@@joshuabutlermusic stuck between WA 251 and Neumann m147. I just loveeeee the sound of both of them. Maybe get a WA 251 then in a few years get a M147
@joshua wade, aye man congrats, watching this just made me into a subscriber, I will now continue to follow your expertise over time, I admire your work and I plan on learning as much as I can thru your content, peace fam, much love
Such a good comparison. I love my 251 altough it doesn't sound as close to an original 251 it sure does have that sweer high frequency character I was looking for when I bought it. remember guys, you can't boost highs on something that hasn't been captured. and it's better to mantain it for a better mix then to boost on an nt1a. still nt1a is amazing for a beginners mic. great vid!
I've seen the response curve for the NT1, and it is one of the flatter mics available today. (If I was selling software that contained preset response curves that emulate famous desirable mics, I would probably recommend the NT1 as the affordable 'neutral' mic to add my curves on top of!) It's not designed to flatter anything. The WA251, otoh, is a characterful mic, nowhere near flat, but very appealing on many sources. It's great you own both - I don't know how you could do better for comparable $$.
The NT1 Frequency response chart is fake. They smoothed out the graph in the upper mid range there is definitely a peak in there. I have one and barely use it over other mics it’s so dead in the high end and has a annoying mid range. EQ does nothing but exaggerate it’s weird tonality on vocals it’s ok for podcast and instruments
@@timfrieden4639 You know what? Your comment came at exactly the right time. I recently came across another mic where the manufacturer's response curve was very different from one done by an independent tester with white noise. It's just been dawning on me that I should stop trusting company's graphs!! That said, 'dead in the high end' is what mics without presence boosts sound like, in a world where almost all mics give us one, of some kind or other. I mean, when we're at a live (acoustic) concert, and the high end isn't boosted, that's what no presence boost sounds like. It's a bit analogous to digital photography - which our eyes, used to film, had to get used to, 20 years ago or so. At first digital looked supernaturally sparkly and clear - utterly unnatural. But now that we only routinely see digital images, we've lost the ability to see how unnatural the sharpening and colour and textures are. :^/ However, if you're convinced that the NT1 actually has _less_ than neutral high end (and what reference do our hyped-up ears even have for 'neutral'?), then that's another matter.
Holy crap. I have never heard an NT1 sound so bad. I wonder if it's because the 251 blows it away, or if there is also something wrong with the NT1 you have. Anyway, nice vid.
The 251 blows it away. 😂 The NT1 is still a great mic. I literally have a video coming out of some vocals I'm mixing that was done with the NT1. It was funny, when I got the session I asked if it was tracked with the NT1. They looked at me shocked that I could tell. lol
I honestly wanted to make this video for people looking to upgrade to a 251 style mic. As far as tube mic comparisons go I think that one would be an awesome video. Great idea. I don't have an NTK to compare unfortunately. lol
Different mics are better for specific applications. Yes the 251 is a fantastic mic and blew the NT1 out of the water for vocals, but the NT1 may sound better on other sources based on the vibe needed for the song. If i were doing this comparison, i might have added a Shure SM57 and maybe a Royer R-121 so that we could compare Dynamic, Ribbon, FET Condenser, and Tube Condenser and further proce the the NT1 is still a great mic to keep in your arsenal as well as the 251, 121, and 57. I personally love the 251 on the majority of sources i put it on but one of the others may sound better depending on the song
Hello, I'm not sure if anyone had a similar experience but my Rode NT 1 actually stopped working on me... Everything was fine and then one day after about a month of not recording, I plug everything up and NT 1 is so quiet that I can only hear myself with a full gain, and it is still as if I am standing few steps away from it. So I really don't know what happened... As to the WA251 that I am interested in buying I have two questions: 1. It being a tube mic, I should have it upside down, correct? And probably buy a new, better mount than what they give? 2. In regards to the power supply, I don't quite understand whether it is an interface or do you still use an interface + that power supply? I'm asking because for the NT 1 I used Scarlett 2i2 and well... the interface seems to be working so my assumption is that it is all the mic's fault but there could also be something wrong with my interface... So the question is whether that power supply will answer my question and solve my problems :) Any advice will help guys, anything to do with the technical side of things... I take tiny baby steps each time .. because otherwise I get lost and frustrated. heheheh... Anyway, thank you in advance :)
