Great tips shared here, thank you ] @Jay. I loved the bright sound of Mic A, Mic B had a dark sound, however, when you shared one of your favorite sax players your mic definitely sounds bright and and nice as well, I think it's finding the sweet spot that really makes the difference between these two mics in this video. Great tips. Love it.

this is a great format for a mic comparison video very well done

Both were great. B sounds warmer. Your wife has an AWESOME VOICE!!

I like Mic A, the higher notes seem to be clearer , more crisp! Thanks for another great video.

This video was really helpful. I have been using the Neuman years ago, so I think I kind of recognized it as mic A, and I prefer that one, to me it gives me the impression of representing the sound as it is. I know that sounds a bit simplistic, but that's actually how I feel about its sound. Mic B sounds like giving a boost to the lower register, which one could certainly appreciate, but from a technical point of view of a recording situation I prefer to have the mic pick up the sound as it is and then do things to it afterwards if needed.

Thanks Jay. Very interesting comparison. To me...mic A was a bit more detailed. And mic B seemed to be a bit warmer.

I liked B, it sound way warmer. Now that I know which microphone to purchase, I just got to learn how to play 🙏🏽

Mic A sounds more clear... B sounds like it is muffled, like it has a sock on it or something.

That was some nice stuff that you played!!!

As a saxophonist I've found I prefer ribbon mics in general. I don't care for the harshness of a condenser, while a ribbon seems to smooth out the sound in a pleasing way. In this video I did prefer B (the Coles) but noted the slight muddiness. I think that was mainly due to the position of the mic. I don't have a Coles, but my favorite recording mic at present is an sE Voodoo VR1 ribbon mic. It's only about $400 but sounds great. It's warmer than a condenser but still has the detail. Very nice sound. Thanks for the review.

Nice comparison and both great mics. I prefer B above A. Its warmer and has more depth and body. It must be the Coles. I usually use a U47 for Sax in combination with a ribbon (Royer 122 or Coles 4038) Good luck with the album!

Hi Jay,For me, I preferred mic A.Good video too.

Hello, I really enjoy your videos and demeanor. I listen in my I phone without head phones and even so I heard a distinct difference between. microphone A and B. It may come down to a subjective choice. In this video I preferred microphone A because it sounded brighter and livelier without having a harsh treble sound. It had an ‘alive’ sound and still retained a warm quality. Having said that microphone B did have a darker sound and sometimes that may be the sound you desire. I worked with an engineer who recorded me with a Neuman and as well with an AMT sax mounted on the bell of the saxophone because I have a tendency to move. Using two microphones, the engineer was able to blend the sounds. I enjoy your work and videos. Thank you.

@bettersax

6 жыл бұрын

Julio thanks! Great to hear from you.

@juliovitolo5356

6 жыл бұрын

Better Sax Wow, that was a great reply. I hope to tune in more frequently. Something I created recently all on my iPhone with no external tools. THANKS again for your dedication to improve the skills of others. Gotta go for now. kzread.info/dash/bejne/lph-p9xwgJOzh7g.html

Mic B is smoother, darker whereas Mic A sounded brightish/brassist (are those words?). I prefer mic B. Thanks for sharing & making me pay attention.

Paused when you said (really enjoy your videos btw), Mic A was thinner, more direct, and I think I'd like it for a more pop/rock sort of recording. Mic B a little lacking in focus on the attack, but a warmer sound. Shoot me down if my 47yo ears are failing me. Keep up the great work, bro.

Mic B sounded more mellow and warmer to me most of the time, but a few times mic A came through with better clarity for me. Generally, I appreciate the tenor tone as the "pure" sax tone though I have not yet graduated from alto to tenor.

I know I'm a couple of years late, but... You said comment below, so here we go! Mic A definitely sounds crisper on the top end, and I can hear more body in each note, more "flavor," but it's a little warmer, too. Classic jazzy sound. Mic B isn't bad by any means. I'm guessing Mic A is the $10k one though. It sounds like a $10k mic 🎷🎙

Both the Coles and the U67 are great saxophone mics. What really matters is how it sounds in the full mix. The Coles may be a touch darker and may not cut as well in a full mix. Then again, EQ can do a lot with that. At the same time, the U67 was not as warm and beefy. It’s all about the sound you’re going for. Great playing!

@bettersax

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks. In the end, we went with mostly the U67 as that sounded best in the mix.

Hi Jay- interesting video. Mic A bright Mic B darker sound. Personal preference for me very much the Neuman, but not €8k 's worth of difference. Antibes huh, nice gig . Phil

I loved the mic B! Much warmer

Both are great. You are great. Vanilla vs Chocolate flavor of great mics.

Love the Coles.

