Condenser mic for guitar amps/DJ speakers at DVinfo.net

Dave Largent · February 23rd, 2005, 02:22 PM

Mostly I'm thinking here for DJ speakers at smaller
venues, such as wedding receptions. Sometimes
I plug into the DJ board direct, but sometimes
they just don't have a line out, or don't want
to be bothered.
Anyways, I'm looking to get a mic to face directly into
the cone (or maybe a bit off center) of the speaker
at close range (foot or less) and I'm thinking
maybe a condenser would give better sound
(frequency range, etc.) than a dynamic.
I've thought about dynamics such as AKG D440,
AKG D770, and Shure Beta 58.
But I've seen the Rode NT1A listed in advertising
materials and testimonials as being good
on guitar amps, and if I were to go this
direction I'd also be gettting a decent mic
for voice overs. The NT1A is listed as having
max SPL of 137dB, and I would guess this would
be okay for smaller locales such as receptions,
where they really don't blast it out.
Another option I've considered is the AT 3031
because of its high max SPL of 138/148, but
for the situation I've described, does anyone
really think I'd be dealing with that high of an
SPL?
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Jay Massengill · February 23rd, 2005, 03:32 PM

What camera will you be using? A condenser mic for a speaker at close range will probably need to be attenuated before the camera's input, either with a MicATT switch or an inline attenuator.
Of course there's phantom power to think about but you had probably already considered that...
Last there's the risk of having a more expensive mic in that kind of environment (theft, damage, smoke, etc).
You might want to consider a dynamic mic that specifically has a wider, flatter frequency response. The D770 is listed as 60-20khz and is flatter than the Beta 58. It has a sensitive proximity range, which is a good thing in this case, but would require some experimentation in placement.
The Sennheiser e835 is listed as 40-16khz. The EV N/D 468 or the 367 would also be good choices in better sounding dynamic cardioid mics.

Douglas Spotted Eagle · February 23rd, 2005, 03:40 PM

Given the SPL of the subject being mic'd, I'd also recommend a dynamic. Even an SM57 would be pretty good in this environ, IMO

Dave Largent · February 23rd, 2005, 04:19 PM

For VO mics like that Rode, how far away should
the speaker normally be from the mic?

Dave Largent · February 23rd, 2005, 05:26 PM

Don't you think the condensers would give a lot
better sound? Or not really?
I was a bit surprised to read that the
NT1a was good on guitar amps. Wonder
what a large diaphragm sounds like on
guitar amps?

February 23rd, 2005, 02:22 PM	#1
Dave Largent Trustee Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 1,483	Condenser mic for guitar amps/DJ speakers Mostly I'm thinking here for DJ speakers at smaller venues, such as wedding receptions. Sometimes I plug into the DJ board direct, but sometimes they just don't have a line out, or don't want to be bothered. Anyways, I'm looking to get a mic to face directly into the cone (or maybe a bit off center) of the speaker at close range (foot or less) and I'm thinking maybe a condenser would give better sound (frequency range, etc.) than a dynamic. I've thought about dynamics such as AKG D440, AKG D770, and Shure Beta 58. But I've seen the Rode NT1A listed in advertising materials and testimonials as being good on guitar amps, and if I were to go this direction I'd also be gettting a decent mic for voice overs. The NT1A is listed as having max SPL of 137dB, and I would guess this would be okay for smaller locales such as receptions, where they really don't blast it out. Another option I've considered is the AT 3031 because of its high max SPL of 138/148, but for the situation I've described, does anyone really think I'd be dealing with that high of an SPL? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

February 23rd, 2005, 03:40 PM	#3
Douglas Spotted Eagle VASST Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Stockton, UT Posts: 5,648	Given the SPL of the subject being mic'd, I'd also recommend a dynamic. Even an SM57 would be pretty good in this environ, IMO __________________ Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot Author, producer, composer Certified Sony Vegas Trainer http://www.vasst.com

February 23rd, 2005, 03:32 PM	#2
Jay Massengill Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Burlington Posts: 1,976	What camera will you be using? A condenser mic for a speaker at close range will probably need to be attenuated before the camera's input, either with a MicATT switch or an inline attenuator. Of course there's phantom power to think about but you had probably already considered that... Last there's the risk of having a more expensive mic in that kind of environment (theft, damage, smoke, etc). You might want to consider a dynamic mic that specifically has a wider, flatter frequency response. The D770 is listed as 60-20khz and is flatter than the Beta 58. It has a sensitive proximity range, which is a good thing in this case, but would require some experimentation in placement. The Sennheiser e835 is listed as 40-16khz. The EV N/D 468 or the 367 would also be good choices in better sounding dynamic cardioid mics.

February 23rd, 2005, 04:19 PM	#4
Dave Largent Trustee Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 1,483	For VO mics like that Rode, how far away should the speaker normally be from the mic?

February 23rd, 2005, 05:26 PM	#5
Dave Largent Trustee Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 1,483	Don't you think the condensers would give a lot better sound? Or not really? I was a bit surprised to read that the NT1a was good on guitar amps. Wonder what a large diaphragm sounds like on guitar amps?