Before you do anything id test the microphone cable. The test the microphone on a different system. The NT1 is a pretty strong microphone. Tube mics are hung upside down due to the heat changing the sound of the capsule. So it's always a good idea to do. The power supply is required for the tube microphone and it also lets you change the polar pattern. It's not an interface tho. You would still need your scarlet interface. Microphone to power supply to interface. I hope that helps. :)
@@joshuabutlermusic thank you for the reply :) I have bought a new cable, because that seemed to be the quickest and cheapest solution. Unfortunately, it didn't fix anything. When you say different system, do you mean DAW? I have tried on 3 programs, Reaper, Audacity and Fl Studio. It is the same in every case: picked-up frequencies are so low that even maximising the gain doesn't really help, since there's barely any volume control (also that halo light on the interface doesnt pick up that signal). I was desperate to record a vocal when I was inspired haha and I tried to do the vocal on a dynamic mic that was connected to the interface. It worked but knowing how much better it can be via a condenser I forced myself to be patient and try to find answers as to which how to fix the issue and eventually which mic to buy. (The halo light worked in this case) We just got out of a lockdown in Melbourne so I might try going to some studio/music store where I can maybe check these (mic and interface) but I don't know... I have given up a little and I'm looking for a quick fix, which is not a good attitude to have but that's the truth, haha. www.reddit.com/r/audioengineering/comments/pkv190/issue_with_my_condenser_mic_using_focusrite_2i2/ This was actually my desperate post regarding this issues. People tried to help as best as they could but in the end I wasn't able to do anything and settled on accepting that I might need to just invest in a new mic.
that 251 just automatically STANDS OUT, like sheeeeshhhh, I want it, BAD, now the Rode NT1 is not a pushover mic, its damn good, but the WA 251?? lord have mercy
I got the answer after 10 sec of watching
WA251 sounds absolutely amazing
I love this mic. I've used microphones in every price range and this one holds up to mics 4 times the price.
@@joshuabutlermusic stuck between WA 251 and Neumann m147. I just loveeeee the sound of both of them. Maybe get a WA 251 then in a few years get a M147
@joshua wade, aye man congrats, watching this just made me into a subscriber, I will now continue to follow your expertise over time, I admire your work and I plan on learning as much as I can thru your content, peace fam, much love
On vocals , thats a night & day difference
Such a good comparison. I love my 251 altough it doesn't sound as close to an original 251 it sure does have that sweer high frequency character I was looking for when I bought it. remember guys, you can't boost highs on something that hasn't been captured. and it's better to mantain it for a better mix then to boost on an nt1a. still nt1a is amazing for a beginners mic. great vid!
Sick dude exactly the comparison I was looking for, I’m hyped to get the 251 I think it’s worth the $
I've seen the response curve for the NT1, and it is one of the flatter mics available today. (If I was selling software that contained preset response curves that emulate famous desirable mics, I would probably recommend the NT1 as the affordable 'neutral' mic to add my curves on top of!) It's not designed to flatter anything. The WA251, otoh, is a characterful mic, nowhere near flat, but very appealing on many sources. It's great you own both - I don't know how you could do better for comparable $$.
Thank you for your reply. I'm very confident with the two. I can mic pretty much any source and be happy with the result. My swiss army mic set. lol
The NT1 Frequency response chart is fake. They smoothed out the graph in the upper mid range there is definitely a peak in there. I have one and barely use it over other mics it’s so dead in the high end and has a annoying mid range. EQ does nothing but exaggerate it’s weird tonality on vocals it’s ok for podcast and instruments
@@timfrieden4639 You know what? Your comment came at exactly the right time. I recently came across another mic where the manufacturer's response curve was very different from one done by an independent tester with white noise. It's just been dawning on me that I should stop trusting company's graphs!! That said, 'dead in the high end' is what mics without presence boosts sound like, in a world where almost all mics give us one, of some kind or other. I mean, when we're at a live (acoustic) concert, and the high end isn't boosted, that's what no presence boost sounds like. It's a bit analogous to digital photography - which our eyes, used to film, had to get used to, 20 years ago or so. At first digital looked supernaturally sparkly and clear - utterly unnatural. But now that we only routinely see digital images, we've lost the ability to see how unnatural the sharpening and colour and textures are. :^/ However, if you're convinced that the NT1 actually has _less_ than neutral high end (and what reference do our hyped-up ears even have for 'neutral'?), then that's another matter.
Holy crap. I have never heard an NT1 sound so bad. I wonder if it's because the 251 blows it away, or if there is also something wrong with the NT1 you have. Anyway, nice vid.
