Why are no mics as great as C-12???

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Or the Elam 251. What is stopping manufacturers from making
mics as wonderful as these models new in 2006? Doesn't seem
possible, and yet, it's true.











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[Geoff]

wrote:
> Or the Elam 251. What is stopping manufacturers from making
> mics as wonderful as these models new in 2006? Doesn't seem
> possible, and yet, it's true.

manufacturers can put the magic essence of vintageness into something new.
The eyes and ears of the beholder are tricked because they KNOW it's new.

Trick - turn down the treble - bright new mic now 'warm' old mic.

geoff

[Mike Rivers]

wrote:
> Or the Elam 251. What is stopping manufacturers from making
> mics as wonderful as these models new in 2006?

Your question has several answers, some in the form of questions. Take
your pick. One of them is bound to suit you:

1. Which C12 are you talking about? No two sound alike.

2. AKG makes one currently that they claim has all the character that
several people "averaged" among several different sounding C12s

3. Telefunken makes one that's as close as you can come to what a C12
sounded like when it came out of the factory (which is probalby not
representative of what a "great" one today sounds llike).

4. Because today's engineers use mics differenty than when C12s were
new and there's little need for that style of microphone now.

[JP Gerard]

The capsule is a pain in the ass to build, and building them in large
quatities yet keeping tight manuf. tolerances is impossible.

They're nice capsules, but "great" and "wonderful" applies only to a
relatively limited quantity of those original CK12s...

Perfect clones could be interesting, but they're so bright and forward...
matter of taste I guess.

JP

> a écrit dans le message de
...
> Or the Elam 251. What is stopping manufacturers from making
> mics as wonderful as these models new in 2006? Doesn't seem
> possible, and yet, it's true.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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News==----
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[Ty Ford]

On Thu, 24 Aug 2006 07:13:25 -0400, Geoff wrote
(in article >):

> wrote:
>> Or the Elam 251. What is stopping manufacturers from making
>> mics as wonderful as these models new in 2006? Doesn't seem
>> possible, and yet, it's true.
>
> manufacturers can put the magic essence of vintageness into something new.
> The eyes and ears of the beholder are tricked because they KNOW it's new.
>
> Trick - turn down the treble - bright new mic now 'warm' old mic.
>
> geoff
>
>

Less is the new more.

Ty

-- Ty Ford's equipment reviews, audio samples, rates and other audiocentric
stuff are at www.tyford.com

[studiorat]

As great a pain in the arse more like...
I'd swap mine for a couple of neumanns, I think.

[studiorat]

As great a pain in the arse more like...
I'd swap mine for a couple of neumanns, I think.

[Scott Dorsey]

> wrote:
> Or the Elam 251. What is stopping manufacturers from making
>mics as wonderful as these models new in 2006? Doesn't seem
>possible, and yet, it's true.

Folks DO make microphones that wonderful. The problem is that they are
very expensive. There is not a lot of money to be made selling expensive
products today.

When the 251 was a $500 mike, well, $500 was worth a lot more money than
it is today. These days most of the market wants the cheapest possible
products.

There are guys out there like David Josephson and Klaus Heyne that are
making some high end mikes, but many of the high end manufacturers (even
guys like Neumann) have found that there is far more money to be made in
lower cost mass-produced mikes.

You can make beautifully-voiced handmade products, and you can resell
rebadged Chinese crap, and the sad thing is that you can sell both of
them for about the same price because the buyers don't know any better.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Fletch]

Scott Dorsey wrote:
> > wrote:
> > Or the Elam 251. What is stopping manufacturers from making
> >mics as wonderful as these models new in 2006? Doesn't seem
> >possible, and yet, it's true.
>
> Folks DO make microphones that wonderful. The problem is that they are
> very expensive. There is not a lot of money to be made selling expensive
> products today.
>
> When the 251 was a $500 mike, well, $500 was worth a lot more money than
> it is today. These days most of the market wants the cheapest possible
> products.
>
> There are guys out there like David Josephson and Klaus Heyne that are
> making some high end mikes, but many of the high end manufacturers (even
> guys like Neumann) have found that there is far more money to be made in
> lower cost mass-produced mikes.
>
> You can make beautifully-voiced handmade products, and you can resell
> rebadged Chinese crap, and the sad thing is that you can sell both of
> them for about the same price because the buyers don't know any better.
> --scott
> --
> "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

So, sadly, less really IS more....


....expensive.

--Fletch

[Paul Stamler]

"Scott Dorsey" > wrote in message
...
> > wrote:
> > Or the Elam 251. What is stopping manufacturers from making
> >mics as wonderful as these models new in 2006? Doesn't seem
> >possible, and yet, it's true.
>
> Folks DO make microphones that wonderful. The problem is that they are
> very expensive. There is not a lot of money to be made selling expensive
> products today.

Of course, if you run a new wonderful microphone through a new crappy
preamp, it won't sound so wonderful. Ditto the recording system.

A lot of the magic of mics like the C12 was the way their brightness
complemented the restricted high frequencies of earlier recording (and
broadcast) systems. Run them into a flat-response system, especially one
with the tendency to emphasize high-frequency harshness, and you won't get
such a magical response.

But like Scott said, there are great microphones being made today, including
the clone-attempts by Soundelux and others. Check them out -- through good
downstream equipment.

Peace,
Paul