Behringer B1 Mic

[Ctenorman]

Have any of you had any experience using the Behringer B1 for any sax recordings by any chance? I'm thinking of getting one, as I've heard some good things about them (given their price). Had I twice as much money, I'd go for C1 by Studio Projects, I've heard a couple of people use them for sax, and they sound awesome. But if I can get a very respectable sound on tenor on the behringer, I'll go for it. Take care,

Scott

[Giganova]

I doubt that you'll get good results with a B1. Its one of THE cheapest large condensers and the quality of Behringer stuff is more than questionable. The SP C1 is in fact much better. Do you need it for studio or life recording? You can't use condensers on stage coz they'll pick up too much background noise from the audience anyway. You should opt for a good dynamic in that case, such as the Sennheiser 421 or 441. Seriously: if you need a large condenser, better safe some money and get someting in the 200+ price range. Its more likely you'll use and keep these kind of mics. You'll outgrow the B1 within a few months, if you use it all, and won't even be able to sell it, given its low price. Its a dead investment and won't even sound good.

[Bill Mecca]

like anything else, best to try before you buy. Condensors can be great, some so sensitive they pick up the sound of your tonenails growing. There are condensors made for onstage use, Sennheiser makes some as does AKG.

Rode Nt-1's are a good deal, I personally use an NT-2 for my voice over work, and sax. I have also gotten great results with a Shure SM58, EV ND/308 into a Behringer mixer. As well an Audio Technica 831a(discontinued) lavalier mic (electret condensor with cardioid pickup pattern).

There are a lot of options out there, best to get to a place that has some on display, that you can test out there, or a liberal return policy. Just be aware, high price does not always equal good sound.

BTW I have no personal or even second hand experience with the Behringer B-1 so I cannot comment on that particular mic.

[Ctenorman]

Well, after thinking about this all for a while, I think I'm going to take a slightly different route. I've been digging around a fair bit, and I've heard quite a few good things about the MXL 990 on the newsgroups. And I came across this site called the listening sessions (http://www.thelisteningsessions.com) which gives samples of dozens of different mics on the same source. From what I can tell, the 990 sounds soft up top, not crisp or harsh, which is exactly what I want when I'm recording my somewhat bright tenor. And if worst comes to worst, I can always return the mic. It's only $69, so what do I have to lose? But seriously, anyone looking at any particular mic should take a visit over to the listening sessions web site, it's the only way I've seen thus far to give some idea of what a mic will sound like so you're not buying blind! Take care!

[morgan]

I've heard good things about MXL here and there. Can't really tell from the catalog blurbs how the 990,992,1000,2001 models are even different from one another. Anybody have clues?

[Ctenorman]

I got the MXL 990 a little while ago, I should have remembered to post back here. It sounds wonderful to my ears, even going through a cheap preamp (a Behringer Mx602a). Given that it's the one of the cheapest of the condensers (you can't buy a decent dynamic for less than this), I can recommend it 100% for the home user who wants great sound at a cheap price. I'll put up a little recording as soon as I get the chance. I'd love to hear what this could sound like with a really nice preamp, I'm sure it would be awesome. But in terms of sound quality, it's like a standard condenser mic, with great highs, but almost velvety, I can't think of any other way to describe it. Not harsh in the least. If you're looking for a cheap condenser, but not sure what sounds good with sax, I can highly recommend this mic.

[morgan]

Ah, hmm, I don't have anything that provides phantom power. Mx602a seems to be discontinued -- I guess 802a is the replacement -- and Behringer makes other teeny mixers in the ballpark of $50. Or I could try to find a "phantom power unit" .. Oh, I think I get it, you buy a free-standing "phantom power unit" for stage use, or you just use a mixer for studio ..

or, hmm, the Behringer Mic2200 preamp, for phantom power with a 'studio/hi fi' bias instead of a 'rugged/simple' bias. I guess with a preamp your whole $100 goes to the quality of the phantom power and other aspects of signal boost, whereas in a $50 mixer you are spending about $9 on phantom power and $41 on the other stuff in there.. .