Thanks for taking the time to produce and post this video. Really like the SC400 for vocals.

many thanks, you confirmed that the sc450 is different enough to my ear from the sc400 to be worth the difference. Cheers!

You know.......a really good preamp makes a world of difference to any microphone. I have by default an old Joe Meek preamp that was called the Brick. It has compression and enhancer. This preamp absolutely eats the run of the mill mic preamps and audio interfaces. In it's day it was around £250.00. Going second hand today for around £500 to £700. The reason I am mentioning this is it makes the cheapest of my microphones sound quite awesome. I realise that most would not want to spend £500 + on a preamp / audio interface, but I always say that you only buy once if you buy quality. I have stereo / audio equipment here that is 40 + years old and it still holds up to the best of what is available today. It cost me some serious $ when I bought it way back in the 80s, but I have never had to replace it. A minor repair here and there.

@GavinAtkin

2 жыл бұрын

I'm sure that's right. But as an amateur you have to make the right choices (in a noisy, distracting market dominated by marketing hype that isn't always easy) and you also need the money and to be able to prioritise your spending to make the right choices. I haven't had the knowledge (too many 'distractions', eg work, family etc), nor the money, nor the skills required to make the most of good gear. And now at 66, I doubt I have the ears!

The links to each part of the video above do not work, try it below: SC400 0:01 SC450 0:47 SC1100 1:31

thank you! made my mind on sc1100, will give it a try!

Thanks for sharing this! I can definitely hear a difference between them, albeit slight to my untrained ear. That being said, you've confirmed for me, that the cheap and cheerful sc400 will do just fine for my needs. :)

@eDrumsInANutshell

2 жыл бұрын

me too ... also not a pro, but going from the SC400 to SC450 it sounds more crisp to me and the SC1100 adds even more airy frequencies. I tried the Tonor TC20 but ... no... to much of that china high end. Than I grabbed the SC400 and since my room is a bit "reverby" I like the supercardioid characteristic. Very nice to combine this mic samples with a nice piece of poetry. Thank you!

Thank you! Very helpful :)

Thanks for the nice comparison! I think the SC1100 sounds more neutral/flat and clear, almost like you removed a blanket out of the mics. That said, I actually like how warm the SC400 sounds and I think it actually must be great for podcasting. The SC450 was probably my least favorite.

@GavinAtkin

4 жыл бұрын

I don't use these enough now to have mastered the eq, but I think the SC1100 is good and usefully has a narrow cardioid pickup. But I think the 5kHz peak is a bit fierce. I've been meaning to try it again with a slight 5kHz cut and a small 6kHz boost. I think that's going to be where to go with it...

@TheBedroomRocker1

4 жыл бұрын

@@GavinAtkin I was struggling to pick between these 3 and ended up finding a good deal on a SC 1100. It should arrive next week, so your EQ tips are already very welcome! It's my first large diaphragm condenser. My channel is about electric guitar and I wanted a mic for the talking and description parts, but eventually also plan to use it as a room mic for guitar as well. Let's see how it goes.

@GavinAtkin

4 жыл бұрын

Great good luck. I've got several LDCs, and have found that different mics suit different voices and instruments straight out of the box: there are times to trust the engineers.Check my recording of acoustic guitar using a crossed pair of SC1100s. But I've also found moderate eq (moderating unwanted or overly strong peaks by cutting up to -4dB), and sometimes adding a little at 6kHz and or 12kHz (they seem to be magic numbers) is helpful.

@GavinAtkin

4 жыл бұрын

I've also tried replacing the capsule on an SC450 for a 34mm model bought cheaply from eBay.. That produced an interesting result with crisper lows and less sibilance. They work really well on my melodeons and concertinas with no eq.

@NovaPotMusic

4 жыл бұрын

I think you can "remove blanket" from 400 with eq. And save money 😉

excelente tutorial y lectura amigo abrazo y muchas gracias que te parece el sonido del SC1100 y el SC 450?

Everybody picking different mics... So basically different mic is good for different ppl obviously

How are they comparatively for self noise? The SC400 used to be rated at below 10dB, then changed to 18dB when retested. In practice, is there any noticeable difference between the three?

@GavinAtkin

3 жыл бұрын

I have 64 year old musician's ears and don't live in a silent place or have an acoustically treated studio, so I'm not really an expert on self noise. I didn't notice that any one of these was much worse than the others in that regard. I mainly noticed differences in timbre, such as sibilance, nasality and boxiness. I didn’t gate the recording, so if there is any significant difference in hiss levels you may detect them.

@colinmorrison5119

3 жыл бұрын

@@GavinAtkin I'm in my 40s with the ears of an octagenarian, so can't tell either. My tinnitus is louder than any background noise from this video. I normally rely on numbers coming out of software. I'm looking at audiobook narration, which requires a low noise floor, which is why I asked. The tonality differences where minor - the SC 450 sounded bassier, the SC 1100 had a....tighter, more compressed sound? All three sound good. I was also looking at the SC 600 which has a supposed 10 db noise floor, multiple polar patterns, yet costs less than the 450.

@GavinAtkin

3 жыл бұрын

@@colinmorrison5119 Understood. I haven't used an SC600, but have heard good recordings from them. I'd certainly consider one if I needed a mic, as I think it has a useful sounding neutral quality. I'd also the Studiospares' own brand models. I notice they have a following. www.benbax.com/voice-over-studio3.shtml - but of course this may be down to that old mic-voice combination. I don't often hear mic noise: I use Audacity mostly, and if once I've compressed and normalised the signal I can't see evidence of hiss in the silent passages, I don't worry about it. But I don't do audio books and don't really know how picky they are. The tonalities of different mics seem to suit different voices, so the SC1100 might work for you - though its audible response peak in the 3-4kHz range may need to be controlled using eq.

@GavinAtkin

3 жыл бұрын

I should probably tell you what I use. I've come to think that some mics and angles lend themselves to my spoken voice, which has sibilance around 2-3kHz and can be a little nasal. Both of those things can often be helped by setting the mic so it's to one side (which also helps with reading) or from above with the mic in line with my eyes. I notice also that different mics seem to work best closer or further, and some benefit from a Rode WS2 windscreen. My current favourites are: - 3U Audio Teal close-to, no foam (being closer-to reduces the importance if noise, I guess, and the frequency response dip in the 2-3kHz range is helpful) - 3U Audio Black a little further (it's a tighter mic), no windscreen - AT4040 with 2+WS2, not as close as the Teal as the proximity effect is strong - SE V7 with foam and barrel preamp

@GavinAtkin

3 жыл бұрын

I'd also observe that the sc400, sc600 and sc1100 cardioid setting have an appeal - depending on your recording space - because they're all actual hypercardioid.

The winner ofcourse is the "1100"

SC400 sounds warmer, SC450 clearer, and SC1100, slightly flat. Just my thoughts.

@GavinAtkin

5 жыл бұрын

I'd agree with you in the first two. I think the SC1100 can be a bit hard, probably in the 3-5kHz region.