Microphones Cont. (Getting the bang for your buck!)

Welcome back everyone! I hope my readers were as anxious as I was to learn about some other mics on the market. Last post I went over the two must haves in your at home studio, the Shure SM57 and SM58. Both these are industry standards and can be used on many applications.
In this post I will discuss four different microphones, all from different companies that feature different options and color sound differently. Before we go on to this post I want to make it clear that the mics I am discussing are chosen because they are going to be used for our at home studio on a budget. From day one I wasn't showing you all the most expensive gear on the market, but I was showing you the most affordable that includes the same quality as products that are thousands of dollars. With that being said, don't think that the price of the mic makes the difference. Just because mic A is $200 and mic B is $3000, doesn't mean mic A is any bit less quality than mic B.

GREAT!

To start of I want to introduce the AKG C414 XLS, manufactured by Harmon. You know be familiar with Harmon as they make profession audio products for cars under the name Harmon and Kardon. The C414 is a very versatile mic due to its pickup pattern options, pad options, and roll off features. This means the C414 can change pickup patters. We saw that the SM57 and SM58 were both cardiod pick up patters, meaning it focuses its pick up on the sound in front and eliminates sound behind. Not only does the C414 have a cardiod pattern, but also features a super cardiod, hyper cardiod, bidirectional and omnidirectional. Because of this, the C414 is a great mic for overheads or picking up the room tone with the omnidirectional pattern. Here are what the C414's pickup patterns selector looks like on the mic as well as the frequency response for each pattern:

  

Along with the ability to change pick up patterns, the pad on the mic is great for live applications if you are recording very loud noise. The pad will cut the dB going into the mic and give the user a more ideal signal level, offering more control without losing audio quality. The roll off feature is also great on this mic because it gives the user more control over the exact sound they want. Let's say your sound is a little to boomy in the low end. All that needs to be done is apply the roll off to the certain frequency and things are good to go. 

*Note: The AKG C414 requires +48v Phantom Power. This means an external power source, usually coming from our digital interface or recording counsole, powers the C414 for use. With phantom power the mic will do nothing for you.*

In my personal experience I have used these mics on drums and vocals. If you have the chance to get two of these mics, they are great to use for overheads. The slight bump in the high end makes this mic great for cymbals and high hats. Also female vocals that have an exaggerated high end will reproduce great through this mic. While being a little pricey, this mic can really define your at home studio and will be a go to for recording engineers.

The AKG C414 XLS is available through Sweetwater for $1049.00.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/C414XLS

 Next I am going to discuss the Shure PGDMK6 Drum Mic package. While individual mics can add up in cost, I found this great package that comes with everything you need to mic up and record a full drum kit. Included with this package is the Shure PG52, which is the new version of the B52. This microphone is designed to capture the low end up drums and doesn't have a high frequency response. This makes this mic perfect for recording kick drum or floor tom. The design of this mic allows the engineer to get extremely close to the source and get the accurate sound they desire. This mic is available through Sweetwater for $119.00, but wait until I finish describing this mic package to see the price of all the PG series mics together. Here is the PG52:

Also included in this Shure PG series drum kit package is the Shure PG56. This mic is ideal for recording snare and toms. Included with the package comes three of the PG56, which is great because it allows for greater accuracy when micing a full drum kit. Also included with these mics are clips that attach right to the drum themselves. This is a nice feature because it eliminates the amount of stands we need, and also allows for greater control over the mic placement. While you might not want the same coloration from the mic on your toms and snare, if we pull out our trusty SM57 for the snare mic and use the PG56 for strictly the toms, we will get a great sound and free up one more PG56 to use on another tom rather than snare. The PG56 is available through Sweetwater for $69.00, so if we decide to get three of these it will be around $210.00. Wait till the end of this package to see what the final costs of the package will be! Here is the Shure PG56:

The last microphone included in this Shure drum package is the PG81. This mic is designed to be used at overheads, on acoustic instruments, or on vocals. The flat frequency response (with a little bump in the high end), will give a nice reproduction of cymbals and high frequency sound. Included with this drum package are two of these mics, which is great because Shure gives the option for full drum micing with these two mics as overheads. Included with the PG81 are two mounts that need stands in order to be mounted properly. The Shure PG81 is available through Sweetwater for $129.00, but if we were to get two of these it would be roughly $260.00. Here is the Shure PG81:

All of these drum microphones come in a great package from Shure. Included are a PG52, 3 PG56s, and 2 PG81s. Also included are 6 XLR-XLR cables, which is great because we don't need to spend more money on the cables and will be ready to record right out of the box. Also included is a durable carrying case that will hold all the mics securely. This package is available through Sweetwater for $399.00, which is a great deal if you ask me!
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PGDMK6XLR/

Moving on I am not going to discuss the Blue Baby Bottle. This is not only a great sounding mic with awesome sonic clarity, but is a beautiful mic by design. Blue has a reputation of producing "boutique" microphones, and the Baby Bottle appears to be just that. This is a large diaphragm cardiod mic, which will pick up sound from the source and eliminate sound in the background. This mic is known as the "do-all" microphone due to its clarity and durability. The Baby Bottle is great to use when recording vocals, both electric and acoustic guitar, strings, drums, saxophone, flute, and reeds. With this huge range of applications, it is no wonder this is a go to for recording engineers. The circuitry and capsule on this mic are also hand made, which assures for quality reproduction. The Blue Baby Bottle is one of my favorite mics because of how well it sounds on acoustic guitar and vocals. Included in the Baby Bottle package is a custom Baby Bottle shock mount and pop filter.
The Blue Baby Bottle is available through Sweetwater for $399.00.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BabyBottle

 
There is still one more microphone I feel is needed for the at home studio. This would be the Sennheiser e906. This is a supercardiod mic that will focus extremely on whats coming from the source, limit the amount of sound being picked up on the sides, and eliminate a significant amount of sound coming from behind the mic. This microphone is a great choice for recording guitar cabinets and drums. The precision features on this mic include a high frequency bump, a flat response, and a low frequency roll off options. This gives the e906 more versatility and strength. Another great feature is the flat front panel design, which gives the engineer the option to place the mic right up to the speaker on the guitar cab, creating accurate results with precision. In my own use I have used this mic on acoustic and electric guitars. I find that the reproduction is fantastic, which makes this mic a must have for the at home studio.
The Sennheiser e906 is available through Sweetwater for $185.95.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/e906

I hope everyone get the information they needed on the mics I suggest for the at home studio. Of course there are a lot more mics available on the market, but for what we are production from the at home studio, the mics discussed are great options to get things rolling. Please leave comments and feedback on what you think of these mics from personal experiences or from what you have read.
Also leave feedback on other mics you think are suitable for the at home studio. This will help us all learn more and give us more ideas and options and how to produce the best quality material.

This blog is intended on developing the at home studio. While I am going to move on from microphones from the time being to keep the development moving, stay tuned for later posts where I will focus on individual mics that may be suitable for the at home studio!

TTYL,
BCEB

 *It's not about how fast you can pump something out, it's how efficient you can use your knowledge to create the best available product while delivering a professional experience.*