Best Mic I've used for under $500 - Roswell Mini K47 | SpectreSoundStudios DEMO

[@Harryjakeson]

Glenn! I was impressed enough by this video that I went out and bought one of these. It replaced a very cheap Neewer I was using, and I have been using the Mini K47 for vocals, acoustic guitar, and electric guitar. This has been the best upgrade to my home studio by far! Thanks!

[@shayneoneill1506]

Probably not a high bar to jump when compared to Neewer, those things aren't made for quality lol

[@Rossco1382]

so. much. buzz. on that fender clean... seriously though, the OH application is phenomenal. awesome plug!

[@HalfBredReviews]

Really glad that you added vocal/voice performance in this review. Great job.

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Yeah, they're a SHOCKINGLY good vocal mic. FWIW, my other vocal mic is a u87. :P

[@HalfBredReviews]

Yup. Any chance of adding growl/scream vocals to your tests? I think it would be fitting considering the metal-centric theme of your channel :)

[@khronscave]

+SpectreSoundStudios You mean *WAS* :P

[@NeveSSL]

Picked one of these up recently. Really, really incredible mics for the money. Sound GREAT on acoustic and electric guitars, clean and distorted. Did well with my wife's vocals, too. Love it!

[@xytrouble07]

They sounded really really good from the beginning and when you mentioned that they are hot mics immediately I thought about acoustic instrumentalist who play softly and thought this would SO PERFECT FOR THAT!! I really want to buy some now!

[@DiminishingAugmentation]

The guitar tone on the heavy distortion sounds unbelievably good.

[@JesseBroman]

Thanks man, i love the energy you put into these videos and the honest no BS reviews.

[@Stat1cS]

Those mics are unreal! Awesome video Glenn! 🤘

[@ChristianIce]

That was convincing. Time to give my C1000 a rest :)

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Yeah, I was pretty blown away by these little guys.

[@doca9357]

I think he has an upgrade mod for that mic

[@jrhager84]

Dude - I love your 'no bullshit' approach. Don't see much of that these days. Just pulled the trigger on a matched pair. :)

[@bayouboattrash]

WHOA!!!! These seem like great all around mics. really going to have to look into these.

[@AdamSpade]

Dude, you also gotta check out Advanced Audio Microphones in Vancouver. GREAT mics, regardless of the bang for the buck. They're just a small business and their marketing is not there, but their mics are getting used in orchestral recordings in Hollywood and are highly respected. I use their CM12 on vocals. It's fantastic. They have a cm414 and cm47fet in the $300--$400 range that your audience would love to hear about.

[@andyje]

I liked the vocal applications for this mic, even the acoustic had potential possible buy!

[@sylvainnavarro5570]

That semi distorted tone is the sexiest thing I've heard this week!

[@AgentSmith911]

It's amazing what we can buy for a "few bucks" compared to back in the 80's or 90's. We're living in great times where we can get studio quality stuff for an affordable price and mixing it all together on a laptop. Back in the day you had to be a superstar with a billion dollar music corporation in your back to create the music small bands and artists can do today but going on ebay or Amazon. :-)

[@TheAaron3dg]

That drum/cymbal riff starting at 1:30 is SWEET

[@trevorwood2118]

TheAaron3dg "Drum/cymbal riff" lol, it's called a beat, you goon!

[@Andrew_Renko]

WOW! Sounds amazing!

[@LiamsGotThis]

This microphone sounds amazing! As an electronics technician though, I'll give you a little tip. FET (Field effect transistors) are great for musical applications because they take a high impedance signal and put out a low impedance signal, perfect for guitar amplification and other things such as this. The downside? FETs break if you look at them sideways. They are known to die really easily.

[@currentsound]

Thanks for the tip. I'd never heard of these until now. Most cheap Chinese mics are a lot of treble and boost from 8k up. So it's interesting to know that there is something cheap that doesn't have a lot of top end.

