You know, I haven't played with many of them, but there are mics like
MBHO, which is sort of Scheops-Like in the sound, but at a much better
price. There is also the AKG 'Blue Line', or that's what it used to be
called. Basically two bodies (C 480 b) and two capsules, a figure 8
(CK94 and CK91) but now you're still in a 2k plus range.
You can see some MBHO mics at www.sonicsense.com/mbho.htm
I'm told that it was an old Schoeps guy that started it, and they sure
'look' Schoeps like. Parker at Sonic Sense, who I buy a lot from,
seems to like them, said the sound is very Schoeps like. I don't
recall the prices off hand.
Neumann make great mics, and they have a KM100 series that can make
great MS, but they're only slightly less expensive I think than the
Sennheiser or Schoeps.
Sennheiser makes a single point MS mic now, the MKH418, but the
general consensus is that it's not very good.
The idea of trying a pair of Rode mics isn't a bad one, I personally
find them too cumbersome, but it could be done. They're very quiet,
but I have a pair of NT1As, and I've honestly never been thrilled with
the sound, I find them a bit boring and thin. But man, a bargain for
how quiet they are, no doubt, and I've heard some beautiful recordings
too, so worth considering.
Oktava, a Russian mic maker, finally makes a Figure 8, might be worth
checking out. They're a great bargain though in mics, but you have to
be careful, because some Chinese company is knocking them off. But the
genuine Russian ones sound pretty good, and a great deal. They're a
modular system, with a body and up to three capsules, omni, cardiod
and hypercardiod. I've heard stories of poor quality control, but the
ones I heard I thought sounded decent, especially for the price, which
is amazingly affordable.
Sound Room is the best source probably for them in the US, <www.oktava.com=
>
I think the Audio Technica single point mics, the AT822 and AT825
probably suffer from the VP88 syndrome, but they might be worth a
shot. Heck, any mic is better than no mic, and they're only about $500
or so.
You could also consider the Pearl mics, the MS2 and MSH10, around
$2300 though, so not cheap. A lot of people like them. I wasn't
thrilled with the sound, but it's fairly quiet, a single point stereo
mic, pretty convenient.
Pearl mics are at: www.pearl.se
Not sure if any of that will help, but good luck!
Tim
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