Anybody?
I’m looking for some cheap mics to mic up some guitar cabs - I’ve got two gigs running sound for two small local events later this summer.
I’ve got most things I need - but I don’t have any of the obvious choice SM57s and since I don’t currently have a job my budget is limited (ie zero!!).
I have found some Audio Technica MB2000L mics that are quite cheap - ie
£10/$20 but there isn’t a great deal of (decent) info around on them.
Anyone used the MBs?
Any other suggestions?
Cheers
Mark
I would love to suggest the Karma Audio K-micro condensers - they are $26US per pair now, clips included. But I have to give a small caveat: my pair sound like thunder when pointed at my 15 inch bass speaker or tom-toms, sound rich pointed at acoustic guitars, sound awful on my 2X12 Vox cab, but very good pointed at my combo amp’s 10 inch or my practice amp’s 6 inch speakers. I have even had likable results using them for male vocals, particularly on someone with a medium deep baritone. You can check them out here.
If you can handle a bit of a budget upgrade, I have made excellent guitar amp recordings using EV’s Cobalt Co4,which sells new for about half the price of an SM57. It also makes a fine snare drum mic.
I have not used the MB2000L, but AT mics populate a lot of studios. And I would strongly recommend against cheaper model Shure microphones; from the SM57/58 up Shure makes great mics, but their lessers are only good (IMHO) for spoken word recording.
I look forward to reading other folk’s thoughts; quality, inexpensive microphones are swell things to find!
Good luck!
'til next time;
tony w
Hi Mark A:
I found this report on the Sound-On-Sound Page on this series of AT Mics.
AT mics…
You’re right…
not much information regarding their use…
Bill…
[EDIT] They should do the job you need to get from them… as long as the diaphragms don’t distort at the sound pressure level you need to get from the amps you place the mics in front of…
Hi Mark, know how it is being jobless and budget “0” but if you can swing the EV Cobalt’s they work great on amps.
Colbalt Mics
You can probably surf around and may even find a better deal, I picked up 4 of these last year for only $29 ea. U.S.
Not sure about the AT’s and their web site sucks!
Boy… those mics are very 57’ish lookin…
Bill…
I can’t afford one’o them…
There’re too expensive…
Whatever was wrong with fishing twine and soup cans…
anyway
?
Bill…
They weren’t that expensive when Elvis used them to sing with… I think they were around $55.95, back then…
55.95 was nearly a month’s mortgage payment back then from what I’ve heard.
It’s cheaper today.
You’re right Poppa Willis…
My parents were such hard workers…
It seemes to me that the monthly mortage payments weren’t that high…
Hank Snow was a popular singer on the radio…
Then, I wanted this Fender Bassman Amp…
It was 625.00… My Dad couldn’t figure out just where the money was gonna come from… AND… why I wanted this noise makin machine… anyway…
Then, I had this Ibanez Bass…
It cost me some 125.00
When we started, back then, we built our own amps.
In some ways, life-and-living seemed so easy
then…
I can remember, my brother had this '58 chevy…
He was getting married and they needed money so I bought it from him for what he owed on it…
It was 826.00…
Well, I was makin money playing…
and working in the the daytime…
Anyway…
Bill…
Quote: (Poppa Willis @ Jun. 20 2009, 7:14 PM)
That looks nice Poppa
I just bought the Rode NT1A which is very nice.
Mark...I've got one of the below going spare if you want. PM me.
AT2020
Thanks for the comments and wisdom folks.
Those cobalts look nice but are hard to get here in the UK it would seem. I have a couple of those K-Micro mics thanks to the help of soe folks here. I plan to use those as drum overheads.
And cheers Bruffie for the 2020 offer.
I think I’ll probably try the MB200Ls. There are some going for
£10 on ebay at the moment - which is more in my budget 
Cheers chaps
Mark
Thought I’d check back and report.
Well I had the pleasure of running sound for two bands last saturday night. Both are gigging bands from London and one of them is supporting the Kooks on a few gigs soon.
