Still worth to pay for the brand names?

[chris319]

Originally Posted by Teddy Ray

ok, but you cannot paint all budget mics with the same brush..and id dare say that many folks that rag on budget equipment simply haven't used it to its potential.

Or haven't used it, period. If using a budget mic is beneath someone then how would they obtain experience with it to make a judgement? On the other hand, if someone has an important recording to do and his options are between a Schoeps pair and an MXL pair, who in their right mind would use the MXL pair? Such is the benefit of making inconsequential recordings of a youth symphony; no one is going to rag on me over my choice of mics.

[No Speak English]

No is no about brand nombres but, more about how bueno the sonido es... SI

[dualflip]

Originally Posted by No Speak English

No is no about brand nombres but, more about how bueno the sonido es... SI

Man WTF!!!!!, thats the worst spanglish i've ever heard if you in fact "No Speak English" then "No Posting", i understood every word you said, since im from Mexico, but maaaaan, thats just awful

[joelpatterson]

Que lastima!

[mosrite]

Man WTF!!!!!, thats the worst spanglish i've ever heard if you in fact "No Speak English" then "No Posting",

Dont be such a fascist, it makes things interesting having a diverse range of responses, even if I don't understand a word that "No Speak English" wrote

Anyway, I get the feeling he's pulling our chain.....

Regards cheap mics: yes there is a reason that good mics cost money. However, the law of diminishing returns can apply in some circumstances.

[dualflip]

Originally Posted by joelpatterson

Que lastima!

HAHAHA Random spanish word thrown in there....

[WVUtubadude]

Originally Posted by No Speak English

No is no about brand nombres but, more about how bueno the sonido es... SI

I think we found our Boomhauer.

[PlugHead]

If you have a particular mic that consistently gives you 'the magic' for a particular source, then - how can you compromise?

I've tried DOZENS of mics for drumkit (OH's) and have always been relatively dissatisfied - UNTIL I landed an SM69. It finally gave me the results I knew were possible, just had never experienced before. I can say the same thing for the R88 and piano and/or choral work - nothing has given me 'that' sound till I found it.

Is it worth it to you to spend tons on specialty hi-Q mics? To you, or maybe some others, possibly no. To me, there is no compromise. What Plush wrote rings true for me - spend the most you can afford on your mics, and the rest should take care of itself. I'm actually considering letting go of some of my boutique pre's because the differences between them are much less than the differences between my mics (and I now have quite a LOT of mics)...

YMMV,

[Audiop]

May I be as bold as suggest that price and brand is not performance parameters?

Many products are expensive because it contains expensive parts not necessary making a better job than a high quality standard part. Also because said company put a lot of money into adds.. and possibly fancy workshops, cars and so on.

Maybe they price their products high just to earn more money and/or to reflect "luxury".

The performance parameters are as usual bandwith, noise, FR and distortion.


/Peter

[Audiop]

Bryan,

if I can use something that is truly better then I do that and often accept a higher price and even if I'm the only one hearing the difference.

However, sometimes I think "we" assume something is better when it is not necessarily so.


/Peter

Originally Posted by Corran

But Peter, what about those OTHER situations where the Sennheiser's are in fact better? Would you want to be without them?

I know for a fact that many of my clients wouldn't be able to tell if I used Schoeps or a cheaper alternative but I can. When I was using Earthworks mics and some okay but not great pres/conversion, I could hear a lot of congestion in the lower mids at louder passages. I decided to do some upgrading because of that problem, even if I was the only one that really noticed.

[Gerax]

Originally Posted by Audiop

May I be as bold as suggest that price and brand is not performance parameters?

Many products are expensive because it contains expensive parts not necessary making a better job than a high quality standard part. Also because said company put a lot of money into adds.. and possibly fancy workshops, cars and so on.

Maybe they price their products high just to earn more money and/or to reflect "luxury".

The performance parameters are as usual bandwith, noise, FR and distortion.


/Peter

This is really true to me. Can we condense this in some kind of practical way (e.g. makes and models that effectively represent a good price/performance ratio)?

[Remoteness]

You have to ask yourself; does the mic sound good (at any price) on the source you're recording?
For me it's about how the mic sounds and if it's the right choice for the source I'm capturing.

That being said, if it's only about how inexpensive the mic is and it's not really such a great sounding transducer (on many things) you must consider if it's worth dealing with the extra amount of time you'll need to get it to sound right.

[mosrite]

I'm happy with Schoeps mics on 90 per cent of sources that I record. And there is nothing out there that sounds like a Schoeps (or at least give similar results to my ears). Therefore, I would argue that the premium price that I paid for these mics is worth it. They offer me consistency, and allow me to concentrate on more important things i.e. space and positioning. What a time saver!

[PlugHead]

Originally Posted by Audiop

Bryan,

if I can use something that is truly better then I do that and often accept a higher price and even if I'm the only one hearing the difference.

However, sometimes I think "we" assume something is better when it is not necessarily so.


/Peter

But - if WE know it's better should often be THE DECIDING factor - it's a matter of maximizing gains with optimal cost efficiency. Sometimes the gear costs more, but NOTHING compares to the results they give for a particular source/event.

Yes, we can sometimes fool ourselves in games of inches, not miles, but - I can say WITHOUT HESITATION that I've finally achieved my desired results with certain mics in certain applications, now - it's clear to me where I put my priorities.