[@EgoShredder]

Plenty of great mics out there, my own preference is Sontronics which are designed in the UK and assembled in China to strict specifications. I even met the head of company once and he is a great down to earth guy, with some good ideas. I have a few models of theirs, my favourite being the Orpheus and the STC-1. I think when I got mine back in 2005, they had a big photo shoot of Terry Bozzio's colossal kit using them.

[@impulseproman]

am adding these pair to my mic collection

[@knotchbass]

Happy Thanksgiving Glenn

[@bloodlord1989]

Top 5 mics for under $500 shoot out? If it is the best like you claim in the tittle you gota prove it with a SMG shoot out!

[@abrahamsotelo95]

maybe with a NT1 or NT2, AT4040, Spark, AKG c214, SM7b, MK4

[@bloodlord1989]

***** Would have to be only condensers since the mini K-47 is one. The SM7b is a dynamic microphone. If he were to do dynamic mics also I would say the SM-58. 100 bucks and very useful plus it's almost unbreakable.

[@abrahamsotelo95]

blood lord yes, you're right

[@ironmatic1]

+blood lord The Shure SM7b is better than many cheap condensers. The SM7b is a studio mic, and the SM58 is meant for live stage use. Its frequency response stops at only 15k.

[@HaNguyen-kn2tg]

Believe me, you dont need much above 15k to make vocal shine

[@dcp10200]

Kinda reminds me of a Sennheiser MK4 but with a bit more old school sounding. The MK4 is also really hot, I mic'd up an AC15 with it once and had to back it off about 2 feet to keep it from clipping the preamps (we didn't have any pads at the time but the backed off mic had a cool room sound for the on the verge of break up sound we were going for). It would be cool to see a comparison of both mics because they're both in the same price range (MK4 doesn't have a matched pair option though) and are similar sounding.

[@dennisorourke6545]

Just got mine in the mail today :-) It is FUCKING AWESOME!! Thanks, Glenn!

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Glad you like it!

[@Astronomater]

I can't afford an 8 in interface and want this mic for the drum overheads to capture all the drums. such a clean jazzy voicing!

[@joostvanbeek4604]

love the video! many next time you do anything on milking drums you could tell us what symbals you are using. the mic won't make it nicer than is is so the quality of the cymbal is important during these test in my opinion. keep up the great work, greatings from Holland.

[@AdamRainStopper]

These things sound BIGLY!

[@AdamRainStopper]

If you get a pair of these, your drums will sound terrific. They're gonna sound so terrific ladies and gentlemen, just terrific. You may get *bored* with sounding terrific.

[@idanshahar]

WOW heavy distortion sound suprised me!

[@JimijaymesProductions]

The kickand the snare sounded really nice in the first clip with the K47 minis (not sure if the kick was miked differently but I hated it in the second clip) and like you said the cymbals are natural not too sharp never heard of these before peaked my interested.

[@isaak8145]

thats a really good drummer

[@mitchellchristian9345]

Damn, I might have to look into getting these soon

[@Masterjedians]

I have a large diaphram condenser that runs hot like that, it has its own power supply and I have been impressed by the results for the price, also 299. it's the MXL vs-69 mogami edition. Might be worth looking at.

[@musicpodcast4995]

After research, I figured it out and you can see from this too. The Roswell Pro Audio Mini K47 is a branded version of the OEM iSK BM-800 (not to be confused with the cheap clone of the BM800) from Ningbo Shengke Electronic in China. They are also known for their popular K47/87 and K12 capsules. They make their own microphone with their own branding on it but they are not very successful with marketing so they often design microphones for other brands. These other brands include LyxPro with their USB and XLR mics and some models of marantz professional's microphone. That is why all the bodies look the same if you check out the review from podcastage of those products. Once you have a contact with iSK, they sell you these products very cheap (I'm guessing based on how much they sell for their own brand (60 dollars) they sell for about 30 dollars. There are some changes though, Roswell Pro Audio requested for them to install a K47 capsule rather than the K67 which is in the original iSK BM-800. So that is also why this microphone is manufactured in China, because it's a custom OEM product. Here is a video showing the inside of an iSK BM-800: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e6K1YaKpaNeSaLM And here are picture showing the inside of the Mini K47: www.harmonycentral.com/expert-reviews/roswell-pro-audio-mini-k47-microphone *Scroll down for pictures of the inside I'm not saying that its a bad microphone but its extremely overpriced. If they are getting these mics for about 30 dollars and maybe another 30 for shipping from china to here, then selling 300 is ridicoulous. They didn't even design the transformerless FET circuit if you watch the video and take a look at the pictures.

