twelvepoint wrote:It would be interesting to hear any detail about which mics in the locker get a lot of use, and for what purpose. Also would be interested to know who out there is recording clients, and who are home-recordists.To that end, I'll narrow down my list a little bit and provide some details. The majority of my recording is for clients. But also my own bands out of economic practicality. AEA R88 -Used on pretty much anything where the natural source sounds good and requires no mangling. As with pretty much any large element ribbon, the proximity effect is pretty incredible any closer than at least 6 feet from the source, so I'll usually have to tamp the low end down with some sort of combination of HPF and low shelving cut. All that said, its most common use is drum room mics, duh. I've also started using it in M/S as an ambient vocal mic in addition to a primary vocal mic. I've also occasionally used just one side of the R88 as a lone vocal mic but it requires a bit of EQ to get there and is very dependent on the source and music.M88/M201I am pretty content using either of these on any source you'd want to stick a dynamic mic on. M201 if I want an aggressive upper midrange push, M88 if I want a bigger bottom and more sparkly top.I mean... I definitely own other microphones and they all see regular use, otherwise I wouldn't own them. But those are the 3 microphones either regularly solve issues for me or consistently make sounds that don't present me with problems. With the addition of a second R88, I'm pretty confident I could continue making albums using just those mics with very little compromise.

I'll play:AKG D112Altec 670B (2)Audio Technica 4033Beyer M201Beyer M380 (2)Coles 4038 (2)RFT DM622Shure KSM 137 (2)Shure SM7BSennheiser MD441Sony C48

Coles 4038 - Believe the hype. They sound good on almost everything, except for sources that can blow them up. They also take EQ very well, and I think they're relatively resilient. Like, I put them in front of a loud source, and it sounds bad, but they work fine after that trial. I don't use them for overheads or other situations where their positioning is a pain. They're heavy and they make a lot of stands sag down. I will never sell them.Sony C48 - It's my only nice LDC, so I use it on everything - guitar, drums, vocals, bass. It always sounds good to my ears. I'm not really a mic connoisseur and I usually don't have time to try a bunch of mics and compare them. Let's just say that I never put it in front of something and thought I should try a different microphone.Beyer M380 - I had them for over a decade, and I've cooled on them considerably. I put it in or outside a kick, and it's mostly unusable low end. Same thing with bass. I've always used it in conjunction with another microphone for the attack and hi end, but the M380 has always sounded lacking to my ears. I'm not saying it's a bad microphone. Obviously Steve uses it and it sounds really good when he does, but I'd rather use a D112 on a kick instead. Beyer M201 - Workhorse. Great on guitar, snare, and I'm pretty sure I tried it on bass too. It always sounds good or at least usable. Shure KSM 137 - Another workhorse. I use mine a lot for overheads and sometimes guitars. It never disappoints for overheads. Guitars are always a struggle for me, but this mic usually works for capturing an amp's brightness. I wish I had the 141 for the changeable pattern, but these were a good deal so I can't complain. I record at home but also occasionally get to record people. I wish I recorded more than just rock so I could try my mics on brass, winds, piano, acoustic guitars, etc.

It would be interesting to hear any detail about which mics in the locker get a lot of use, and for what purpose. Also would be interested to know who out there is recording clients, and who are home-recordists.

djensen wrote:twelvepoint wrote:It would be interesting to hear any detail about which mics in the locker get a lot of use, and for what purpose. Also would be interested to know who out there is recording clients, and who are home-recordists.To that end, I'll narrow down my list a little bit and provide some details. The majority of my recording is for clients. But also my own bands out of economic practicality. AEA R88 -Used on pretty much anything where the natural source sounds good and requires no mangling. As with pretty much any large element ribbon, the proximity effect is pretty incredible any closer than at least 6 feet from the source, so I'll usually have to tamp the low end down with some sort of combination of HPF and low shelving cut. All that said, its most common use is drum room mics, duh. I've also started using it in M/S as an ambient vocal mic in addition to a primary vocal mic. I've also occasionally used just one side of the R88 as a lone vocal mic but it requires a bit of EQ to get there and is very dependent on the source and music.M88/M201I am pretty content using either of these on any source you'd want to stick a dynamic mic on. M201 if I want an aggressive upper midrange push, M88 if I want a bigger bottom and more sparkly top.I mean... I definitely own other microphones and they all see regular use, otherwise I wouldn't own them. But those are the 3 microphones either regularly solve issues for me or consistently make sounds that don't present me with problems. With the addition of a second R88, I'm pretty confident I could continue making albums using just those mics with very little compromise.This is great, thanks!

