SDCs under $500 per pair...

[AdamWathan]

I want to get rid of my ATM450s for something more practical, the side address thing seemed like a cool idea at first but really it is just a pain in the ass to see exactly where the mics are pointing and I have yet to be in a situation where I would need a side address mic to fit the mic where I needed to place it...

Thinking NT5s or MK012s... I had NT5s before that sounded great but the lack of pad and highpass filter pissed me off with my Saffire Pro because they would clip even with the preamp gain at zero because of the way the preamps are on that dumb interface. With my Onyx 1200F, that shouldn't be an issue so I'm thinking about giving them a second chance and I can get a used pair for CHEAP... Is it worth the extra cash to get the Oktavas or is there anything else out there I'm forgetting about in the price range to consider? I've already got a pair of Studio Projects C4s that I like a lot so this is just another pair to compliment those. Need something to mic the ride with in addition to the overheads and I figure I might as well get a pair if they are going to be better than the C4s so I can use the new mics as OHs and throw a C4 on the ride/hats/china/whatever I need to mic separately.

 

[Joematthews]

Sorry, I don't have experience with either of the two mics you mentioned, but a good point of the ocatava mics is that Ocatava-mod is available, plus its a very simple mic so you could even mod it yourself.

A minor point, but worth considering.

Joe

 

[Metaltastic]

What's a/the Octava-mod?

 

[Trondsa]

http://www.oktavamod.com/

 

[Joematthews]

Thats the one.

 

[AdamWathan]

Think I'll get the Oktavas, just listening to Oz's stuff again now and his overheads sound fucking great... Will have to buy new though with all the fakes and stuff out there :/

 

[NickL]

save up the extra 100 bones and get a pair of sm81s. you'll be glad you did

 

[Metaltastic]

Hmm, extra $200 bones I'm afraid, SM81's are $350 a pop

 

[colonel kurtz]

yea, but you can also find pretty good deals on them used....they've been around forever and are pretty popular, so it's really not tough to score some for around $200/ea.

 

[fade_2_black]

I have the NT5s and am very satisfied with them. However they are VERY sensitive! I run them through my octopre for OHs with vitrually no gain, and my built in limiter light still flashes on the odd snare hit....

 

[colonel kurtz]

i have NT5's, and they're nice and all, but i'd still take this over them:

http://cgi.ebay.com/SHURE-SM-81-CON...4|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50

 

[NickL]

Hmm, extra $200 bones I'm afraid, SM81's are $350 a pop

you can get them brand new in original packaging on ebay for 600 or less. just got a pair for 570 myself.

 

[NickL]

I have the NT5s and am very satisfied with them. However they are VERY sensitive! I run them through my octopre for OHs with vitrually no gain, and my built in limiter light still flashes on the odd snare hit....

The 81s are different. with no pad i have to crank the pres about halfway or so on overheads

 

[Metaltastic]

you can get them brand new in original packaging on ebay for 600 or less. just got a pair for 570 myself.

Pics of the receipt or it didn't happen! Just kidding, but seriously, where from?

 

[t-rave]

MXL 603's are good budget overheads

I bought mine as a matched set with a case and shock mounts for under $300

at this place you even get to 20 ft mic cables

http://www.humbuckermusic.com/mxl60mistpak.html

 

[cobrahead1030]

the 603's are decent mics, but it's hard to believe they're selling for that much now...i bought mine nearly 5 years ago when they were selling on e bay for $49 each

 

[AdamWathan]

Decided to just stick with the ATM450s and deal with the side address shit for now. Maybe someday down the road when I'm actually making money doing this shit I'll get some SM81s or 451s.

 

[mintcheerios]

It seems that in the world of mics demand goes up pretty quickly when people start to discover how great a mic is. The Oktava 012s used to be really cheap (less than $100) and now they have more than doubled. The Studio Projects C1 went up a bit too when people started to favorably compare it to the Neumann U87. It looks like the Apex 205 has gone up also. I've seen years old threads where people say "these are great and only 82 shipped" with a link, and following the link only leads you to the same item with a 25% increase. I think it's possible that Harvey Gerst's endorsement of the 603s had something to do with its price hike also.

"This is a flat-out winner, folks. Almost identical to the MC012 in sound, with a wide cardioid pattern, almost approaching omni. We used them as drum overhead mics, and they do a great job… They were also a perfect match to the Oktava MC012 - they sounded nearly identical."
Harvey Gerst