Old 06-10-2009, 04:10 AM   #1
Wolffman
Human being with feelings
 
Wolffman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Down Under
Posts: 2,148
Default MXL V67i vs Rode NT1-A

I just got a new MXL V67i LDC mic after reading some good reports about them hear in the forums and reviews etc. So i thought i'd compare it to my rode NT1-A, I set them up side by side with the v67i in warm mode, set the input levels on my rme FF400 so they were even ( in doing so i noticed the nt1-a is quite a bit more sensitive than the v67i ) and recorded a few lines of singing, if you could call it that . On playing back the audio i was surprised to hear they sounded very similar, not at all what i was expecting, I thought the v67i would be much more present than the nt1-a after reading about its focused movie narrator type sound.
Whilst there is some difference in sound to my ears, mainly in the low frequency range its sertainly far from what i was expecting but then, maybe there would be more noticeable difference in the context of a mix do you think?

I should mention that i have limited experience with mics in general, and i was obviously expecting an almost night & day difference, was my comparison flawed in some way ? how else could i compare them.

Heres a freq plot of the two in span

what do you think? are these plots really telling me anything about the actual sound of the mics or does it only represent the freq of my voice the mics recorded. hope that makes sence.

EDIT: When i flip the phase on 1 of the tracks is the sound i,m hearing the actual difference in sound of the mics ? ( the tracks were recorded similtaniously.)

__________________
" Serve the song "

https://soundcloud.com/wolffman7

Last edited by Wolffman; 06-10-2009 at 04:30 AM.
Wolffman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-10-2009, 07:00 AM   #2
dub3000
Human being with feelings
 
dub3000's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 3,955
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolffman View Post
EDIT: When i flip the phase on 1 of the tracks is the sound i,m hearing the actual difference in sound of the mics ? ( the tracks were recorded similtaniously.)
only if they're in exactly the same place (i.e. impossible). sound blooms out of mouths pretty weirdly (bounces off top/bottom of mouth in different ways). it'll be close though.

in my experience, the nt1a has some really bright treble thing happening that flatters dull sources. but the v67g (not the same as your mic but presumably related?) has a sort of crunchy low mid thing, a softer/lo-fi top end and a gentle bass taper that adds up to a REALLY good vocal mic but not fantastic on anything you want precision on. i'd try some different sources (acoustic guitar, tambourine) and see what you get.

edit: also try shouting into them, or clapping. those mics are going to behave VERY differently with transient material.

Last edited by dub3000; 06-10-2009 at 07:04 AM.
dub3000 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-11-2009, 04:22 AM   #3
Wolffman
Human being with feelings
 
Wolffman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Down Under
Posts: 2,148
Default

Thanks Dub,

I'll try some different source material as you suggest, i'm sure it will be a very usefull mic, I messed with some EQ & comp settings on the vocals i recorded and that seems to have exposed some of there differences more so.

The V67i is ment to be almost identical to to the V67G when set to warm, but the V67i also has a bright capsule on the other side of the mic along with a -6db pad and a high pass filter( not sure of the freq roll off )so it should be more versatile than a V67G.

Cheers
__________________
" Serve the song "

https://soundcloud.com/wolffman7

Last edited by Wolffman; 06-11-2009 at 03:22 PM.
Wolffman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-11-2009, 04:28 AM   #4
Resonance
Human being with feelings
 
Resonance's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Edinburgh
Posts: 244
Default

Take a set of keys and jingle them in front of both mics, and then compare the graphs. That always works for me.
Resonance is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-11-2009, 04:35 AM   #5
Wolffman
Human being with feelings
 
Wolffman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Down Under
Posts: 2,148
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Resonance View Post
Take a set of keys and jingle them in front of both mics, and then compare the graphs. That always works for me.
I'll give that a shot.
Thanks for the tip

Cheers
__________________
" Serve the song "

https://soundcloud.com/wolffman7
Wolffman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-11-2009, 10:38 AM   #6
JHughes
Banned
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Too close to Charlotte, NC
Posts: 3,554
Default

On a side note (sorry), I've used the NT1 quite a few times, because it's so danged inexpensive that that's what people can afford. The most remarkable thing about that mic is the self noise of 5 dB-A. There's nothing quieter at any price. The Neumann Solution D has a noise spec of 7 dB-A!

I'm using a Rode on my current project. The other day I cranked it up in Reaper while my friend was walking around upstairs. I could hear every creak, every drawer open, like he was in the same room with me, NTM planes flying over and the guys working across the street. It reminds you why real recording studios cost so much---because they're actually quiet.
JHughes is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 01:51 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.