Hi all!

I've just received a grant from my local council to upgrade the recording facilities in my rehearsal studio. Out of this grant I've budgeted £4k to spend on mics...All i have at the moment is...

1 x Audix D6
3 x Shure 58a
2 x Shure 57a

So basically i'm looking for some tom mics, and some nice condensers for the hats, ride and overheads and a decent vocal condenser. Any advice that you guys could give me would be fantastic as I don't want to just jump in and buy mics for the sake of it.

Thanks
Mat

I would start with a pair of neumann TLM103's. Great on overheads, but superb allround. Acoustic guitar, percussion and ofcourse vocals sound great through them. Also a pair of small membrane mics like the Rode NT55. They are great as a stereo pair and for acoustic instruments. Some clip on tom mics (shure SM98 are awesome) also make life easier.
Maybe some DI's as well? Because a good DI on bass is also an awesome tool....
Conclusion : 4K will bring you anywhere you want to....

I would go with (rough prices here)

2 x AKG C414s = £1200 - Drum OHs, Guitars (ac. and El.), Vocals
3 x Sennheiser MD421s = £900 - Toms, Kick, Guitar and Bass Cabs
4 x Rode NT55 = £800 - Drum OHs, Hat/Ride spots, ac. guitars, stereo apps
1 x EV Re20 = £450 - Kick, Bass cabs, vocals
2 x Decent DI = £200- Keys/synths, bass guitar

and spend the other £450 on decent stands and cables. I might possible add a Beyerdynamic M201 as I prefer it for basically every SM57 application - guitar amps/snares etc.

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www.sda-audio.co.uk

Edited by Stef Andrews (09/04/10 10:15 PM)

Oooh! Avoiding the temptation to fire back for more details on what you will be recording and in what environment.

For an AUDITIONING list:

Big yes to the Sennys and the NT55s and the 201.

414s are good GP LDCs that can work well on some voices too.

(Sorry J-P, I'm not a huge fan of the TLM103, audition instead Gefell M930s, just a better general purpose LDC mike in all terms: voicing, design, size, placement-friendliness).

Audition also:

SDCs: Josephson c42, Beyerdynamic MC930, Gefell M300 (this one being my personal favorite) or even Shure SM81s.

LDCs: Aside from the M930s, you need a to decide whether you want flexibility or a big statement mike before most people could give you a real idea of what to go for. I am personally gagging to try out the Bock 195 after Narcoman recently gave it a big up, but that would be a choice aimed a flexibility.

Ribbons: You've got to give Beyerdynamic M160 a go with a view to a pair.

Anyway, I'm sure that this particular debate will go on and on. I've used and heard every mike listed apart from the Bock and they are all good'uns.

Reg

re-the TLM103

and just to balance things a bit seeing as it was knocked on another thread recently too...

I think it's a great mic on a huge range of sources and I usually pick it over my 414 or km84's or various other mics on vox, acoustic, uke, violin, clarinet etc. and actually almost anything. I've used plenty of U87's and I think the difference ain't all that. Just my 2p.

Quote jrbcm:

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re-the TLM103

and just to balance things a bit seeing as it was knocked on another thread recently too...

I think it's a great mic on a huge range of sources and I usually pick it over my 414 or km84's or various other mics on vox, acoustic, uke, violin, clarinet etc. and actually almost anything. I've used plenty of U87's and I think the difference ain't all that. Just my 2p.

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Hey jrbcm

Double balance as I am one of the knockers!

I don't hate the mike, the band "The Feeling" love it, they were interviewed a while back and said they had bought one each.

I just don't really get the need for its voicing. It's well built; nicely packaged - (I think they do a shockmount included deal which is good for Neumann); and currently DV seem to have managed to get a few in at a very attractive price in these credit crunch times.

It's not a grudge, but when I was going for a pair of general purpose LDCs (which have to do many other duties for me) I preferred these.

Reg

i'd agree that the M930 is generally a better package.... neat, sweet sounding and much handier for getting in tight spots.... a matched pair is a thing of beauty.

Thanks guys, this has been a great help. I've actually used a TLM103 in the past and was quite impressed with the results so quite tempted to go for a pair of those. Will definitely be looking into the alternatives though.

My recording setup is basically a Focusrite Saffire Pro 26 with an ADA8000 for 8 more channels. Would you guys recommend ditching the ADA8000 for something a bit better? It's served me pretty well to date though so not sure what to do there. Also, do you think i should spend some money on a pre-amp(s) if so what would you recommend? I'll probably have about £3000 to spend on other bits and pieces. What route do you think I should go down with that?

Thanks again for your advice

Quote jrbcm:

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re-the TLM103
I've used plenty of U87's and I think the difference ain't all that. Just my 2p.

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very true - hence my comments on U87s.

Quote RegressiveRock:

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Oooh! Avoiding the temptation to fire back for more details on what you will be recording and in what environment.

For an AUDITIONING list:

Big yes to the Sennys and the NT55s and the 201.

414s are good GP LDCs that can work well on some voices too.

(Sorry J-P, I'm not a huge fan of the TLM103, audition instead Gefell M930s, just a better general purpose LDC mike in all terms: voicing, design, size, placement-friendliness).

Audition also:

SDCs: Josephson c42, Beyerdynamic MC930, Gefell M300 (this one being my personal favorite) or even Shure SM81s.

LDCs: Aside from the M930s, you need a to decide whether you want flexibility or a big statement mike before most people could give you a real idea of what to go for. I am personally gagging to try out the Bock 195 after Narcoman recently gave it a big up, but that would be a choice aimed a flexibility.

Ribbons: You've got to give Beyerdynamic M160 a go with a view to a pair.

Anyway, I'm sure that this particular debate will go on and on. I've used and heard every mike listed apart from the Bock and they are all good'uns.

Reg

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good advice in there !!. Still trying to find UK supplier of Bock....

Studiocare!

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My head hurts!