We used these mixers for our sports broadcasts from the field house and the football field over phone lines. It was fine for spoken word use and cheap enough that any college could afford to do it, as we did in 1966.
I find this concept fascinating! From what i understand there were two ways this could go. There were either dedicated lines that were run from point to point or they used existing infrastructure (supposedly at a fidelity loss) but was, as you said fine for spoken word.
I'm intrigued by your deep love for this mic and really enjoyed your perspective! I fall in the middle of the spectrum on this mic... About 20 years ago, I was in a band with acoustic and electric guitar players and used an 81 as the sole acoustic mic for the record. It was a good choice for the money we had, and I'd do it again in the same situation, but there was a tubbiness that persisted that always needed 'handling'. Since that time I've used it thousands of times on stages and studios as a professional engineer, but always ran into that tubby issue and often reached for something in the vein of the 12k shelf from a 1073 channel to give it some gusto on the upper end, in varying degrees depending on source. When I could finally afford some KM184's, I seemed to rarely EQ anything and things always sounded nice. Physically speaking, the length of the 81 is infuriating in a live setting when trying to mic a piano and the talent wants/needs the lid to be at 1/4 stick or down. Obviously it's a non-starter to use them in these cases, but that's what most/many venues own in my region, so it's what I run into over and over. The durability though... awesome, right? And for the money, I still don't know of something that will get you such a balanced capture. I often use them as a L/R pair of the room sound from the FOH position when recording multi-tracks from a board at a live gig. Their sensitivity rating makes them great for never clipping out, which is great, because once the show starts, those mics are the least of my concern. Also, to your point about smooth top end, I do like them over a drum set more than the KM184 due to that smoothness. For me, the first grab over a kit is an AEA R88, so I've often recommended (to those who ask) the SM81 if they are fond of a ribbon-esque overhead aesthetic. Especially if they need more of a do-all purchase due to budget. But, who cares what my random internet scrawling are. Just wanted to connect over this mic as it has been a common one for me over the years too. If age is the only qualification for that front porch, I'd like to join you two out there, but I'm not going to keep repeating what is said to SM81, just because their sensitivity is so low... 😆😆😆
Thanks for the comment! I couldn't agree more about the size thing and the piano... I almost had to reshoot all the piano demos because of this BARELY making it under the propped up lid. There really is NO need for this mic to be this long (well, back when they were first made, the circuit board in there was kinda long). Im 100% on the R88 for overheads, its quite possibly the best drum overhead mic ever made. EXPENSIVE but worth every penny. And certainly you can join us... on Tuesdays, we'll yell at clouds!
Thanks for reviewing the 81. It’s my go to pair for most acoustic instruments. I have a pair of 451b’s but I prefer neutral sounding mics for their natural qualities, so I don’t use the 451b’s very often.. I also have a pair of 3U Audio 127C with various Capsules & their a copy of the KM84’s, and their quiet, and nice and warm, (& half the price than the 81’s) Thanks again 👍
Love this mic, I personally own (4) of them and use a pair for drum overheads, one as a "crotch" mic and the last one as 2nd mic on my snare (paired with an SM57). Since I leave these permanently setup up I wouldn't be opposed to getting a 5th one to use on acoustic guitar and other uses....
This channel will be my go-to for mic reviews now, good job 😁 You should definitely do a tier list of sdc mics as well as other mic types, thats something I never see from other channels and you have one of the best objective opinions on mic gear.
I really appreciate your words! Thank you so much! What would the tier list be based off of? In trying to keep things as objective as possible, i can pretty much find "good" in just about every product I try. (not saying i can't find bad, since there are certainly a lot of rough mics out there) I do like what Bark and Bronson (from obscure mics and Audio Hotline) have done with their rating system, which is based on a price/quality scale. Only issue is that something REALLY pricey that performs exceptionally well can wind up scoring lower than something that is dirt cheap, but performs okay. If you have some ideas, I'd love to hear it! Always looking to improve things here! Again, really appreciate your comment!
Sort of like tier list of sdc mics (or other mic types) for instruments, vocals, podcast, etc. I think its the best form of summary and no one seems to be doing it yet for some mic products (and other audio products). Its sort of similar for tier list of headphones, a lot of audiophiles enthusiast tune for it (myself included). Anyways, been a big fan of your channel and big hopes that it will grow more.
Hello, first time on your channel, you do a good presentation. I am a big fan of the SM81, it's my number one for acoustic instruments on busy stages, excellent for violin and cello especially if they are playing with an amplified band, I can get plenty of level out front and, as you say, the mic doesn't overload when close to the instrument. My other go to small condenser is the AKG C451 and derivatives C460 abd C480, they have a reasonably flat responce to 20K with no harshness. I own a Neumann KM84 and never use it as it's nasty. I sold my U87's and U67 as I really don't like the sound. I do, however love the Neumann TLM170s I have, they are the main goto mics for many situations in the studio.
Thanks for checking out the channel! The lower sensitivity is great when you have a lot going on, helps to separate things. The 451 seemed a bit bright to me, not harsh, just bright. I haven't had the opportunity to check out a 460 or 480 though from what i remember the 480s are supposed to be ultra quiet. I think the 87/67 are both way overrated. The new versions (ai) are just not very good sounding to my ear. The 170 is a solid mic all around. The best IMO in the TL line.
Thorough examination! Since I mostly use SDCs as drum overheads and I've been looking to upgrade my pair (shure BG 4.1s), but the off-axis coloration on the SM81 seems to really affect its tone. In your XY example the low end of the kick almost entirely disappears on the SM81, while it remains full sounding on the WA84. Might be less noticeable in spaced pair config. For hi-hats I really like a dynamic like a 57 or SM7B to slow down the transient a bit but I admit I may be missing out on some detail there. Thanks for the video!