[@demofactory]

Hey Glen. How was your trip to Germany for Thomann's big Univeristy event? Did you get a chance to check out any of their house brand "T-bone" mics? I can't find any real reviews for them, but man those prices look great, so I'd consider taking a chance. Take care, and thanks for sharing with us!!!!!!

[@artvasch147]

I wish I had the money for one. I have an AKG Perception 200 and it seems really harsh between the 2k to 4k area. Too 'sharp' sounding for vocals, but luckily with a little eq I can fix it and it does have a nice fat lower midrange.

[@FVDaudio]

Nice... It would be interesting a comparative between the Aston Origin and this microphone. Same price range.

[@yantaran4757]

Hey! Glenn, can you please do a review of a Joyo Zombie paired with that really cheap harley benton cab recorded with this mic. I think that would be a very cool budget setup for not a lot of money.

[@Syklopz]

Glenn, Take a look at the Lewitt LCT-240 mics as well. REALLY versitile and great sounding at tht pricepoint ($199usd Retail)

[@Ironfranko]

Thanks Glenn, I am always interested in mics, in particular for voice recording, being a "singer". Currently I am using a Rode NT1a, nothing special, but not bad for my use.

[@aaronrogers4283]

Hey glen really dig your videos. Can you do some reviews on some audio interfaces? Cheers

[@turkdwl]

Hey Glenn! On the topic of "fancy German" mic clones, any plans to check out the Warm Audio WA-87?

[@warpigofthepower7918]

Hey Glenn, Would you be able to make a video on how to get a "vintage" recording sound? I was wondering if, with modern gear, you could still make recordings sound like 80's Metal classics, like Master of Puppets, Don't Break The Oath and Diary of A Madman. Love your channel!

[@shayneoneill1506]

Grab something like the waves Omnichannel and use it on all your inputs so you've got something resembling a classic Neve desk. Don't time align anything. IF your doing your own mastering, the Abbey Road Mastering plugin is niiiiice, and use TrueIron across your tracks and/or mastering bus. Its a super weird little plugin but it plugs the gap most vintage pre vsts miss, the effect of the transformers. You can use Tape emulation if you want, but personally I find it a bit cheesy and nothing at all like the real thing (speaking as someone who spent 15 years recording onto 8 track reels). Or go buy a switchblade and fight people on reverb for a Fostex Model 80 or something. Rare as heck, but its the real thing.

[@Reriiru]

Octava is actually better for your main overheads, man. But those K47s are better on about everything else, maybe except acoustic guitar. I really like pen condensers on those.

[@Stahlengelmusic]

What about Advanced Audio Fet Mics?

[@Stahlengelmusic]

Did you ever test them? Thanks for sharing your knowledge on youtube

[@bwarfire]

wow I need to get a pair

[@MrDonnyAir]

The mic being "hot" certainly isn't a drawback for me... to me it's a positive selling point. ;) I'd rather have to pad a mic down, than have to crank a pre trying to get optimal input gain. I'm REALLY liking the sound of these as drum OH's. The preamp used is important, too, though - I know Glenn has some 500 Series API stuff. I'm sure they sound good through cheaper preamps, but if you coupled this mic with a really nice pre (like a Millennia or Grace for transparency, or an API, Neve or ADK for more character,) I bet it would REALLY shine. ;) IMO

[@oxotnik6129]

Hey Glenn, no time to wait for your glorious giveaway, so a short and sweet question: Audient ID14: hell yes or hell no ~?

