sE Electronics Voodoo VR mics- any experience?

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Larry Mal
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Re: sE Electronics Voodoo VR mics- any experience?

Post by Larry Mal » Fri Sep 20, 2019 4:31 pm

So, I thought about that- those are all cardiod, correct? So that kind of limits the use of the ribbon and makes it not able to do Blumlein technique , which I took as a negative.

Even though I'm not using that technique at present in my stupid apartment, am I? But still, maybe I'll do more location recording some day or the figure 8 pattern will be useful in my studio when I build it (I kind of doubt that).

And I read this review of a less expensive Beyerdynamic, and it did not impress me- great site, though.
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Re: sE Electronics Voodoo VR mics- any experience?

Post by Dok » Mon Sep 23, 2019 9:04 am

Larry Mal wrote:
Fri Sep 20, 2019 4:31 pm
So, I thought about that- those are all cardiod, correct? So that kind of limits the use of the ribbon and makes it not able to do Blumlein technique , which I took as a negative.

Even though I'm not using that technique at present in my stupid apartment, am I? But still, maybe I'll do more location recording some day or the figure 8 pattern will be useful in my studio when I build it (I kind of doubt that).

And I read this review of a less expensive Beyerdynamic, and it did not impress me- great site, though.
Well sure... it's a different microphone for one. And yes, unlike most other ribbons it is cardioid only. For Blumlein you'd have to buy two mics anyway, which is not really necessary as a single utility guitar cab microphone. Just saying these are almost universally well-liked and I don't think anybody would be mad at it.
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Re: sE Electronics Voodoo VR mics- any experience?

Post by Larry Mal » Mon Sep 23, 2019 9:22 am

Sure, I get you. I'm not bad mouthing the microphone or anything. I know that Beyerdynamic makes great microphones, and I did consider them. And cardiod makes a lot of sense in a lot of applications.
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Re: sE Electronics Voodoo VR mics- any experience?

Post by Dok » Mon Sep 23, 2019 9:55 am

IT'S A GOOD MICROPHONE LARRY
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Re: sE Electronics Voodoo VR mics- any experience?

Post by Dok » Mon Sep 23, 2019 9:56 am

And it doesn't need a special clip or mount or anything!
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Re: sE Electronics Voodoo VR mics- any experience?

Post by Larry Mal » Mon Sep 23, 2019 10:10 am

There is that! The Voodoo is headed back to the Reverb seller now. He didn't want to pay return shipping and I don't know what happened other than I was provided with a return shipping label.

I don't really like dicking someone around like that, but I got kind of annoyed at it not being the whole package that I thought I was buying.

Regardless, the Neumann I bought instead works and while I haven't gotten much chance to use it yet, it'll probably come in handy.

What I'm doing is buying some microphones that I think will be nice in my home studio whenever I buy a house. The Voodoo I thought might be useful as you say on guitar cabs, maybe vocals, maybe in tandem on acoustic guitar. Also I was kind of hoping to use it as a platform to learn ribbon microphones a little better in case I wanted to make a more expensive purchase down the road or really just learn what they can do for my particular workflow.

I still might get another.
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Re: sE Electronics Voodoo VR mics- any experience?

Post by jorri » Sat Sep 28, 2019 7:04 am

There's always a use for any type of microphone...

As per earlier post, i may have money for a more decent one. Now i'm trying to decide between large condenser or dynamic, to have one decent version of those. Narrowed it down to ashton spirit, oktava mk220, or Elevtrovoice re-20. I know the EV just nailed everything on guitar but the Ashton was used a lot too, when i booked sessions at the local studio. Oktava i hear is just good, if a bit different. Could always upgrade ribbons or sdcs though; avantone has one, and it also has a tube SDC! But i feel i dont have the standard vocal mic i'd use, knowing it would get tons more use. The studio projects B1 is terrible, yet i still want that flavour on guitars, bass and vocals sometimes so it gets used.

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Re: sE Electronics Voodoo VR mics- any experience?

Post by Larry Mal » Sat Sep 28, 2019 7:20 am

So, funny thing. I decided that I had a little budget for sometime fun and a new microphone was what it was going to be. As you saw, I decided on the Voodoo, and liked it OK, but returned it. At the same time I found an inexpensive Neumann KM184 and thought that might be a nice small diaphragm condenser upgrade for me.

I used to use the 184s, and like them, but I did some reading up on them again since I hadn't used them in so long and I read a lot of people complaining about a harsh high end with them and such. But I never found them to be so in the past and figured that I would get use out of it in some way.

So I took the Neumann to work yesterday and recorded the same guitar (a J-35) that I had used to record with the Voodoo before I sent it back.

I don't have a studio at work or anything but there is one of those Whisper Rooms there and that provides an OK environment for recording.