It was a small venue so mostly a “vocal” PA was all that was needed. The first band were 2 x electric guitar, bass, drums, keys, two vocals, acoustic guitar. I mic’ed the guitar cabs and kick drum, and di’ed the keyboards and acoustic. SM58s for vocals. No need for bass in the FOH.
I used the MB2000L mics on the guitar cabs (a vox valve head + 2x12, and a Fender twin) and they were great. Struggled on the kick a bit to get rid of the “fluff and boom” but didn’t need that much kick in the mix so not too bad.
The second band had 4 vocals (SM58s), an e-guitar through a Hughes ad Kettner combo (MB2000L), a fiddle (di), a second e-guitar (very small amp, MB2000L), and the kick again.
At the end the band thanked me for the sound and their manager said it was one of the best sounds he’d heard for them. I took that as a complement.
I ran everything into my Soundcraft mixer. Had two Foldback mixes, and took the outputs to a powered mixer for amplification (long story but the powered mixer’s digital section was screwed so it wouldn’t really allow me to do what I wanted without using the Soundcraft).
So, overall I was very pleased. I have another event coming up soon where I’m playing guitar and trying to do an 8 track live recording!
£10 MB2000L mics were great.
later…
Mark
Hi Mark A:
That’s a nice report…
You just might have to take up a new career…
You’ll get known for doing special events audio work…
You’ll be running all over the country setting up-and-tearing down audio set-ups…
You’ll need to hire a bunch of roadies to do the manual labour and all…
It takes a cool finger on the pulse to handle all those stage musicians and managers and all…
You’d have the right mental approach to handle a job like that…
You’ll need a truck driver and a generator operator…
Bill…
Quote: (woxnerw @ Jul. 06 2009, 6:19 PM)
You'll need a truck driver and a generator operator..
Are you applying for the job Bill? :-)
I had my eldest son with me - 18 - he's just finished a Music Technology 'A' level and seems to have a knack with things like this so that was handy.
Apart from the usual "problems" of where to place mics etc, and a dodgy lead or two, we did have one technical problem. Mid-set the didgital part of the powered mixer decided to reset and went into a maintenance menu. Trouble is that it muted the FOH outputs too. So we had 20 seconds or so of panic but then we spotted that the little red light next to the mute switch was now on. One press, the light went out and the FOH returned. Nevermind, I don't think anybody cared too much, or even noticed (the foldback was pretty loud too).
Mark
Hi Mark A:
That’s one thing I really miss, now that I’m away from all this entertainment and concert scene… With all the planning/details/luck that is required to do these events…
It gets the blood pressure going…
On the local scene, we are just coming off the Nova Scotia International Tattoo… This weekend Sir Paul is in town for his only Canadian concert, this year/season… ( I’m surprised the tickets are priced so low)
I believe the General Admission tickets are around 125.00
Then there’s the Tall Ships parade…
and it just doesn’t stop…
All we need is, weather with No Rain…
It was 1979…
the first Nova Scotia International Tattoo combined with the Gathering of The Clans…
in the presence of the Queen and Queen Mother…
I was one of many in the Technical Staff…
We weren’t allowed in-and-out of the Metro Center without being checked out by these guys with dark glasses and earphones for security reasons for several days…
I then discovered how secure the Queen and Prince Phillip and their crowd was being watched…
Anyway, the podium setup that was required was several mics and lines
(as spares) for the Queen’s Opening Address…
Remember, there wasn’t much Wireless stuff in those days… The only way to get the lines there was from above…
some
100 ft. down to floor level.
Show-time was with-in hours…
The mic lines needed to be dropped within feet of an area we had no access to…
SO…
the SM-57’s (brand new) and 150 + feet cables were thrown to the mercy of gravity…
We ended up breaking one mic, out of three, in the process…
What a shame… I wish I had saved the broken mic…
If only I could remember all the close technical calls I go involved with, over the years…
What fun, it was…
Yes…
I need the job… and … maybe, I can return to my youth…
Bill…