[@dwd3125]

Thanks Glenn! I would like to invest in a matched pair of condensers for a number of higher fidelity results at home. Please could you get an AKG c414 XL II in and show us the difference between the mini K47, a mid priced mic and the c414 which is what I would expect to be described as a high-end consumer mic? It would be helpful to see where the difference in quality and functionality end and the law of diminishing returns begins. I don't have a £2,000 Martin acoustic guitar to record so I'm considering the intersection where wants, needs and OVERKILL meet. Side note: I've outgrown the Logic Pro 9 Drum kits - let's here more about SMG drum sample pack! How about running a google+ poll with 3 or 4 overlapping options to see what the general feel is? I vote for a bunch of raw hits and loops at a range of tempos, so i can practice the compression & EQ myself, but also have two or three which have already been processed so I can work toward a target. Tangent: What's the best way to direct message t-shirt, hoody, hat suggestions to you? Thanks for the all great advice, demos and humour - keep up the good work. Daniel, England, United Kingdom, Europe (for now), Earth (until SpaceX get's it's act together)

[@philipmarcus97]

Have you ever talked about st anger? If not, I'd like to hear you go nuts about it. Thanks.

[@jthodges4741]

Damn! That's the best I heard your heavy guitar tone!! I'm telling you, the 57 sucks the life out of your tone and this sounds so much fuller and in my opinion better

[@thatguyoverthere531]

hey Glenn, Hows about a video on recording vocals?

[@darangen]

Glenn, have you ever tried Blue's Baby Bottle Mic? Curious to your thoughts.

[@danielgomez7008]

Excellent video what is up with that red warlock it looks awesome

[@alexe8375]

Any experience with aston mics? I've heard great things for their price range.

[@mfkrwill]

Oh hey Glenn, I'm sure you've done a video over the topic or answered it in one of the 70ish viewers comment videos: but where would you recommend setting up to try and start recording live drums? my buddy wants to start doing drum covers and I figured I would help out to try and get some experience. not sure to set up in a bedroom or garage or something. also trying to save money for acoustic treatment but for now we are sort of stuck in a couple different room possibilities

[@JackGraves]

Hey Glenn, have you ever tried using an sm58 to mic guitar cabs? If not it may be something to look into reviewing and would love to hear your opinion on it.

[@danymalsound]

Here's the kicker! If you watch interviews with Al Schmidt and other "classic" engineers, they'll tell you point blank that even Neumann U87s only cost $300 USD brand new when they first came out...

[@SteveKrolikowski]

$300 in 1965 would be equivalent to 2000 or more now..

[@TimKaseyMythHealer]

Wow, I could really hear the quality with these. Everything was sounding correct..... like the mixing struggle is over when you have these. $300??? I love the info. about the hot circuitry. some of my sources are quiet: female vocal in the verses, and acoustic guitar. Definitely be considering this as a substitute for the TLM 102.

[@CirclesandSounds]

I’m 5 years late to your comment, but I must say... as someone who has used and uses all kinds of Neumanns and others (47’s, 87’s, 67’s, 103, 102, 149 and so on) - the 103 and 102 have nothing on the mini K87, and the voicing of the mini K47 is like that of the U47 but with a clean, optimized transformerless circuit design. No high frequency hype and lots of body and character with these, whereas I find the 102 and 103 to be harsh in the high end, as well as (103) exhibiting odd, unmusical distortion at times. The 102 has not been useful to me whatsoever. It is a bright and cheap sounding microphone, especially in comparison to these. The data is out all there, and the proof is ultimately in the pudding. If you want a Neumann, 103 is standard for voiceover, but you’ll need to work on placement for talent to get a great sound, and I’d use their high end standards - 87, 67, 149, 107, etc., but stay away from their “entry level mics”. The 102 may be built like a tank, but it’s also about as musical as one. Not very useful with a lot of EQ.

[@Pro_K_V]

still waiting on a review of the Aston spirit. I've not seen a bad review on them yet! but, no one else is as brutal as you when it comes product reviews.

[@ryanmccann2539]

I loved the overhead drum and kick sound. Each part of the kit was present in the mix. What's your setup for mitigating the hot signal? Did you use the in-line pad or something else?

