Mic shure KSM32

[Tony Hardie-Bick]

Much wisdom from Gert here,

my interest in mics stems from recording straight, and what is mastered is what 
went into the A-D - with no eq, no compression or fx, except, maybe some very 
high quality reverb. the mic becomes one of only three components that colour 
the sound. if you're adding effects, or multitracking anyway, yes, you need a 
good sound, but there's no need to get obsessive.

Tony (HB)

On 11/01/12 16:41, Gert van Santen wrote:
> Hey, Romain!
>
> Op 11-1-2012 16:41, Romain / rXg schreef:
>> Hello guys,
>> During the New year eve I talked with Gert about many stuff :
>> mastering, mixing ... etc but also about gears :P
>
> Yeah, man, that was an awesome evening. Talking gear is one of the coolest
> things on music-bar parties :-)
>
>> One of those discussion was about the shure KSM32, I referred to
>> this dude ( see link below), who used to be sound engineer
>> for King Kringsom albums etc ...
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w6y8gNWEhY&list=UU5ZJRccUMA0Dw5AxOSAgbFA&index=1&feature=plcp
>>
>> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w6y8gNWEhY&list=UU5ZJRccUMA0Dw5AxOSAgbFA&index=1&feature=plcp>
>>
>> What do you think compare to the very known Rode NT1 ? ( cost :
>> 169 euro) , Shure KSM32 is 579 euro ...
>> Do you think I will really hear the difference for the difference
>> of price ? also I think that the Pre-Amp has a big impact on the
>> quality ...
>> Right now with my Rode Nt1 I got a Presonus TubePre (88 Euro)
>> Which kind of Pre-amp will you advice to combine it with a KSM32 ?
>> I must say that I'm using the rode nt1 combined with the tubepre
>> since couples of years ... I m quite satisfied but I discovered
>> that the mic is a bit too sensitive on high freq ...
>> Also I wonder about different stuff about stereo recording let
>> say over head for drums. .. Is it common to use different
>> cardioid condenser mics with different Pre-amp, or do you need to
>> use the same materials for the Pair ? ( Same mic + same Pre Amp) ...
>
> I would always use 2 identical mikes for overhead, otherwise you might get a
> strange/annoying stereo image. Or only use 1 mike, but then you've got mono
> sound - which isn't always bad for OH.
>
>> If you think the KSM32 is not a good idea for the price, which
>> Mic will you advice for acoustic guitar, voices, drums overhead,
>> udu etc ?
>> I wish you all a nice day ...
>
> I have never used the KSM32, but I'm shure (hehe) it's a great mike. If you will
> hear the difference; well that's another story. It also depends what you do with
> your recordings afterwards and how good your room acoustics are. If you use
> loads of EQ, compression, delay, chorus etc afterwards, who cares if it's a
> Neumann, and you probably won't hear the difference.
>
> I think with mikes it's the same as with many other tools people use to make
> art. Like guitars, synthesizers, and even mastering. It's about your creativity
> - what you do with them...
>
> Let's take mastering. It is my considered opinion, that people make way too much
> of a thing about mastering. Of course, if you compare a bad mix without
> mastering to a great mix with pro mastering, there will be a big difference.
> But the difference between my mastering and Bob Katz's work? I am betting almost
> no-one will hear the difference. That's not because I'm as good as Bob Katz, but
> it's because most people will not be able to hear the difference between good
> enough and awesome - especially when they listen to mp3's while chatting with
> friends or travelling to work on the train with an ipod.
>
> So, what about mikes? I think there are almost no really bad mikes above a
> certain price point of, let's say, 150 euros. There will be differences, of
> course, but for recording real instruments and vocals - where you will almost
> certainly use compression and EQ - I will bet you that the difference between
> most good mikes above 150 euros will be negligible, as far as your audience is
> concerned. Again, it's all about what you do with the recordings.
>
> What is important, though, is your application. If you record voice-overs, a
> more expensive micriophone is definitely a big plus, although I have recorded
> great stuff with a 50 euro usb mike and a simple flash recorder. Same for
> acoustic guitar without other instruments. You want to hear that beautiful
> sparkling sound? Go for a great mike. But don't forget: you will need good room
> acoustics as well, plus the right distance, plus the right polar pattern,
> compression, EQ, reverb, etc.
>
> So, in conclusion: get a good mike that's not 25 euros - but think of your
> application - and then it's all about your creativity and who is going to listen
> to it - and where.
>
> hope this helps :-)
>