AKG C535

[the gradient]

Anyone with any opinion on the AKG C535 handheld condenser mic? I've been
told that at its pricepoint (around $360 CDN) it is a great buy as a
multipurpose condenser. Maybe not so great on drums and other high SPL
sound sources, but good on vox, guitars, horns and more?

[Rick Hollett]

A tad bright, but a very useful mic on vocals, acoustics, saxes, even hats.
I've had one about 10 or so yrs. Still very much in the loop

Rick Hollett
Record Time Productions
"the gradient" > wrote in message
news:qk8wb.478698$pl3.105620@pd7tw3no...
> Anyone with any opinion on the AKG C535 handheld condenser mic? I've been
> told that at its pricepoint (around $360 CDN) it is a great buy as a
> multipurpose condenser. Maybe not so great on drums and other high SPL
> sound sources, but good on vox, guitars, horns and more?
>
>

[Wayne]

>Anyone with any opinion on the AKG C535 handheld condenser mic? I've been
>told that at its pricepoint (around $360 CDN) it is a great buy as a
>multipurpose condenser. Maybe not so great on drums and other high SPL
>sound sources, but good on vox, guitars, horns and more?

One of the best kept secrets of AKG mics. Live or studio, it's a keeper and
you can get into it (SPL) pretty hard also. I treat it like the SM57 of small
condensers.

YMMV


--Wayne

-"sounded good to me"-

[Audy]

"the gradient" > wrote in message news:<qk8wb.478698$pl3.105620@pd7tw3no>...
> Anyone with any opinion on the AKG C535 handheld condenser mic? I've been
> told that at its pricepoint (around $360 CDN) it is a great buy as a
> multipurpose condenser. Maybe not so great on drums and other high SPL
> sound sources, but good on vox, guitars, horns and more?


Would it be for live or studio use?

Audy
Radar 24 Dealer

[the gradient]

For my own uses it would be used strictly for recording, but i've had it
recommended to me as a live tool as well. Any thoughts on how this mic
stands up as a live condenser mic?

"Audy" > wrote in message
om...
> "the gradient" > wrote in message
news:<qk8wb.478698$pl3.105620@pd7tw3no>...
> > Anyone with any opinion on the AKG C535 handheld condenser mic? I've
been
> > told that at its pricepoint (around $360 CDN) it is a great buy as a
> > multipurpose condenser. Maybe not so great on drums and other high SPL
> > sound sources, but good on vox, guitars, horns and more?
>
>
> Would it be for live or studio use?
>
> Audy
> Radar 24 Dealer

[Rob Adelman]

the gradient wrote:
> For my own uses it would be used strictly for recording, but i've had it
> recommended to me as a live tool as well. Any thoughts on how this mic
> stands up as a live condenser mic?

Very well apparently. I have seen lots of big name perfomers singing
into them at concerts.

[Scott Dorsey]

In article <qk8wb.478698$pl3.105620@pd7tw3no>,
the gradient > wrote:
>Anyone with any opinion on the AKG C535 handheld condenser mic? I've been
>told that at its pricepoint (around $360 CDN) it is a great buy as a
>multipurpose condenser. Maybe not so great on drums and other high SPL
>sound sources, but good on vox, guitars, horns and more?

The top end is a little exaggerated, but it has a decent pattern, it doesn't
cost much, and it's useful for just all kinds of things. Certainly one of
the better mikes AKG makes.
--scott

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

[Twist Turner]

Huh, mines a tad dark, wanna trade?

________________________________

From: (Rick=A0Hollett)
A tad bright, but a very useful mic on vocals, acoustics, saxes, even
hats. I've had one about 10 or so yrs. Still very much in the loop
Rick Hollett



Twist Turner
http://tinyurl.com/ul70

[ItsTooLoud]

I have good luck with them for flute and violin on a very live stage. a foot
or so above and in front of the instrument. They have a bass roll-off and a
pad, so high SPL shouldn't be a major issue.

Paul Andre

>Anyone with any opinion on the AKG C535 handheld condenser mic? I've been
>told that at its pricepoint (around $360 CDN) it is a great buy as a
>multipurpose condenser. Maybe not so great on drums and other high SPL
>sound sources, but good on vox, guitars, horns and more?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

[AT]

i have had good results with guitars, and that is why i keep it.

don't like it much for vocals.


"Scott Dorsey" > wrote in message
...
> In article <qk8wb.478698$pl3.105620@pd7tw3no>,
> the gradient > wrote:
> >Anyone with any opinion on the AKG C535 handheld condenser mic?
I've been
> >told that at its pricepoint (around $360 CDN) it is a great buy as
a
> >multipurpose condenser. Maybe not so great on drums and other high
SPL
> >sound sources, but good on vox, guitars, horns and more?
>
> The top end is a little exaggerated, but it has a decent pattern, it
doesn't
> cost much, and it's useful for just all kinds of things. Certainly
one of
> the better mikes AKG makes.
> --scott
>
> --
> "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[ScotFraser]

<< Any thoughts on how this mic
stands up as a live condenser mic?
>>

Live is the main application for these. I've never seen one in studio use. A
friend wanted to sell me his, which I found didn't offer anything I couldn't do
much better with my selection of Neumanns. Live is a different matter & it's
one of my favorite live vocal mics

Scott Fraser

[Wayne]

>Live is the main application for these. I've never seen one in studio use. A
>friend wanted to sell me his, which I found didn't offer anything I couldn't
>do
>much better with my selection of Neumanns.

