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Re: microphone advice

63.200.44.58

Posted by Michael Nathan on April 3, 2001 at 14:47:36

In Reply to: Re: microphone advice posted by PurpleDave on April 2, 2001 at 15:10:11:

I tried an Oktava large diaphragm microphone, can't remember the model. I would just say it sounded weird. I chose to use a different microphone. I've heard good things about the Oktava small diaphragm mics and was considering buying a pair since they are so inexpensive.

The KSM-32 is a really good microphone. I use it for bass drum regularly (outside the drum about a foot from the front head) combined with a dynamic inside the drum. With the microphones you've described, you could get a good drum sound if your drummer sounds "balanced" enough to avoid putting spot mics everywhere. The KSM-32 also sounds pretty good on a guitar amp if you set them back a bit. For acoustic guitar, I like a tube mic. Try the KSM-32 on your voice, you might like it. It's not going to sound like the Beatles/Cat Stevens, but a U-87 isn't going to give you that sound either. You might consider renting a U-47, U-48, or U-67 for your vocal tracks instead of buying another microphone.

Considering what you have already, I would look into augmenting the KSM-32's with a pair of small diaphragm mics for stereo mic'ing of acoustic guitars, percussion, room ambience, possibly drum overheads. The KSM-32 doesn't strike me as a bright microphone, so a pair of more strident small mics might give you an interesting option. I think the Oktava's come with omni capsules for more variation. Any mics you buy should be bought from a place in which you can get your money back if they don't work for you.

You might think about avoiding a lot of low end outboard gear and concentrate on getting a couple of good mic pre's. If money is tight, I've tried the Event mic pre and found it to have a decent, clean sound. I think one channel is around $250. If you save for a better choice, Brent Averill's restored vintage equipment is very nice and you could probably sell it for closer to what you put in once your project is done. They also have instrument DI's for recording bass and synths.

In my opinion, a high-quality outboard eq is more useful than a compressor. I never realized how comprimised my console eq's were until I experimented with some outboard parametric stuff. If you must buy a cheap compressor, I've heard really good things about the RNC (Really Nice Compressor) model. I think it costs $200.

In the grand scheme of things, I think you've got the equipment on hand to do some good recordings, though.

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