Checking out a couple of those new Universal Audio mics today!1!

[Amp360]

A few days ago I got a couple of those Universal Audio mics to check out. From what I was told they've done a soft launch on these because of supply chain issues. They're available but you're probably not going to see a lot of fanfare about them for a while.

I have a pair of Neumann KM-184s which don't really sound that good. I was expecting these to be about the same, but since they were free I figured I would give them a shot. I tested them out as drum overheads and I really like them. To me, they sound a lot like Neumann K-84s, which I really love. They don't have the brightness of the 184 and sound pretty accurate.

All in all for how cheap these are selling for ($400/pair) they're worth looking at if you're in the market for SDCs. The case is just cardboard, but it seems sturdy enough for now. I'll probably buy one of those fake Pelican cases from Harbor Freight for $10 to keep them in. They come with windscreens and a stereo bar, which is cool. The capsules screw off and hopefully, other patterns will be available at some point. The mics themselves look really nice and seem to be well-built.

Normally I use Earthworks or Royers as overheads, but those cost substantially more than these do. I can see myself using these on overheads again and I'm going to test them on acoustic guitar over the weekend. If anyone is interested I'll report back. All in all if you have the duckets for a pair of KM-84s I would buy them but if you don't these are a way better sounding (and much cheaper) option than KM-184s.

 

[Amp360]

 

[jb_abides]

Report? Yes please!

Love the room, and especially that ol'skool Ludwig chair. Where's [and what is] that desk?

 

[Amp360]

Thanks! That's actually a pretty new Ludwig chair. They made a red as well.

Ludwig Atlas Classic Throne - Round, Blue/Olive

Round Drum Throne with Embroidered Ludwig Block Logo - Blue/Olive

www.sweetwater.com

I made the desk from an old packing crate that was in the building when I bought it. The kit is an old Gretsch I found for $300, but for the recording I'm doing now I'm using an old Ludwig snare I bought at the flea market last year for $5 but it needed new heads. This kit sounds great but it's really old tyme sounding so it's perfect for Americana/singer-songwriter things but it's not great for anything else. I'm saving up to buy a kit to record with and have my eye on something really special. If it pans out I'll post it here.

I finished the drums tonight. If anyone here ever wants to record drums the trick is to get your drums sounding as good as possible and to oil everything. Also, I've had good luck with the K cymbals, which are darker. I bought the top hi-hat for $50 at an antique store and the bottom for $100 @GC. The K ride I paid $110 for @GC and I have a K dark crash I just bought for $110 on Facebook Marketplace. All my hardware is used. I just buy it when it pops up cheap online.

With darker cymbals recording drums is pretty easy. I use the Telefunken mics for bass drum and snare. I used to use Shure but these sound way better. In the pic my OHs are way too high. I just used these and then I put a U-87 in the bathroom and open the door. I like real-sounding drums so I hardly ever use Trigger or the sample replacement when I'm doing something for myself. I used the API preamps for kick and snare and ADL for the OHs. For the U-87 I used a UA-610.

 

[jb_abides]

Thanks. I meant the Blue-Olive was retro to the 70s, but good to see the stool can be bought new.

And 'desk' ... I meant the recording console, using slang there too. Not a sleight against the crate.

 

[J T]

Yeah UA makes good stuff. Sounds like those mics would be a good addition to your mic locker.

I guess UA extending into the mic market is a next step for them. I kind of hesitate when I hear the word modeling or dozens of different sounds for that Townsend mic they are pushing.

Yes the 84's are preferable to 184 by far. I got a pair of 184s years ago and disliked them so much I got a matched pair of Josephson C42's which are great.

Baa Ha! 87's in the bathroom! Done that a few times!

That console in the recording room must really be a challenge, but I guess you work with what you have. Good luck, man keep rocking!

 

[Amp360]

Yeah UA makes good stuff. Sounds like those mics would be a good addition to your mic locker.

I guess UA extending into the mic market is a next step for them. I kind of hesitate when I hear the word modeling or dozens of different sounds for that Townsend mic they are pushing.

Yes the 84's are preferable to 184 by far. I got a pair of 184s years ago and disliked them so much I got a matched pair of Josephson C42's which are great.

Baa Ha! 87's in the bathroom! Done that a few times!

That console in the recording room must really be a challenge, but I guess you work with what you have. Good luck, man keep rocking!

I actually like my console in the recording room because I work alone most of the time. I had a studio with a control room/live room for a while and it wasn't practical for me. About 50% of the time I'm writing/arranging songs or doing music for film, probably 40% of the time I'm recording guitar for other people, and 5% of the time I'm doing something like drums. When I'm doing drums here it's usually for something I'm doing for myself. If it's for a project I'm working on I usually have a friend of mine who is all set up to record drums at his place.

When I built my room I wanted it to be comfortable and have decent monitoring. I did a lot of bass trapping (2' deep behind the listening position and around most of the room), non-parallel walls, etc.... All in all, it's pretty good.

The C42s are really nice. I don't own a pair but I've used them in the past. I have a pair of Earthworks which I really like but they're not really in the same league. UA makes some great gear. I have some of their outboard, the Ox and some of their plugins. I think with the mics they're looking at the lower end but it was nice to see these work pretty good all in all!

We all work with what we've got or we don't work! As long as the work keeps coming in I'm happy

 

[Iguana]

I would love to hear some sound clips of the UA mics. I’ve got a couple LDCs, a few dynamics, and a Cascade Vin Jet that I re-ribboned myself but I don’t own any SDCs. I keep wondering if I’m really missing out.