a "picks up everything" kinda mic
- Thread starter DankStar
- Start date
DankStar
Her Little Mojo Minion
SlyFoxx
Glossless
Re: a "picks up everything" kinda mic
Picks up everything immediately leads me to think "omnidirectional." They also tend to color the sound less than mics with with a cardioid or other directional pattern.
So I'd be looking for an omnidirectional condenser mic. You can find condenser mics that will switch between omni and cardioid patterns. That might just be the ticket for you as you'll have one mic that can cover a LOT of territory.
Picks up everything immediately leads me to think "omnidirectional." They also tend to color the sound less than mics with with a cardioid or other directional pattern.
So I'd be looking for an omnidirectional condenser mic. You can find condenser mics that will switch between omni and cardioid patterns. That might just be the ticket for you as you'll have one mic that can cover a LOT of territory.
DankStar
Her Little Mojo Minion
wahwah
GumbyLoveologist
Re: a "picks up everything" kinda mic
One word of caution about selecting a condenser with an omni pattern is that you really need to have a good sounding room, because you're going to be hearing a lot more of it with an omnidirectional mic as opposed to something with a cardioid pattern. The OP described capturing a lot of percussive elements, and unless the room sounds great and you want its reverb on every track you record, you may be better served with something more directional with a tighter pattern. Sly's recommendation of a mic with switchable pattern options makes good sense. But I would suggest a cardioid pattern as the main consideration, with the possibility of omni as an option.
We live in an era when we're spoilt for choice with affordable condenser mics, many of them with very similar Chinese made diaphragms and similar electronics. They may not sound as good as an old Neumann (well, in fact, they don't!) but then we aren't running them into $12,000 mic pres either, so everything can still be to scale and still get some very satisfying results.
Cheers......................................... wahwah
One word of caution about selecting a condenser with an omni pattern is that you really need to have a good sounding room, because you're going to be hearing a lot more of it with an omnidirectional mic as opposed to something with a cardioid pattern. The OP described capturing a lot of percussive elements, and unless the room sounds great and you want its reverb on every track you record, you may be better served with something more directional with a tighter pattern. Sly's recommendation of a mic with switchable pattern options makes good sense. But I would suggest a cardioid pattern as the main consideration, with the possibility of omni as an option.
We live in an era when we're spoilt for choice with affordable condenser mics, many of them with very similar Chinese made diaphragms and similar electronics. They may not sound as good as an old Neumann (well, in fact, they don't!) but then we aren't running them into $12,000 mic pres either, so everything can still be to scale and still get some very satisfying results.
Cheers......................................... wahwah
surface54
New member
Re: a "picks up everything" kinda mic
i have the AT3035, it picked up my friend eating tortilla chips 7 feet away!
crunch...swallow harsh swallow....crunch....
i also used it for a bongo hand drum which worked really well too!
but the really bassy parts needed a 57 to capture the accurate impact.
but anything thats open and not too loud, condenser mics all the way imo.
here is that crunch!!
https://home.comcast.net/~musicalsx/sounds/Tortilla-Crunch.mp3
i have the AT3035, it picked up my friend eating tortilla chips 7 feet away!
crunch...swallow harsh swallow....crunch....
i also used it for a bongo hand drum which worked really well too!
but the really bassy parts needed a 57 to capture the accurate impact.
but anything thats open and not too loud, condenser mics all the way imo.
here is that crunch!!
https://home.comcast.net/~musicalsx/sounds/Tortilla-Crunch.mp3
Last edited:
Hellion
New member
Re: a "picks up everything" kinda mic
Check out an AKG C-1000S. You should be able to find used models online for about that price. I have one and while it's not my main choice for everything, it seems to record everything pretty well, from sax to acoustic guitar to vocals to keyboards, etc. If you have two, they're a great overhead set up for drums. It's a small condenser mic, but I've gotten some really full sounds out of it and they're quite transparent.
Check out an AKG C-1000S. You should be able to find used models online for about that price. I have one and while it's not my main choice for everything, it seems to record everything pretty well, from sax to acoustic guitar to vocals to keyboards, etc. If you have two, they're a great overhead set up for drums. It's a small condenser mic, but I've gotten some really full sounds out of it and they're quite transparent.
