Klarinet Archive - Posting 000881.txt from 2001/10

From: "Benjamin Maas" <benmaas@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] mic for live CD
Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2001 18:47:55 -0500

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tski1128@-----.com]
>
> I've decided that I would like to do a live Cd of my klezmer
> group. Most likely with a close mic style. So what are the
> favorite Clainet mics that people have used? I do have a coupl of
> AKG 414s. But I need a really compelling reason to neuman or two.
> Tom Puwalski

Tom:

I'm not a huge fan of the 414s (especially the B-ULS that most people have).
My one exception to that are the original 414 EB's with the Brass CK-12
capsules. The 414 B-ULS can be modded by Jim Williams of Audio Upgrades
here in LA with some pretty spectacular results.

It really depends upon the sound that you are going for to decide on what
microphone you'd like to use. My personal favorites which all have
drastically different sounds are the Coles 4038 ribbon microphone, the
Neumann UM 57 tube condenser, and the Schoeps CMC6MK4. They all have
radically different sounds...

I don't know what part of the country you live in, but I'd suggest calling a
major rental company and see about renting a quality microphone for a
session. You may end up spending a couple hundred bucks on a rental, but
you may spend a couple thousand on a good studio mic.

A bit on mics I mentioned:

Ribbon microphones have a tendency to have a smooth, warm sound to them.
They are always very low output which means that you need a good quality
preamp with a *lot* of gain. The Beyer ribbons are also very nice sounding.
Also, don't let phantom power hit them as you can fry the ribbon that way.
The Coles mic I mentioned was developed for and by the BBC as their main
studio ribbon mic. You will also see them under the brand name "STC."

Tube microphones use a power supply that is external to the microphone to
power an internal tube circuit. Tube mics used to be vintage items, but in
recent years tubes have come back into vogue and there are a lot of great
new tube mics on the market. The UM 57 is a "poor-mans" U47 made by the
East-German Neumann company. Very similar sound... Huge low end, not much
of a top end, very smooth and "larger than life" sounding.

Small diaphragm condensers will generally have a "truer" sound. They aren't
as colored sounding off axis and you will find them predominantly used in
classical work. The Schoeps line of microphones are some of the most
uncolored mics out there. You will hear with this microphone exactly what
is comming to it. (Same type of thing with some of the Neumann KM 100--NOT
180--series microphones, sennheiser MKH, B&K, etc...) You won't have
coloration in the microphone to hide any aspects of your sound that you are
recording.

Well, hope this helps a bit.

--Ben

Benjamin Maas
Freelance Clarinetist and Recording Engineer
Los Angeles, CA
benmaas@-----.com
http://www.fifthcircle.com

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