Overhead mics on a budget?

[Mattayus]

I currently have some Samson C01's but their results leave a little to be desired, as is to be expected from cheap Chinese mics. Does anybody have any suggestions that aren't going to break the bank? £200ish would be a good place to start, second hand market included of course.

 

[Trevoire520]

I've heard that M Audio Pulsar's are meant to be very good on a budget. Really best bet is to keep your eye on ebay and see what's going cheap. Rode NT5's, AKG C391B, Audio Technica ATM450, Oktava MK012, CAD M179, any of them will get the job done.

 

[Mattayus]

Fantasmagoria, cheers mate

 

[jeid]

The Oktava's are great man. For £250, you can't go wrong. I really like my set.

 

[Sloan]

I always mention the MXL 603s. Cheap as shit.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

NT5's and Oktava MK012's are always a sure bet.

 

[Strachan of D]

http://www.thomann.de/gb/sontronics_stc1s_mt.htm

the sontronic stc1s look interesting

 

[BLUElightCory]

Used Oktava MK012s, Audio Technica ATM25s, or Shure SM81s.

They will stretch your budget a bit, but overhead mics are a BAD place to cut corners.

 

[RichMinerva]

what about the t.bone nt2 copys? theyre reversed engineered so cant be THAT bad?!

 

[Ashgarth]

Oktava MK012's are great!

 

[AEL89]

Used Oktava MK012s, Audio Technica ATM25s, or Shure SM81s.

They will stretch your budget a bit, but overhead mics are a BAD place to cut corners.

Yep. If you get some really decent condensors you can use them on anything. KM184s are so much better than NT5s it's almost unbelievable. I'd save and get something really nice. Used 451s are another decent option.

 

[streetwise]

Line Audio CM-3: http://www.nohypeaudio.com/lineaudioproducts.htm

I don't have much experience with them yet, but they sounded pretty nice to me when I recorded a gig with an XY-pair.

 

[nervirasme]

NT5's and Oktava MK012's are always a sure bet.

+1

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

what about the t.bone nt2 copys? theyre reversed engineered so cant be THAT bad?!

The NT2 wouldn't be my first choice for overheads, being a usual sub-par LDC. I'm not saying it can't work, but odds are the OP will be better off with some of the tried-and-true SDC's mentioned.

And just because something is reverse engineered doesn't mean they sound anything like their counterparts. The worst problem with t.bone mics IME is that you can take four identical mics and they all sound completely different.

 

[crillemannen]

Just buy the Oktava mk012 and be done with it. I recently bought Peluso cemc6 twice as expensive, a little bit better transient response but hte oktavas are probably the best OH mics for the price

 

[jeb]

Audix F15, got a pair off ebay for 45$...

They did good for a project we just finished with my band. We tried to find cheaper, we didn't find cheaper hehehe. and they still sounded good!!

 

[MatrixClaw]

I've got a pair of MK012s and a pair of M-Audio Pulsar IIs.

TBH, most times I end up liking the Pulsars better, and they were like half the price.

Either way, I've been considering selling both and going with a higher end pair

 

[Danihell]

sontronics stc-1 s

 

[Mattayus]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I'll cruise eBay and see what happens.
Also, I meant to write C02's, not C01's, although I do have them as well

 

[GeertSamuel]

Rode NT5