I listened to this three times, twice with bose headphones. I thought A was a little brighter and B was a little more rich. My personal preference was B. But honestly, I'd really like to hear the two again with the entire ensemble to hear the finished product. I'm a rank amateur and have never recorded anything. However, one or the other mic could be preferred depending on the overall piece. Thanks for the ear training lesson

@bettersax

6 жыл бұрын

Kenneth, I'll be sure to let you know where you can hear the final mixed version and which mic was used.

Great playing, and singing! the Mic A had the air, I would have liked it a bit closer to get a bit warmer. B had the warmth but missing some of the air,

I preferred Mic B. The tonguing was significantly softer and the sound was warmer. Mic A was too bright for me.

@peterkeys1105

6 жыл бұрын

Yeah you can always add a filter to roll that off though

Thanks for the video. I liked B better in this recording. I know you picked your choice spot, but I think the Neumann would have benefitted from being moved closer and levels adjust accordingly. I know the Coles was yours and you obviously found a sweet spot that you like as far as distance from the bell. So, if you didn't experiment with the Neumann to find it's sweet spot, (maybe you did?) and just put them at the same distance as the Coles, that would most times create an error for the un-tried mic. If you listen closely to the Neumann sections, you'll hear more ambience and a drop-off in 'body' and low end. I'm pretty sure if it were closer to the bell, it would have sounded head and shoulders better than the recorded position on this video. That being said the Coles sounded pretty good where it was. Maybe better closer also? Since it's yours you may disagree.

Mic A all the way - intimate sound like the horn is whispering in your ear. I like the air and even a little spit in my tone. Mic B is so dark - sounds like old Dexter recordings. Good playing, by the way!

I much prefer MIC A. It sounds clearer and with much more sparkle. On the subject of mouthpieces ... I see that you still play the Jody Jazz and you sound great on it IMO. Nevertheless if you have the opportunity to jump on a 10mfan classic ... it is an absolute gem of a mouthpiece and it would fit your tone concept as a glove i think.

I’d probably use a mixture of both! 😉

Thanks soo much for sharing. Really interesting comparison. Are you still trying out the Jody Jazz HR mouthpiece? How do you feel about those mouthpieces?

@bettersax

6 жыл бұрын

Dave, yes, that is the Jody Jazz I'm playing in the clip. I had to move up a reed strength with it and now it plays great. Really enjoying this piece.

I do like ribbons for the reason that you can park them right up to the bell (easy now!) and they never get too harsh plus you get the room tone from the figure 8. Neumanns always sound better to me higher and from a distance in a dry room... i'm talking for tenor sax anyways for my personal taste. Btw how much of that side mic was in the mix for this video? Is that a U47? Thanks for making the time to put this video together you sound great!

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I left out the room mic for this video. I've been getting more familiar with the coles over the past year and I set it up much closer to the bell now. I think the Coles would sound better in these examples if it had been positioned closer to the sax rather than next to the Neumann. I left everything up to the engineer in the studio for the video though. I'm beginning to get a pretty good result with it...

Thanks you the video. The difference between the mics are very little. I like mic A more although I had the feeling that mic A mostly had higher tones and mic B lower tones. In my opinion both very close and no reason for the huge price difference.

Jay, I liked Mic B because of the darker, warmer tone. As a beginner (1 year, 1.5-2 hours/day), I seek the warmer tone - but not yet strong enough for the reed that produces it. I'm using a Yamaha 5C mouthpiece and can play well with a 3 Hemke, which is about the same as a 2.5 Royal. Can you recommend another mouthpiece for me that will get the darker tone with the softer reed? Thanks!

Mic A is brighter and more detailed. Mic B is smoother and sounds filtered. At first I liked A better, then B. If I was a sound engineer I'd like A so I could apply my own filters to achieve final product. If I was on my own probably B because it filters for me in a pretty good way.

Microphone B is the good for jazz... Gives more girth and presence to the sax sound.

There are differences in the sound, though I suspect they are primarily a matter of personal taste. The differences in sound however do not account for a 10x variation in price. There may however be other reasons: reliability, longevity, customer support, solidity of build etc. that justify the price differential.

I listened on wireless Bose speaker through iPad. Mic A sounds a bit brighter. Mic B sounds warm. Both sound great and , I image, can be made to sounds identical in post production. I don’t know that they are different enough that the general consumer will ever hear the difference. The majority of what our ears consume in an end product has been squashed and stretched into mp3, wave, iTunes, KZread, Pandora, etc that it no longer represents the original expensive remastered mix. Another topic altogether. But,,, a question, what makes a good choice for a live mic? Would it be different than a studio performance mic?

@bettersax

6 жыл бұрын

David, for live performance you generally need something less delicate than either of these mics. Live mics have to put up with a lot of abuse and be able to handle it. I'm currently using an Audio Technica At-35 for live gigs. Maybe the topic for another video.

