Arrick
107 posts
Sep 06, 2017
12:42 PM
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Another thread got me questioning why I prefer certain mics to others.
I'm wondering what rules of thumb you use for selecting a mic? Do you use same mic all night or change for diff songs? Diatonic vs Chromatic? Jazzy vs Bluesy group? 1st, 2nd or 3rd positions? Effects vs No Effects?, Etc.
Not sure this is helpful/useful to anyone, but I put these clips together so I could compare the audio-only of my 3 fav mics. Soundcloud makes it easy to jump back/forth in the timeline to compare. Note: my playing is extra horrible here—I wasn't trying to be musical and never really intended to share this. I only did this for a personal A-B-C test.
1) NOS ceramic element in a Turner bullet shell
2) Shure PE585V dynamic stic mic
3) CM Green Bullet
I'm playing through a LW Delay and Kalamazoo Model 1. Recorded with iPhone laying on a table with snare drum rattling and refrigerator running in background. :)
Last Edited by Arrick on Sep 06, 2017 1:42 PM
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Arrick
108 posts
Sep 06, 2017
1:36 PM
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Here's another clip I just found. I was trying to find a happy place with a Rotary Sim and POG pedal. I found the CM Green Bullet didn't really jive well with them, but the ceramic and dynamic mics I tested here handled it better. Still not sure how I feel about the pedals. ;-/
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BnT
93 posts
Sep 06, 2017
2:47 PM
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Based on the criteria you laid out and the clips provided, it's not necessary to switch mics. Maybe if you're in the studio and you think it's that little something extra to emulate a particular artist on one of their songs, great. But unless achieving "your sound" is dependent on some magical combination of pedals and specific mics one mic should do.
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BnT
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Arrick
111 posts
Sep 06, 2017
3:14 PM
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BnT, thanks. That's really good feedback. I struggle to make decisions unless I've got logic to help me. Maybe I should stop seeking an "ultimate" thing and just grab one and enjoy it for what it is.
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SuperBee
4934 posts
Sep 06, 2017
4:04 PM
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I use my favourite, which is my favourite because it's good for just about anything I want. It's just a cut above the others. I have a backup very similar just doesn't have quite the same edge.
I sometimes use my crystal but it's not so good if I am leading the band because there is such a big difference when I play it one-handed. Nice mic though, when I don't have to direct traffic.
The others stay at home. I have one I'd probably use if I was playing more rock stuff but I don't and don't plan to at this point. Maybe I'll get a call though, last gig a fairly 'rock' guy asked for my card. That one is in an EV605 shell though and my hands are getting more seriously arthritic. I find the 605 a bit more of a pill to hold for long periods.
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MP
3467 posts
Sep 06, 2017
4:24 PM
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SuperBee,
A real EV beastie is the 630 pistol grip type. Serious arthritis.
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Reasonably priced Reed Replacement and tech support on Hand Made Series Hohner Diatonic Harmonicas.
'Making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time.
Click MP for more info. Aloha Mark
.
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dougharps
1558 posts
Sep 06, 2017
4:37 PM
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You made them all sound pretty good. All seem "gig-worthy".
I would consider mic weight, grip comfort, and which mic gives you the best overall volume with the tone you like before feedback issues rear their ugly head. It comes down to your personal preferences.
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Doug S.
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MP
3468 posts
Sep 06, 2017
4:52 PM
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One thing I find odd is that no one ever mentions the Astatic Biscuit as a choice. I have three- one crystal and two with CRs in them. They disappear in my hands save the 1/4 inch jack. I never use anything else. They are definitely not bullets. Most tend to be brown or brown w/ a chrome grille. They originally had crystals and these are always dead. They also were hardwired so one needs to put a jack in them. They are not bullets by any means but pretty cool little mics. I love 'em. Sometimes I find a need to use an inline Huemann volume control but not often.
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Reasonably priced Reed Replacement and tech support on Hand Made Series Hohner Diatonic Harmonicas.
'Making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time.
Click MP for more info. Aloha Mark
.
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dougharps
1559 posts
Sep 06, 2017
5:39 PM
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I have a brown biscuit with chrome grill with a CM element & Greg's volume control. It is good, but I often choose 585SAV. Recently mainly I use an Ultimate 58 to the PA for vocals and harp. My tube amps are seldom used these days.
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Doug S.
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SuperBee
4936 posts
Sep 06, 2017
7:24 PM
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I'd love to have one of those 'biscuit' shells, all my go to mics are in jt30 type shells now. I had a shure brown bullet but dropped it and cracked at the connector end. I just moved that element into a nice hammertone Jt30. Great element I got from big Jon Atkinson just before he moved to California. My backup came from Jon too, another Hammertone JT, rivet tag.
