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View Full Version : pickup/mic vs. studio condenser microphone on a Collings MF 5



mando-bob
May-06-2020, 6:38pm
Here is what a fine dual source system sounds like compared to a high end studio condenser microphone. I took my well worn Collings MF5 equipped with a K&K pickup / DPA 4061 attached mic and a Schopes MK4 small diaphragm condenser microphone for a short comparison.

https://youtu.be/cbcveVqJWo8

https://youtu.be/cbcveVqJWo8

Daniel Infield
May-07-2020, 11:14am
Love it man!!

The Schoeps is my hands down favorite sound for acoustic guitar; sounds great w/ your mando. Pleasantly surprised by the blended signal- was it hard to get it phase aligned or was it good as is?

mando-bob
May-07-2020, 1:02pm
Love it man!!

The Schoeps is my hands down favorite sound for acoustic guitar; sounds great w/ your mando. Pleasantly surprised by the blended signal- was it hard to get it phase aligned or was it good as is?

Hey,
thank you very much - glad you like it !
Oh yes, the Schoeps is such great mike, no doubt. Love it like I love my old KM84s. Often hard to decide cause both mikes are so great on guitar, mandolin ... but: No complaints on that level.
Phase was good as it is - I didn't do anything.
Cheers, Bob

mandroid
May-07-2020, 9:38pm
pickup senses sound board vibrations , loud pub gig ? that may be OK.

Mandoplumb
May-08-2020, 7:49am
Wonder what that mandolin sounds like thru a external mic. Both tests sounded thin or trebley ( is there such a word) to me. Sustain is unnatural also. If you’ve ever picked a guitar thrower up with your ear against the body, you know that takes away the depth of the instrument. I think a mounted mic does the same thing. A ribbon mic is my preference for about any acoustic instrument.JMHO

mando-bob
May-26-2020, 12:10pm
Wonder what that mandolin sounds like thru a external mic. Both tests sounded thin or trebley ( is there such a word) to me. Sustain is unnatural also. If you’ve ever picked a guitar thrower up with your ear against the body, you know that takes away the depth of the instrument. I think a mounted mic does the same thing. A ribbon mic is my preference for about any acoustic instrument.JMHO

Hey,
thanks for your contribution - some questions ...
There is an external microphone in this comparison - maybe you missed it. And can you explain what you mean by saying "sustain is unnatural" ? What is the unnatural part of sustain ? And the mounted mic used here is an omnidirectional, so it picks up sound from every direction while being free of any proximity effect. That's why I prefer the DPA 4061 over any other clip on mic. So it's not like "ear against the body".
Yes, a bit bright to my ears as well - brand new strings on mandolin here, not my preference. And yes, I love a ribbon mic on mandolin. But it colours the sound of the instrument much more then a decent condenser mic. The Schoeps I used in the vid is very true sounding, which makes it my first choice for vids like that, where listeners should get a detailed impression of the instrument. When recording I often chose a ribbon.

mandroid
May-27-2020, 1:53pm
short string @ high pitch fades pretty quickly.. Physics..