Electric guitar has had all the glory for too long when it come to microphone shootouts. Well, when it comes to just about anything, but that is beside the point. A conversation with a listener of The Home Recording Show about what microphone to put in front of a bass cabinet got me thinking more than a normal human should think about the subject. My stock answer has always been to use a large diaphragm dynamic moving coil microphone. This would be your standard Shure SM7b, EV RE20, Sennheiser 421, Heil PR40, et cetera. Now the reasonable doubt to this approach started to creep into my head.

I decided to test my usual choices and conventional wisdom to see what actually happens when you try different types of microphone designs, polar patterns, and distances from the source.  It was once again time for me to slip into my studio lab coat and get down to some serious business (as I have convinced my wife). I would have liked to use every microphone that I have available to me in the studio, but I knew that would do none of us any good.  What I ended up doing was taking one microphone to represent each of the different varieties.

And the nominees are:

Small diaphragm cardioid moving coil dynamic – Shure SM57 -[more info via Recording Hacks]
Small diaphragm omnidirectional moving coil dynamic – ElectroVoice 635a [more info]
Large diaphragm cardioid moving coil dynamic – Shure SM7b [more info]
Figure of 8 ribbon dynamic – Apex 210 (w/ Lundahl transformer) [more info]
Large diaphragm cardioid condenser – Audio Technica 4040 [more info]

The tests that were conducted were as follows:
The Shure SM57 and the EV 635a at 1 inch to show proximity effect
All microphones at a distance of 8 inches to show standard placement
All microphones at 4 feet to show room ambience pickup

All were tracked on axis.  The SM7b had the presence circuit engaged and the bass was set to flat.  The Audio Technica had the -10 dB pad engaged and bass was flat.  Preamp gain was fairly similar among the microphones until I got to the AT 4040.  It needed far less gain even with the pad engaged.

The equipment used was as follows: my customized Fender jazz bass, direct to a Golden Age Pre-73, to the SSL Alphalink, to Pro Tools, reamped via a Radial RMP Pro, to a vintage Ampeg V4 amplifier, and finally to an Ampeg SVT 8×10 cabinet.

Bass Guitar Mic Shootout by theaudiogeek2

Are these microphones a great example of what all the other microphones in their class would sound like?  No, not really.  What would be?!  The most important thing to take away from this experiment is the differences from one type of microphone to another.  This is not about which one sounds best as much as it is what sound would be best for which particular application.

On the heels of a giant ribbon microphone shootout, I am much more likely (at least in the short term) to put up a ribbon mic in the mix just to see what happens.  I think that in this shootout, it was the surprise stand out.  I think that I would likely use it as a solid number 2 choice.  Still my favorite was the Shure SM7b for most applications.  The Shure SM57 may be a surprise to many that it did as well as it did in this application.  A simple moving coil dynamic microphone should never be underestimated.  They just work!  Enough said!

Now, just maybe, if this idea has crawled inside your brain and laid eggs you may be more willing to take a second listen to some microphone choices you may not have previously reached for in a particular application.  If anyone out there tries something different because you are now thinking about it, please let us know what you did differently and how it turned out.

This is a listening test. I used 4 commercial pop filters, and Terry’s foam method. This is a blind listening test for the first number of days. All you need to know is that the first sample of my terrible singing is me, a Manley Gold, a Vac Rac pre, and no filter. The file is 44.1/16 aiff.

The filters used were the Pauly, the Pete’s Place, the Steadman (round one) and the Popper Stopper.

Download Filter Test

Answers

ɹǝʌoɔ ɯɐoɟ (9#
ʎןnɐd ǝɥʇ (5#
ǝɔɐןd s,ǝʇǝd (4#
ɹǝddoʇs ɹǝddod (3#
uɐɯpɐǝʇs (2#
ɹǝʇןıɟ ou (1#

I for one will not stop using a pop filter (I have far better things to do than edit out pops from vocals) but I’m more aware than ever that this choice affects the sound in a negative way.

What do you guys like for pop filters?

You may wonder why there are so many M-Audio mics in this shoot out.  Well that’s because they make good mics for the price, we had a variety on hand, and it seems like these mics don’t get a lot of attention.

The mics:

• M-Audio Nova
• Audio Technica AT2035
• M-Audio Solaris
• M-Audio Sputnik
• AKG C 414 B-XL II
• Audio-Technica AT4060

The source was Kate singing the first line of ’9 Crimes’ by Damien Rice. Each recording is a separate take, though she is very consistent. No processing has been done. Drop all the files into your DAW, keep the piano track active if you like. Scroll down to the bottom to get the files. The order of the files has been changed so you’ll need to guess which is which.

Leave a comment with which mic sounds like the best fit for her voice and I’ll email you the answers.

Other things to think about:

Which mic sounds like it’s the cheapest?
Which mic sounds the most expensive?
Which 2 mics are the tube mics?

M-Audio Nova $119

• affordable large capsule cardioid condenser
• 1.1” evaporated gold diaphragm
• solid brass capsule
• Class A solid state electronics
• 20Hz-18kHz frequency response
• includes hard mount, cable  and soft case

Audio-Technica AT2035 $235

• Large diaphragm for smooth, natural sound and low noise
• High SPL handling and wide dynamic range provide unmatched versatility
• Custom shock mount provides superior isolation
• Switchable 80 Hz high-pass filter and 10 dB pad
• Cardioid polar pattern reduces pickup of sounds from the sides and rear, improving isolation of desired sound source
• Includes custom shock mount and protective pouch

M-Audio Solaris $399

• affordable large diaphragm cardioid condenser
• 1.1” solid brass capsule w/ evaporated gold diaphragm
• Class A solid state electronics
• all Solaris microphones exhibit no more than +/- 1dB variation from each other
• cardioid, omni and figure-8 polar patterns

M-Audio Sputnik $899

• vintage tube design
• 3-micron evaporated gold Mylar diaphragm
• low-current 6205M dual triode tube
• cardioid, figure-8, and omni polar patterns
• -10dB (attenuation) pad
• 80Hz high-pass filter
• solid brass body with polished nickel finish
• dedicated power supply with included 7-pin cable
• professional shockmount
• soft cloth bag
• custom flight case

AKG C 414 BXL-II $1299

• High sensitivity and extremely low self noise
• Five switchable polar patterns for placement and application flexibility
• Two-color LEDs provide quick visual indication of selected polar pattern and output overload
• Elastic capsule suspension greatly minimizes structurally-transmitted noise from chassis vibration
• High sound pressure level capability and wide dynamic range
• Completely immune to electrostatic and electromagnetic interference from digital gear, computer monitors, etc. thanks to solid metal housing and transformerless output stage
• Three switchable bass cut filters and three pre-attenuation pads with LEDs for quick visual indication
• All switchable components operate in low impedance circuits for ultra-high reliability even in extremely humid conditions

Audio-Technica AT4060 $1905

• Vintage tube sound with the versatile performance necessary for the most demanding studio applications.
• Wide dynamic range, low self-noise and high max SPL capability.
• Carefully-controlled cardioid pattern maintains uniform off-axis response.
• Dual large-diaphragm elements for extended frequency response.
• Hand-selected tubes are aged and individually tested to ensure peak performance.

The sound files

Get the files here: http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/1053122/vocal%20mic%20shootout.rar

Leave a comment with your guesses and I’ll email you the answers.
Answers are now here