The Mics i use

There is an enormous amount of mics out there. Here are some of the mics i use and a short review of them:

Everybody knows the Shure SM7b. I have a strange relationship with this mic. I like it for screaming but i do not like it for growling, it is cool for the bottom snare but on top of the snare it is not my cup of tea. I like some high hats with it, i like it on overdriven guitars but not so much for clean or distorted tones. It is a typical dynamic mic, it brings a flavour to the table, sometimes it fits and sometimes it doesn’t. I recommend using it with the standard settings and a SPL Goldmike with flair tuned on, that brings a bit more live to it. ( UPDATE: It was too gain hungry and too similar to the sm57 on guitar and the highs were dull so i sold it and ordered the EV RE 20 )
The Beyerdynamic Opus 87. I love this mic, the off axis rejection could be better but it is like, put it on a tom and it will sound great. Im my opinion of course. Just out of curiosity i tried it on a bass cab and it sounded great. I must admit, even though it is a drum mic this is so far my favorite bass cab mic.
The Beyerdynamic MM1. Guys, do not think measurement mics are completely linear. There are some very expensive ones out there but everything below around 800€ will have some color to it and the response at 0° will differ from the 90° response. BUT and this is the great part, the 90° response on this mic is more linear then the 0° and the 0° will give you more highs. So yeah put it in front of you guitar cab in 90° and it will be very precise all around. put it in the middle of the room and point it at the ceiling and it will sound great. This is more then just a mic for measuring, it actually sound very good!
Ola Englund made me buy this. The Beyerdynamic m160 was also used by Hendrix and i never felt the need to buy it because i thought it is just a vintage mic and i want more allrounders. Then i heard Olas huge metal tones using this mic and i loved it. This a great mic for your guitar cab!
OH Blue Hummingbirg i love you. Let’s be honest if the highend sucks everything will suck. Acoustic guitars will sound sharp and cymbals will sound shrill and piercing. This mic solved so much problems for me and is a wonderful allrounder. There are allrounder mics out there that are usable on everything but never sound that good. This is not one of them. I LOVE it on cymbals of all kind, on western acoustic, classical guitar, doublebass, guitar and bass amps, toms and snare.
The Neumann TLM 193. What a strange Neumann. I wouldn’t be suprised if the engineers aim was making a linear mic that removes everything unpleasant. I lacks the u87 brightness and the tlm67 linearity, it is soft, warm, pleasant to your ears and i don’t know did i mention it is buttery soft. I love it for voice and guitar amps especially. If something sound unpleasant take that mic and it will be smooo(add more „o“ to your liking)ooth. ( UPDATE: I sold it and miss it already. It did fit very well to rock vocals any my voice when i scream louder but it had to go. I got a Antelope Edge Duo instead)
A Bassdrum mic with a scoop, idk why but it does what i would do anyway on bassdrums. The AKG D112 is for me simply like a best friend. He knows what i want. There are mics out there that habe even more subs but then i have to fiddle around with the mids and this simply fits my taste so well. IT is maybe not my favorite solution for recording Bassdrum, i like mixing bassdrum mics most. but if i have to use only one mic, this is my go to mic.
I don’t need to say anything about he sm57 right ? Very present in the 4-5k range and just a standard mic that works.
The Oktava ML 52-02. Wow what a strange mic. THE room mic for me, while other room mics somehow get thin and strange this delivers here fully and here ist the Strange thing. NEVER have i heard a mic with that much of a proximity effect either. Let me recommend this: IF you mic a Basscab, look for a mic that has the highs you are looking for and add that one for the bass response.
The Audio Technica mb2k the hint is in the name. Strong 2k, great attack and it is cheap but still my favorite for growling and sometimes on snare and guitar amps. I cuts through. This mic is so greatly underrated it bothers me. I have this mic for 10 years now, it is sturdy and a fantastic live mic.
I have a whole blog article about that one. It is a strange mic but one of my most important ones.
I love to sing into the elephant dick … You need a elephant dick for rock vocals … People in voice over studios often have a elephant dick. These are selections of sentences that can be used if your mic has the nickname „elephant dick“. I was tired of the sound of the sm7b and i needed something new and then i heard the re20 on guitar cabs and i was instantly convinced that i need this. The sound is clear, fat and smooth… what a perfect mic for rock vocals, voice over and guitar amps …
The Antelope Edge Duo. After having the Slate ML1 and two ML2 for some time i gave a bit up on the idea of modelling micsfor several of reasons. But then i checked out mics on „Audiotestkitchen“. To my shock this mic has without the simulation such a smooth curve with a slight highend boost and in their measurements it was extremely similar to the Neumann U87. I simply had to have it. Such a pleasing Frequency curve and simualtions of other mics next to that were simply a no brainer … Personally i think the Slate and Townsend Sims get closer but i like the highend so much and this is where the Slate was weak. On most sources the Slate was great but it seemed that the „S“ noises were always the same on the Slate and Harsh… the antelope on the otherhand does not come as close to the original sound but the highend is better in some cases and never harsh so yeah i love it!

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