I've been a long-time AKG 414 user. Thought I'd make a place to drop in notes about my experiences with various models of 414's.

The 414 excels at recording acoustic instruments, whether it be on a drum kit, piano, acoustic guitar, etc. And for amps 414's can do well with cleaner tones, like those coming off of a Roland Jazz Chorus or a clean setting on a Fender amp. But if you want to put a mic on a cranked distorted amp for rock, that's not really where a 414 shines.

For general purpose I'd recommend the B-ULS version, which also has a transformer. There are still a few around at dealers for around $600. I've seen pairs go for $1200 - so maybe you could swing a pair of those instead of getting one the newer X models which run about $1K each. Look on Ebay, too. If you found a good deal on a pair of transformerless TLII's they'd be worth getting.

On vocals, 414's can be some of the best mics on the right people. They can also sound lackluster and flat on the wrong singers. I'd say the ratio of people who sound great singing on a 414 is about 10% or 20%, and those are exactly the people who aren't going to sound as good on many other mics. The main reason to buy a 414 (or a pair) is because they work so well on so many applications. A true studio workhorse. And then you have it around for the smaller % of vocalists they work perfectly on.

as always thanks for the info Dan.
i have been tossing around the idea of getting one, but something else always gets my limited funds.

I sure agree with Dot on his vocal app comment. I have a 414B-ULS and while I really love it on most instruments I've tried, including distorted guitar, I hadn't had much luck on vocals until I tried it on an ol friend of mine recently.

Dan sings VERY loud and has to be at least 1' off the mic but when I (we) listen to PB on his voc, we're both very pleased with how the mic keeps him sounding like him. Maybe loud, powerful singers work out better thru it. Dunno..

If this mic only works for a small % of singers, we got lucky I guess

I've also read that it's a popular mic for rappers,fwiw.

Great utility mic and I've always thought that a 414 should be a staple in ones mic cab, if possible.

Recent applications where we've used the 414 in the studio: Cello, acoustic guitar and most recently, the high side of congas - the guy in charge chose to put the 414 on the high side and the TLM103 on the low side, but if I made the call, I think I would have reversed that.

Not that it sounds 'bad', just a hunch I have, that it would have worked out better the other way round.

He also chose to put 4050's underneath them, at the sound hole, and I think mic'g them here, sounded like ass...so we clearly don't always agree lol...

I give the 414 a big

Dan,

I had a conversation awhile back with Eric Rachel, producer and engineer for Every Time I Die's "Hot Damn" CD. He was very cool to talk to, telling me how he got the guitar sounds, which I was amazed at. He told me he used two amps on each guitarist, with 2 mics on each amp. 1 - 57 and 1 - 414 in omni on each amp. And the guitars sound HUGE.

So 414's can do that too!

With my very limited experience with the 414, I got good results on acoustic guitar. I noticed that it did pick up a lot of my untreated room(living room), even in cardiod. The vocal tracks I tried it on sounded kind of raspy on the high end, so I can see where it would only work on select people.

Does anybody have any experience with the new 414's? If so, how do they compare to the older ones?

-J-

quote:

Does anybody have any experience with the new 414's? If so, how do they compare to the older ones?

-J-

Does anyone know how to identify which C414's have the old C12 capsule by looking at a photograph of the outside, i.e., is there a color scheme or something like that?

The old CK12 capsule had a brass ring, hard to see from outside the grille but possible.

I know this forum is probably the wrong spot, but it is a C414 thread...

I have seen grey painted ones, nickle plated ones and black ones. The grey ones seem old, but I haven't seen any source for dating them.

Dot,
this is an interesting post. I first tried the 414 on my own voice about 10 years ago and was hugely disappointed... very flat and unexciting...for years I wondered why so many people loved them.

earlier this year I was recording a record for a female blues/jazz singer and put up a borrowed 414...damn if it wasn't present,silky and smooth. I then used it on upright bass about 2-3ft back and cranked up though the preamp...huge,smooth and lively.

needless to say I now am looking to find one out there for cheap..what a great mic.

I'll keep the more hyped sounding mics for my own stuff...thanks for your post!
George

I've used the newer XLS model. I've gotten some great acoustic guitar tracks putting the 414 in Omni right below the soundhole. The guitar was a Taylor 310. On vocals they either work or they don't. One vocalist whom I work with is a soprano and on her the mic sounds incredible. I think for a vocalist in this range the 414 is great. On anything else though they leave me wanting. They are great drum overheads IMHO.
Very nice on hi-hat and under a snare drum.
The mic is a workhorse. Clean, bright electric guitar sounds work out nicely with this mic.
For distorted guitar I'd have to give the nod to the older TLII as a room mic over the ULS or XLS. I placed and XLS 414 on my nashville strung guitar, again, close up and in Omni and the results were golden. Everyone should have a pair of 414's IMHO

Just got a new 414 XLII.

Fanfriggintastic!

Crisp and airy. When put through a transformer-balanced preamp -- a Hampton HJFP2 in my case -- the bottom end gets nice and rich.

I bought this new for $750 (shipped), and couldn't be happier.

I borrow and old ULS model, and it didn't really do much for me. I bought the XLII on faith, and got really lucky.

I highly recommend the XLII model. The added "air" works well with the microphones natural crispness. Add the transformers, and you have the whole enchilada.

Running this mic through the preamps in my Metric Halo ULN-2 (nice, BTW), was a little to stark for vocals. The microphone really does better [edit: for vocal work] with transformers in the path.

- Jim

I kinda wanted to hate the added air in the XLII, but often find myself thinking, "Wow, does that mandolin sound nice, what mic did I use? Oh yeah, XLII."

Some good info and overview on 414's and their history at http://www.saturn-sound.com/Home.htm

See article, "Story of the AKG C414" in the Curio's section.