Condenser or Dynamic mic for Hi-Fi

[Deleted User 30222]

I have finished the Hi-Fi mod to my DX959. Next step is picking out a mic. I have done some research, also asked around. The problem, i get different answers from different people. So not sure what way to go. Could it just be a personal preference as to a Condenser or Dynamic mic. Wondering who has the Hi-Fi setup. And what type of mic do you use. If it's a condenser mic, i will be going with the Behringer B1. If dynamic, undecided on that one. Not sure if this matters. But i am using the Behringer 1002FX mixer. Thanks all :D

I also have a budget, so need to keep my mic price around $100.

[Pioneer621]

The EV RE20 and Shure SM7B are very favorable for broadcast, of course other dynamics as well, should pick up less room reflections / noise than a condenser too, which is good, especially in "non" sound treated rooms. Many condenser MICs and especially the cheaper ones, have excessive high end that may need taming with EQ, this may or may not be a good thing for your voice, and they can pickup much more background noise than the dynamics.

The RE20 and SM7B would be at the top of my list for good all around performer, but I wonder if the Behringer mixer preamps have enough gain for them, that said, could add something like a Cloudlifter between them.

I feel a good dynamic would be easier for you to get dialed in and less noise issues, but condensers can certainly do a nice job.

Don't skip over a legit Shure SM58 MIC as well if you want something cheap, they can work surprisingly well! I'd recommend having one on hand to use as well, even if you get a condenser. I used an old Shure PE50SP for a number of years, basically a predecessor to the SM58. I liked to use a pop filter in front of it as well. This could be a good MIC to start with fairly cheap, then you can buy condensers / other dynamics to play with as you can.

For condensers, I played with an AT2020, AT2035, Shure P220, and a few other similar budget MICs like MXL's. I liked the AT2035 and P220 and had good results with them, I still have them and the last MIC I used steadily was the AT2035.

Buying second hand can save money too, and can usually resell the MICs you do not like and recoup most of your money if not all of it. I use to buy cheap MICs on ebay when I could win a low bid, clean them up and resell for a profit, plus I got to test them out! Just have to be patient and keep an eye out for bargains.

Do you have any other gear for processing the audio, or are you just going to be using the Behringer mixer directly into the DX959?

[Deleted User 30222]

Thanks, that gives something to go by. I do not have any other gear for processing the audio. Was there something else i needed? I will be ordering a Hum Destroyer.
This is the mod i followed.

[Pioneer621]

You don't necessarily need other gear, but the microphone through a mixer into a radio can sound rather bland / plain. The mixer has three EQ controls which will help some, but not always at the needed frequencies. You don't need tons of gear for great audio, but being able to cut / boost a broader range of frequencies makes a huge difference in sound. Not sure how you have the radio setup / limiting, but a limiter to stop over modulation can be handy, especially if you removed the radios AMC circuit (not saying you did, but I know many do).

This is where I prefer PC processed audio, have all these things at your disposal with a click of a mouse.

I have to go, but will try to look over the MOD info you posted later.

[Deleted User 30222]

As far as sounding bland. Do you mean i should pick up 31 band EQ? And a recommendation from the Mfg. is to use a FX2000 Effects Processor. And since i love buttons and lights, i'll go for it. And like i said before, very new to this. So do i need to start looking into a good Oscope? Maybe

[Pioneer621]

When moving to a setup including modding the radio for wider passband and running a studio style MIC without shaping the sound a bit, it can sound like maybe too much information at once, often unnatural, muddy sounding over the airwaves (but may be just fine for you). With more options of EQ, you can do a bit of taming to shape the audio to more pleasing broadcast sound. In my experimentation, just a studio MIC into a preamp then radio, just does not sound "HiFi", in fact, most people told me it did not sound very good at all, at least with my voice.

While definitely handy, I'm not saying you "need" or even require a 31 band EQ, personally I suggest trying the MIC with your mixer, and see how it sounds with your voice and the built in 3 band EQ. So in a sense, find out the limitations and what you need next / how you need to improve. I use to setup a widened CB receiver or shortwave radio with wide filter / audio chain, and record / monitor so I could get a sense of what my audio sounded like and what I needed to do, if you can't hear yourself through a receiver, you really don't know what you sound like. No sense in buying stuff if you truly do not need it, you'd be better off spending that extra money on a great microphone up front, better to get a great MIC that may not need as much processing. Processing my audio through the PC gave unlimited EQ and parametric at that, so I could target specific frequencies. A In the past I used a 7 band, and then upgraded to a 31 band EQ including a Behringer dual 31 band which seemed to work fine, but as I have mentioned before, I liked using the PC to replace the outboard gear; gives me noise gate, compression, multi-band compression, EQ, limiting, reverb if desired, nearly anything and everything you could need / want. Even with outboard gear though, I liked having EQ adjustability, 31 bands worked decent for me, although my 7 band gave me good results too for what it was.

