[drichard]

A while back someone was lamenting that the MCA SP-1 microphone had
increased in price from $40 to $50. (A steal at that price, even so.)
So I thought I would mention that PSSL has a special on them right now
for $39.99.

Here's a link:
http://www.pssl.com/!IMlL8eSbcH!A87C...05578x57098911

No, I don't work for PSSL, but I thought I'd pass this tip on to folks
that might be interested.

As for me, I already have four of the SP-1's, so I probably won't be
taking advantage of this special.

Dean

[John Jacobson]

So, the reviews indicate this mike being extraordinary for the price and I'm
intrigued. What would I need besides the mike for a working recording
system? I use Minidisc for outdoor stuff and it has 1/8" input; the sound
card in the PC is the Audiophile 2496.

Thanks,
JJ

"drichard" wrote in message
...
A while back someone was lamenting that the MCA SP-1 microphone had
increased in price from $40 to $50. (A steal at that price, even so.)
So I thought I would mention that PSSL has a special on them right now
for $39.99.

Here's a link:
http://www.pssl.com/!IMlL8eSbcH!A87C...05578x57098911

No, I don't work for PSSL, but I thought I'd pass this tip on to folks
that might be interested.

As for me, I already have four of the SP-1's, so I probably won't be
taking advantage of this special.

Dean

[hank alrich]

John Jacobson wrote:

So, the reviews indicate this mike being extraordinary for the price and I'm
intrigued. What would I need besides the mike for a working recording
system? I use Minidisc for outdoor stuff and it has 1/8" input; the sound
card in the PC is the Audiophile 2496.

Thanks,
JJ

You'd need something with a mic preamp that offered phantom power,
preferably real 48 vdc phantom. I'm not familiar with your soundcard.

"drichard" wrote in message
...
A while back someone was lamenting that the MCA SP-1 microphone had
increased in price from $40 to $50. (A steal at that price, even so.)
So I thought I would mention that PSSL has a special on them right now
for $39.99.

Here's a link:
http://www.pssl.com/!IMlL8eSbcH!A87Csvro6cg!/SP-1?fc_c=
1400370x3205578x57098911

aka http://tinyurl.com/ycreyu7

No, I don't work for PSSL, but I thought I'd pass this tip on to folks
that might be interested.

As for me, I already have four of the SP-1's, so I probably won't be
taking advantage of this special.

Dean


--
ha
shut up and play your guitar
http://www.armadillomusicproductions...arryMeHome.htm
http://hankalrich.com/

[Mike Rivers]

John Jacobson wrote:
So, the reviews indicate this mike being extraordinary for the price and
I'm intrigued. What would I need besides the mike for a working
recording system? I use Minidisc for outdoor stuff and it has 1/8"
input; the sound card in the PC is the Audiophile 2496.

That's a really open ended question, but for starters, you'll need a mic
preamp that provides phantom power, and the appropriate cables or
adapters to connect it to your Minidisk or Audiophile card.

Note that mic preamps that provide phantom power and are battery
powered are few and far between, so using it outdoors with your
Minidisk recorder may not be that simple unless you have a long
extension cord.

[Arny Krueger]

"John Jacobson" wrote in message


So, the reviews indicate this mike being extraordinary
for the price and I'm intrigued.

I have a MCA SP-1 that I've used for some spoken word recording work at
home. It seems to be a very reasonable general-purpose side-address
cardioid mic. For the price, it is very hard to criticize. For twice the
price it would still be effectively faultless. Starting around three times
the price it might actually have some tough competition.

Depending on how you use it, you might want to put it into shock mount. If
you use it for close-miced vocals, a pop/breath filter might be in order.
I've destroyed at least one mic of this general kind by using it for close
vocals. Over a period of years of repeated use, it built up residue on the
diaphragm and was permanently damaged, even after careful cleaning.

What would I need
besides the mike for a working recording system?

A mic preamp with phantom power.

I use Minidisc for outdoor stuff and it has 1/8" input; the
sound card in the PC is the Audiophile 2496.

The AP2496 has line-level inputs on RCA jacks. I have one of them, as well.