Im not a fan of these on overheads. The R88 reigns supreme for that. The low sensitivity and pleasant top end make this my goto for hat and ride and it takes EQ really well. Youre correct about the off axis coloration. I wound up cutting out an example of that in the video. I probably should have kept it in. Thanks for the comment and checking out the video!
Years back I bought a pair of these for a music venue I owned and a pair for a radio station I worked at. They all came with an AB1G wind screen. Do they now only rely on the foam screens?
They don't come with the AB1G anymore just the foam. (extra $80 if you still want it) For non vocal, indoor use, neither is really needed. But for anything spoken the wind screen is certainly a preference.
I really need your opinion. For traditional woodwind (ney, which is a bamboo flute), mono recording at close proximity, would you suggest KSM 137 or SM81? So far I had the best success with Sm57 and SE8, but I want to upgrade.
Thats a hard one without hearing the flute. The sm81 im a fan of on guitar and drums, not so much on winds. The 137 is a little more forward in the upper register if memory serves which, again, depending on the sound of the flute, might be a good thing. Usually im more a fan of ribbons or detailed dynamic mic on wind instruments. Something like the royer R10 might be nice. (A little more than either of the shure choices). If you have the option to get both and return the one you like least id say thats the way to go.
So i just listened to some of your videos. Impressive. Love the sound. I personally would go w a large diaphragm condenser on something like that to get the breath and airiness of that instrument. If you were in my area i would invite you over to try all sorts of stuff on that. Very cool!!!!🤩
First comment. I have an unmatched pair of these. Both have different logos on them yet both are made in the USA. I use to use these on Hi hat and ride… I learned to not like them so much…. Almost get harsh and unforgiving…. My personal taste but I moved to mainly dynamics for these duties. I admittedly am afraid to use these for anything now haha I think I’ve clipped them on top snare. Didn’t know about the lock! Would be interesting to compare mine to newer ones… these here I have have seen a lot… lots of body scratches although the grills are decent. Cheers!
The mics i have are made over 10 years apart and sound almost identical. Neither has the "flat" logo on the body which are the originals. What i find most interesting is that some people think they're harsh and other think they're well rounded in the top (im in camp 2) Granted I've used probably a half a dozen maybe more, over the years and never found one that seemed to be harsh up top. Perhaps I should look into this a bit further and see if this mic behaves differently with different impedances. (only thing i can think of that might make a tonal difference). I've definitely clipped some PRES with this mic, but never the mic itself (besides with plosives). If you do get a chance to A/B yours vs a new one, please let me know what the results were! Thanks for checking out the video and leaving an awesome comment!
@@meistudiony You ARE awesome! … I love the build quality and although never did extensive tests feel like mine are damn close enough from eachother. Of course I’ve used them for acoustic guitar and other things… I’ll probably always keep them. Piano sounded great. I think you may have indirectly convinced me to get some KM184s though haha… I hear the Original 84s are something else though. The 81s give my cymbals a top end which I find isn’t maybe harsh but almost too much top end and when it comes to mixing feels thin and just not what I want. I’m pretty particular when it comes to drums…. Some guys don’t even use nor care about a hi hat Mic …. I love when I can get a close mic to sound like what I get from the hi hat in the room some and combine of course with other mics… I love being able to automate and isolate specific hits! Again… I don’t see ever getting rid of mine! Ps: I think I bought my pair for like $200 🥴
@@BlueHouseSoundStudio lucky dog to Get a pair for $200. The r88 gets that top end just right for me and is phase perfect. For the spot mics, this one just does it for me. Not sure what, but, it does it. Lol
Im thinking to buy one cause i like how it sounds in guitars, but i want to use it for sing with the same mic, Could i get professional results for vocals with this mic? Like get very decent vocals?
Thanks for checking out the video. You "CAN" use the mic for vocals, but honestly, I would never think to do that (granted we have a ton of mics at our disposal here). The reason i wouldn't think to do it is, most small diaphragm mics tend to have horrible plosive rejection or handling. You can use a pop filter and a windscreen to mitigate this, but you may not be able to get close to the mic if you want that proximity effect (bigger sound). You might be better off finding a large diaphragm mic to do both jobs. If money weren't an object I'd suggest the mic I usually pair up with the 81 for acoustic recordings, the AKG 414XLS II. If you're watching your money a little closer, I'm a big fan of Røde, the NT1 it a fantastic mic for the money, but its definitely brighter than the SM81 (better self noise and output level though). If you need to roll off the top end, any eq should be able to handle that during mix.
Thank you so much for reply my question, like i have 400-500 dollars, which microfono would be nice to record vocals and a guitar? that the guitar feel full, especialy a 12 string guitar, like i want it to make mexican music, like peso pluma that is so famous@@meistudiony
@@fortnitemobile1805 i would definitely look into a nice large diaphragm mic then. Maybe look into the roswell mini k87. A really nice balanced sound great for vocals and acoustic guitar. It would have a little more color than the Røde mic. roswellproaudio.com/products/mini-k87
I have both of them. Sometimes I want to sale the Neumann 184 because my Shure sm81 sounds very similar. But I found for picking the 184 sounds clear and articulate, mid forward. I think Sm81 works better for strumming.
I've never been a huge fan of the 184. I kind of feel like they tried to pass it off as an updated 84 and it just isn't. The original 84s had a much more rounded sound, which is exactly what i like about the SM81.
