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Mike's Mics
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Mike
Nasty Brit


Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 475
Location: Tomorrowland

PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:46 pm    Post subject: Mike's Mics Reply with quote

What started as a reply to jrodriguez315's post about the difference between the C1 and the B1 microphones got out of hand and took on a life of it's own. Hence the new thread.

I was originally going to post two recordings made on both the B1 and the C1 to show the difference between them. Obviously, this is only really relevant to my voice/pre-amp/studio set up, but still maybe useful.

Anyway, I ended up raiding a large chunk of the mic locker and recorded the same passage on 9 different mics. So I've decided to post these as a kind of blind listening assessment. This says nothing about how any of these mics would work on a different voice in a different studio, but kind of interesting anyway.

The files are all here .

All the mics were recorded using an Apogee Mini-Me (with Softlimit/comp setting 1) into a Mac Mini running DP4. MP3 encoding was done at 320Kbps using Bias Peak.


I'll identify the mics later. The B1 and C1 are in there. Bill, can you take a guess at which is which?

Cheers.

Maiku
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Frank F
Fat, Old, and Sassy


Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 4421
Location: Park City, Utah

PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, this is my critique: LOL (I am picky on my mic selection... so I am not going to identify the mics, only their characteristics).

A: bright, but thin in mid's. I like this microphone, but it would need some adjustments to make it work across the range of the human spoken voice.

B: muddy lows, with some nice feel in presence

C: too bright... too many high's and hot (very sensitive) - picks up clicks too much

D: muddy upper mid's, no real presense, flat

E: Clean, good presense (personal favorite)

F: Solid, but harsh

G: Solid presense, good overall range.. feels good (second favorite)

H: just plain muddy - could be EQ'd to work right but this is definately a female vocal microphone.

I: feels compressed... no real presense, too much upper mids - feels over-processed even though it isn't. This microphone makes me wonder what the actual frequency range is on it? 50Hz to maybe 16500 kHz - maybe???

Now watch "I" will be the most expensive, with the most frequency range, and the best specs of all... ROFL

Toodles,

Frank F
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steveanthony
Been Here Awhile


Joined: 30 Aug 2006
Posts: 247
Location: Western Massachusetts

PostPosted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

E and G, in that order, get my vote.
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billelder
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 11:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mike,

LOL! Nope. Not gonna do it. Not gonna play. That's like asking "Which brown cow broke wind?"

But, always willing to make a fool of myself, I kinda think E is the C1 and G is the B1.

Great sounding locker you have there!

Bill
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Philip Banks
Je Ne Sais Quoi


Joined: 20 Jun 2005
Posts: 11046
Location: Portgordon, Scotland

PostPosted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 12:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A - Too much top around the bottom end.

B - Nice bottom great top, does she have a sister

C - 20khz boost around the Broadstairs region would have lifted this.

D - Foul and satanic. I believe this to be possessed by demons.

E - Crisp an' here be dragons.

F - Quaver an' here be sea monsters.

G - Dual patternated with a robust mid-range, pity about the smell of
brewers yeast. What's all that about?

H - When Mike Batt released a number of songs dressed as a Womble he
used this mic, Mike. If it's good enough for Tobermoray it's good enough
for me.

I - With a 10db pad and an enamel bucket this would sound like Pat Fraley
falling into a bucket of peanut butter. Nice bright EQ.

J - Like the curve of the same name, gets worse before it gets better.
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Jowillie
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Joined: 20 Aug 2006
Posts: 714
Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 12:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Forget the mics....I want a copy of that player interface. Is it Flash?

Oh Yeah.....I'm betting G is your awesome workaday U87. Apple Computers

This is fun and will be enlightening, Thanks.
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http://vomictest.blogspot.com


Last edited by Jowillie on Tue Oct 17, 2006 4:17 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Bruce
Boardmeister


Joined: 06 Jun 2005
Posts: 7921
Location: Portland, OR

PostPosted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 4:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not knowing what you REALLY sound like in person, I'd label E the best for accuracy in low, middle, and high, and G for strong mid to low range presence while maintaining decent highs.

I'd use G when you want to be Mr. Announcer, and E for everything else.

B
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allensco
Flight Attendant


Joined: 30 Jul 2005
Posts: 823
Location: Alabama, USA

PostPosted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'll take E and G for $300 Alex... Smile
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donrandall
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 10:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I listened last night, but wanted to wait and listen again before posting my choices.

I generally prefer a bias toward being crisp - and for that reason, I really liked the sound of "E" very much. But, "G" is so clean and clear while adding just the right amount of breadth and depth that sounded bigger and fuller without becoming tubby or boomy. Hmmm....I like 'em both very much, but find that I like "G" just a wee bit more.
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CWToo
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 5:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jowillie wrote:
Forget the mics....I want a copy of that player interface. Is it Flash?


I think he's using Wimpy (http://www.wimpyplayer.com/index.html).
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Mike
Nasty Brit


Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 475
Location: Tomorrowland

PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 5:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I think he's using Wimpy (http://www.wimpyplayer.com/index.html).


Bonus point to Chris. Wimpy player it is. With a quickly knocked up skin.

It's an MP3 player with a Flash front end. It's easy to design your own skin for the player which is great for getting it to match the overall theme of your website. I highly recommend it.

As for the mics. I'll wait a little longer before the big reveal.
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Murray Wiggle
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Jowillie
Lucky 700


Joined: 20 Aug 2006
Posts: 714
Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 7:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for that, Mike. It does interact nicely with the rest of your very clean, professional site.

I gotta ask another stupid question--did you run all mics through an Apogee Mini-Me with its slight built-in compression?

I love these games.
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Wild Willie Edwards
www.hometowntvtoday.com
http://vomictest.blogspot.com
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billelder
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 1:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
As for the mics. I'll wait a little longer before the big reveal.


Bad "Game Show" host...Bad "Game Show" host!

(Bill changes channel to "Deal or No Deal.")

Smile
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Tom Greenlee
DC


Joined: 24 Mar 2006
Posts: 686
Location: Divide, Colorado (above the clouds)

PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 2:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My favorites are E and G as well. I actually like G the best It's got just the right amount of low/mid range warmth for my taste without sacrificing the highs. E is my second favorite sounding as good as G but without quite as much warmth.
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"Communication without intelligence is noise; Intelligence without communication is irrelevant."

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Former Commandant of the Marine Corps
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Mike
Nasty Brit


Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 475
Location: Tomorrowland

PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 6:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jowillie wrote:
Thanks for that, Mike. It does interact nicely with the rest of your very clean, professional site.


Thanks!

Jowillie wrote:
I gotta ask another stupid question--did you run all mics through an Apogee Mini-Me with its slight built-in compression?


Yes, all the same. I did adjust the levels post recording to match them, but no other processing was done.

Jowillie wrote:
I love these games.


This is a point to remember. It is just a game. Any meaningful mic comparison can only be done with your own recording set up on your own voice (assuming that's what you ultimately want to record).


Cheers.

Maiku.
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