An o-scope is mandatory if you don't have a limiter in the radio and you want to maintain a clean signal. I used a scope while making adjustments / monitoring. On a useless note, you can see my old Tektronix scope in my avatar, I think that was a waveform on a Cobra 29 LTD I was fiddling with, I kind of miss playing with this stuff. I hooked up a mobile CB recently, could not get anyone on any channel, so kinda no reason to play with any of it right now; the radio use to be packed around here.

Is the FX2000 just an effects processor? Does it offer compression EQ and limiting, or just reverb, delay, other effects? I only did a quick search on it... If you want reverb then sure it can be used. I have a couple similar rack processors around here somewhere that gave various reverbs / other effects (I think one is an older Virtualizer Pro, though I could be wrong have not used it in a long time and not even sure where I put it, and I also used an old ART Proverb 200), but it does not help the audio itself any. Honestly it is more of a "toy" if you want to add reverb to your sound, I liked a little vintage reverb on occasion, but not always. If the FX2000 is similar to my older unit, I would only get that very last after you get your audio clean and mean, as it really does not add anything to your "HiFi audio", in fact, most probably won't like hearing the effects.

Sorry if I type too much, I tend to do that, hence I don't like to post very often... I lightly proof read this, but could be errors.

[Pioneer621]

Thanks, that gives something to go by. I do not have any other gear for processing the audio. Was there something else i needed? I will be ordering a Hum Destroyer.
This is the mod i followed.

I was looking over the modification screenshot you posted and the 959 schematic to reference. Did you install the switch / jack at C191 in the DX959?

The dx959 is different than some of the other Galaxy "export" radios, so will be a different injection designation number. In the 959 you'd want to inject at C235 with jack tip connected to the R264 / R265 junction, which is the equivalent of C191 in some of the Galaxy NON-CB radios.

[51]

for the most part it just depends on your environment and budget. condenser mics can get very expensive, where as dynamic mics are basically on the low end of the price spectrum. but the main thing is your shack environment, if you have a noisy shack and or surroundings (like street traffic, noisy kids, tv's,pets etc) a condenser mic might not be the best choice. unless you don't care about every noise being the same level as your voice. condenser mics will pick up a flea on your dogs back coughing in the next room, literally. there's a reason you only see them in use in studios. they pick up everything, and i mean EVERYTHING. dynamic mics are a lot easier to control and have a tighter more directional polar pattern so they are a lot quieter as far as background noise. that's why you always see them used outside, concerts, speeches etc. you seeing the connection? you also will have the impedance difference between the two. you will most likely need a transformer inline if you use a condenser, with a dynamic you probably can get by without using one. on eq'ing, You do not need 8, 10 15, or a 31 band EQ in general we are only dealing with a 3kHz wide signal. If you have more than three frequencies which need ‘attention’ you have more problems than an equalizer is going to fix! Wrong microphone, not addressing (speaking into) the microphone correctly, too far away from the microphone, too much room echo and a host of other situations. a 3 band parametric eq is all you need for great audio. or just get a shure sm58, w2ihy 8 band eq and and be done with it. thats about the cheapest route you can go to achieve great sounding audio without breaking the bank. w2ihy makes very high quality gear. dont get caught up in the whole outboard rack gear fad, its not necessary and is actually waaaay overkill. we are not running a 75khz wide fm music broadcast station, more like 6khz tops amateur station for voice.

[Blue Ox2]

You are very wise 51. Thank you for your insight.

73 and catch ya later on.

Mike

[MDYoungblood]

I would use the dynamic mic element for a "hi fi" setup, more frequency range.

3's

Greg

[Deleted User 30222]

Thanks for all the good advice gentlemen.You've given me something to think about. I now know more than i did the other day.

[51]

I would use the dynamic mic element for a "hi fi" setup, more frequency range.

3's

Greg

its actually the opposite. condenser mic's capture a larger frequency range and have a good transient response. Most dynamic microphones have a limited frequency response and their sound quality/reproduction is generally not as accurate. check the frequency response curves of a few microphones of both types, you will see the difference.