I like the warmth of mic B, however, with mic A, I felt more as though I were there in the room. It had a clearer sound. I always want the clearest representation of the acoustic sound I can get, then if I want a certain sound other than that, I can leave it to processing. I prefer mic A

It is pretty easy to tell the difference between a Ribbon vs a Condenser. They are just different sounds, the Ribbon gives you more of a warmer sound, but less clear. The Neumann more clear, but brighter. If you had the bucks, I bet they would be great to mix together. Though there are a number of great large diaphragm condenser mics that are plenty cheaper than a Neumann U67.

Mic A at 2:22, sounded better than either mic did at any other point in time. But what about mixing, where they both going through the same mixer?

Nice Video. I prefer mic A. It just sounded better. B was good too 👌

Obvious difference and surly money worth in prof studio, thanks, good idea!

Huh. I thought A would be the clear winner but now that i’m reading comments liking B seems to be logical too. Stands to reason that they are different types of mics altogether and that they both have usage in different circumstances

To my surprise, I liked more mic B, I found the sound on mic A was too bright to my taste in contrast to the sound of mic B, wich I found more warm (may be mic B does not pick all the harmonics).

Killer microphones, both of them! I would prefer the U67 85% of the jobs, but for some stuff, like this jazzy record you made with your wife, then I would go for the Coles or a blend of the both of them. I have a Neumann U89 and a few other mics, but most of the times I use the U89. For some jobs I prefer the SM7 though. Nice comparison! Obviously the difference between a ribbon and a large condenser is pretty obvious... Ribbons always have less high frequency response and people tend to find them "Less detailed". Just a matter of taste, the coles is a KILLER mic, congrats! Question: I also see a U47 in the foreground, did you try that one as well?

@bettersax

4 жыл бұрын

Yes that was a room mic. Not included in the audio here though.

I like the clearer and brighter sound from Neumann

The Coles is fucking beautiful.

Hi, I record my alto sax on audacity with a akg mic. It always sound muffled or a bit far away like I'm playing in the bathroom. How do I get a better sound?I havnt downloaded any plugins or anything. You can see the sound on one of my saxophone videos in my channel

I subbed to your wonderfu; wife's channel.

The U67 was crisper, and the Coles was warmer. I liked the Coles for that reason a little better.

Great sound! What mouthpiece is that you are blowin on also?

@bettersax

6 жыл бұрын

That's a Jody Jazz HR 7

Another thing to remember in asking how it "sounds", is considering the sound system you are listening through.

I like "A" The sax sounds like it is more alive, more energy. "B" was ok.

If Chad LB gets that tone with a Coles then his tone must be HUGE and bright as the sun.

Mic A sounded clearer, without sacrificing the low end. Mic B seemed to favor the mid range, and wasn't as clear on the high end. Mic A would provide a recording that offered more possibilities in post. You can't get the clarity you didn't record. You could duplicate tracks, and try to clear one up, while keeping the lower end on the other track (with B), but A would be the optimal choice.

I like mic B but I don't know why.

The coles 47038!

Mic B was darker and warmer, Mic A has more fizz in the sound, arguably Mic B has a more solid core sound. They sound different...not sure which is better! The thing is, if you tell me that A is the better/more expensive mic I'll say "yep, it's not cutting out the high frequencies, makes sense". If you tell me B is the better/more expensive mic, I'll say "yep, it's got a nice warm sound, and strips out some of the the fizz, leaving a strong core, makes sense"

Hi all. On recording saxophone I always hear my keys clicking and snapping closed. My saxophones keywork is not even noisy it is just normal keywork noise. Any ideas on how to record without hearing the sax keys working? I notice in these videos I don’t hear your sax key action. How do you do it or is your sax really that quiet. Thanks for any suggestions. I’ve tried a couple different recording apps on my iPhone and I have a Zoom H2n and everything I try I still hear the key action on my sax drives me crazy.

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

That's a good question. I think it's a combination of room, mic and mic placement. A little noise from the keys is okay since it is part of a realistic sound. You don't want it to be easily noticeable though.

I just listened to this. I prefer a more "in your face" sound on tenor so I generally do not like ribbons although I know that Michael Brecker liked to record with a Coles 4038. While the Coles sounded fine, the sound from the Neumann was preferable, to me. I do like to record alto with a ribbon, though. Very, very nice sound and feel.

@bettersax

6 жыл бұрын

Greg, Thanks for your feedback. We went with mostly the Neumann for the final mix.

@BenRodenburg

4 жыл бұрын

In all the video's I have seen of Brecker in the studio, I never saw a 4038....

@pauljordan6295

3 жыл бұрын

@@BenRodenburg Yes, Brecker very often used EV re 20 ( live concerts) but in studio during Pilgrimage album he played on Coles 4038 ( closer to saxophone) and Neumann u67 ( behid the coles, farther)...Than engeneer mix the two mics..

B felt more vintage (u67)... let’s see if I’m right.

