[LAU] best cheap mic(s) for acoustic / vocal recording?

[Fons Adriaensen]

On Wed, Apr 11, 2007 at 08:19:11PM -0400, Paul Winkler wrote:

> On Thu, Apr 12, 2007 at 01:31:49AM +0200, Fons Adriaensen wrote:
>
> > To describe a mic's sound as 'harsh' - implying low-quality - when
> > all there is about it is some HF boost just shows that whoever is
> > doing this doesn't have a clue about what he's talking about.
> 
> Well. I know Harvey's background (he's done amplifier, speaker, and
> microphone design for pro audio manufacturers, and has run his own
> studio for years), and I've heard his engineering work. He knows what
> he's doing.
> 
> Don't write him off just because he tried to make a point in
> metaphorical laymans's terms.

I don't buy this. What I've been reading there is not "metaphorical
laymans's terms", it's plain misleading, by suggesting there is
something that there isn't.

Apart from basic requirements w.r.t. quality of construction and
usability, and assuming there are no technical problems such as
distortion and noise, the most important quality of a mic is
probably consistency of frequency response in all directions.
This is essential for a mic used for e.g. orchestral recording
which will pick up a mix of all instruments and room ambiance,
and somewhat less for one used for close miking of individual
instruments.

Provided that the mics you are comparing are technically OK,
variations in sonic 'quality' are mostly due to usually small
differences in frequency response and litte else. What else
could there be ? If a mic doesn't distort (i.e. it's a linear
system) the frequency and phase response tell you all there is
to know. Unless there are real problems like nasty high-Q
resonances etc., a bit of EQ will wipe out most differences. 

Instead of explaining this very basic fact, many reviewers
use a pletora of subjective terms to suggest that there are
some mythical qualities that can't be captured in any objective
way. This is good for marketing of course, and that's why it
exists. The market value of your studio goes up if you own some
expensive (preferably vintage) mics supposedly having magical
qualities, and if you babble about them in a public forum.

Most of the 'audiophile' world has now been infested by producers 
of subjectivist nonsense, urging people to buy  $800 mains leads
since it's clear beyond any doubt that they will improve the
'transparency' of your system. It's sad to see similar non-
scientific nonsense from people presenting themselfs as pros.

-- 
FA

Follie! Follie! Delirio vano è questo !