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In Reply to: RE: A simple set up is good... posted by mpathus on August 02, 2008 at 23:45:15
Neumann does not necessarily equate to good anymore. Most of the modern mics they are turning out (thanks to Sennheiser leadership) are crap. They are using chips to simulate tubes and transformer sound. Being a Neumann does not make it a good live mic with off axis rejection. Like anything else, we must be model specific. I have used U47s, 48s, 49s and 87s live. I would rather have a mic designed for the application than a vintage mic that needs an obscure $2k tube (in the case of the 47s and 48s).
Many of the top bluegrass acts are endorsed. I have worked with and for groups using AudioTechnica, Shure and Audix mics. The success of large diaphragm mics is based on the band's ability to acoustically mix themselves on stage. Next would be the ability to achieve good gain before feedback. The last important thing is in-ear monitors. If you are planning to use floor wedges and/or side-fills, then you are going to have a sonic mess on your hands at FOH.
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Opinions welcome. Shure's Beta 87 is ubiquitous.(Also Sennheiser's MD 441U dynamic supercardioid might be found used. Fleetwood Mac used them live - iirc.)
Ive used that Neumann model you have listed on bluegrass vocals and to tell ya the truth I dont much care for that mic for live use
It has a real funny tone/bite around 2k region if I remember right
Besides its way overpriced for the performance
I found the Beta 58 to be a much better sounding vocal mic
I did sound for a large church festival thing and used the Audix OM3
Now that is a dam nice sounding live mic on vocals hands down
I was totally impressed with the feedback rejection and articulation
and uncolored sound of that Audix OM3 for any vocal
I use cardiod condensors on live bluegrass instruments
AKG C1000S great mic
Audio Technica large diapragm mics are sweet
Oktavia small condensor...sweet
MXL 603 a budget small condenser that is real sweet
Sennheiser 441s aren't really used on live tours for vocals anymore. While they take the SPL, they are not the hottest mics. They do have good off axis rejection. The clips are expensive to replace and break easily. Same thing is a problem with the 421s.I like the Neumanns. I used them on Junior Brown's (Telarc, Curb) vocals for a couple of years. I used them on Steve Ripley and The Tractors (Arista) for a couple of years, replacing the original Beta 87s. Disclaimer. Junior had a Shure endorsement deal, so that ought to tell you something there.
The Beta87s were too sippy on top, and a bit too grabby. They released the 86 to address those issues among other things. They are much better with noisy stage than the 87s. The new Shure KSM9 is a great mic. You should check it out if you are considering the Neumanns.
Also in that tonal range are the Audio Technica AE series. Pretty good mics as well.
My experience was with artists that could use anything that they wanted. We tried everything too. at the end of the day, you are going to find it easier and cheaper to repair a Shure. If you break the mics, you send it in and for a flat fee, the will replace the mic if need be. It is cheaper than paying a tech bench time. A 58 is like $35 to replace, which is darn near Guitar Center's cost.
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Quote: "Neumann does not necessarily equate to good anymore."
Anymore?! Ha!
Neumann made a bunch of mics in the past which weren't worth their price, even when the dollar was strong. The KM84 comes to mind immediately. Brittle, edgy, irritating sound.
It's important to remember that the U.S. dollar is now "in the dumper", so anything made in Europe is unnecessarily expensive here. Fortunately for European manufacturers, there are plenty of Americans who believe that expensive=better.
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