Studio Projects C1.

[Seizure.]

Is it worth the money?
And how does it live up to for example Rode mics? (nt1/nt2a)

Thanks for the input upfront, i'm in the market for a condenser and still pondering!

mvg,

JB.

 

[alexrookie]

well, i have two c3's - but they are nearly the same!
i like the mics a lot and for that price the c1 is fantastic - it is a bit harsh but not that much as a b1, for example - the c1 is much more full sounding!
quite a few people like the nt1 as well or more but i think it really depends on what you are going for with the mic.
the c1 could have problems with female voices but fits really good to a acoustic guitar!
what are you going to do with your condenser?

my c3's are my overheads and vocal mic ( sometimes i use my older akg c3000 for vocals)

cheers,
alex

some tests:

http://www.thelisteningsessions.com/home.htm

http://testing.holmerup.biz/mic_pretest/MP3index_en.html

 

[Matt Smith]

Don't underestimate the C1 in front of a guitar cabinet, believe it or not. Especially for clean-ish sounds.

 

[Brett - K A L I S I A]

I prefer the C1 over the Rode NT1000 on most voices.

 

[Seizure.]

Thanks for the input guys! muucccch apreciated! so will the C1 be a good choice for male vocals? low and high?

 

[Daunt]

I'm not trying to steal your thread but has anyone tried MXL V6 Silicon Valve?

http://www.mxlmics.com/condenser_mic/condenser_index.html

 

[poidaobi]

What about the Studio Projects B1 For Cab miking. Sorry, im not trying to steal thread.

 

[Kazrog]

I had a C1 for a while and really liked it. Sold it only because I was broke at the time and had a better mic at my disposal (AT4060.) Thankfully, I've bounced back since those days.

 

[Dogman]

For what it's worth I got me a pair of C1's because everybody was raving about them but sent them back in the end. Top end was overly exaggerated for my taste, didn`t meet my expectations on accoustic guitar too.
My biggest gripe was the build quality. Switches felt a littele funky, both mics picked up RF-noise here in the stuido, depending on where I set them up. You could even hear a difference when grounding the chassis by touching it. Both mics tended to give weird clicking noises once in a while.
I've never ever experienced this with any other mic (cheap or highend) I used here. Same room, cables and hardware, mind you!
Got me a pair of Rode NT 1000s for the purposes I inteded the C1's for and havent looked back: better sound for my taste. Built like the proverbial tank, no noise, no nonsense.

Just my 2 cents, your milage may vary!

 

[metalkingdom]

For what it's worth I got me a pair of C1's because everybody was raving about them but sent them back in the end. Top end was overly exaggerated for my taste, didn`t meet my expectations on accoustic guitar too.
My biggest gripe was the build quality. Switches felt a littele funky, both mics picked up RF-noise here in the stuido, depending on where I set them up. You could even hear a difference when grounding the chassis by touching it. Both mics tended to give weird clicking noises once in a while.
I've never ever experienced this with any other mic (cheap or highend) I used here. Same room, cables and hardware, mind you!
Got me a pair of Rode NT 1000s for the purposes I inteded the C1's for and havent looked back: better sound for my taste. Built like the proverbial tank, no noise, no nonsense.

Just my 2 cents, your milage may vary!

I was hoping that someone would say this. Those mics (just like 99% of all Chinese mics) suck badly. That Chinese high-end is the worst!!!

 

[Kazrog]

I was hoping that someone would say this. Those mics (just like 99% of all Chinese mics) suck badly. That Chinese high-end is the worst!!!

I disagree. They're really good mics, and they're Japanese. If you can't get a good sound from a C1, the problem isn't the mic.

 

[metalkingdom]

I disagree. They're really good mics, and they're Japanese. If you can't get a good sound from a C1, the problem isn't the mic.

They're CHINESE - made by a company called Beijing 797 Audio.

And I guess that after using a Sony C-800 daily for four years, tube U67's, tube 87's (yes, tube), Blue Bottles (with all six capsules), Blue Kiwi's, C-12's (VR's and originals), U47's, 414's, and every other goddamned REAL mic in the world - umm, yeah, the problem isn't the mic. I guess I just don't know what "good sound" is.

If you ever get to the point where professional musicians/artists trust your ears enough to pay you a shitload of money to make records, go ahead and try to use a C1. You'll be looking for a new gig the next day.

 

[alexrookie]

please don't forget that we are talking about a mic for something like 180€ here in europe!!
and for that price it is absolutely cool.
if i could afford 1000€ per mic, my choice wouldn't be the c1 - but i have 200 bucks and then the c1 is a good adress!

 

[STINNETT]

They're CHINESE - made by a company called Beijing 797 Audio.

And I guess that after using a Sony C-800 daily for four years, tube U67's, tube 87's (yes, tube), Blue Bottles (with all six capsules), Blue Kiwi's, C-12's (VR's and originals), U47's, 414's, and every other goddamned REAL mic in the world - umm, yeah, the problem isn't the mic. I guess I just don't know what "good sound" is.

