Audio Technica PRO 24 Stereo Mic for the Micro BR

[hewhoiscalledj]

Has anyone here used an Audio Technica PRO 24 Stereo Mic? With all the trouble i've been having using my ebay purchased Sony stereo mic, i thought perhaps the problem could be the Sony mic itself... So i went down to Guitar Center and picked up the AT Stereo mic to give it a shot. It seems much more robust, records in an XY pattern, and handles much higher SPLs. I'm hoping this does the trick but would love to hear from anyone with some experience using it.

I just couldnt stop from thinking that the Sony mic from Hong Kong was a dud (at least for my crazy loud application...) I swear I'll post my results this weekend.

Also, looking at Boss/Rolands website, they have some new accesories for the Micro BR (mics, kits, sleeves, headphones...) check them out.

[hewhoiscalledj]

Wow. This mic did the trick 1000% x 1000% better. Recorded my own band with it Wed night and it was great. I was able to tweak the compressor settings just right (thanks to some heavy duty internet research) and also recorded another band last night with even better results.

To give you an idea of the difference it made vs the both the built-in mic and the Sony stereo mic, i previously had my Sensitivity setting down as low as it could go (-15db on EXT) and Input level at 60. This barely did the trick of eliminating distortion. But, with the AT Pro24 mic my Sensitivity was at 0, Input level at 98, and the recording was spot on; do distortion, crisp and did a fantastic job of putting me back in the room when the band was playing in the first place. I cant say for sure if my Sony mic was defected in any way, but just comparing it to the built-in mic tells me I have a winner, and a new found love for the MicroBR.

I recommend this mic to anyone recording live bands or any group/choir ensembles. Hell, I cant wait to try it out as an overhead mic on drums. I'll have some of the songs mastered and uploaded this weekend. Maybe even put some of the older recordings with the other mic(s) for comparisson.

Needless to say, I'm super stoked and feel like i'm finally on the right path.

[Barry]

I have one on order.  I have some very good mic"s but need one for live recording and like the stereo . Let you know how well it works. Barry

[hewhoiscalledj]

Sweet. I've had great luck with it so far. The trickiest part has been finding the "sweet spot" in the room to place the mic. Right now, its pretty much centered near the back wall opposite the drum kit but we are still experimenting.

The mic handles much higher noise/SPL vs the built in mic which is exactly what my application needed. Let me know how your recordings turn out once you get the mic.

[guitarron]

3 ?'s
Does the AT have the noise the sony's do?
Is it an electret mic?
How much was it?

[hewhoiscalledj]

There is less hiss than Sony but it's still there and only noticeable when there is silence. I dont think it falls under the electret category of mics, but here is Audio Technica's data sheet/web page...

http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wired_mics/5f7e96b21f21e6b3/index.html/

I went to Guitar Center to pick it up and they price matched it for me so I got it for about $65 (they were selling it for $90 but matched the best price we could find online; very cool of them.)

Still not sure if the Sony I bought on Ebay for $10 was faulty/fake/or just fine... but the Audio Technica mic blew it out the door with better stereo seperation, a higher SPL (takes louder noise without distorting) and came with a windscreen (and battery if you choose not to use the power option on the MBR)

totally worth it but there are others to consider too. just google stereo mics.

[guitarron]

and came with a windscreen (and battery if you choose not to use the power option on the MBR)

power option is for electret mics

[hewhoiscalledj]

The AT mic requires 4-10v (something like that) so does that make it an electret mic? Either way... sounds fantastic.

[guitarron]

yes-4 volts is what the mbr puts out in power mode

i always liked the sound of the sony but is noisy in quiet passages of music-could hold up ok in a fuller mix

[hewhoiscalledj]

One cool little workaround for recording with quiet passages is to throw in a sample of something airy and subtle... like a quiet wind, or distant thunderstorm or even a sample of traffic outside the window.

Dramatic effect with function. It doesnt even have to be all that noticeable... just enough to hide the hiss.