Options for inexpensive mic preamps include the Rolls MP13 which I also own,
and is just fine for the purpose.

Another approach is to use an inexpensive mixing console such as those from
Behringer. Just make sure you don't pick one of their very smallest ones
that lack phantom power. Ironically, you can buy a mixing console with 2
mic inputs for about the same price as the MP13. If memory serves, I last
used my MP13 with one of the somewhat larger Behringer mixing consoles.

[Peter Larsen[_3_]]

Arny Krueger wrote:

Depending on how you use it, you might want to put it into shock
mount. If you use it for close-miced vocals, a pop/breath filter
might be in order.

I have seen a vocalist spit 3 meters during a concert, always use a spit
screen or a windscreen, even if just a light one, on mics that are used for
vox.

Kind regards

Peter Larsen

[Peter Larsen[_3_]]

John Jacobson wrote:

So, the reviews indicate this mike being extraordinary for the price
and I'm intrigued. What would I need besides the mike for a working
recording system? I use Minidisc for outdoor stuff and it has 1/8"
input; the sound card in the PC is the Audiophile 2496.

It is a great mic for most voices, but it should not be the first pair of
mics in the household, A MXL 603 stereo set is is a better starter package,
the small condensers are GP mics, the large ones are - very generally
speaking - specialists because they are less likely to have a smooth off
axis response.

JJ

Kind regards

Peter Larsen

[Ty Ford]

On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 04:19:02 -0500, Peter Larsen wrote
(in article ):

John Jacobson wrote:

So, the reviews indicate this mike being extraordinary for the price
and I'm intrigued. What would I need besides the mike for a working
recording system? I use Minidisc for outdoor stuff and it has 1/8"
input; the sound card in the PC is the Audiophile 2496.

It is a great mic for most voices, but it should not be the first pair of
mics in the household, A MXL 603 stereo set is is a better starter package,
the small condensers are GP mics, the large ones are - very generally
speaking - specialists because they are less likely to have a smooth off
axis response.


Kind regards

Peter Larsen

I think those (603) are the ones Harvey sent me, Peter. I didn't like 'em in
my preamps. YMMV.

Regards,

Ty

--Audio Equipment Reviews Audio Production Services
Acting and Voiceover Demos http://www.tyford.com
Guitar player?:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWaPRHMGhGA

[Peter Larsen[_3_]]

Ty Ford wrote:

On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 04:19:02 -0500, Peter Larsen wrote
(in article ):

John Jacobson wrote:

So, the reviews indicate this mike being extraordinary for the price
and I'm intrigued. What would I need besides the mike for a working
recording system? I use Minidisc for outdoor stuff and it has 1/8"
input; the sound card in the PC is the Audiophile 2496.

It is a great mic for most voices, but it should not be the first
pair of mics in the household, A MXL 603 stereo set is is a better
starter package, the small condensers are GP mics, the large ones
are - very generally speaking - specialists because they are less
likely to have a smooth off axis response.

I think those (603) are the ones Harvey sent me, Peter. I didn't like
'em in my preamps. YMMV.

Interesting, thank you. I should have added that a certain willingness to
take risks is an advantage with mail order mics .... from what people have
said about them here I expect them to be a bit too bright, almost spitty,
but also to be quite usable as choir mics, and I want to be free to allocate
my KSM 141's to soloists. Note that is my impression based on what people
have said, not based on listening to a pair. I will gladly replace my
recommendation with a suggestion of using KM184's instead, I'd love to have
a pair of those. But there is this here budget thing ...

As for why I suggested them in this context of first mic pair rather than
the MCA SP1, reportedly it should be the same capsule, is that their
dimension related properties make them a more probable pair for learning to
record stereo, something that is not done via a pan-potted setup but via
proper stereo miking.

Proper use of stereo pairs, also when multimiking, is in my opinion the
route to proper perspective and spatiality.

