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Foog · Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 1:30 am Post subject: My first mic shootout

Earlier today I hooked up both my Rode K2 and my CAD e100s at the same time and learned for certain that my mystery noise issue* is something that is NOT caused by the microphone. That was a bit disappointing since I love an easy fix!

But hooking up two mics at the same time also taught me that - Hey, this is fun! I had no idea they could sound so different. Mind you, I suppose this difference might also be influenced by how I am physically positioned - there's a lot of hardware and pop filters in my face now and I may have been addressing one mic more directly than the other.

Here is a brief snippet of an audition I just did, mic A followed by Mic B:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/08lqjap1d0xs1yz/lightsell_shootout.wav?dl=0

And another snippet of nonsense but in a slightly different voice style, mic A followed by mic B:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hmc5c6tt63yz2nk/oozing_shootout.wav?dl=0

No processing at all, other than an HPF run on the Rode (while the CAD has the built-in HPF switched on).

I would love to hear your opinion on the difference between the two mics, and also whether you think one is better suited to my voice than the other. (and even your guesses as to which is which, if you'd like)

*in this thread: http://www.vo-bb.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=17627
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Andrew Fogarasi

FinMac · Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 6:17 am Post subject: A or B

Hei Andrew,

In the first sample, they sound so close to my poor old ears, that it is difficult to distinguish them apart.

But in the second sample I prefer A for commercials and B for longer form narration. A seems to have more low end to it than B.

So, if pressed I actually prefer A Smile

by the way, after listening to the first sample I began to wonder if you ever take any breaths! You should you know, it's good for your health!
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www.scottsvoiceover.com - An American voice in Finland

"If you want to get to the top, you have to get off your bottom". (Unknown)

Voxman · Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 3:22 pm Post subject:

Agree with Scott. To me neither really is a winner..... although ....A has a defined bottom and top end, just more definition and it comes through better in the first (audition) read.

If a mic grinch came and said "one only" then it would be mic A, but I could also live with B in the first read.

By the way is the K2 with standard or upgraded tubes?

Cheers
Peter

Foog · Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 5:44 pm Post subject:

The K2 is, far as I know, standard. Though I got a free replacement of the tubes last year from their Canadian service folks in Montreal (great people!), so maybe the new tubes are an "upgrade"? Alas, I am rather clueless in these things.

I'm surprised to hear the judgment so far being quite close to my own... maybe I should trust my ears more than I do.

Oh, and Scott? About never taking a breath? You should have heard the part I cut out of the second read! That was actually the first thing I recorded with both mics live, so it opened with:

Wheeeee
ThisissomuchfunIcan'tbelieveInevermanagedtogetbothmicshookedupatthesametimehowcoolisthat-notonlyisitanexperimentthatIshouldadoneagesagowhenIfistgottheCADitevenlookswaycoolan'stuffyippeee!Ishouldtakeapicture
wheeee!

All without pause or breath Laugh

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Andrew Fogarasi

kgenus · Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 8:37 am Post subject:

My opinion (which really means nothing)....

I would use mic 1 if my end goal was clean and current. If, however, I was after something a little darker, I would lean towards mic 2 with a cheap ass Art Tube Pre and a little more eq.

I don't think anyone can adequately answer which mic is suited to your voice, there are far to many unknowns. I'm going to ask you to try shifting your perspective slightly, to that of your listener, who is asking: Is this believable? Both of these mics are capable of capturing your performance in a way that will allow you to answer that question.

Hope that helps.
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Genus

Rob Ellis · M&M Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 2385 Location: Detroit

I prefer Mic 1

Foog · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2015 1:14 pm Post subject:

On both recordings:

the fist mic is the CAD e100s
and the second one is the Rode K2.

Seems the consensus is that if a choice had to be made, the CAD sounds better. But not by a radical amount or anything.

The surprising thing to me was how much less, I dunno... "oomph" the Rode had on the first recording. Maybe it is a function of my playback environment and the monitors I'm using, but it sounded kinda flat or compressed. And even though I had normalized both segments to -3 db so that volume differences wouldn't be a factor, it sounded quieter to mine lumps o wood.
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Andrew Fogarasi

chuckweis · Contributor IV Joined: 27 Feb 2008 Posts: 136

Foog · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2015 2:11 pm Post subject:

Chuck, are you also noticing what my poor layman's parsing labels as a kinda-sorta-compressed-sound-lacking-"oomph" in the Rode? Maybe it's a lack of low end thing rather than a "compression" type of sound. Whatever it is, to my ears there's something there that seems a bit lifeless compared to the CAD. (my apologies for failing so spectacularly at describing what I am hearing.)

And I wonder whether positioning, proximity, or changing the cardoid pattern will improve things or exacerbate the issue. Not that I'm overly concerned. I've been using the CAD on pretty much everything since I got it last year.
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Andrew Fogarasi

chuckweis · Contributor IV Joined: 27 Feb 2008 Posts: 136

Yeah, it sounds kinda lifeless, esp in comparison to the Cad. Doesn't really have any richness to it. I wonder if something isn't quite right with it....I had a Rode NTK that really sounded quite nice, and I "think" the K2 should sound even better than that.

Bob Stevens · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2015 3:16 pm Post subject:

What is your chain? Preamp?
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"Dialog is the painting on a canvas of silence"

Foog · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2015 3:49 pm Post subject:

Bob Stevens · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2015 5:09 pm Post subject:

I prefer A as you have your chain configured. B sounds a little thin.

The ID22 pre's are pretty (humbling) critical and will bring out the weak points in most mics (and voices).

Personally I am not fan of on mic HPF they all have a tendency to have a different slope and db. I prefer to do all my filtering in post. For my voice most on mic HPF are set way to high which misses a lot of dynamic and vocal color..

I would try both mics again without the HPF's engaged and see how they sound. Also make sure your K2 has been warmed up for a good 20-30 mins before you use it. I will guess your CAD will sound a bit more well rounded.

My .00 cents.... my free advice is prolly worth just about that. Smile

Bob
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"Dialog is the painting on a canvas of silence"

Foog · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2015 5:15 pm Post subject:

Thanks Bob. The HPF issue inspires me to ask another question, but I think I'll start a new thread about it.

And I always warm up the K2. One of the things I like better about the CAD, regardless of whether it "sounds" better on my voice or not, is that I could just fire it up and go rather than wait for those bledddy tubes to warm up Laugh

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Andrew Fogarasi

Rob Ellis · M&M Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 2385 Location: Detroit

I did not completely read the initial post, and thus the part about using the HPFs.....IMO to get a true read on these mics you should post unprocessed audio.