Members Blakemore Effects Posted December 26, 2012 Members Share Posted December 26, 2012 So, I got some Christmas cash yesterday that I'm looking to spend on some new mics. I have plenty of dynamic mics (57, i5, e609), and I have some cheap condensers. What would you guys do? Better large diaphragm condenser, or a ribbon mic? I had been looking into the Cascade Fathead. I like the idea of their stereo pair for blumlein recording, but I can't help but wonder if I really only need one ribbon mic. How often would it really be necessary to have a stereo pair of ribbon mics if I normally only record vocals, and electric guitars, and acoustic guitars, and I record those at separate times? I'm assuming pretty much only for acoustic, or if I wanted to track two amps at once. And I'm open to suggestions on condensers. I don't have anything right now that I really like for vocals. After typing this out I'm starting to wonder if I should just buy one Cascade Fathead, and a new condenser instead of worrying about getting a pair of Fatheads. In any case, I'm not really sure what my budget is. I don't want to spend like $800 on a mic, but I don't think $200-300 is out of line at all. I could bump it up a bit, if there is a good reason. Just don't tell me to buy a Royer or something. That's not happening. Haha Alright! Sell me on your favorite mics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members algernon7 Posted December 26, 2012 Members Share Posted December 26, 2012 I use a Rode NT1-a for all kinds of stuff. Great on vocals, great on acoustic guitar. A lot of times for a pair of mics on guitar, we'll use the Rode NT1-a and a Shure SM-81 (SDC) - sounds fantastic!I'd recommend the Rode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members algernon7 Posted December 26, 2012 Members Share Posted December 26, 2012 I use a Rode NT1-a for all kinds of stuff. Great on vocals, great on acoustic guitar. A lot of times for a pair of mics on guitar, we'll use the Rode NT1-a and a Shure SM-81 (SDC) - sounds fantastic!I'd recommend the Rode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PKTrono Posted December 26, 2012 Members Share Posted December 26, 2012 i own an SM7b and it has been fantastic on everything i've used it on (guitar, vocals, drums, room, sax, recorder(?), various random things/etc.)it's a dynamic ($349), but you asked for our favourites so i gave you mine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PKTrono Posted December 26, 2012 Members Share Posted December 26, 2012 i own an SM7b and it has been fantastic on everything i've used it on (guitar, vocals, drums, room, sax, recorder(?), various random things/etc.)it's a dynamic ($349), but you asked for our favourites so i gave you mine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 The Fathead II's are really nice microphones - big performance for little dosh, relatively speaking. I have no problem with recommending them. As far as needing a pair of them, in your situation, you probably don't. Yes, it would probably be nice for stereo recording, but outside of the acoustic, or blending two amps, I don't see you needing to do that very often - if you recorded drums on a regular basis, or foresaw that as a potential future need, then I'd suggest getting a stereo pair. If not, you're probably better off increasing your options, which means one condenser, and one ribbon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 The Fathead II's are really nice microphones - big performance for little dosh, relatively speaking. I have no problem with recommending them. As far as needing a pair of them, in your situation, you probably don't. Yes, it would probably be nice for stereo recording, but outside of the acoustic, or blending two amps, I don't see you needing to do that very often - if you recorded drums on a regular basis, or foresaw that as a potential future need, then I'd suggest getting a stereo pair. If not, you're probably better off increasing your options, which means one condenser, and one ribbon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members VanHalen Posted December 26, 2012 Members Share Posted December 26, 2012 I have been very happy with my AKG C3000 for nearly 10 years now. It's great for recording nearly everything, and very affordable at $299. Best home studio investment I have made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members VanHalen Posted December 26, 2012 Members Share Posted December 26, 2012 I have been very happy with my AKG C3000 for nearly 10 years now. It's great for recording nearly everything, and very affordable at $299. Best home studio investment I have made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ArrMatey Posted December 26, 2012 Members Share Posted December 26, 2012 A large condenser in general is always a good choice when doubled up with a dynamic.There are tons of good ones. I have and ADK A51 which is like a poor man's U87. The Cascade Fathead stuff is great. What would you be using these for?The pair of ribbon mics work great as overhead/room mics for drums but no need for 2 if you are just going to record guitars.I like the audio technica stuff as well (the AT4040 is good) but there are TONS of great mics out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ArrMatey Posted December 26, 2012 Members Share Posted December 26, 2012 A large condenser in general is always a good