Ty

Kind regards

Peter Larsen

[drichard]

Hi Peter,

I can tell you that I owned a pair of MXL 603s mics a few years ago,
and sold them. There was something about them I didn't like - seemed a
little harsh to me. Some time later I bought an MCA SP-1, and liked
it. At the time I had not heard that it has the same capsule as the
603s, as people have been saying. (Though I'm still trying to figure
out how a capsule that big fits into the 603's SD body. Are people
SURE they are the same capsule?)

Maybe my tastes changed, maybe the internal circuitry is different,
maybe MXL started making better diaphragms, or maybe the body has some
effect. But the SP-1 doesn't bother me the same way. Since I no longer
have the 603's to compare them side by side, it could be any of those
things.

Anyway, that's my very unscientific experience with the two.

Dean

On Nov 28, 3:08*pm, "Peter Larsen" wrote:
Ty Ford wrote:
On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 04:19:02 -0500, Peter Larsen wrote
(in article ):
John Jacobson wrote:
So, the reviews indicate this mike being extraordinary for the price
and I'm intrigued. *What would I need besides the mike for a working
recording system? *I use Minidisc for outdoor stuff and it has 1/8"
input; the sound card in the PC is the Audiophile 2496.
It is a great mic for most voices, but it should not be the first
pair of mics in the household, A MXL 603 stereo set is is a better
starter package, the small condensers are GP mics, the large ones
are - very generally speaking - specialists because they are less
likely to have a smooth off axis response.
I think those (603) are the ones Harvey sent me, Peter. I didn't like
'em in my preamps. YMMV.

Interesting, thank you. I should have added that a certain willingness to
take risks is an advantage with mail order mics .... from what people have
said about them here I expect them to be a bit too bright, almost spitty,
but also to be quite usable as choir mics, and I want to be free to allocate
my KSM 141's to soloists. Note that is my impression based on what people
have said, not based on listening to a pair. I will gladly replace my
recommendation with a suggestion of using KM184's instead, I'd love to have
a pair of those. But there is this here budget thing ...

As for why I suggested them in this context of first mic pair rather than
the MCA SP1, reportedly it should be the same capsule, is that their
dimension related properties make them a more probable pair for learning to
record stereo, something that is not done via a pan-potted setup but via
proper stereo miking.

Proper use of stereo pairs, also when multimiking, is in my opinion the
route to proper perspective and spatiality.

Ty

* *Kind regards

* *Peter Larsen

[Peter Larsen[_3_]]

drichard wrote:

I can tell you that I owned a pair of MXL 603s mics a few years ago,
and sold them. There was something about them I didn't like - seemed a
little harsh to me. Some time later I bought an MCA SP-1, and liked
it. At the time I had not heard that it has the same capsule as the
603s, as people have been saying. (Though I'm still trying to figure
out how a capsule that big fits into the 603's SD body. Are people
SURE they are the same capsule?)

It is mounted in a brass ring in the MCA SP1, that moves the druckstau
related peak downwards.

Maybe my tastes changed, maybe the internal circuitry is different,
maybe MXL started making better diaphragms, or maybe the body has some
effect. But the SP-1 doesn't bother me the same way. Since I no longer
have the 603's to compare them side by side, it could be any of those
things.

Thanks you.

Anyway, that's my very unscientific experience with the two.

I'm glad you told about it.

Dean

Kind regards

Peter Larsen

[Ty Ford]

On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:08:47 -0500, Peter Larsen wrote
(in article ):

Ty Ford wrote:

On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 04:19:02 -0500, Peter Larsen wrote
(in article ):

John Jacobson wrote:

So, the reviews indicate this mike being extraordinary for the price
and I'm intrigued. What would I need besides the mike for a working
recording system? I use Minidisc for outdoor stuff and it has 1/8"
input; the sound card in the PC is the Audiophile 2496.

It is a great mic for most voices, but it should not be the first
pair of mics in the household, A MXL 603 stereo set is is a better
starter package, the small condensers are GP mics, the large ones
are - very generally speaking - specialists because they are less
likely to have a smooth off axis response.

I think those (603) are the ones Harvey sent me, Peter. I didn't like
'em in my preamps. YMMV.