Def mike B. It seems to offer more depth compared to mike A which seems to narrow the depth.

Whenever I play my sax air comes out of the side of my mouth and I can’t play a note what should I do?

@alfiecoates168

4 жыл бұрын

Get a softer reed

Do you really have to be right on the microphone to record? What if you wanna move around while playing, but still be mic'd?

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Then use a clip on microphone.

@Andre-jm7pu

5 жыл бұрын

Ok, cause with my Sure 57M I literally need to be right on it. Seems all clip on's are very pricey too. I guess I gotta save up, hahaha

@Spimp4

4 жыл бұрын

Andre' I dont know why but sm57's dont transfer volume much, so you do have to stay glued to it. 58's handle distance a bit better.

I agree with many that A sounded brighter and B was slightly muted. I have a slight hearing loss and usually like sounds with more treble like A.

It’s also a simple case of getting what you pay for the obvious choice is B.

Mic B Warm and Cool.

Mike A is much more rounded and brilliant. Is this the more expensive?

@bettersax

6 жыл бұрын

Yes, that's the Neumann.

I thought Mic B sounded richer while Mic A sounded a little too bright.

My position in relation to the mic is always governed by the sound i have in the headphones. I move around to shape the parameters of my sound. I will also make sure that there is no compression or any affects used when i record. All of those things are added afterwards in the mix. I record straight, no EQ, no anything. All of those manipulations change the overtone series of your sound. When you change the overtone series, you are changing the tuning of your horn. And that is when you are in deep trouble. I can go on about this, but that is the basic info. Make sure that you are producing the sound you want without electric manipulation.

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your comment.

I like A. Sounds like sax. My recording buddy got me a condenser.... i am pissed it sounds all muffled.

Mike A sounded more open and bright, I agree with mr Martin B sounded muted. I liked A better.

Everyone including me gets way too caught up in gear instead of the music we're trying to record. That said, I would have tried for a blend of the two mics utilizing the openness of the 67 and the softness of the Coles.

@cloudoftime

3 жыл бұрын

The music you're trying to record won't be captured properly without the proper gear, so it makes sense to give great consideration to the gear.

Mic A is way better to me. Mic A gives a more detailed tone. But Mic B has a certain tone that sounds pretty nice. Both are great, but I prefer A overall.

I like the U67 better it’s a bit brighter which is my personal preference on sax.

Mike B warmer sound. Mike A cleaner sound. Really hard to tell, I closed my eyes and often could not tell the difference.

Mike B sounds muted

I like mic A more.... it sounds more bright to me. But Mic B is a really good mic. They don't have at all the same sound that's funny

I thought mic A was brighter and would be better for a pop piece, B had more warmth, and probably better for jazz.

Mic A : U87 Mic B: Coles And Room is way more important than Gear, in recording and Mixing situation.

A for me is more sharpe, more pure

Mic a is much clearer but personally I prefer the sound of mic b because of its slightly muffled sound

Here's a sample of a vintage Selmer Mark VI and a vintage Couf/Keilworth Baritone played into a Sennheiser 421. Hope you don't mind the mutant punk funk. kzread.info/dash/bejne/fqtkudSQprHVlbw.html

A67 blend with B4038... best of the both world.

@bettersax

6 жыл бұрын

Yes!

Mic A clearly is the winner

Mic A - clear, bright soundMic B - muted, bordering muffled at times.

The Coles mic is a ribbon mic, this type of mics always sound “duller”, but with a great eq you can bring up the sax’s shine AND have a nice “warm round” bottom end. The other mic, a Neumann U67, is an expensive all round mic, great on EVERYTHING, but what I don’t like is hearing all the “spit” that it grabs. But in this case why not use both and have the best of both worlds!! Nice playing!!!

Mic B lost some overtones. A was more detailed.

Mike A

i like Neuman bcoz i can sell it n use d money to produce an album

Mic A is way better. Mic B is missing a lot on mid highs

mic A was more true to the sound spectrum

@bettersax

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your comment.

While you're arguing about which mic sounds better in an isolated test,you REALLY need to think about what the sax sounds like through CHEAP earbuds on a cell phone,or cheap speakers in someone's home after it's been converted to a lousy sounding MP3 (even Apple lossless s*cks in my opinion), because the AUDIENCE can't tell the difference (and neither can most professionals) when it's included in the total mix.What's most important is whether or not the mic you use captures the performance adequately. When it's been mixed and mastered NO ONE is going to ask you if you used a $1000 clone or a $20,000 vintage Neumann.

@NURREDIN

6 жыл бұрын

P.S. The Coles is a ribbon mic.the Neumann is an LDC. Two different "animals".

Do me a favor and put that Coles in the trash hahaha It's killing the sound of your sax!

No difference that I can tell

Go figure my boujiee butt would prefer the $10k one. Smh...