eliya wrote:Coles 4038 - Believe the hype. They sound good on almost everything, except for sources that can blow them up. They also take EQ very well, and I think they're relatively resilient. Like, I put them in front of a loud source, and it sounds bad, but they work fine after that trial. I don't use them for overheads or other situations where their positioning is a pain. They're heavy and they make a lot of stands sag down. I will never sell them.4038s are way up on my very short list. There is a thing that they do with drums that only they do and is absolutely unmistakable and awesome. I was seriously considering getting a pair before getting my R88 but opted for the AEA out of practicality for positioning and ease of instantaneous immaculate stereo imagine. The AEA sounds a little more real and the 4038s are a little more flattering. That and one of the studios I work out of has 10 4038s (!!!) on hand and no R88s.

twelvepoint wrote:It would be interesting to hear any detail about which mics in the locker get a lot of use, and for what purpose. Also would be interested to know who out there is recording clients, and who are home-recordists.Home recordist who's finally putting himself out there to record others.Apex 250 (x2) - drum overheadsAston Origin - bass guitar, vocalsAudio-Technica Pro-37R (x2) - guitars, OK for overheadsAudio-Technica boundary mics (x2) - ambienceAvantone Mondo - kick drumBeyerdynamic M81 - guitarsBeyerdynamic M88 - almost anythingElectro-Voice 635a - guitars, vocals, mono overheadFostex M88RP - mono overhead, guitars, the occasional vocalRevox M3500 - snare drum, not really guitars, should try on a vocalSennheiser 541 - almost anything but the capsule really rattles so it's been benchedSennheiser e609 - kick drum batter I guessShure SM7B - almost anything that isn't the most significant element of a thing (if the guitars are what's crucial I will use something more detailed there and leave the SM7 for the vocal, and vice versa)I got the Avantone Mondo only recently, so I haven't really put it through its paces, but I am really impressed by it, and I wasn't expecting to be impressed by sort of a novelty mic from a knock-off-style company. It's certainly a hyped kick drum mic, but to me it doesn't sound like other Hyped Kick Drum Mics ”more like what you would want a HKDM to sound like in your head before you hear the e.g. Sennheiser HKDM in real life and are disappointed.I'd kind of like to get rid of half of my mics and start over without any mics I find myself reluctant to use (like the e609). Get some more EV/Beyer dynamics, AT or Shure KSM condensers, and another Fostex printed ribbon mic for stereo OH use. I don't think you can go wrong with that for rock bands. Eliya has my favourite mic locker here fwiw. Almost nothing fancy, but nothing cheap, and nothing extraneous either. Just a lean, high-quality operation. Hell of champion.

Redline wrote:These mic locker lists are a parade of white privilege. Even if some of you aren't white.EDIT: ok, I found a EV PL1A, and a Sennheiser E 609... Still sad.Some of us can't get by on a single Mexi Strat and Hot Rod Deville like you can, my good dude.

AKG C414 B-ULS (x2) : Overheads, acoustic guitars, room mics. Super versatile.Beyerdynamic m422 N(C): Snare. Frequency response on this one is weird and it's hypercardiod. It's basically designed for snare only.Beyerdynamic M550LM S: I let my kids yell into this one. It's a cheapie with an on/off switch and a hardwired 1/4" jack. Would probably work well for harmonica.Dayton Audio EMM-6: For room measurements. Super flat, like an earthworks or something.Gefell PM750: Mono overhead, guitar cabs, vocals. Has a bump in the upper mids.Oktava MK-012 (matched pair, w/ all capsules): Everybody knows these.ElectroVoice 664: Guitar cabs. Sounds like a lo-fi SM57.Sennheiser MD-421 U5: Everybody knows these.Sennheiser e602 II: Kick, bass cabs.Sennheiser MD 441-U: I use it everywhere I would use a SM57, but it sounds better.Shure SM7: Everybody knows these.Soundelux U99: My expensive LDC. Front of kit, vocals, mono overhead, acoustic guitar. Sounds like a U67 but with slightly more top-end.TnC ACM-2 (x2): Knock-off Cascade Fatheads that I bought in a group buy years ago. I use them on guitar cabs and for Blumlein overheads.

These mic locker lists are a parade of white privilege. Even if some of you aren't white.EDIT: ok, I found a EV PL1A, and a Sennheiser E 609... Still sad.