . if you were a fan of vintage - let it bleed/ old school/glyn johns recording or stuff from etta james to dr john etc. - would u look out for particular consistent characteristics to emulate - that period feel. I gather 4 instance U47s were used a lot around the time on just about any instrument?. (i know analogue tape compression would be part of it all too -just wondered if the mics tended 2wards less high/different frequency response & character).

Most modern recordings (2 my taste) tend to feel quite high & bottom endy, thin, crisp/digital/ in comparisson

I appreciate on the low end scale -it's not gonna be possible to make a recording that sounds like something done with U47/67/fairchild compressors/2" revox tape machine etc.

But now that I've undermined the question, while on the subject, is there a good vocal/all round mic for around <$700 (!?) that is worth a look in that context?!

[NesNeedsGear]

i can't say enough about the V69 with a NOS Mullard or Telefunken tube. (cliche, yes..i know). i love it.
You can probably find a used AT 4060 for right under $700. heard nothing but great things about it.

Those two pretty much make my day whenever I need a nice thick sound with a bit of air, and generally flat EQ.

I'm sure either of these mics through a DAV BG1 or other top-notch, pocket-friendly pre will give you what you're looking for.

good luck.

[fivedoor]

thanks for that!

am getting into the idea of the V69 ME from what i read (shame there don''t seem to be many people selling them in the UK)

only draw back i came across was someone claiming they often have noise problems?!:

"The layer of soft white noise isn't really the problem with this mic, it's the LOUD random noise bursts and electric crackles. Granted, not all v69s have this problem, but it's a gamble. I've had the mic replaced 2 times and both have the same exact sudden noise build ups. If you read around you'll find this is a very common problem and it makes the mic totally unusable. There must just be something inherantly off in the design of this mic."

[NesNeedsGear]

i think it's just the tube that comes in there that is noisy. For $300, gotta compromise somewhere, right? For this mic, it's the tube and the cheap casing where they chose to be a bit loose.

i would do a search and see what comes up. I changed the tube to a Mullard NOS and those same noise floor problems u read about went away.

I run it through a FMR RNP right now (sometimes through a DAV), and it only needs about 30db of gain. That's a pretty hot signal, if u ask me.

[Acoustic Cloud]

The V69 is one of the tubey-est mics around, at any price. Given what you want a mic to sound like, I think thats it...another option is the brick, I know its pretty gooey, but then you would need a mic....

V69

[max cooper]

I really dig the AT 4047 SV. It was apparently "inspired by" the U47, and obviously, at around $500 it's no U47, but I use mine a lot.

The cool thing about it is that when you start to get mics that cost a lot more, the 4047 will still always have a place in your mic locker.

It's pretty good at doing that midrange "bark" thing. Think of the vocal on "Sweet Virginia", but of course, the microphone is waaay less expensive, so factor that in.

[fivedoor]

I have a 4033a - I read the AT4047 is supposedly similar to that mic in character but a bit rounder and warmer.

I've used the 4033a as an overhead and on piano and been happy with it.
On guitars and vocals it's decent but I wasn't really getting what i wanted . . . it seems to sound a bit honky - i went back to using sm57 on guitars.

I agree - I always think of that classic stones stuff as having a nice "midrange bark" but with the 4033a maybe it barks in the upper mids as apposed to lower?! It seems to lack smoothness & quite bright too by comparison. Still I'm no glynn johns & it's comparitively low end gear. . . . .