Audio technica pro 35

[tterral]

Anyone ever used one of these things? Says they are geared towards instruments with high SPLs, like sax, toms, percussion, so don't know how they would be for the mandolin. Seems reasonably priced ($120.00 at Sam Ash) and comes with a clip that looks like it would work on a mando.

[Smyers]

It will work, but...

I don't think I would go with the pro 35 for a mando. It has too much bass roll off. It's pretty much like their 831, which starts rolling off a bit above 200 Hz. Those are great for guitars, where you definitely want to kill the low boomyness of them. The other issue is it is set-up for horns which have very high SPL's. A mando doesn't in comparison. That means you'll get a higher S/N ratio which means more fighiting feedback at nominal playing levels on a mando... and perhaps gain issues on your mic pre, depending upon what your set-up is.

Try to choose a mic that is perhaps the mid 130 db's for maximum volume level, that will give you better S/N ratio. I would also try to get a mic that is flat to 100 Hz. Better to keep the roll-off on your EQ or mixer than on the mic. You might look at the A-T 899 lavalier mic, which appears a better choice, if you want to stay with A-T.

[steve V. johnson]

I have several of these, and I like them. I never thought about the good points that Scott makes...

I haven't ever used one on a mandolin.

We saw one of the fiddlers in the wonderful Irish trad band Lunasa use one onstage at a festival, a friend asked me to find her one for her fiddle and I happened onto sevearl new ones at a pkg price, so I bought 'em. I used them on fiddle and bodhran (the Irish frame drum at first, and later on trumpets, trombones, the toms of a drum kit, and a five-string banjo.

I really like them for fiddles, and they did just fine for the other stuff. I didn't really notice the rolloff when using them on the drum kit (I may just be too durn thick... <GG>). The only onstage feedback we've experienced with them has been when our fiddler was carrying his fiddle around by the neck onstage and walked in front of some stage monitors. The feedback was in the very low freq range.

One thing about the AT 35s is very confusing... When I look for them from online pro audio dealers, I most often find a model on which the mic cable terminates in a 1/8" jack that then plugs into a power pack that holds batteries and has an XLR output.

Theones I got do not use the power pack but include an XLR cable and require phantom power. Unless retailers show a full picture of the rig, it's tough to tell which one they're offering. AT has used a bunch of different nomenclature for these, and the only one that seems consistent is when it includes a "W" which signifies that it's made to use with a wireless setup.

Scott, thanks for the tip on the 899. I still get asked about these 35's and about alternatives to them, so that's good to know.

Thanks!

stv

[Smyers]

For the record, the A-T's fall into the "good enough" catagory in my mind for live applications. Of course, all this starts getting really subjective at a certain level. In mini mics, I still prefer Countryman and AKG for most applications. Of course, you can't find those at a music store for $120 either. But they are not too outrageous.

[tterral]

Scott,

Those were some of my concerns as well, so maybe not the best choice for mandolin. Not necassarily wanting to stay with A-T. I looked at the AKD 411, but you have to buy their battery pack with them since they no longer make the one that terminates in an XLR. The Countryman Isomax II looks nice, but would like to spend less money, if possible. Have looked at the K & K mando pickup and the Schatten (which is coming out with a new pickup in the next month or two), but I am guessing a mini-mic could sound more natural. Not too worried about feedback since we do not play that loud. Also read about the LR Baggs new picup that sound s like a mandolin version of the I-Beam. Have heard good/bad about the I-Beam, so will have to wait and see what the verdict is. Ideally want a non-permanant mount so as not to effect the natural acoustic sound of my mandolin.

Thanks for the reply.

[Smyers]

Tim,

The choice are so varied with such varied results. #Just so you know, I am a semi-retired FOH/acoustic engineer. #Actually, I left the industry because it simply didn't pay enough to pay for my MAS habit. # http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

Understand that those min-mics (lavalier, pendants, etc.) are hard to make. #And the smaller, the tougher it is. #So you get one of two things. #Either great sound and high price and so-so sound and lower price.

For the mini mics, I would probably go to Countryman first because they have great sound, are ultra small and have very low self noise. #What I don't like about the particular countryman you are looking at is that it has a wide dip at 1K by about 5db. #So it will sound warm, but still have high end sizzle. #Just understand it is not a flat mic. #That's not neccessarily a bad thing, but you do need to be aware. #Countryman does make a cardiod version of the B6/E6, but I have never seen the frequency response on it. #It did show a bit more prox effect than the omni (as all cardiods do) when I used it, but it seemed nice and smooth like the original B6. #Of course, it IS NOT a cheap mic. #But if you want small, it doesn't get any smaller, as we are talking about the size of the head of a large headed pin. #But if you want to go down that path, I strongly suggest you call Countryman directly and discuss it with them. #I have often thought that if I were to mount a mic on my mando, that I would go this way. #I would see if they would do a cardiod E9 without the ear loop. #This could be mounted and the little tiny wire bent to put it exactly where you want it. #Understand that I have not actually done this, but based on my experiences with Countryman, I'll bet the results will be very good. #Although I'll also bet they'll whack me for about $450 for that ultra tiny mic with special mods.

AKG makes some of the best mics in the world, although they aren't very popular and hardly anyone stocks them. #When I do choir installs and am demanded to use mini-mics pendants, I ONLY use the AKG CK31 capsule with hanging module, as the results I have gotten with this mic far outshine the results with any other in it's type. #VERY low self noise, high output, doesn't get ragged off-axis, just sounds super and at a price that isn't silly. #One of the best sounding mini-mics I have ever heard. #I think their maximum SPL level is in the low 130's, but you'd have to check it out. #But do be aware that the AKG CK31 isn't the micro size level of the Countryman Lav mic or even as small as AKG's own lav mics. #It rolls off a little in the bottom, but not enough to be a problem. #And when reading AKG's specs, pretend your reading Neumann specs, as they are WAY conservative being a German company. #The other difficulty would be interfacing the CK31 capsule with an interface module and making it clean for the mando. #It should sound super, but it would require some customization.

There are a lot of others to consider, this is just what pops into my mind for the moment. #So many mics, so little time and money.

Of course, there is never any subsitute for the sound of a larger mic, but then you can't walk around readily and you get more bleed from other instruments. #Always a trade off, no?

[Bradley]

I personally use the AT Pro 37...and have for years.

You should be able to get one for about $125 brand new