If you ever get to the point where professional musicians/artists trust your ears enough to pay you a shitload of money to make records, go ahead and try to use a C1. You'll be looking for a new gig the next day.

If someone is asking you if a 200 dollar mic is "worth the money" I think it's a little silly to tell them how bad it sucks compared to mics that cost thousands. For the money, the C1 is a good mic.
And I think that a good engineer should definitely be able to get something good out of one, therefore I think Kazrog's statement makes perfect sense. It may have a certain character that you find inferior to top shelf mics (imagine that) but that doesn't make it useless.

 

[metalkingdom]

If someone is asking you if a 200 dollar mic is "worth the money" I think it's a little silly to tell them how bad it sucks compared to mics that cost thousands. For the money, the C1 is a good mic.
And I think that a good engineer should definitely be able to get something good out of one, therefore I think Kazrog's statement makes perfect sense. It may have a certain character that you find inferior to top shelf mics (imagine that) but that doesn't make it useless.

Regardless of how much it costs, it still sucks. All of the Chinese mics have a nasty high end and are built like shit (except for a couple of the SE mics - and I mean a couple), and they are absolutely useless to someone who knows what real mics should sound like. Why do you think that Rode quit making (buying) their mics in China? If you're a hobbyist doing some recording, then maybe you see things differently than someone who has a lot of experience. And yes, that old saying "a good engineer can make anything sound good" is true, but if you're screwing hot blondes on the regular would you lower your standards and fuck a fat redhead?

I'd rather beat off, so in the same sense I'd rather not record than use shit mics.

 

[Kazrog]

They're CHINESE - made by a company called Beijing 797 Audio.

Upon some further research, you're right, my bad. I was always told they were based out of Japan... strange...

And I guess that after using a Sony C-800 daily for four years, tube U67's, tube 87's (yes, tube), Blue Bottles (with all six capsules), Blue Kiwi's, C-12's (VR's and originals), U47's, 414's, and every other goddamned REAL mic in the world - umm, yeah, the problem isn't the mic. I guess I just don't know what "good sound" is.

If you ever get to the point where professional musicians/artists trust your ears enough to pay you a shitload of money to make records, go ahead and try to use a C1. You'll be looking for a new gig the next day.

I would never try to say a C1 will hold up against the mics you've listed here. That would be crazy. You generally get what you pay for with mics. That's awesome that you've reached a level in your career where you can afford to use all of the mics you've listed. I'm just saying that I've produced great results out of a C1 in the past. I'd also say that they're the best condenser in the price range (not a price range I'm interested in anymore, but for many who post here it is all that can be afforded.)

Besides, we all use SM57s, and they don't cost very much either. Many great sounding records that most of us love have even used them as the main vocal mic. We've all become accustomed to the qualities of those mics and worked around them, when better options like the Audix i5 exist, yet most of us still use SM57s instead. Mics are a very subjective thing, and they ultimately are only as good as the engineer using them.

Anyway I'm not trying to attack your (or anyone else's) ability here, I'm just saying that you can go too far down the path of gear snobbery and lose sight of the big picture. A skilled engineer makes the best of whatever tools he or she has at their disposal, and a lot of amazing sounding records have been made with less-than-ideal mics.

 

[Seizure.]

cool, i can get a nice used rode ntk now too, so i'm checking that out tomorrow aswell! allready thanks for the input.

and btw, how do tube mics like the ntk react to tube preamps? like the SPL goldmike?

 

[metalkingdom]

I would never try to say a C1 will hold up against the mics you've listed here. That would be crazy. You generally get what you pay for with mics. That's awesome that you've reached a level in your career where you can afford to use all of the mics you've listed. I'm just saying that I've produced great results out of a C1 in the past. I'd also say that they're the best condenser in the price range.

Besides, we all use SM57s, and they don't cost very much either. Many great sounding records that most of us love have even used them as the main vocal mic. We've all become accustomed to the qualities of those mics and worked around them, when better options like the Audix i5 exist, yet most of us still use SM57s instead. Mics are a very subjective thing, and they ultimately are only as good as the engineer using them.

Most of the mics that I listed are already in the big studios. The 57 and most dynamic mics are a whole different story, so... I wouldn't say that the i5 is a better option. Mic quality isn't really that subjective, and many times (especially for vocals) your engineering skills don't really matter. Nowadays, a lot of tracks are cut by computer-operators who are calling themselves engineers, but most of them don't know jack shit about real engineering. As long as a good mic was used and decent levels were maintained during tracking, everything is all good when it comes time to mix. When I get tracks that were recorded by someone else for mixing, I can always tell if a good mic or a shitty mic was utilized. Those Chinese mics make your de-essers work overtime.

The Rode NT2K and the K2 are probably the cheapest large diaphragm condensers that I'd consider to be good mics.

 

[metalkingdom]

and btw, how do tube mics like the ntk react to tube preamps? like the SPL goldmike?

Too much tube isn't always a good thing.

 

[~BURNY~]

A fat redhead... Mmmmmm....

How about Audio Technica's?