Behringer C1, Samson C01 or something else entirely?

[berry120]

Hey,

 

Posting for the first time here, so please don't go too harsh on me if the question's obvious or it's been answered before, though I have been doing some searching around and not really found the answer I was looking for.

 

Basically, at some point in the future (perhaps near, perhaps not depending on how money goes!) I'm looking to get a mic or 2 for personal recording purposes. They'll probably be mainly used for violin and piano, since that's what I play, though I'm hoping they'll yield decent results on other instruments as well should the need arise.

 

Problem is, most of the sound experience I've had before hasn't really been at the budget end of the spectrum that I'm looking at - more in the 100's(UKP) so I'm not really sure what to go for! I've done a bit of research and reading around and come up with two mics that seem to have roughly the same price point (30 UKP) and both seem to have reasonable reviews, those being the two in the title. Would anyone care to recommend one above the other, or is there really not much in it? The impression that I've got for both of them is that while they don't of course match up to the higher end ones around, they still come relatively close to it at a drastically reduced price. Though of course that impression may be totally wrong, which is why I'm asking :(

[cedd]

I've got a pair of C1's, mainly used for guitar cabs. Can't fault them for the work I do with them. The noise floor is a little higher when A/B'd with my other (small diaphragm) condensers which cost a fair bit more, but for my work it's not noticeable or a problem.

 

Personal peference for violin would be a small diaphragm, but that's a little off topic.

 

I know a couple of companies do mic kits containing a small diaphragm and large diaphragm mic. One that sprigs to mind is MXL. It might be worth doing a little digging into their kit. I have no idea of quality, but if you're wanting to go for "a mic or two" then a kit with small and large diaphragm mics seems a good way to go.

[trussmonkee]

just wondered what the price range you looking at is?

 

strictly £30ish or can it be stretched?

 

if so I love the behringer b2 with the c2 pairs for live strings (a pair of c2's at £38 a pair are the best work horses I've ever bought)

 

if it can stretch again audio technika at4033 is around £150 but a wonderful mic for both live and studio particularly on piano and very efective on stings from dbass to fiddle

 

not alot extra when you look at the benifits

 

hope this helps just my opinion

 

jim

[benweblight]

Look at Rode and SE Electronics mic's, good value and can be picked up for around your budget.

[paulears]

I was very surprised by how nice the Samsons sounded - although they are really quite small capsules in a big housing. Our friends at Thomann have some own branded large format mics that sound quite clean, and have a low noise floor. If you want a warmer sound for the violin, then the cheapest I can think of that I have used are the Oktava 319s - rather heavy, but a lovely warm sound. Damn ugly though! About a hundred squid each. Too much?

[berry120]

Thanks for the replies guys :(

 

As for the price range - it's not that I have strictly £30 per mic or anything like that, more that I'm doing some browsing around and that price point seemed like an attractive one. Heck I'll be honest, I haven't even got a mixing desk yet, but on that front I was thinking of just picking up one of the small cheap xenyx desks until I saved up for something nicer. Not expecting the best quality mix from it obviously - I've never tried the Xenyx desks so I might be wrong, but a couple of the other Behringer's I've played with in the past have seemed rather cold sounding. Still, that's something I can live with for the time being! But if anyone's got any comments on the mixer front as to a better option or whether that plan sounds like a reasonable one, I'm open to suggestions.

 

On the mic front, recommendations up to the mid 100's are more than welcome - though I'll probably have to end up opting with something cheaper to start with (Student budget and all) and then work up from there. The at4033 looks very nice as does the B2 and they're both mics I'll bear them in mind for the future, but in terms of initial budget they're a bit out of range. The c2's on the other hand look very appealing, I'll definitely consider them.

 

Couple of questions if that's ok - firstly what would the sort of difference would there be stepping up to a mic slightly higher up - say the samson c03, behringer c3 or the b2 that was recommended, over the c1 or the c01? i.e. is there a big step up in warmth, sound quality, less noise, etc. Secondly, and this may well be me partly answering my own question, but would mics at this end of the spectrum still be practical for live use, or would they just feed back way too easily?

 

Cheers