Under Rated Mics

[phillysoulman]

A lot has been said about the "usual suspects" like the 800G,U87,sm7s etc.
Now Ill like to mention the attributes of some under rated mics which I have "re discovered'.

My Cad E 100 has recently been used on male and female vocals with dramatic results.
The vocals were very detailed and present and the artists were amaxed at the results compared to the so called "high end"mics which Ive been using.

My ADK Hamburg functions as a "poor mans 47" and my ADK Vienna functions a a "poor mans C12" and they both give me "rich mans results"

My ADK TL is a great FET mic which I use extensively as well.

[lpuma]

interesting thread. I'm not as experimented as Phily and my opinion is probably not highly valuable around here but I'd like to say that the M147 is cool for male rap vocals and can be found for less than half the street price second hand (cause it's been hardly shited on).

[pan60]

audix dynamic mics are mostly underrated.

[phillysoulman]

Ive hearing a good buzz about the Avant CV12 and the other mics in their line.
Heres a link to their site.
.AVANTONE PRODUCTS PAGE

[azwun25]

Originally Posted by phillysoulman

Ive hearing a good buzz about the Avant CV12 and the other mics in their line.
Heres a link to their site.
.AVANTONE PRODUCTS PAGE

this mic is amazing at the price.

The SE Z5600 was great mic i have used and never hear about much.

[T. Gundersen]

Originally Posted by azwun25

this mic is amazing at the price.

The SE Z5600 was great mic i have used and never hear about much.

Hmm I think it's extremely sibilant in a very unpleasant way.. What have you been using it on and with which pre? Would be nice to know how to make it sound good. I haven't found use for it yet.

[azwun25]

i used it with a Germanium which rolls off some top end

[Ken Lewis]

Studio Projects B1 is the best money for performance mic i've ever bought (I have 3). I havent used them on vocals (i also own a Sony C800g ) but everything else i put them on i am impressed with. and they are $120 new on Ebay usually. -Ken

[Killah_Trakz]

Rode NTK's!

[Dor]

Originally Posted by lpuma

interesting thread. I'm not as experimented as Phily and my opinion is probably not highly valuable around here but I'd like to say that the M147 is cool for male rap vocals and can be found for less than half the street price second hand (cause it's been hardly shited on).

Yeah, I recorded a few albums using a M147 and it sounded great.

D

[President Harris]

In my old studio we used to use a AKG C3000B. The sound was phenomenal!
I knew a couple guys at Guitar Center and go it for around $340.
I highly recommend AKG's

[RyanC]

Not necesarily cheap, but I snagged a innertube audio MM2000 for 1500 and I'm lovin it. . .there is something about the high end and the way it takes parrallel distortion hip hop vocals real well. . .


Not to mention it's awesome as a mono mic on a drumset, especially for a huge mono mic soundin drum loop

[Track 7]

MXL V69M after tube change (NOS Mullard AT7) vocals

Avant CV-12 (stock tube) - anywhere

Audix i5 (snare/guitar cab)

Shure KSM32 - anywhere

Audio Technica ATM450 (overheads)

[daillman]

MK-219 through a PACIFICA!!! sounds pretty good..

[drBill]

Gefel M71S or UM70's.

[bino_5150]

The AKG C3000B is totally underrated. It's a love it or hate it thing with that mic...

[phillysoulman]

Ive been using my CAD E 100 on r&b vocals recently and Im loving the smooth and present response,kind of like an AKG 414 XL II.
Im going through a Focusrite pre.

[goldenlotus]

Rode NT1000

[Nate Will]

Originally Posted by daillman

MK-219 through a PACIFICA!!! sounds pretty good..

OKTAVA baby!! Mk -319 right here. Got it for like 150 on ebay.

[bigstig]

First of all great thread, someone should sticky it for everyone asking what mic they should buy with a small budget!

Anyway I really like the sp c1, it can be great on quieter vocals but it is garbage with a LOUD source. Youll either love what comes out of it or hate it but for $200 I have not heard anything that beats it.

[justin bendo]

not neccessarily inexpensive, but generally under-rated mics (at least, for certain applications);

-neumann u48,
-soundelux u95,
-AKG c-12a,
-414EB,
-sony c37a
-km84s (always underrated, no matter how much praise they get)
-stock shure sm57 (plug one into a JLM dual 99v and look out!)


modded;
-mojave audio MA200 modded with a cinemag DI trannie (wired in reverse) and 797 audio 3 micron capsule,

[Igotsoul4u]

i have been blown away by the telefunken ak47. I paid aroun $1600 and I get results that are comparable to mics in the $3000 and up family. I have done some basic listening tests with singer witha brauner vm1, u87, and the ak47. The ak47 was the winner most of the time with the brauner being 2nd. U87 never one. Here are my other favorite underrated mics.

[lb9000j]

shure ksm 32 is amazing for the price and can be used for anything!!!

[Stitch333]

there are a slut of small mic companies outsourcing to China for production runs that make pretty decent mics: Cascade, avantone, karma, etc..

What I've found is that a lot of these mics are ripe for mods, upgrades, etc. and, even as they are, sound usable with a good record chain to back them up.
I have a Karma K55. I upgraded all critical parts in the audio path (like 5 caps and 3 resistors) with high quality parts (wima, panasonic), upgraded the tube and got a gotham audio 7pin cable. I recently just took one layering of grill out of the headstock. The mic sounds GREAT! I had a client in Philly choose this mic over a soundelux for vocals. On acoustic gtr, its on pair with some really expensive mics.
maybe 400 total for the mic and all the parts.

If anyone wants to try different types of mics, there is a kat organizing a group buy for a bunch of these exact mics...HERE is a thread on GS, and HERE is the kats website with a list of mics. You sign up then see the prices.
The stuff is painfully inexpensive without a company as middle-man.

I'm getting a pair of royer 121 clones and a pair of C12(ish) clones...maybe 400 bux all together...just have to wait a while for shipping (so I hear)

Again tho, it must be said, GREAT artists will rock the living shit out of a radio shack mic, a bullhorn, whatever...it starts with the artist

[phillysoulman]

The MXL 2001 with the Mojave mod..awesome at $300

[Stitch333]

Originally Posted by phillysoulman

The MXL 2001 with the Mojave mod..awesome at $300

whats the mod?

I've never bought a mod before,
I just start tearing apart the gear and see whats what...

Kinda why I mentioned both the modding of cheap mics and that group buy...
a FET condenser for 56 bux? hard to go wrong.

[organik]

AT 4033 se
and studio projects c1

[hurd300403]

definitely the shure ksm 32 and 44.

[RMG-sound]

Love it!!! (though Millinnia STT-1 or Amek DMCL)

Octava 319 (though Millinnia STT-1)

[asylumdigital]

The Micheal Joly mods on Oktava mics are quite great. I have the 219's, 319's and 012's & use them regularly.
The AT 40 series is not necessarily "underrated" - but they aren't really that expensive.
I like the Sony c48 as well.
Homemade subkicks are nasty in combination with a more detailed mic on kiks.