Now, the question arises, what about us folk who don't have a selection of
Neumanns? The C535 may not be the best mic for everything, but I've not heard
it sound bad on anything.

>Live is a different matter & it's
>one of my favorite live vocal mics
>
>Scott Fraser
>
>
Ditto.


--Wayne

-"sounded good to me"-

[Rob Adelman]

ScotFraser wrote:

> Live is the main application for these. I've never seen one in studio use. A
> friend wanted to sell me his, which I found didn't offer anything I couldn't do
> much better with my selection of Neumanns. Live is a different matter & it's
> one of my favorite live vocal mics

I've been using mine to record hi-hat. Of course that track is way down
in the mix though.

-Rob

[Scott Dorsey]

Wayne > wrote:
Scott Frasier wrote:
>>Live is the main application for these. I've never seen one in studio use. A
>>friend wanted to sell me his, which I found didn't offer anything I couldn't
>>do
>>much better with my selection of Neumanns.
>
>Now, the question arises, what about us folk who don't have a selection of
>Neumanns? The C535 may not be the best mic for everything, but I've not heard
>it sound bad on anything.

It sounds bad on a lot of things that already have a lot of high end and
don't benefit from the top end peak on the mike. Fiddles, for instance.
It's not all that great for far-field miking either (although I must admit
it works better than you'd expect). But that doesn't make it a bad mike
in any way.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Kurt Albershardt]

Scott Dorsey wrote:

> Wayne > wrote:
> Scott Frasier wrote:
>
>
>> Now, the question arises, what about us folk who don't have a selection of
>> Neumanns? The C535 may not be the best mic for everything, but I've not heard
>> it sound bad on anything.
>
>
> It sounds bad on a lot of things that already have a lot of high end and
> don't benefit from the top end peak on the mike. Fiddles, for instance.
> It's not all that great for far-field miking either (although I must admit
> it works better than you'd expect). But that doesn't make it a bad mike
> in any way.

Especially at its pricepoint!

I'll take it over the vast majority of Chinese knockoff condensers I've
heard, and I bet it will stay in your kit longer than they would...

[Wayne]

>>Now, the question arises, what about us folk who don't have a selection of
>>Neumanns? The C535 may not be the best mic for everything, but I've not
>heard
>>it sound bad on anything.
>
>It sounds bad on a lot of things that already have a lot of high end and
>don't benefit from the top end peak on the mike. Fiddles, for instance.
>It's not all that great for far-field miking either (although I must admit
>it works better than you'd expect). But that doesn't make it a bad mike
>in any way.
>--scott
>--
>"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
>
>

I should have wrote:

but I've not heard it sound bad on anything I've tried to use it on.

BTW Scott, fiddle does not come to mind when I think of uses for a C535 or any
small condenser for that matter. Beyer comes to my mind and sometimes RE-20.


--Wayne

-"sounded good to me"-

[Scott Dorsey]

Wayne > wrote:
>
>BTW Scott, fiddle does not come to mind when I think of uses for a C535 or any
>small condenser for that matter. Beyer comes to my mind and sometimes RE-20.

Absolutely. Although a pair of good small diaphragm condensers pulled way
back in a big room can be a great sound. You're miking the room more than
the instrument in that case, though.
--scott

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

[Mike Rivers]

In article > writes:

> Now, the question arises, what about us folk who don't have a selection of
> Neumanns?

Well, what are you waiting for? Get some today!



--
I'm really Mike Rivers - )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

[Wayne]

>> Now, the question arises, what about us folk who don't have a selection of
>> Neumanns?
>
>Well, what are you waiting for? Get some today!
>
>
>--
>I'm really Mike Rivers - )
>
>
Waiting for contributions to my studio rennovation fund. <bgr>

All joking aside, my talent pool is gonna have to improve significantly for me
to move up in some gear areas.

My SD's are 2)AT-4041's, 2)AKG-C535's, 2)MXL-603s, 2)Studio Projects C4's and a
couple of AT3528's. Maybe sell all and get a couple of KM-184's or AT4051a's?



--Wayne

-"sounded good to me"-

[ScotFraser]

<< BTW Scott, fiddle does not come to mind when I think of uses for a C535 or
any
small condenser for that matter. >>

Try a KM84 or KM86 sometime on fiddle.