Interesting, thank you. I should have added that a certain willingness to
take risks is an advantage with mail order mics .... from what people have
said about them here I expect them to be a bit too bright, almost spitty,
but also to be quite usable as choir mics, and I want to be free to allocate
my KSM 141's to soloists. Note that is my impression based on what people
have said, not based on listening to a pair. I will gladly replace my
recommendation with a suggestion of using KM184's instead, I'd love to have
a pair of those. But there is this here budget thing ...

As for why I suggested them in this context of first mic pair rather than
the MCA SP1, reportedly it should be the same capsule, is that their
dimension related properties make them a more probable pair for learning to
record stereo, something that is not done via a pan-potted setup but via
proper stereo miking.

Proper use of stereo pairs, also when multimiking, is in my opinion the
route to proper perspective and spatiality.

Ty

Kind regards

Peter Larsen

Peter,

The I would steer you to the Audix SCX-1 HC SD mics, but they are $500 a
piece. I have had heard three good MCA SP-1's quite impressive for the $.

I find the km 184 pretty bright. The km 84 were a bit more natural.

If you're micing at a distance, brightness isn't as much of an issue.

Regards,

Ty



--Audio Equipment Reviews Audio Production Services
Acting and Voiceover Demos http://www.tyford.com
Guitar player?:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWaPRHMGhGA

[Peter Larsen[_3_]]

Ty Ford wrote:

[choir mics]

The I would steer you to the Audix SCX-1 HC SD mics, but they are
$500 a piece. I have had heard three good MCA SP-1's quite impressive
for the $.

I find the km 184 pretty bright. The km 84 were a bit more natural.

I made a recording with a pair of KM84's way many years ago, mezzo and
organ, just right. Neumann has no intention of reintrocing them, I have
asked them about this.

If you're micing at a distance, brightness isn't as much of an issue.

At the Audix budget I'll go for a pair of KM184s, but first I'll have to be
patient, thanks Ty!

Ty

Kind regards

Peter Larsen

[drichard]

Hi Peter,

Thanks for your response. I've never heard the term "druckstau", and
I'm not sure what it means when you say that the brass ring moves "the
druckstau related peak" downwards. Do you mind elaborating?

After looking at the SP-1 more carefully I can see the brass ring you
referred to. And now I can see that the diaphragm part of the assembly
is the same size as the barrel of the 603s mic. It's not obvious at
first.

Do you (or anyone else reading this) know if the rest of the 603s
circuit is the same as the SP-1? I've read that the SP-1 circuit is
patterned after a Schoeps.

Again, thanks for the info.

Dean


On Nov 28, 9:24*pm, "Peter Larsen" wrote:
drichard wrote:
I can tell you that I owned a pair of MXL 603s mics a few years ago,
and sold them. There was something about them I didn't like - seemed a
little harsh to me. Some time later I bought an MCA SP-1, and liked
it. At the time I had not heard that it has the same capsule as the
603s, as people have been saying. (Though I'm still trying to figure
out how a capsule that big fits into the 603's SD body. Are people
SURE they are the same capsule?)

It is mounted in a brass ring in the MCA SP1, that moves the druckstau
related peak downwards.

Maybe my tastes changed, maybe the internal circuitry is different,
maybe MXL started making better diaphragms, or maybe the body has some
effect. But the SP-1 doesn't bother me the same way. Since I no longer
have the 603's to compare them side by side, it could be any of those
things.

Thanks you.

Anyway, that's my very unscientific experience with the two.

I'm glad you told about it.

Dean

* Kind regards

* Peter Larsen

[Peter Larsen[_3_]]

drichard wrote:

Thanks for your response. I've never heard the term "druckstau", and
I'm not sure what it means when you say that the brass ring moves "the
druckstau related peak" downwards. Do you mind elaborating?

If possible do put this one through google translate:

http://www.sengpielaudio.com/MikrofoneImSchallfeld.pdf

Druckstau literally translates as pressure build up, the result for an omni
type microphone is - as I remember this - a 6 dB peak centered at the
frequency where the wavelenght = 2 x the membrane diameter. Perhaps Scott
Dorsey or Don Pearce can point you to english language literature.

