Best equipment for a beginner

Ed Gambill · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007, 15:53 (GMT) Post subject:

Wrap Your Ears Around This
Some times the tool helps inspire the user. Confidence in the equipment can be a large comfort factor. What does that mean? It means that there are many kinds and brand of tools. I'm the son of a carpenter, and I have hammers from several companies. I have learned how to use my hammers and am not influenced by the brand name. Some hammers are heavy and others are light. Some have one feel compared to others. None the less I don't depend on brand, other do. If that (brand selection) is a comfort factor for them, then hammer on.

I am posting an A-B test. Which one is the cheap microphone, rater the lesser expensive. Both file were recorded at the same time in the same space. No EQ or Gating was done, Volumes were raised to match and compression was use. Which one is the expensive microphone.

Jason Bishop · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007, 20:05 (GMT) Post subject:

Well, while I barely know my sound card from a hole in the ground (see Geek thread) I DO know what I like to hear...and Mic B seems richer and warmer to me.

David Oxford · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007, 20:23 (GMT) Post subject:

Ed:

Well, Mic 'B' definitely has more EQ response, both on the low and high end (I'm not listening on my studio monitors right now) so, for my ear in this unaffected comparison, mic 'B' is the more pleasing to my ear - at least, for your voice. Mic 'A' definitely sounds like it's set to omnidirectional, while mic 'B' sounds like a cardiod pattern...but that's not necessarily a clue as to which mic is the more-expensive of the two.

Logic would tell me mic 'B' is the more-expensive mic because it offers more presence/response to your voice; however, I'm gonna go out on a limb and pick mic 'A' to be the pricier mic, if for no other reason than it doesn't 'color' the sound as much.

Drum roll...............

Ron Baldwin · Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007, 02:25 (GMT) Post subject:

Ed, I think mic B is the better sounding mic.

David Oxford · Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007, 06:23 (GMT) Post subject:

Ed:

I can't believe you're not getting any more 'players' in this shell game. Anyone else??? I'm curious to know myself - but I'm sure Ed is going to want to coax more responses before he reveals the answer - so come on everyone!!

David

Jacob Ekstroem · Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007, 11:29 (GMT) Post subject:

Hmmm! This is tricky... Yeah, Mic B is definately "hotter" and has that big "ballsy" sound, most people like. It's also much noisier, and while it may have better presence in the top, I also think it's just a little harsh. It actually reminds me a bit of the Rode's (but as I recall, Ed doesn't own a Rode! Wink

)
Mic A is softer and... a bit boring, may I say, but more clean for my ears. And I agree with David, A sound like an omni-directional (dynamic?) mic, B sounds like a cardiod (LDC?) mic. A tough one to call, but I think I have Ed figured out on this one... A is the most expensive mic, but B sounds like it is... Very Happy

Ed Gambill · Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007, 11:40 (GMT) Post subject: You and David got me

The info in PM

Lance Blair · Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007, 21:17 (GMT) Post subject:

A is more expensive, B is better for VO. A is older, B is Nu Skool.

As to the earlier posts, confidence in your sound helps the delivery.

I sold my 416 because the sibilance drove me nuts, even with processing and darker preamps. I just don't like this mic anyhow and I use the other MKH mics all the time in field production (pssst...people should use the MKH 50 for VO!) Smile

I sold my 4040 because it didn't support my midrange and it overemphasizes mechanical mouth noises, which also distracted me.

Both are great sounding microphones...not on me.

The NT1-A was my first vo mic. I sold it as quickly as I could. Rode makes other good mics.

Gideon Emery · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007, 11:42 (GMT) Post subject: interesting one

Seeing as there's no answer posted... I have to agree with the other posters that you sound better on Mic B, Ed. More present mids and lows, whereas Mic A sounds less immediate and almost tinny to my ear. The USB mic I toyed with gave similar sounds. But then again, I could EQ the same read on my mixer and get similarly contrasting results from the same mic.

Maybe that's the thing here. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it's actually the same mic, but you've tweaked the mixer. And if it is 2 mics, the 2nd one works best for your voice, regardless of cost.