Scott Fraser

[ScotFraser]

<< All joking aside, my talent pool is gonna have to improve significantly for
me
to move up in some gear areas. >>

No, it's your pricing structure that needs to improve.


Scott Fraser

[Hal Laurent]

"ScotFraser" > wrote in message
...
> << BTW Scott, fiddle does not come to mind when I think of uses for a C535
or
> any
> small condenser for that matter. >>
>
> Try a KM84 or KM86 sometime on fiddle.

I've also had good results with a KM84 on fiddle.

I've acquired a KM86 since the last time I recorded a fiddle.
Scot, how would you characterize the KM86 on fiddle
compared to the KM84?

Hal Laurent
Baltimore

[LeBaron & Alrich]

ScotFraser wrote:

> Live is a different matter & it's
> one of my favorite live vocal mics

Can you characterize the type of vox for which it works well on stage?

--
ha

[EggHd]

<< I've been using mine to record hi-hat. Of course that track is way down
in the mix though. >>

*If* you're gonna mic the hat, try using a less bright mic. For some reason
some people assume "Oh it's a cymbal, I'll use a bright mic and add 6 db at
12K"

Try something much meatier and micing the hat becomes useful instead of added
useless tizz to the overhead pickup. Coles, sm7 something like that.



---------------------------------------
"I know enough to know I don't know enough"

[Ty Ford]

In Article >,
(EggHd) wrote:
><< I've been using mine to record hi-hat. Of course that track is way down
>in the mix though. >>
>
>*If* you're gonna mic the hat, try using a less bright mic. For some reason
>some people assume "Oh it's a cymbal, I'll use a bright mic and add 6 db at
>12K"
>
>Try something much meatier and micing the hat becomes useful instead of added
>useless tizz to the overhead pickup. Coles, sm7 something like that.


Persactly.

Ty

**Until the worm goes away, I have put "not" in front of my email address.
Please remove it if you want to email me directly.
For Ty Ford V/O demos, audio services and equipment reviews,
click on http://www.jagunet.com/~tford

[ScotFraser]

<< Can you characterize the type of vox for which it works well on stage? >>

Since I don't like the muddiness of the proximity effect on an SM58 I find the
C535 does a good job with people whose diction & articulation suffer on 58s. I
used to spec C535s when I was doing tours with Leslie Uggams, a Broadway singer
with a huge dynamic range & a cutting upper midrange. I probably slightly
prefer the C535 on males to females, since it's pitched in the bright
direction, & has a subdued proximity.

Scott Fraser

[ScotFraser]

<< Scot, how would you characterize the KM86 on fiddle
compared to the KM84? >>

The KM86 is essentially a multipattern KM84, so there's a lot of similarity.
There are subtle differences that make me slightly prefer the 86, though I feel
at a loss to describe verbally. Basically anything I would use an 84 on the 86
in cardioid does just as well, & in some cases, like double bass, I feel gets a
slightly wider more ambient picture of. The other patterns are icing on the
cake. I often use the 86 in figure 8 on guitar when the musician is also
singing. The null side almost completely eliminates the vocal.

Scott Fraser

[Justin Ulysses Morse]

Audy > wrote:

> Would it be for live or studio use?


Yes.


ulysses

[raptor]

>
> >Anyone with any opinion on the AKG C535 handheld condenser mic? I've been
> >told that at its pricepoint (around $360 CDN) it is a great buy as a
> >multipurpose condenser. Maybe not so great on drums and other high SPL
> >sound sources, but good on vox, guitars, horns and more?
> >

http://nightfall.forlorn.net/~raptor/phantomatic_featuring_crookT_trick_twilight.mp3

Above is an mp3 where a C535b was used on female vox.. preamp is an
avalon M5.. male vox is AT4033.. girl singer chooses 535 over her
AT4033.. I think they both sound fine.. but I do prefer the 535 for
her voice

phantomatic is and

crooked T is graydayrecords.com

[Junkmetal]

How is the AKG C535's rejection of other sounds, either off axis, or
at a distance.

I occasionally record vocalists in the same room as a loud band. I've
always used dynamic mics for this. A friend suggests that the Neumann
105 has surprisingly good rejection of unwanted sounds, even in front
of (but at a distance from) the mic.

Ken Winokur / Alloy Orchestra

[Scott Dorsey]

Junkmetal > wrote:
>How is the AKG C535's rejection of other sounds, either off axis, or
>at a distance.

It's pretty good. It's not as good as the KMS105. It's not as good as
the Sennheiser 441, the Beyer M500, or the Sennheiser e855.

>I occasionally record vocalists in the same room as a loud band. I've
>always used dynamic mics for this. A friend suggests that the Neumann
>105 has surprisingly good rejection of unwanted sounds, even in front
>of (but at a distance from) the mic.

The KMS105 has extremely good rejection. It won't reject stuff right on-axis
at a distance, but it'll do a better job than most stage mikes. It sounds
great on some vocals and terrible on some others. It's a good first choice
for the application, though, but you will want some others around.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."