This week we talk about oversaturation, hypersensitivity and taking breaks. In the Rapid Fire section we talk about Line 6 amps; How often do you clean behind the console; and favorite mic stands.
Our guest host this week is the lovely Slau of Sessions with Slau fame.
LINKS
Great show guys, I have really enjoyed your last few episodes. Can you guys explain to me why shotgun mics have that name? In terms of guns, a shotgun has a very short wide spread. Why not call it a rifle mic?
Just wanted to add a couple more “cheap mic” comments. Regarding the AT2020, I agree wholeheartedly with your comments. But have any of you tried the AT2035? The 2035 has a 24mm capsule as opposed to the 18mm of the 2020. It also has a 10db pad and 80hz roll off, a nice shock mount, and you can get them for under $100 new if you look around. I got two at $95 and want to say they make an excellent stereo pair for drum overheads and I have even used them with great success with the Glyn Johns 4 mic method. They were able to great a very nice sound o an upright grand also. For my $95, they are the “cheap condenser” equivalent of an SM57/58. And like most AT mics, they do not have the typical brittle/harsh top end so common in many Chinese mics. Not to sound like a shill for AT, but just as an FYI, I also have an AT2050 which like my 2035’s, is fairly flat and low noise. It isn’t as sensitive as the 2035’s, but it is multi pattern. It also comes with the shock mount which actually allows you to use the mic upside down or just about any position without fear of slippage. I got mine new for $143 as opposed to the $200 or so they usually go for. (Thanx again ZZounds and your “beat any advertised price” deal!!!!) BTW, AT has some great rebate deals going right now. My point is, they are extremely high quality for the price, including build. They do not sound like most cheap and/or Chinese mics and if you are on a budget, they are very consistent and easy to work with.
Finally, for my newest mic I decided to go for a vocal specific mic and spend a bit more money. I bought an AT4047SV (I know, I know, I have other brands including several SM57’s and 58’s, an EVre320 and Ryan, you should love that one!, a Sterling ST55, SP C-1, and a couple of modded MXL small condensers)They normally sell for $699, but you can find them for about $550 if you look. I managed to find an essentially new AT4047SV for $350 and they even threw in a new Middle-Atlantic PF-SS Split-Screen Pop Filter. If you have never tried this mic, forget everything you know and love about AT mics. This is a bit of a different animal. It has a transformer coupled output which gives it a very warm and smooth sound. It is essentially meant to evoke the sound of a Neumann U47 FET. Never having heard or used the U47 FET, I have no reference to compare the 4047 to. But I can tell you this, the AT4047 is a very warm, very smooooth, mic that needs little, if any EQing. And the top end, though rated at 18,000hz (most tube mics don;t go any higher and a lot of ribbon mics stop at around 5khz to 8khz…., has a relaxed roll off and does go higher. But the top end is very nice and while plenty bright with lots of detail, has that wonderful “sheen” to it. Just find the sweet spot for the vocalist and go! I admit I was only able to buy one because I got it for the price I paid, but it is easily worth full retail. It isn’t just for vocals either. Combined with another condenser near the nut, it sounds very good on acoustic guitar. And it has extremely low self noise. My only problem now is how to come up with the $800 to get the multi pattern version….and the $600 for my Mojave M201, and the $1200 for my Miktek CV-4…..
Sorry about coming off like a paid shill for AT, I’m not and as you can see I do own other brands and types. I just have found for the money (especially the deals I have managed to find), they really are a step or two above anything else in their price and class range. I have also found their build quality and quality control are far above most other mics. They are so consistent, my 2035’s spec out essentially like a matched pair even though they aren’t. Don’t get me wrong, I do and believe everyone should try out and own as many different mics as they can afford. But I also think for someone starting a home/project studio that is wanting to get paid work right away, having an assortment of AT Mics will give you SM58 style predictability, usefulness, and ease of use, but with a very nice, not harsh, condenser sound and you can get a nice assortment for not a lot of bucks. Add some 57/58’s, some other small condensers, maybe a D-6, and you are ready to go. Then as the money starts coming in you can start “experimenting” with other mics and start saving for that $1500 plus mic…
Best line of the show:
(Jon) Hey let’s go back and talk about the Blue Bottle.
(Ryan) You wanna take that one, Jon?
(Jon) Yeah, I have no experience with that mic…
Great show per usual. I liked Jon’s segment on mixing fatigue; I just wish I had that problem (eg I wish I was mixing more).
There was a really good vibe going with Slau on board; hope it’s not a one-time thing.
Ride the Lightning!
-James
Hey guys,
Was listening on the way home from work and haven’t gone all the way through yet, but wanted to let you know that you CAN get a subscription button for no cost through Paypal.
I just went through the “fun” of getting new ones on the IHR site. As long as you go in and register your “company” as a not-for-profit (not “non-profit”, there’s a difference). I got asked to provide a short description of the nature of the “business” and outline expectations of the revenue would be. I essentially told them it’s to off-set the out-of-pocket costs of hosting and bandwidth and that the revenue is not expected to exceed those costs…
Cheers, Dave
Hi Ryan (and HRS gang),
Big fan of the show! I am a recording hobbyist with a basic ‘bedroom studio’, so pardon the upcoming noob question.