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

+Ryan McCann great river mp2nv

[@compucat]

Not to be nitpicky (esp. over a year old video), but didn't you use your Studio Projects C4 instead of the SM57 on snare during the Glyn Johns demo?

[@mr_hppd348]

Please do a comparison between the new "Roswell Mini k87" and the Roswell mini k47!! Before Christmas!!!!!

[@LiebsterFeind]

How does the Mini K47 sound when you cup it? :) Octava has been my favorite mic for vocals for a long time. Really brings out the highs in a signal without sounding harsh.

[@CameronEarlyMusic]

roschler wut

[@johnyang799]

How does this compare to node nt-1 2014? Seems like they are in two different worlds.

[@soconeolitico]

John Yang man! I'd love to see those k47 compared to the nt2

[@johnyang799]

soconeolitico nt1 2014 maybe better than nt2

[@bozwellification]

Lol those lyrics.

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

+bozwellification power metal :)

[@CorneliusSneedley]

A lot of metal lyrics are that way, it's just that we can't often understand them. :)

[@TheStuderman]

Yes: succubus creature!

[@legozach77584]

Makes me miss Actions Banana the Cloth

[@D40Oz1]

Better then anything that comes out of a mumble rapper lol

[@SirRamone]

SOLD!

[@robburgess4556]

Hey Glenn, completely random non-sequitur comment: I remember you talking about your logo and how many people were confused by "SMG" being a machine gun. Have you ever considered as a joke putting up a picture of Sarah Michelle Geller instead? :-)

[@dobrepytanie828]

It might be a rookie question (well, it most certainly is), but why do you put microphone closer to the neck rather than right in front of the soundhole when recording acoustic guitar?

[@GITMmusic]

DobrePytanie whichever sounds better

[@Hatren_Music]

Putting the mic right in front of the soundhole results in a very boomy and muddy sound. Putting it off to the side and aiming it towards the bridge picks up more treble and pick attack.

[@carlosbell1132]

Hatren Nice info! thanks for sharing!

[@dobrepytanie828]

Alright, thank you!

[@ihatedosgames1110]

Any experience with the Rode NT1a? It retails for $229 new these days and I've yet to use another mic in the

[@turkeyjerkey111]

so you can record drums with just an overhead and a kick mic?

[@matthewpayauys9889]

Put it up against the Aston spirit. I would love to see them on the overheads.

[@PedalingPrince]

I've been looking for a mic with low noise that could possibly be used to pick up dialogue for a film shoot at less than ideal distance in order to pick up a more natural sound of the acoustics of the location. My biggest concern there has been noise; even under the worst conditions my Zoom iQ7 picks up amazing audio even at six or more meters away, noise being the only significant issue. You say these things are low noise; how do you think they'd fare if you had to record dialogue in a wide shot where you couldn't get the mic any closer than, say, six meters?

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

+PedalingPrince that's pushing your luck with any mic. Go for a lavalier or do ADR

[@PedalingPrince]

Well that's the thing. I'm working on a new experimental filmmaking technique that avoids the use of ADR. My theory is that the noise floor of current recording technology is low enough to make recordings made with mics at such a distance usable, with the additional benefit of sounding more natural than ADR since it captures the natural acoustic quality of the sound on the actual location at the distance the camera was from the subject. So, I realize it's "pushing my luck" in the traditional filmmaking sense. What I'd like to know from you who've used the mic, though, is if the noise floor is low enough to make a recording made under such conditions at least usable. Based on your description it SOUNDS like this mic has an incredibly low noise floor, but I'm wondering exactly HOW low, like how it compares to the more expensive mics in your own collection, for example.

[@emilbrorson]

Could you please test the Neumann TLM 102?

[@BloodpactORG]

The same Roswell that makes pickups for Harley Benton guitars now?

[@jc13682]

Wow this mic looks nice ! Thanks for a nice tip for a mic on a budget :) Btw I'm wondering what did you think about the Focusrite interface ? I'd love to hear your opinion on that because I've had the Scarlett 2i2 for a while, very happy with it and was considering getting one of the larger ones.