[Deleted User 30222]

Thanks, i will definitely check that out. Haven't bought anything yet. Thank goodness. I was going to buy the Sure SM58. But now i think i'll go back to the Beringer B-1.

[51]

is there a reason why your set on the behringer b-1?

[Deleted User 30222]

I know someone who uses it, and has good results with it. But still looking for advice. Oh, money that's why. Would like to stay around $100. Maybe as high as $125 or so.

[51]

ok gotcha, im just not a fan of behringer stuff. anyway here are a couple of alternatives that will blow that b-1 out of the water. both are extremely high quality and look, feel and sound unbelievable. MXL-770 and the MXL-bcd1. i have both and they are really nice mics. the BCD1 is VERY nice for radio. tried to post links but they wont show up,pshhh. anyway amazon has the 770 for $75, cant beat that. and you get the hard case, shock mount etc.

[Pioneer621]

I played around with some of the cheaper MXL MICs, I didn't car for them. The MXL BCD-1 looks like decent option for a dynamic though, and one I would like to test out.

Both dynamic and condenser can have very wide frequency response, the condenser extending even lower. I don't like a lot of condensers, especially the cheaper ones with boosted top end, although many are like this, some sound better than others.

I don't really care for the Behringer stuff either, I would not by a new MIC from them to use in any serious capacity. Though may work just fine for him.

Unless you are getting a really good condenser, I honestly wouldn't waste my money, and a dynamic is just going to give all around better results in your application in my opinion, over a cheap condenser.

[Deleted User 30222]

Thanks guys, you've given a lot to think about. I'll let you know what i go with. Once i make up my mind that is. But pretty sure i'll be going with a dynamic mic. Either the MXL BCD-1 or maybe a Sure SM58. Will see tho

[MDYoungblood]

Since we are talking and not making studio recordings, condenser mics are just too finicky, the Shure SM58 is a good choice, they run about a "Benjamin" new, when you get famous and have your own talk show, you can get a Neumann U67.

3's

Greg

[Pioneer621]

Thanks guys, you've given a lot to think about. I'll let you know what i go with. Once i make up my mind that is. But pretty sure i'll be going with a dynamic mic. Either the MXL BCD-1 or maybe a Sure SM58. Will see tho

At any rate, just keep in mind it is not the end of the world if you end up with a MIC you are not happy with, can always sell to recoup some money and then buy something different to try. Unfortunately we try things out sometimes and find we don't like it. This is when buying second hand helps, you get most, if not all of your money back when reselling. I use to buy cheap MIC's when I found them online auction or whatever, and test them out / resell if I didn't care for them, sometimes made profit.

[Deleted User 30222]

I think you might be right about the mod i did. I have everything hooked up, but have no audio. So i'll be posting a help question

[Pioneer621]

I think you might be right about the mod i did. I have everything hooked up, but have no audio. So i'll be posting a help question

Just put C191 back in, and do the mod at C235 instead and you should be good, unless something else is the issue.

[Deleted User 30222]

I think you might be right about the mod i did. I have everything hooked up, but have no audio. So i'll be posting a help question

Just put C191 back in, and do the mod at C235 instead and you should be good, unless something else is the issue.

You wouldn't happen to know where i could find something a little more detailed. Maybe even a pic or 2. Not fully sure about R264/265 junction, plus the C235 point.

[Pioneer621]

I think you might be right about the mod i did. I have everything hooked up, but have no audio. So i'll be posting a help question

Just put C191 back in, and do the mod at C235 instead and you should be good, unless something else is the issue.

You wouldn't happen to know where i could find something a little more detailed. Maybe even a pic or 2. Not fully sure about R264/265 junction, plus the C235 point.

Sorry did not see this post until today. The R264/265 junction is where C235 connects, you want to feed your outboard / mixer audio in at that junction. If you feed it on the wrong side of C235, you will get no audio. C235 is located towards the right side of the board, about an inch above the 8 pin chip IC7.

So, simply remove C235, then solder your 3-10uf capacitor positive leg into the C235 hole towards the middle of the radio (C235 has two legs, the hole towards the middle of the radio is the one that connects to R264/265), and connect the other end of your new capacitor to a wire and then to center pin of your switch. The switch just lets you toggle between using your normal microphone / HIFI input, so you will of course hook that up as instructed in the MOD you posted.

Hopefully this made sense. It is pretty simple once you understand what you need to do.