akg solid tube vs rode ntk vs rode k2

[mistersully]

hi

 

only really started reading this forum last night... it rocks... a great pool of knowledge that i'll be drawing from often

 

 

so i'm after a decent mic... currently my only condenser is an oktava 219 that i intend to send away to be modded (after hearing about oktavamod here)

 

i also have a sm 57 and sm58... as well as a few other cheapies

 

i'm recording a demo for myself.... and for a living i write songs and record with people with disabilities ... it's been on a small scale but will be doing it full time as from next year

 

i record on a tascam 2488 (thinking of getting a macbook pro) ... i have a fmr rnp and a fmr rnc

 

anyway thead title says it all pretty much... these are the mics i'm currently choosing between.... thinking valve to add some warmth... i'd greatly appreciate any input

 

feel free to add other choices... keeping in mind that i'm in australia

 

cheers

[Phil O'Keefe]

It really depends on what you want to use the mic for.

 

The NTK is a very nice microphone, but not the right choice for a lot of vocalists IMO. It works best on lower range (bass / baritone) male vocalists IMHO. On higher pitched voices, it has an almost "excited" quality; almost like you're running it through a bit of an Aural Exciter. It's pretty good on acoustic guitar, but my favorite application for that mic is on bass instruments - outside of the kick drum, bass cabinets, and especially upright bass, where it really shines IMO.

 

The K2 is not something I have enough personal experience with to comment on.

 

It's been a long time since I've heard a AKG SolidTube, but my general recollections were that it's a somewhat dull and unexciting sounding microphone.

 

For $500, the mic I'd recommend for general purpose applications would probably be the Avant CV-12.

[mistersully]

thanks phil

 

i guess i'm after something mainly for vocals... i'll check out the one you suggested

[UstadKhanAli]

I used a Rode NT2 before, and thought it sounded fantastic on baritones. I mention this, not because I am recommending the Rode NT2 (I'm not), but because it too was a sort of bright microphone with a big rise in 12kHz. But it sounded really good for baritones, and as Phil pointed out, not so good for higher-pitched vocals. But if you have a baritone and you are not going to use it for other people's vocals, the Rode NTK may actually be a good choice for you.

 

Also, you may want to consider waiting until you've modded your Oktava if the goal is to save money. That might sound really great for your vocals already.

 

I have only used the AT4050 a few times, but it sounds good in a variety of vocals, and is a generally good microphone which I think may be in your price range. Phil really loves the Avant, but I haven't heard it...I just saw it set up in his studio and he mentioned that he really loved it for the price.

[ermghoti II]

Jamming a tube in something doesn't automatically make it warm. If I were to suggest a mic without knowing anything except that I wanted "warmth," I'd grab a ribbon.

[UstadKhanAli]

I didn't catch that part in the OP, so just for the record, the AT4050 does not have a tube.

 

Ribbons, sure, but also something like an SM7 or even an RE-20 might do the trick, depending on your voice.

[MrJoshua]

I have an NTK and an SM7b, and between the two I'd consider the SM7b to be "warmer." The NTK is a good mic and useful on the right voice, but just because it has a tube doesn't make it automatically a warm mic, as ermghoti II pointed out. A ribbon mic might also be a good choice, but you have to be a bit more careful with those than with regular dynamic mics.

[UstadKhanAli]

Tubes warming up the sound is more of a marketing thing. Although, that said, running some tube equipment in my control room does warm up things in winter!

[mistersully]

thanks guys

 

after a lot of reading last night my thinking has changed... the 'tube' thing isn't a must

 

i did find somewhere here in australia that sells the avant... so i'll be checking that out... along with a bunch of others including ones mentioned in this thread

 

i'm on a huge learning curve at the moment.... enjoying the ride though

[CN Fletcher]

Rodan vs. Mothra vs. Godzilla?

 

They're all cheesy... the question is which is the best for your application(s)... the only way to make the determination is by trial and many errors.

[albiedamned]

 

Rodan vs. Mothra vs. Godzilla?

 

 

Clover would kick all their butts.

[CME]

Just my 2 cents, but I really like my K2. To me it seems to be a very neutral mic. I have used it on both male and female voices and usually have to do very little in mixing. Normally just a little compression and it's good. It also makes my cheap acoustic sound pretty nice too. ymmv

[gtrbass]

I also like my K2 a lot.

 

The first thing to do with either a K2 or an NTK is to replace the stock 6922 tube with something like an E-H gold series. It makes either mic sound a fair bit smoother on the top end and thicker inthe low mids. Sounds great. Good upgrade for a little more than $20 including shipping.

 

I have a friend who dropped a NOS Mullard tube in his K2. It sounded a better than the E-H, but not enough to justify the fact that the NOS tube cost him 10x more than the E-H Gold.

[I was The Funk]

I have an NTK, which has not seen use in a little while because I have other things that are more useful for what I've been recording.

 

 

The NTK is bright, but not harsh. Its not a mic to put on a tenor male, or a female. Its not a mic for a tamborine, but can do a nice job on percussion. What it excels at:

 

1. Baritone male vox.

2. Acoustic guitar where string detail can be sacrificed for "shimmer".

3. Drum room mic.

 

And thats pretty much it. Useful enough that it will stick around, but not a go to on most things. Might actually blend nicely with a ribbon...I'll have to try that.

 

Its an "airbrush" mic. You don't get tons of transient detail, but you get a pleasant mellowness, though bright. Better in less dense mixes or when you want things more in the background - it puts things there automatically, which can be useful.

 

Edit: Get that 219 modded asap. WAY nicer vocal mic then an NTK. Definitely a "color" mic, but pretty awesome. The premium electronics mod is worth it. I have a 319 which is one of my goto's with a lot of voices. For anything the oktava doesn't work on I use a modded Nady ribbon or a CAD M179 or the NTK.