common uses for Km184 besides acoustic

[masterblaster]

Thinking about getting one of these mics because I know they sound good on acoustic. Is there anything else they are typically used for?

Right now, all I have is a 87 and SM7. Looking for the next mic to add to my locker.

I'm thinking either a SDC or perhaps a ribbon mic.

Any advice is appreciated. I work with pop music, mostly loops and such. However, i will be tracking an acoustic gtr next month.

[rockstar_josh]

They're pretty good on overheads, and I like them for hihats or rides. That's all I've used them for.

[masterblaster]

Hmm, my place is too small to track drums.

Maybe I would be better off with a ribbon mic that would be useful for acoustic and other things (like horns, vocals).

[Jay Kahrs]

Snare drum, toms... electric guitar amps, bass amps... all sorts of percussion from shakers to congas & pieces of metal getting beaten against each other.

Lots of other mics I prefer to the 184 though... not bad. Just bright. Harsh sometimes. I much prefer the old 84i. What are those cheap Josephsens... like $1k for the pair? Those are nice too.

I'm intrigued by the new Mercenary microphone... supposed to be similar to the 84i. Years ago Fletcher was the one that hipped me to using the 84 on guitar amps... good call. It's probably a good piece.

[jnorman]

i have owned 3 pairs of km184s, and the best use i found for them was to sell them...

[Sigma]

toms, congas... percussion oops i thought you said 84's

[uncle duncan]

KM 184's are a bit hyped. Plus, they have this low-mid bump when you get them close to guitars sometimes. A decent sdc for acoustic guitar is the ATM450. At least it has a low cut switch. They can be bright, but they still sound smoother than a KM184.
I would think a ribbon would also be a good choice for your mic locker, as long as it's not a cheap piece o' crap. Many times, ribbons work better for percussion because they absorb a bit of the transients and give you more midrange, which is where the tone lives in a lot of percussion stuff. But put that same ribbon on an acoustic guitar, and you may be screwed at mix time, wishing you'd used something like the ATM 450.

[Grizzly]

Buy a Gefell M-300 instead, you won't be disappointed...

[doorknocker]

I'm a 184 to 84 convert. Yes, I found the 84s to be much nicer sounding and more useful. To me it's a much more solid sound, less hyped and veiled and it takes EQ very well. The -10db Pad is also very useful, it seems like the best features of the 84 didn't make it unto the 184.

[Graham Tobias]

I think they sound good on almost anything you'd put an sdc on, and great on lots of things you wouldn't put an sdc on. Fantastic microphone. I also think that the shure KSM141 is a better deal- sounds fantastic, and has far more features. And if you want a mic that will sound amazing on absolutely anything... check out DPA's... though they're rather pricey.

[Marlowe]

I like them on guitar cabinets especially Marshalls.

[wshaw]

I wonder whether beyer m160s might not make decent stand-ins for SDCs. After all, they've got narrow pickups instead of figure 8, they sure aren't hyped on top, have good transient response. All you'd need is a powerful pre.

Opinions?

[doorknocker]

Originally Posted by wshaw

I wonder whether beyer m160s might not make decent stand-ins for SDCs. After all, they've got narrow pickups instead of figure 8, they sure aren't hyped on top, have good transient response. All you'd need is a powerful pre.
Opinions?

Though I good good results with it sometimes, the M160 isn't necessarly the right mic for acoustic guitar. I love it for OHs, percussion and guitar cabs but it's a very different sound than the KM 184 or 84 and might not be cutting enough for 'modern' pop.

[Lee Knight]

I'll take even a pair of Octava 012's over the 184. That mic just hurts...

[lakeshorephatty]

Everyone's tastes are different. I really hate the relentless bashing of the 184's.

You know what? I did try the m300's, the beyers, akg, josephsons. I went for the 184's hands down. Its a year later and i'm traking with them every week and couldn't see myself selling them.

Depends on the signal path after the mics as well. Certain mics compliment certain signal paths.

What you all should be doing is encouragine trying many of these.. After everything I had read, i was dead set i wasn't going to like the 184's.. shows you how much reading matters in the end because i had to trust my ears. In the end I would have loved to like the beyers or josephsons more.. they have better prices and "sex factor" to them but I did and still do have to trust my ears.

Occasionally i have to pull a little 10-12k out of these mics. You know what? i'd much rather occasionally subtract some eq then always add a high bump.

If you'd like to hear them in context on overheads here's a backing track i was working on recently.. Everyone is different but this does not sound harsh to me. I do not have dedicated mics on these drums for this project. There is an AT4050 picking up some snare and kick for reinforcement in figure 8 but thats it. I haven't done any phase correction on any of the tracks on this, or properly mixed, but i think you get the idea. Sorry for the MP3 quality..

I'm just sick of people bashing a perfectly useful tool which works for some people. Try everything you can and trust your ears.

Russell

[PRobb]

For a general purpose instrument mic you can't go wrong with the Royer 121.

[Marlowe]

Well, on the above mentioned 184 on a Marshall scenario, a m160 works awesomely too.

Originally Posted by wshaw

I wonder whether beyer m160s might not make decent stand-ins for SDCs. After all, they've got narrow pickups instead of figure 8, they sure aren't hyped on top, have good transient response. All you'd need is a powerful pre.

Opinions?

[wshaw]

I've used sf-1s as a main pickup pair, and they've worked really, really well. Very neutral. Problem is that the figure 8 pattern can complicate placement--an issue that wouldn't be present with the m160s.

[mltamisin]

The KM184 is an excellent mic. Gets dogged here for some reason. I guess people can't deal with the 2db bump centered around 8.5k. I love the damn things. The stereo imaging is spectacular. I've used them successfully on OH of course, acoustic guitar around the neck/body joint, piano, and suprisingly electric guitar with loads of distortion. I really like putting up 3 mics lately on distorted guitar.....The Beyer M160, Heil PR30, and the KM184. Don't believe the haters. Put one up and take a listen for yourself. For acoustic guitar, the KM184 is simply amazing. Now, whether or not to get a SDC or a ribbon mic is a much harder decision.

[doorknocker]

I didn't see even one 'hate post' here, so what's the problem?

My first 'good' pair of condensors was a pair of 184s, they worked well and I used them a lot on acoustic guitars, violins, mandolins,etc and drum OHs. I also was annoyed by all the 'get the 84 instead' posts here and elsewhere but you know what? After finally getting a 84 I sold my 184s immedeately and bought a second 84s.

It's not that the 184 is a bad mic and I never thought that it sounded 'harsh', maybe just a bit veiled and prone to low-mid buildup. But my opinion now is that the 84 is a much superior mic and I certainly use it a lot, especially for acoustic guitars. my micing positions have totally changed and instead of the 'neck/body joint' method that was the only option for me with the 184s, I might get pretty close to the strumming had/soundhole in some cases and the 84 takes EQ very well.

This may piss some people off but I honestly would choose a 57 (with a good pre) over a 184 for acoustic guitar any day.

[PRobb]

The biggest reason the 184 gets slagged so much is that calling it the 184 invites a comparison to the 84. The 184 is a really nice mic. The problem is, the 84 is a GREAT mic.

[simonv]

They're good for stereo micing of any acoustic source i think... Very similar to m300s.

I suggest you rent a couple ribbons before you buy one, because some ribbons are awesome on some sources but suck on others.