The DPA nosecone is a ploy to avoid this effect by making the microphone
diameter ""zero"", the price is a cavity resonance in the required cavity in
front of the microphone membrane, so the result is an unlinear response that
is identical in all directions, ie. easy to compensate electronically.

After looking at the SP-1 more carefully I can see the brass ring you
referred to. And now I can see that the diaphragm part of the assembly
is the same size as the barrel of the 603s mic. It's not obvious at
first.

It is a good ploy, the AT4033 also uses it, the virtue of the small actual
membrane remains that its internal resonances and break-up modes are in a
much higher frequency range. Microphone membranes by necessity have all the
size related problems that loudspeaker membranes have ....

Do you (or anyone else reading this) know if the rest of the 603s
circuit is the same as the SP-1? I've read that the SP-1 circuit is
patterned after a Schoeps.

The SP1 is reportedly using a Schoeps inspired circuit board, googling this
forum will lead you to Jim Stewarts mods for it, the most important one
probably to replace a ceramic capacitor with whateveritwaselse, the result
being a smoother treble.

Dean

Kind regards

Peter Larsen

[Mike Rivers]

drichard wrote:

I can tell you that I owned a pair of MXL 603s mics a few years ago,
and sold them. There was something about them I didn't like - seemed a
little harsh to me. Some time later I bought an MCA SP-1, and liked
it. At the time I had not heard that it has the same capsule as the
603s, as people have been saying.

The MXL 991 is like the 603, and the 990 is a 991 capsule in a different
case. The MCA SP-1, at least from the pictures, looks like an earlier
series,
maybe the 2001. The 990/991/603 use a 1/2" diaphragm. The 2001 has a
1-1/4" diaphragam which would clearly not fit in a 603 case.

[jowillie[_2_]]

Yes, the SP-1 is a side address Small Diaphram Condenser. It is a
favorite for modification over the 603 mainly because there's more
room to make the modifications.

Michael Jolly of Oktavamod now features modification and upgrades to
the MCA and other similar circuit mics from Nady and others. Mine was
modified by Jim Williams of Audio Upgrades:
http://www.vocalimpactmedia.com/Soun...ml#MCASP1stock

[hank alrich]

Peter Larsen wrote:

drichard wrote:

Thanks for your response. I've never heard the term "druckstau", and
I'm not sure what it means when you say that the brass ring moves "the
druckstau related peak" downwards. Do you mind elaborating?

If possible do put this one through google translate:

http://www.sengpielaudio.com/MikrofoneImSchallfeld.pdf

Druckstau literally translates as pressure build up, the result for an omni
type microphone is - as I remember this - a 6 dB peak centered at the
frequency where the wavelenght = 2 x the membrane diameter. Perhaps Scott
Dorsey or Don Pearce can point you to english language literature.

The DPA nosecone is a ploy to avoid this effect by making the microphone
diameter ""zero"", the price is a cavity resonance in the required cavity in
front of the microphone membrane, so the result is an unlinear response that
is identical in all directions, ie. easy to compensate electronically.

After looking at the SP-1 more carefully I can see the brass ring you
referred to. And now I can see that the diaphragm part of the assembly
is the same size as the barrel of the 603s mic. It's not obvious at
first.

It is a good ploy, the AT4033 also uses it, the virtue of the small actual
membrane remains that its internal resonances and break-up modes are in a
much higher frequency range. Microphone membranes by necessity have all the
size related problems that loudspeaker membranes have ....

Do you (or anyone else reading this) know if the rest of the 603s
circuit is the same as the SP-1? I've read that the SP-1 circuit is
patterned after a Schoeps.

The SP1 is reportedly using a Schoeps inspired circuit board, googling this
forum will lead you to Jim Stewarts mods for it,

Methinks you meant Jim Williams, of Audio Upgrades.


the most important one
probably to replace a ceramic capacitor with whateveritwaselse, the result
being a smoother treble.

