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Refurbishing a classic microphone – the Electro-Voice RE20
- eropple 10y agoThis is rad. I've long wanted RE20s for my podcast studio, but they're approximately all of the money--and I'd need four, to standardize, so dropping $2,000 on microphones isn't in the budget. Now I'm wondering if I might know anybody with some older/beat up ones to part with... Right now I'm using GLS Audio ES-58s, which are knockoffs of the Shure SM-58 but around $39 rather than $100 (and, to my ears, have an audio quality closer to the Shure SM-58 Beta, itself more like $160). And they're basically indestructible, which is nice.
- jdietrich 10y agoThe RØDE Procaster is a popular (and much cheaper) alternative to the EV RE20. It doesn't sound exactly like the RE20, but it has the same characteristic low-mid presence. Bear in mind that big dynamic mics like the RE20 need a colossal amount of clean gain. Unless you're using an excellent interface or mixer, you'll need to budget for some better preamps. http://www.rode.com/microphones/procaster http://www.rode.com/microphones/procaster
- eropple 10y agoI have an excellent interface. ;) The Procasters are definitely on my radar. Just not sure I want to go halfway when I'd end up going all the way later.
- hammock 10y agoAny recos for mic pres? I'm looking at sm7b's also
- geerlingguy 10y agoBehringer makes some decent ones for the budget-conscious. Also, check out the EV RE320. 95% of the sound and a hotter signal for 60% of the price!
- jdietrich 10y agoIf you need a USB interface with one or two pres, look at the Audient ID4/ID14. If you need more, I suggest the larger Focusrite Scarlett interfaces. If you already have an interface you're happy with and need a bit more clean gain, try a Cloudlifter.
- eon1 10y agoNo way do Scarlett pres have the amount of clean gain we're talking for SM7B or RE20 territory. Unless you really get an excellent interface/mixer I would go for external pres.
- eropple 10y agoTo be clear, this isn't just an opinion thing--the math is in 'eon1's favor. Scarlett's preamps can boost around ~55dB and a SM7B is something like -80dB with a normal speaking voice. Boosting that to -25dB will be audible, but it's not enough for most purposes and maxing out the preamp will generate some hiss.
- jdietrich 10y agoThe larger, non-bus-powered Scarlett interfaces provide perfectly good results with the SM7B. http://recordinghacks.com/2012/06/18/sm7b-audio-interface-shootout/ http://recordinghacks.com/2012/06/18/sm7b-audio-interface-sh...
- eropple 10y agoEven their 8i6 only boosts about 60dB, though. You can work with that, but that's a little low. I shoot for -14dB to -10dB for spoken stuff, and at that point you'd basically be eating the mic. The article you linked was using a Cloudlifter with the SM7B, which is a preamp on its own.
- hammock 10y agoI'm looking at the scarlet 18i8, I want four mic pres and will try with the 4-channel cloudlifter. 25db from the CL and another 25 from the interface ought to sound alright
- radiowave 10y agoIt probably wasn't something I'd ever consciously thought about, but I just realized that RE20s grills aren't supposed to have a dent in them. Mine is somewhat lived-in, as I'm sure a great many of them are. For me it's one of the all-time great moving coil mics, along with the Sennheiser MD-441 (about which I think I already knew that the grill wasn't supposed to be dented.)
- geerlingguy 10y agoYeah, I think about half the RE20's I've ever seen have that trademark dent. Just like about half the SM58's in the world have a mangled ball that's not perfectly round anymore. Some mics are just made to be abused I guess!
- analog31 10y agoNice! I have a couple of old EV mics with rotted foam, but never thought that I could just buy spares. I'll have to check out the supplier.