choice when doubled up with a dynamic.There are tons of good ones. I have and ADK A51 which is like a poor man's U87. The Cascade Fathead stuff is great. What would you be using these for?The pair of ribbon mics work great as overhead/room mics for drums but no need for 2 if you are just going to record guitars.I like the audio technica stuff as well (the AT4040 is good) but there are TONS of great mics out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members V Posted December 26, 2012 Members Share Posted December 26, 2012 I use a blumlein pair of fatheads a lot, myself, and really it does sound much much better. You don't need multiple sound sources to get a lot of benefit from having a stereo setup. I usually just set them both in front of one cab, adjust to taste, and get a much more accurate translation of the actual amp/cab's sound that way. I'd actually almost be interested in a second pair for stereo amp miking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members V Posted December 26, 2012 Members Share Posted December 26, 2012 I use a blumlein pair of fatheads a lot, myself, and really it does sound much much better. You don't need multiple sound sources to get a lot of benefit from having a stereo setup. I usually just set them both in front of one cab, adjust to taste, and get a much more accurate translation of the actual amp/cab's sound that way. I'd actually almost be interested in a second pair for stereo amp miking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fender&EHX4ever Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 My current mic setup goes like this:Vocals: EHX EH-R1 Ribbon mic > Cloudlifter Z > EHX 12AY7 Tube Mic PreAcoustic: RODE NTK Tube Condenser mic > EHX 12AY7 Tube Mic PreAmps: Shure SM57 > EHX 12AY7 Tube Mic Pre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fender&EHX4ever Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 My current mic setup goes like this:Vocals: EHX EH-R1 Ribbon mic > Cloudlifter Z > EHX 12AY7 Tube Mic PreAcoustic: RODE NTK Tube Condenser mic > EHX 12AY7 Tube Mic PreAmps: Shure SM57 > EHX 12AY7 Tube Mic Pre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GorillaFeet Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 You might want to look into advanced audio. Two friends of mine, both fairly well respected locally and nationally use and love these mics...http://www.aamicrophones.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GorillaFeet Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 You might want to look into advanced audio. Two friends of mine, both fairly well respected locally and nationally use and love these mics...http://www.aamicrophones.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Blakemore Effects Posted December 27, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 First of all, thanks for all the suggestions so far! When I get some more free time tonight I'll make sure I read up on all of these. Thanks again though! Originally Posted by Phil O'Keefe The Fathead II's are really nice microphones - big performance for little dosh, relatively speaking. I have no problem with recommending them. As far as needing a pair of them, in your situation, you probably don't. Yes, it would probably be nice for stereo recording, but outside of the acoustic, or blending two amps, I don't see you needing to do that very often - if you recorded drums on a regular basis, or foresaw that as a potential future need, then I'd suggest getting a stereo pair. If not, you're probably better off increasing your options, which means one condenser, and one ribbon. Thanks for weighing in, Phil! I don't see myself recording drum mics very often, so that's not a huge concern for me. I normally just use EZ Drummer. I was just checking though, and I was thinking about getting the Cloudlifter from Cascade too. Then I realized that a Fathead plus the dual channel Cloudlifter would run me like $470, and Cascase has a bundle deal where they give you two Fatheads, and the Cloudlifter, and the Blumlein bar for $550, so for only like $80 more, I could get a second Fathead and the Blumlein bar. That definitely throws a bit of a wrench in my decision. Also, do you have any suggestions for large diaphragm condensers for my uses? Again, ideally I'd like to go around $200-300, but I can bump it up a bit, if you think there is something worthwhile just out of reach. Originally Posted by V I use a blumlein pair of fatheads a lot, myself, and really it does sound much much better. You don't need multiple sound sources to get a lot of benefit from having a stereo setup. I usually just set them both in front of one cab, adjust to taste, and get a much more accurate translation of the actual amp/cab's sound that way. I'd actually almost be interested in a second pair for stereo amp miking. Hmm. This is definitely interesting, especially if you read my reply to Phil where I realized that if I'm getting the Cloudlifter, it would only be like $80 extra to get a second Fathead. So, when you're using the Blumlein set up, where do you normally like to position the mics? Just curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Blakemore Effects Posted December 27, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 First of all, thanks for all the suggestions so far! When I get some more free time tonight I'll make sure I read up on all of these. Thanks again