Dean

Kind regards

Peter Larsen


--
ha
shut up and play your guitar
http://www.armadillomusicproductions...arryMeHome.htm
http://hankalrich.com/

[hank alrich]

jowillie wrote:

Yes, the SP-1 is a side address Small Diaphram Condenser. It is a
favorite for modification over the 603 mainly because there's more
room to make the modifications.

20 mm. diapghram puts it sort of in between SDC and LDC.

Michael Jolly of Oktavamod now features modification and upgrades to
the MCA and other similar circuit mics from Nady and others. Mine was
modified by Jim Williams of Audio Upgrades:
http://www.vocalimpactmedia.com/Soun...ml#MCASP1stock


--
ha
shut up and play your guitar
http://www.armadillomusicproductions...arryMeHome.htm
http://hankalrich.com/

[Peter Larsen[_3_]]

hank alrich wrote:

The SP1 is reportedly using a Schoeps inspired circuit board,
googling this forum will lead you to Jim Stewarts mods for it,

Methinks you meant Jim Williams, of Audio Upgrades.

You're a great psychic Hank, thank you!


Kind regards

Peter Larsen

[Scott Dorsey]

drichard wrote:

I can tell you that I owned a pair of MXL 603s mics a few years ago,
and sold them. There was something about them I didn't like - seemed a
little harsh to me. Some time later I bought an MCA SP-1, and liked
it. At the time I had not heard that it has the same capsule as the
603s, as people have been saying. (Though I'm still trying to figure
out how a capsule that big fits into the 603's SD body. Are people
SURE they are the same capsule?)

They do not have the same capsule.

They have capsules of similar design; they are both rather small capsules
roughly based on the KM84 design. Very roughly, though.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Les Cargill[_2_]]

Peter Larsen wrote:
John Jacobson wrote:

So, the reviews indicate this mike being extraordinary for the price
and I'm intrigued. What would I need besides the mike for a working
recording system? I use Minidisc for outdoor stuff and it has 1/8"
input; the sound card in the PC is the Audiophile 2496.

It is a great mic for most voices, but it should not be the first pair of
mics in the household, A MXL 603 stereo set is is a better starter package,
the small condensers are GP mics, the large ones are - very generally
speaking - specialists because they are less likely to have a smooth off
axis response.

JJ

Kind regards

Peter Larsen





I expect there are better options now than the 603. They're
rather harsh.

--
Les Cargill

[nebulax]

On Nov 29, 9:35*am, jowillie wrote:
Yes, the SP-1 is a side address Small Diaphram Condenser. It is a
favorite for modification over the 603 mainly because there's more
room to make the modifications.

Michael Jolly of Oktavamod now features modification and upgrades to
the MCA and other similar circuit mics from Nady and others. Mine was
modified by Jim Williams of Audio Upgrades:http://www.vocalimpactmedia.com/Soun...ml#MCASP1stock


Here's a link to the upgrades that OktavaMod offers -
http://www.oktavamodshop.com/product...roducts_id=114

-Neb

[Arny Krueger]

"hank alrich" wrote in message
...
jowillie wrote:

Yes, the SP-1 is a side address Small Diaphram Condenser. It is a
favorite for modification over the 603 mainly because there's more
room to make the modifications.

20 mm. diapghram puts it sort of in between SDC and LDC.

http://recordinghacks.com/microphones/MCA/SP1

puts the diaphragm at more like 16 mm. 20 mm is the capsule diameter.

[drichard]

Thanks Arny.

But that author also says the SP-1 uses the same capsule as the 603s,
a claim disputed by Scott Dorsey, whose opinion I trust. Isn't it
supposed to be modeled after the KM84? How big is that capsule?

Dean

On Nov 30, 7:17*pm, "Arny Krueger" wrote:
"hank alrich" wrote in message

...

jowillie wrote:

Yes, the SP-1 is a side address Small Diaphram Condenser. It is a
favorite for modification over the 603 mainly because there's more
room to make the modifications.

20 mm. diapghram puts it sort of in between SDC and LDC.

http://recordinghacks.com/microphones/MCA/SP1

puts the diaphragm at more like 16 mm. 20 mm is the capsule diameter.