So the Neumann was good, I liked it, it did in fact come across a little harsh and maybe metallic but I'm not all that sure how much is the microphone, since that J-35 is also a very bright and metallic sounding acoustic and it has brand new strings on it, to make it worse, they are strings I don't like (D'Addario Phosphor Bronze strings I had laying around) and don't particularly work well with that guitar.

I feel that the Neumann will work much better with darker voiced guitars, like my J-45 or something.

But, some of my student employees were there, and they helped me record a bit, and we sat there listening to the recording, and then I put on the Voodoo recording from the previous week in order to contrast with the Neumann for them.

All of a sudden, I was really liking the way the Voodoo sounded on there. I wasn't expecting that. Compared to the recording with the Neumann, the Voodoo sounded strong, and thicker, more in your face and with a nice warmth. It's funny- I didn't love the way it sounded the first time I listened to it or recorded with it but later I really liked it.

Now, they are two totally different microphones, and I'm not trying to compare them or anything- it's just that from listening to the contrast of the two all of a sudden I heard what was good about the first one.

I kind of wish I had kept it. I feel that it was a pretty good microphone and now I really want a ribbon again, probably to use in tandem with something else.
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Re: sE Electronics Voodoo VR mics- any experience?

Post by somanytoys » Sun Sep 29, 2019 3:58 pm

So, are you (not) saying that you want me or Dok or someone to ghost buy the Voodoo back for you?!? Hahaha

Or are you going to try the Beyerdynamic ribbon instead?

You know, I read somewhere that IT’S A GOOD MICROPHONE, LARRY.
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: sE Electronics Voodoo VR mics- any experience?

Post by Larry Mal » Sun Sep 29, 2019 6:41 pm

Nah, there's plenty of other ribbon microphones out there. If I want another Voodoo, I'll get one.

I might even get one of the Cascade FatHeads to play with. This man got some good results with his, if you want to take a listen. He plays some of the lead guitar and banjo that he used the FatHead on, and contrasts it with some other microphones that he used at the time. It's worth a listen.

Granted, he is a better engineer than I am, but it was pretty impressive results that he got with what is a very modest microphone. Of course, you give a great engineer a $200 Chinese ribbon and a hack like me a two thousand dollar high end boutique microphone, and that engineer will still get better results than I will.

Still interesting to see what can be done, though. Makes me feel like I had a good idea to get a decent ribbon of any kind and start learning more than anything else.
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Re: sE Electronics Voodoo VR mics- any experience?

Post by somanytoys » Sun Sep 29, 2019 8:04 pm

Well, the offer of ethereal purchasing still stands.

I’ll have to try to check that link out, seems like something I’d like.

Get your ribbon groove on. No time like the present.
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: sE Electronics Voodoo VR mics- any experience?

Post by Dok » Sun Sep 29, 2019 8:42 pm

somanytoys wrote:
Sun Sep 29, 2019 3:58 pm
So, are you (not) saying that you want me or Dok or someone to ghost buy the Voodoo back for you?!? Hahaha

Or are you going to try the Beyerdynamic ribbon instead?

You know, I read somewhere that IT’S A GOOD MICROPHONE, LARRY.
:w00t:

I probably own like 20 microphones and aside from my pair of Electro-Voice ND68s (for kick and floor tom) and Oktava MK012s (formerly drum overheads and now top and bottom snare), the m160 is the only other microphone that I'd feel totally fine having more than one of. And by "more than one" I mean like 5-10. If I could afford to have a permanent pair for drum overheads, piano, and guitar amp, I absolutely would.
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Re: sE Electronics Voodoo VR mics- any experience?

Post by somanytoys » Sun Sep 29, 2019 9:06 pm

You obviously have a problem. Nothing a 1-800 number couldn’t cure, tho, because it’s just that easy.

I only own like 6, 2 pairs and 2 better ones. I’d love to try one of those out one day,

After a review from Larry...
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: sE Electronics Voodoo VR mics- any experience?

Post by Larry Mal » Mon Sep 30, 2019 5:47 am

You're selling me on those Beyerdynamics... sadly, though, the budget for that has passed. I could maybe scrape together enough for a cheaper ribbon, which I would like to.

Or maybe I'll sell something else. I have a Shure SM-81 that I like but probably won't be using anytime soon for what I do in favor of the Neumann. Maybe I'll sell that and get a nicer ribbon.

I do like SM-81s, but when I need more of them I'll get them. I like them as overheads and on hi-hats, they're good on acoustic guitars and such. Good microphones, but they aren't rare or expensive or anything.

There is also a chance that I sell a bass guitar I have and get a TLM 103.
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Re: sE Electronics Voodoo VR mics- any experience?

Post by Larry Mal » Mon Sep 30, 2019 10:49 am

Anyway, I bought another of those Voodoos since it turns out I like them. So, this thread is full circle!

Can't say I don't keep things moving around here.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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