though! Originally Posted by Phil O'Keefe The Fathead II's are really nice microphones - big performance for little dosh, relatively speaking. I have no problem with recommending them. As far as needing a pair of them, in your situation, you probably don't. Yes, it would probably be nice for stereo recording, but outside of the acoustic, or blending two amps, I don't see you needing to do that very often - if you recorded drums on a regular basis, or foresaw that as a potential future need, then I'd suggest getting a stereo pair. If not, you're probably better off increasing your options, which means one condenser, and one ribbon. Thanks for weighing in, Phil! I don't see myself recording drum mics very often, so that's not a huge concern for me. I normally just use EZ Drummer. I was just checking though, and I was thinking about getting the Cloudlifter from Cascade too. Then I realized that a Fathead plus the dual channel Cloudlifter would run me like $470, and Cascase has a bundle deal where they give you two Fatheads, and the Cloudlifter, and the Blumlein bar for $550, so for only like $80 more, I could get a second Fathead and the Blumlein bar. That definitely throws a bit of a wrench in my decision. Also, do you have any suggestions for large diaphragm condensers for my uses? Again, ideally I'd like to go around $200-300, but I can bump it up a bit, if you think there is something worthwhile just out of reach. Originally Posted by V I use a blumlein pair of fatheads a lot, myself, and really it does sound much much better. You don't need multiple sound sources to get a lot of benefit from having a stereo setup. I usually just set them both in front of one cab, adjust to taste, and get a much more accurate translation of the actual amp/cab's sound that way. I'd actually almost be interested in a second pair for stereo amp miking. Hmm. This is definitely interesting, especially if you read my reply to Phil where I realized that if I'm getting the Cloudlifter, it would only be like $80 extra to get a second Fathead. So, when you're using the Blumlein set up, where do you normally like to position the mics? Just curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dkerwood Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Originally Posted by Blakemore Effects Then I realized that a Fathead plus the dual channel Cloudlifter would run me like $470, and Cascase has a bundle deal where they give you two Fatheads, and the Cloudlifter, and the Blumlein bar for $550, so for only like $80 more, I could get a second Fathead and the Blumlein bar. That definitely throws a bit of a wrench in my decision. Looks like $499 to me. http://www.cascademicrophones.com/Cl...es_Bundle.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dkerwood Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Originally Posted by Blakemore Effects Then I realized that a Fathead plus the dual channel Cloudlifter would run me like $470, and Cascase has a bundle deal where they give you two Fatheads, and the Cloudlifter, and the Blumlein bar for $550, so for only like $80 more, I could get a second Fathead and the Blumlein bar. That definitely throws a bit of a wrench in my decision. Looks like $499 to me. http://www.cascademicrophones.com/Cl...es_Bundle.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Blakemore Effects Posted December 27, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Originally Posted by dkerwood Looks like $499 to me. http://www.cascademicrophones.com/Cl...es_Bundle.html That's so weird. It's $499 from your page, but when I access the bundle from the accessories page, it says it's $549. http://www.cascademicrophones.com/CA...CROPHONES.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Blakemore Effects Posted December 27, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Originally Posted by dkerwood Looks like $499 to me. http://www.cascademicrophones.com/Cl...es_Bundle.html That's so weird. It's $499 from your page, but when I access the bundle from the accessories page, it says it's $549. http://www.cascademicrophones.com/CA...CROPHONES.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dkerwood Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Originally Posted by Blakemore Effects That's so weird. It's $499 from your page, but when I access the bundle from the accessories page, it says it's $549. http://www.cascademicrophones.com/CA...CROPHONES.html Yeah, I ran into that same weirdness. I got to the page originally by googling "cascade fathead cloudlifter" or something like that. The bundle from the mics page (or whatever) leads to the same $549 bundle. I guess you can try to order from the $499 and see what happens? :shrug: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dkerwood Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Originally Posted by Blakemore Effects That's so weird. It's $499 from your page, but when I access the bundle from the accessories page, it says it's $549. http://www.cascademicrophones.com/CA...CROPHONES.html Yeah, I ran into that same weirdness. I got to the page originally by googling "cascade fathead cloudlifter" or something like that. The bundle from the mics page (or whatever) leads to the same $549 bundle. I guess you can try to order from the $499 and see what happens? :shrug: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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