Oh, right. I always forget about the used gear policies most of you guys have. You can use that 105 anywhere a 184 would be an option. Don't get hung up on what "type" of mic it is. One of my favorite trumpet mics is an e609, although the 609 is not my favorite guitar mic, by far. 604's are good on horns too. Stevie Nicks sang into a 441 for years, Tom Petty into a 57.
451's are great mics too. I don't have any but I certainly wouldn't turn it down if someone tried to give me one. I'm not big on matched pairs, at least for live work. When you get into high end microphones they sound pretty darn close anyway. Unless you REALLY need that extra
bit of similarity for perfection (like in recording using them as coincident pairs) then it's really not necessary. I'll say, until I used the 184 I never really "got it." I knew it was a good mic but I'd used good mics before. Can it really be that much better than Earthworks, sm81,
etc? Yes. It can and it is. I started using a 3-mic drum setup (kick, snare, OH) in a restaurant that I sometimes mix in, with a limited
channel count, and I was blown away by not just the fidelity, but also the
gain before
feedback I got out of it. I really didn't expect much the first time I tried it, but I was able to crank the hell out of it in the PA (in a terrible circular glass room) and it actually sounded GOOD!
All that to say not to rule out 184's. It really changed my mind on some things. As far as the 414's.... I have a 414B-ULS which is supposed to be one of the better sounding, and older, versions. I'm planning on selling mine and buying another 184. I bought it mainly to use as a grand piano mic (which it's amazing at) but I don't think it sounds as good or has as tight a
pattern (in
cardioid) as the 184. It is a very nice feature that it has selectable patterns, but honestly how often are you using
figure 8 on a
stage?
I've always been of the belief that if you (as an artist) want something specific then you should be bringing that with you. And I feel like I can say that without remorse, having been on both sides as a BE and business owner. When I toured I brought my mic package. For free. It's what I personally wanted. I didn't feel like scrounging together the absolute garbage that were at some of the places. I did that on the first tour and from then on brought mics like OM5's, 421's,
etc. Eventually the band bought a mic package so I could leave mine at home. But at no
point did I ever feel like I was entitled to EXACTLY what toys I want. Band engineers are babies wanting their toys, and if they don't get them they
throw temper tantrums. It sounds ridiculous, but it really is that crazy.
So I say, don't sweat it too much. Don't buy junk and you should be able to please 95% of the folks you'll come across. Beyond that, just buy want you want to use and what sounds good to your ears. In the end all that matters is how it sounds, not what name is on the gear.