Mark I have a 630 with the hinged switch assembly. It's not that appealing as a handheld mic but I wanted to use it as my vocal mic on a stand. The guys reckon it sounds too gimmicky. Maybe they're right
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BnT
94 posts
Sep 07, 2017
9:54 AM
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I think a lot of this comes down to feel (in the hand) and availability. The different elements are the key for bullet & biscuit type mics - a particular crystal, CR or CM can transform the sound of any of those mics. I get my elements from Mark Overman in San Jose, California (who has also been a source for Big Jon Atkinson). I may try out 15-30 different elements before finding one I really really like. The differences are so small and so subtle between them. And what sounds just right to my ear may not to yours.
MP: I think people don't mention the Biscuit as often because they're much less common than JT30, Green Bullet, and other bullet style mics. Biscuits are great, look cool, and with the same element produce basically the same sound as any bullet. It also separates you from other players. So, if it fits your hand, ear and style, you have the right mic.
I started with and used the same JT30 almost exclusively for 40+ years (only the elements changed). Along the way I tried, acquired, and discarded many mics, keeping only an EV638 and Shure 585A to collect dust. But about 8-9 years ago I got my first Astatic 200 - a bullet but smaller in the hand than a JT30 (also less common & less in demand). Paying $0 and $25, the prices were right. Chopped the handle (the in-the-way, built-in handle is probably why the're not in high demand), put in a volume control at the rear, re-powder coated them, and changed out the dead crystals - I now have two, one + a backup. And coincidentally, they each have a 1949 Shure CR Black Label element. It's the feel and the sound.
Superbee: If I run across a cheap Biscuit I'll see if I can get it Down Under to you.
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BnT
Last Edited by BnT on Sep 07, 2017 9:56 AM
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SuperBee
4938 posts
Sep 07, 2017
7:42 PM
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Thanks BnT, that'd be great. I've been interested in them for a while but they either don't show up or if they do they tend to have a high-price.
I have a couple of cool elements which could use shells better for me to hold. I liked the small-shell shure brown bullet, and I don't mind the jt30 but haven't tried a 200. For some reason I mistakenly thought they were bigger diameter than a jt 30, so I've always passed on them.
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MP
3469 posts
Sep 13, 2017
2:07 PM
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Thanks BnT, I agree. Since a friend of mine is a mic builder he tends to have anything and everything as far as vintage mics go and also calls me every time a biscuit or a crystal appears. ( He's on E-Bay a lot!) I tend to forget that others are not so hooked up.
Bee, like BnT I'll keep an eye out for Biscuit shells. The 200 or 200-S chop makes a small diameter/smaller shell bullet. It requires a bit of work and some folk don't care for the projection on the grille. My friend mentioned above made one w/ the projection horizontal rather than vertical. Lotta work but definitely one of a kind. C yah.
Ps. BnT
My go to mic for many years was a black w/ chrome grille Canadian version of the JT-30 I bought it from a band director at a middle school. I was making deliveries/pic-ups of band instruments and he had this immaculate black JT-30 w/ stand on a shelf. I'd call Astatic up and they would sell me crystals for $6 or $8 dollars. In later years Angela instruments would supply me w/ crystal for $14 or $18 and the price went through the roof sometime at the beginning of the 21st century. My first Biscuit was gift from Pete Sheridan. I wonder if he's still around? Anyway, I got so used to the smaller shell I stopped using JT-30s completely. They [ JT-30s] are still the coolest looking mics -in my opinion- around. Serious art deco.
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Reasonably priced Reed Replacement and tech support on Hand Made Series Hohner Diatonic Harmonicas.
'Making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time.
Click MP for more info. Aloha Mark
.
Last Edited by MP on Sep 13, 2017 2:20 PM
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SuperBee
4955 posts
Sep 13, 2017
3:21 PM
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Thanks MP.
I have only one crystal and I'm quite protective of it, a MC151, probably quite near the end of production. It was NOS. quite strong but not as hot as my hottest CM/CR mics.
It replaced a weak Turner.
I'm always shy of buying crystals as they're so $ and no returns, just take your chances (which is fair of course).
I have some nice CR/CM elements, I always like how they have their own character. I have 2 I'd like to use more often.
One is a black label I believe may be in its original mic, a 1950 520SL. I was told it was 49 but it's definitely an SL and I believe 1950 was the first year for those. It's got great range for a CR and does vocals quite well, I used to use it if there was no PA and I'd sing through the harp amp. I like the character of this element, just that 520 shell is not my favourite.
That's the one I'd put in a biscuit shell.
The other is very hot and big bottom end, '72 CM. (sounds like something I'd like, and just enough younger than me to be viable without causing too much trouble)
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Joe_L
2776 posts
Sep 13, 2017
4:27 PM
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When it comes to picking a microphone. I pick what feels comfortable in my hands. I don't trip on the sound of them. I have several that I like and I have a several that are my go to mics.
Last Edited by Joe_L on Sep 13, 2017 4:27 PM
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