Re: Microphone for mandolins
Originally Posted by
Shelby Eicher
The Audio Technica pro35 has a better freqeuncy response than the 350 (a little flatter on the highs). The pro 35 sounds great and is user friendly.
If you look at the freauency plots on the AT web site, they're both reasonably flat, I can't see a major difference. The ATM350 extends further with flat response into the upper "air" frequencies, although many PA's won't reproduce that. I've been happy with an ATM350 on mandolin and fiddle. The Pro35 is also a good mic if you don't want to spend more.
The Neumann 184 has a hyped upper range that makes them hard to EQ in live situations.
Have you used a 184 in a live situation? Mileage can vary, but I've been using two 184's for mandolin/octave mandolin and guitar with our band, and they've worked fine. The "hyped" upper frequencies are overstated, I think. That slight bump won't make it through many typical smaller club PA systems in the first place, and I like the clarity of the midrange with 184's. They're also mechanically very solid. I don't bother to carry spares, because they always work.
Originally Posted by
Michael Wolf
Iīd like to suggest the DPA miniature mics, though I donīt know how available they are in the USA. They surely are expensive, but I think no more so than Neumanns. I have a 4061 Minimic thatīs very nice and I had the chance to test the new
4099 supercardioid mic for two weeks. Now I can say that the 4099 is indeed fabulous.
I just got a DPA 4099GTR (the guitar mount version) to try as a mic on my octave mandolin, and maybe on a Dobro, but the OM is the main application.
The DPA 4099 has an upper frequency bump that on paper doesn't look as flat as the ATM350, but like the Neumann KM-184 it might be one of those "your mileage may vary" things, depending on specific instrument, PA, etc. I do like the carpenter-jack style mounting method, and it's one reason I decided to try it. The guitar size mount works fine on my OM, which doesn't have other obvious way to attach a clip-on mic (no ToneGard).
The big downside for the DPA mic is the very high cost for those of us here in the USA. Not just the mic, but the accessories. I bought the GTR version (larger carpenter jack mount) for my octave mandolin, and then discovered I could use the same gooseneck mini-mic with the smaller violin mount, which would work on a mandolin, or for the fiddler in our band. So I ordered that other mount to maximize the potential uses for the mic. Here in the USA, that violin/mandolin carpenter jack mount cost me $79 dollars. That's an outrageous price, for a little plastic clip-on mount that doesn't include any of the mic electronics.
DPA mics sound good, and they're very well made, but if I had to outfit our whole band with mini-condenser mics, I'd definitely be looking at Audio-Technica or something else more affordable. DPA is in the "boutique" category for those of us here in the USA, unless you just have money to burn.
P.S. this reaction is mostly "sticker shock" and I'll try to post a more level-headed review of the DPA 4099 as a mandolin mic in the near future...
Lebeda F-5 mandolin, redwood top
Weber Yellowstone F-5 octave mandolin
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