Hey, Any AKG C214 user here?
how does it sound ? planning to upgrade this mic…
currently am using Audio technica AT4033CL.
overtime I found it abit dull on the lowmid area
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I am very familiar with the 414 not the 214. I am also familiar with a fair bit of the AT line of microphones. My guess is that the 214 is a very comparable mic to the AT you have. The 414 is a pretty dark mic IME It is a great work horse that is always good but never made me say WOW!. My guess is that the 214 is similar but will have the high end resonance issues almost all inexpensive mics have. I draw a parallel between the AT 4050 / 2020 differences. The 4050 is a nice work horse mic that gets the job done. The lesser expensive mics a re good but all have resonant frequency issues. People will call this britlte highend etc.
One of my favorite vocal mics is an EV re-20. Not quite as sexy as a condenser but they rock. If you pull back you can get a nice condenser sound. If you get right in on it you get that SM7 sound. The RE-20 can be found right in your price range and I would look at it against any other budget condenser. A slight high end boost and you won’t even know your not using a U87. I also tends to pick up lees of the surrounding room which can be great in many situations.
I know I went astray from your initial question but I hope this is helpful.
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Hi I can’t help much I have the 414 that I use to record acoustic but it is not good for vocals. Good luck:)
Sincerely
Paul
I See… year I read the review all saying about the brittle high on C214…
do you think it’s an upgrade from at4033?
hmm interesting… will dig EV re20
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Just curious what you found not usable about the 414 for vocals?
Paul to Paul. It just didn’t work for me. I also added some higher frequencies that I didn’t want. Google the 414 for male vocals. You will get many opinions, but most are negative. I bought that mic along with a LA 610 a dude telling me I was a great combination. ha ha good luck to you
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LOL. I’ve used that combination. I never heard the brittle high end people talk about. Like an sm57 it is a great workhorse mic. It is never my first choice for vocals.
I use a Shure beta 58A. It works well for my voice and was one tenth the price.
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Also never used the 214, but worth pointing out re; the 414 top end being discussed that there’s multiple versions of the 414, some designed specifically to be brighter. Can’t remember the designations off the top of my head…
Then going back through time they’ve changed the design over the years - the first, brass ones with the C12 brass capsules are very different to what you’d buy new today.
Yep, all of this.
What is it you want from the mic, @cubiclestudio ? I’m generally suspicious of LDCs at the lower budget end, you can get some pretty killer dynamics in that price range. I too am a fan of the RE-20 as an all-purpose mic, same with the SM7b. Definitely get more use out of those pair than do out of my AT4050s. I think once you get up over the £500/mic budget for LDCs your options open out significantly in terms of usability.
Beautiful piece of gear, though! I used one a couple of years ago for a week recording vocals with an SM7b and Coles 4038, my first real hands on experience with a decent preamp.
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I would also suggest the RE20 over the 414 if this is for vocals. I like the 414 on floor toms (414B ULS, the version I have). For what is is worth, I have not heard great reviews on the 214.
If you are dead set on a condenser, I would (within that price range) probably look at a Shure Beta 87 or Audix VX5 before the 214 for vocals. They are not as sexy but they are proven performers.
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Actually I get a good deal on that microphone used… just about usd$275
alright I’ll just stick with my AT4033cl… 
the problem with RE20 adn SM7 is they require a good bit of gain. enter the preamp …
even a SM58 or 57 probably need some preamp love.
4033 is 25mV sensitivity, while RE20 is 1.5mV sensitivity. SM7 1.2mV.
the Thriller-MJ/Bruce Swedian was a SM7 but with a Neve 1084 and Urei1176.
I recall plugging in a SM7 first time and thought it didnt work. Then as I max’d the cheap preamp knob on my interface I learned how to make a waterfall sound of white noise with my preamp.
Read recently McCartney used the RE20 on RAM album and Stevie Wonder used the RE20 on vocals too…but not sure what channel strip they had.
just something to add.
as for the 214, I dont know. but with a low output dynamic a person might need to include the cost of another $300-$1000 for a preamp.
[quote=“Cirrus, post:10, topic:316”]
Beautiful piece of gear, though! I used one a couple of years ago for a week recording vocals with an SM7b and Coles 4038, my first real hands on experience with a decent preamp.
[/quote] Coles is 10x’s the price, was it noticeable? I always find that comparison info interesting. $250 to $2250 for a vocal mic is pretty wild. LA610 maybe more important?
Oh, they’re only £750 here in the UK!
Well, they’re very different mics. To a certain degree the price is irrelevant when you’ve got a bunch of mics in the mic drawer - you pick whatever works. The vocalist in question has a very gravelly voice with loads of upper mids, most LDCs (including an old C12!) leave his voice sounding harsh as a result. 4038 is just the ticket because it sounds thick but still clear.
Only thing is for some tracks you want a more aggressive sound, which is where the SM7b comes in. Plus you can get right on it and scream into it, something that you’d be loath to do with a delicate ribbon.
I wouldn’t like to say which bit of gear was more important - that’s like asking which was the more important factor in me being able to drive to work this morning - the car I drive or the fact that the sun puts out enough energy that life is viable on earth? 