Red5 budget microphones - opinions?

[OriginalJambo]

Anyone here own or has at least had some experience with this brand? Reviews online seem generally positive considering how affordable they are, but you can never be too sure.

[novielo]

wow, amazing price. i'll look at the review and see if anyone here had any experience with them.

in about the same price range may i sugest you the apex 460. multi patern tube condenser mic. a bit pricier, now it goes for less then 300 us$ with the power supply, it sounds amazing. i was recording with a budget at2020 before and the apex realy blows my a*s thru my head when i first heard it... and it was thru headphones...

[OriginalJambo]

wow, amazing price. i'll look at the review and see if anyone here had any experience with them.

Apparently they are really well-built too - which is surprising! You can find a lot of demos of them at DanceTech.

Here's one where they compare the Red5 drum kit set with an AKG one, including an audio demo:

http://www.dancetech.com/item.cfm?threadid=2640

Sound on Sound magazine have a few words:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan04/articles/red5.htm
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Jun02/a ... d5mics.asp

in about the same price range may i sugest you the apex 460. multi patern tube condenser mic. a bit pricier, now it goes for less then 300 us$ with the power supply, it sounds amazing. i was recording with a budget at2020 before and the apex realy blows my a*s thru my head when i first heard it... and it was thru headphones...

Thanks - the main ones I've been considering up until now are the Rode NT-1, the AT4040 and some of the Red5 mics. Now I'll add the Apex to the list too.

[tallowwaters]

Put avantone on that short list too. Good stuff, very affordable, quality control inspection.

[OriginalJambo]

A little development:

I phoned up Red5 at the start of the week and spoke to one of their guys about the product range. I was considering the RV15 (their valve model), but after explaining what I was looking for he quickly steered me towards the RV10 multi-pattern LDC for its more transparent nature and increased flexibility. I also inquired about the drum mic kits they sell as well and throughout the whole call he was extremely helpful and attentive of what I was saying, even suggesting other, less obvious applications for their microphones and finally informing me of some products they have planned for the future. Furthermore he was a fellow Scot, something that I'm not used to when dealing with music gear over the phone and a welcome change.

Anyway it arrived today so I decided to pit it up against the MXL I've mainly been using for vocals up until now. I thought an accurate comparison would be simply to record a well-known track playing through a single studio monitor.

The microphones used were:

- Red5 RV10
- MXL V63M

through the same channel of a Soundcraft 200B desk and straight into Pro Tools via the Digi 001s mic inputs.

Both mics were placed about about an inch from the monitor speaker. The diaphragms were aligned in between the woofer and tweeter. Cardiod pattern was selected on the RV10 and the bass roll-off and pad were both disabled.

Here are the results:

MXL V63M
Red5 RV10

What a difference! I had NO idea the MXLs trebles were so incredibly hyped. Just listen to the brittleness of the cymbals, and how the saxophone's crescendo is so severely subdued. I may not have golden ears or know a lot about mics, but the RV10 sounds way more balanced to me.

So there ya go - at prices this low these microphones may be worth checking out. I'll have to see how the RV10 fares on vocals but I have a feeling it'll definitely be a marked improvement.

[tallowwaters]

A little development:

I phoned up Red5 ...Furthermore he was a fellow Scot

Ah, so you could hear the slobber hitting the phone?

[OriginalJambo]

Ah, so you could hear the slobber hitting the phone?

Is that what it says in your copy of "The American's Guide to Stereotypes"?

[tallowwaters]

Ah, so you could hear the slobber hitting the phone?

Is that what it says in your copy of "The American's Guide to Stereotypes"?

Bastardized Simpsons joke.

[OriginalJambo]

Bastardized Simpsons joke.

Really? I don't watch the Simpsons so I wouldn't know.

[tallowwaters]

Bastardized Simpsons joke.

Really? I don't watch the Simpsons so I wouldn't know.

No woman will ever love you.

[Stab Frenzy]

True!

[novielo]

false! i got two kids to prove it

[OriginalJambo]

No woman will ever love you.

Pfff...maybe in America, but here in the UK we have real comedy, ya know?

From what I've seen of the Simpsons it's not bad - but I'd take The Young Ones, Blackadder and Red Dwarf over stuff like that any day of the week.

Oh and Monkey Dust too if you're looking something for a bit darker and more deranged.

[Stab Frenzy]

OK then, back on topic gents.

[OriginalJambo]

What the h**l? Get yer WoW talk offa my thread. Can't stand that "game".