[@abrahamsotelo95]

I need to decide, my first good microphone or my first studio monitors?!!

[@radusoimosan4118]

Abraham Sotelo better to hear a cheap mic at its full potential on studio monitors than having an expensive mic and not being able to hear it because of the cheap monitors....my opinion

[@abrahamsotelo95]

thank you, it was somewhat obvious but you help me a lot with my decision. I just bought the JBL LSR305 pair.

[@betonrats1876]

glenn, you ever use sm81's as overs?

[@nafis6668]

Hi Glenn, so what is the frequency response of this mic? Flat with very light high end bump?

[@GearingUpShow]

have you ever tried a Rode NT1A? if so how do they compare? I've been a huge fan of my Rode since I got it! Love the videos! Let's collaborate!

[@TheSboobsy]

Why does a matched pair costs more than 2 single mics ? Is it the "matching" ? does it really matters to have them matched ?

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

+TheSboobsy yes

[@_yore__]

Thank you for this video man, this was very helpful! Loved all your audio examples. I recently bought this microphone and I've been very impressed!. I just did a video where I review it and record a full song using it! If anyone is interested, you can find it in my channel. Cheers!

[@jezebelspencer4443]

Could you make the TZ stellar x2 mic review?

[@NN-rs1ny]

im sorry for this stupid question but how this mic compares to a SM7b , i want to get my first mic and im looking for a great vocal recording mic i have the SM7b ,SE Electronics 2200A Mk2 C and the AT2035 in my opinion the audio technica AT2035 sounds really good to me it has a lot off high end and price is good

[@SpringVinMoto]

You voice over seemed sibilant and hot. Pre amp or mic?

[@GodOfMedia]

Why the hell is the matched par 100 more than buying them individually?

[@MustacheVerra]

Impressive.

[@scottbean8591]

just to ask I'm a guitarist that plays drums do you stick to one tuning for drums or do you change it according to projects you work on please answer and thanks for the great content

[@SLAMSTERDAMN]

Shoots, Id thought you pushed the fader up on your console, that thing is LOUD.

[@RachEspinosa]

Glenn, please review the warm audio's wa-87

[@barbasbandas6665]

sounds great on heavy guitars

[@lokboxx]

What type diaphragm is this? I'm assuming condenser but let me know.

[@khronscave]

DIY mics FTW :P

[@danieljpavilonis]

How much do you like this vs. the AT4040? I just bought an 18i20 and started building a new desk (to get my studio setup) and my buddy sold me an unopened one for $150. I'm always looking for mics for drum recording and I have sampled one of my snares with the 4040. Thanks!

[@ehoc42]

Would you recommend having a better pair of mics as your spaced pair overheads or as your XY room mics when recording drums?

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

+ehoc42 overheads

[@ehoc42]

interesting. I had a spaced pair of AT2050's as overheads and XY pair at snare height of RODE NT1‑A 's in a small drum room. I ended up barely using the overheads because the room mics sounded great and captured the cymbals well. Maybe I should switch the mics next time?

[@AndrewKonkey]

Hey Glenn, just picked up an Alesis iO2 express used for $30 and I've been messing around with it for a few days trying to dial it in to provide a clear, clean signal. Do you have any experience with a cheap, 2-channel interface and do you think they're any good? I'd love your honest opinion on the interface, and possibly a Fearless Gear Review. Thanks, and cheers from Texas!

[@Carlos18731]

this is just what I've been looking for. I've been trying to find the perfect mic that does well in all applications and not break the bank. Do you ever recommend blending 2 or more different mics on a metal guitar cab for a good sound? I know the sm57 is the industry standard but I feel that mic just kills my tone.

[@emojuwon]

hey dude u should check out a BM 800 mic u may be surprised by wat u get 😎

[@ShangLiK]

I was going to get NT2A as my first mic, and now I'm once again hesitated

[@shredfreak83]

hmmmm, interesting. This or an oktava mk 012 MSP6 set?