I’ve been doing some tests with M/S recording. As you know, the side-mic track gets doubled, and hard panned left/right with one side phase-reversed, guaranteeing 100% phase cancellation of its sound when listening in mono. So, when listening to the mix in stereo, and under controlled conditions (i.e. in the studio), you can hear the full stereo image that the M/S produces. But (and here’s the question), when the actual consumer is listening in uncontrolled conditions…whatever those may be…won’t there always be at least some phase cancellation going on with the side-mic, thereby unpredictably changing the sound of the mix?
Thanks, and you guys are doing awesome work!
–marco
Great to hear Slau on the show. You guy’s should have him on more.. The rapport is obvious.
Such a nice chap to – surprising for a New Yorker Ha Ha.
I am missing his Session with Slau podcasts.. Always fun.. (Hint Hint Slau…)
Shame about Jesse. All the best to him and his move etc… Hope get gets back sooooooon…
Steve
2 things i just wanted to comment on guys. First off, the theme of the previous 2 shows – breaking the rules & trying thins that are wrong – If you are into hard rock or metal and play drop tuned guitars, check out the Gallien Krueger Backline 210 bass combo amp. The distortion channel on that thing packs more gain than any bassist, or guitarist for that matter would most likely need.couple that with an acoustic 1×15 cab to complete the set up. I find the inexpensive bass amps work great with guitar since they give a better punch and in a smaller package than lugging a round a 4×12 cab. but cuz they are on the inexpensive side,they aren’t so overbearing on the low end like more expensive bass rigs. Secondly wanted to comment on you guys opinions on line 6. Yes i do agree for the most part their amps suck.they are great for a beginner wanting to get bang for their buck, but the second you start to compare them to other amps u hear that thin, squashed sound that u can’t get away from. However they do make some good products, the current gen POD’s and their wireless products among other things.As a blind guitarist who has had to rely on public transportation to get to gigs and rehearsals, and relies on a few different alternate tunings, putting a variaxe guitar and a pod in a gig bag still leaves me a free hand to use my cane to navigate the city and have great sound i can go direct with when i arrive.
This isn’t related to any show, but how do you explain to someone that recording hot, right up to 0, is a bad idea? I tried explaining headroom to him, and his logic for recording at 0 was that you can go up, or down, whereas if you record low, you can only go up. This illogic made my brain go ‘…ow….owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww…’.
I used the steak analogy. You can burn a steak, but after you burn it, it’s burnt. You can cool it off, but it’s still burnt. If you cook it medium, you can still cook it more, or just enjoy a medium steak! Upon hearing this he looked me at like I had just fingerbanged his cat.
So I jumped to the guitar distortion analogy. You know how distortion works, you push the signal until it has no place left to go, then you adjust the level accordingly, usually straight to 11. However, if you don’t want that much distortion, you’re frakked, ’cause you can only turn the level down, but then all you just have quieter distortion.
After hearing this analogy, he then looked at me like I was squatting over his Mackie, ready to unleash a deuce. Whereupon I gave up on trying to explain headroom, and instead started talking about Deep Purple. Jon Lord is an awesome keyboardist.
A cheap mic that is often overlooked is the Golden Age Project (who also makes the PRE73) FC-1 MkII. It’s in the same price range as a NT1 (actually a bit cheaper most places i seen it). I actually prefer it over a NT1 on my voice at least.
Also about fatigue, one thing i learned being a dishwasher was to segment my work, my boss would let me get a smoke after each segment.
I still use this technique when mixing, exactly where i split varies, but it could be: editing (segment into subgroup if a lot of editing is needed), Vocal mix, Drum mix, melodic and bass mix and fine tuning. I take a small brake after each segment and a larger one midways (kinda like lunch at work).
I almost forgot, the AT 4040 is very similar to the AT 4947 and is around %250. I don’t think there is a more consistent, easy to use, and great sounding LDC mic that is exceptional on vocals but great on everything else for anywhere less than twice its price…try it, you’ll love it!
Hey guys,
Im just doing a quick catch up on your shows so apologies if this is a little late.
With regard to the Behringer C3, it was one of the first microphones I purchased when I had very little money and knowledge of recording and the world of music technology. I have found it to be useful in a number of circumstances, as Ryan mentioned using mics that don’t sound as great on their own, use them to enhance your recordings or add a certain something that makes them stand out.
In one of these instances, I had used the C3 set to omni mode as a room mic. This was to capture the sound of the rooms natural reverb and to include that into a drum recording to emulate the sound of either Foo Fighters “My Hero” or Coldplay’s “In My Place”.
Here’s a link to a blog post containing an audio example if you wish to have listen.
http://talesofaudio.tumblr.com/post/8085604244/behringermakemics
Thanks guys. All the best.