The 251 blows it away. 😂 The NT1 is still a great mic. I literally have a video coming out of some vocals I'm mixing that was done with the NT1. It was funny, when I got the session I asked if it was tracked with the NT1. They looked at me shocked that I could tell. lol
It depends on how it’s mixed in songs. The NT1 would be good in certain mixes while the 251 good on others.
Tube mics always sound better. Rode NTK sounds better than a NT1, and would be closer to the 251 sound than the NT1.
well done
Wouldn't a fairer, if not more beneficial comparison be with a Rode NTK, since it is also a tube mic?
I honestly wanted to make this video for people looking to upgrade to a 251 style mic. As far as tube mic comparisons go I think that one would be an awesome video. Great idea. I don't have an NTK to compare unfortunately. lol
Also 134db is very loud. Even a guitar amp should not be near that so it should be safe
I don't get the reasons why compare those two mics, this is like comparing a civic to an audi, no point in there
Different mics are better for specific applications. Yes the 251 is a fantastic mic and blew the NT1 out of the water for vocals, but the NT1 may sound better on other sources based on the vibe needed for the song. If i were doing this comparison, i might have added a Shure SM57 and maybe a Royer R-121 so that we could compare Dynamic, Ribbon, FET Condenser, and Tube Condenser and further proce the the NT1 is still a great mic to keep in your arsenal as well as the 251, 121, and 57. I personally love the 251 on the majority of sources i put it on but one of the others may sound better depending on the song
Hello,
I'm not sure if anyone had a similar experience but my Rode NT 1 actually stopped working on me... Everything was fine and then one day after about a month of not recording, I plug everything up and NT 1 is so quiet that I can only hear myself with a full gain, and it is still as if I am standing few steps away from it.
So I really don't know what happened...
As to the WA251 that I am interested in buying I have two questions:
1. It being a tube mic, I should have it upside down, correct? And probably buy a new, better mount than what they give?
2. In regards to the power supply, I don't quite understand whether it is an interface or do you still use an interface + that power supply? I'm asking because for the NT 1 I used Scarlett 2i2 and well... the interface seems to be working so my assumption is that it is all the mic's fault but there could also be something wrong with my interface... So the question is whether that power supply will answer my question and solve my problems :)
Any advice will help guys, anything to do with the technical side of things... I take tiny baby steps each time .. because otherwise I get lost and frustrated. heheheh...
Anyway, thank you in advance :)
Before you do anything id test the microphone cable. The test the microphone on a different system. The NT1 is a pretty strong microphone. Tube mics are hung upside down due to the heat changing the sound of the capsule. So it's always a good idea to do. The power supply is required for the tube microphone and it also lets you change the polar pattern. It's not an interface tho. You would still need your scarlet interface. Microphone to power supply to interface. I hope that helps. :)
@@joshuabutlermusic thank you for the reply :) I have bought a new cable, because that seemed to be the quickest and cheapest solution. Unfortunately, it didn't fix anything.
When you say different system, do you mean DAW? I have tried on 3 programs, Reaper, Audacity and Fl Studio. It is the same in every case: picked-up frequencies are so low that even maximising the gain doesn't really help, since there's barely any volume control (also that halo light on the interface doesnt pick up that signal).
I was desperate to record a vocal when I was inspired haha and I tried to do the vocal on a dynamic mic that was connected to the interface. It worked but knowing how much better it can be via a condenser I forced myself to be patient and try to find answers as to which how to fix the issue and eventually which mic to buy. (The halo light worked in this case)
We just got out of a lockdown in Melbourne so I might try going to some studio/music store where I can maybe check these (mic and interface) but I don't know... I have given up a little and I'm looking for a quick fix, which is not a good attitude to have but that's the truth, haha.
www.reddit.com/r/audioengineering/comments/pkv190/issue_with_my_condenser_mic_using_focusrite_2i2/ This was actually my desperate post regarding this issues. People tried to help as best as they could but in the end I wasn't able to do anything and settled on accepting that I might need to just invest in a new mic.
251... anyone?
I use a NT-1A on lots of sources. It’s a great mic for less than $400.
I hear top end
that 251 just automatically STANDS OUT, like sheeeeshhhh, I want it, BAD, now the Rode NT1 is not a pushover mic, its damn good, but the WA 251?? lord have mercy
Exactly why I wanted to make this video. 😁 Still use the Rode all the time but that 251 is a beast.
oranges and pears
All is the same except the volume...
If you can’t hear a difference, you should absolutely stick with the Rode NT1.