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mooseherman « Great High-end SDC mic! »
Published on 01/17/11 at 14:27This is a recording microphone that is mainly suited for use in the recording studio, as it is a relatively fragile piece of gear and shouldn't be trifled with. Though I'm sure they'd be great for live drum overheads, they're just too pricey to really use in that context, as a venue's acoustics would render all the pristine sonic details irrelevant and you'd be just as satisfied with a cheaper set of mics.
It's a small diaphragm condenser microphone made by Neumann, a German manufacturer with a stellar reputation among recording engineers and recording enthusiasts. It requires phantom power to operate so make sure that your preamps have phantom power, or at least that you have an external source of phantom power to make it work.
OVERALL OPINION
I really enjoy using these microphones in the studio as drum overheads. They are a very pristine-sounding microphone. It worked incredibly with great high-end detail as well as clarity in picking up the entire kit. With a good EQ you can use these to get a wide variety of sounds out of different instruments. Another good use for this is for strings, acoustic guitars, and other stuff as well. I've used them as drum room mics as well. Basically these are great for getting a high end sound that has plenty of warmth. They are much warmer than the KM184 which has essentially replaced them.
Because they've been replaced by the KM184 they are hard to find, and are generally kind of expensive. However they are really great and certainly have a more classic sound than the 184s, and are really better than most small diaphragm condensers in general. They're really worth having if you have nice preamps and good converters, as a cheap home setup won't justify the cost of this mic. So studio owners would do well to find these.
It's a small diaphragm condenser microphone made by Neumann, a German manufacturer with a stellar reputation among recording engineers and recording enthusiasts. It requires phantom power to operate so make sure that your preamps have phantom power, or at least that you have an external source of phantom power to make it work.
OVERALL OPINION
I really enjoy using these microphones in the studio as drum overheads. They are a very pristine-sounding microphone. It worked incredibly with great high-end detail as well as clarity in picking up the entire kit. With a good EQ you can use these to get a wide variety of sounds out of different instruments. Another good use for this is for strings, acoustic guitars, and other stuff as well. I've used them as drum room mics as well. Basically these are great for getting a high end sound that has plenty of warmth. They are much warmer than the KM184 which has essentially replaced them.
Because they've been replaced by the KM184 they are hard to find, and are generally kind of expensive. However they are really great and certainly have a more classic sound than the 184s, and are really better than most small diaphragm condensers in general. They're really worth having if you have nice preamps and good converters, as a cheap home setup won't justify the cost of this mic. So studio owners would do well to find these.