Alternative to KM184

[Daedalus77]

Hello, all—

Have been using KM-184s for the bulk of our SDC duties—most commonly on hat and ride; acoustic guitar (mono and stereo configurations—we have a matched pair); guitar amps (yes, but only occasionally), some drums (very occasionally).

Increasingly we're finding them kinda, well..harsh.

What alternatives would you recommend for a SDC mic with similar response characteristics (good transients, etc.) for these kinds of applications? Pres are Great River, API, RNP.

Many thanks.
D.

[Pasta4lnch]

what about Josephson c42? does anyone know how they fair against the 184?

[retropete]

Microtech Gefell M300s... really big on overheads. Really nice on acoustic.

KM84s... if you can find them for a decent price.

[pkautzsch]

Schoeps MK4.

[reflexon]

Beyerdynamic mc930s. Haven't used my 184s since I got a pair of these.

[mds]

C42s are quite similar in vibe, but the high end bump in them is smoother. Still brightish on top. Thats a good thing much of the time on OHs and acoustic guitars...M300 is a superior mic to both, IMO, with a much more natural high end lift and better off axis response...both are a good choice.

I'm curious about the Peluso schoeps clone...

[warhead]

Beyer MC930 = .

War

[James Lehmann]

Seems increasingly difficult to find SDC's without HF lifts these days but the following is probably a fair response to your 'KM184 vs ??' question:

Microtech Gefell M300's - similar response, beautifully fast, smoother sound
Schoeps MK4 - ruler flat, very honest, expensive
Neumann KM84 - fuller, mellower sound, hard to find

[Omicron_9]

Originally Posted by Pasta4lnch

what about Josephson c42? does anyone know how they fair against the 184?

Hi,

I've owned both; sold the C-42 due to excessive self-noise. This is easily the noisiest mic I've owned. Like everything was tracked next to a steam radiator. Sonically, the C-42 was much more brittle in the upper register, but that's just to my way of hearing, my studio, etc. I kept the KM-184 and use it a lot. I like them, but the same disclaimers apply. I had an M300 for a couple of years; very pleasant upper register, but there was a boxy/nasal quality happening around 1k - 2k. I eventually sold it; the boxy quality was preventing me from using it. But that's just me. If you can get one of each into your studio and listen to them side-by-side, that would be your best bet.

Regards,
-0.9

[Sonicvalley]

anybody use the Audix SCX25? have heard good things about it...

[dashamu]

I've been using the C42 for a while now and don't find it noisy at all.
I have a very quiet recording room and I haven't heard anything objectionable.
I've used KM184s on acoustic guitar in other studios, but haven't done a head to head comparison in my studio.
For the price, I think it's a pretty good substitute for the Neumann.
I'm really curious about Gefell M300 but it's over twice the price.

The 'conventional wisdom' about the C42 has been true for me. It's bright and not great for everything but it works really well when used for certain applications.
I like it for 'pop' acooustic guitar strumming, but not for picking. It sounds great for mandolin, under the bridge of an upright bass and and combined with a warmer mic for stereo acoustic guitar recording.

[Jack Ruston]

KM84's
Schoeps CMC6 MK4 but it's not as 'immediately engaging' as the KM84

J

[seaneldon]

haven't bothered to power up a km184 since i first worked with one a few years back. my "alternatives" as far as cardioid sdc microphones are as follows:

josephson c42
josephson e22s
gefell m300
akg c60
akg c451e
neumann km74

[warhead]

Originally Posted by Sonicvalley

anybody use the Audix SCX25? have heard good things about it...

Yes, it's a great mic for acoustic sources and has a nicely articulated midrange as well. The low / low-mid response works real well on voice as well as piano (these things are living over a lot of studio pianos around the world) and even guitar cabs.

Clip man to the rescue. :)

War

[warhead]

Gefell M300

War

[dashamu]

hey, thanks for the audio clips.
let me guess, the mics were about 15" away pointed somewhere between the soundhole and the 12th fret. I'm assuming no EQ or compression. Sounds like a small body Martin or Gibson. Just a semi educated guess.

I thought the Gefell and the Audix sounded pretty similar except the Gefell sounded slightly "farther back" and a bit warmer. On the Audix, I could hear more of the pick on the strings. Both a little smoother than a C42.
Let me know how you recorded this sample and I'll set up my C42 the same way and see what happens.

to my ears, the Beyerdynamic had it's own distinct character. boxier and less defined.,

[monkeyt]

HEY
thanks to this thread I see a pair of
Beyer MC 930's in my near future!!!

Thanks!!!!

[Protools Guy]

AKG-451

[warhead]

Originally Posted by dashamu

Let me know how you recorded this sample and I'll set up my C42 the same way and see what happens.

Martin Shenandoa Acoustic Guitar > Microphone > Mogami Gold Microphone Cable > Earthworks 1022 Preamp > Mogami Cable > Switchcraft TT Patchbay > Mogami Cable > Digi 192 Analog Inputs > Pro Tools HD Accell 2

You are pretty much DEAD ON with the positioning...!

War

[d_fu]

Originally Posted by warhead

Clip man to the rescue. :)

I really like the Audix on the guitar here. Beyer less convincing than I would have expected, and I don't like the M300...

Daniel

[Brad McGowan]

I would love to know how the new Charter Oaks M900 and the Peluso CEMC6 fare against these mics. Anyone?

Thanks for the clips, Warren! Can't wait to listen to them when I get home from work.

Brad

[juicylime]

Nuemann KM-140. Great, great mic.

[Rickard]

Thanks for the clips. I am impressed by the Beyer mc930. I did not like the Audix at all. The Gefell sounded good but not as good as the Beyer on the drums or guitar.