OK, it has been suggested that the OM1 mics start in a thread of their own, apart from the CM3 mic thread. Good idea. There are a few of us on GS who have gotten OM1's. I am taking mine down to record a band I like with the CM3's in a sort of Norman/Boojum array or Straus Pakt. Essentially I will put up a NOS array with the CM3's and strap the OM1's on top. I will get a vocals feed from the soundboard. It all goes into my 788T. This is an archival recording of a bar band (America's best bar band, The Freak Mountain Ramblers - Freak Mountain Ramblers). I have recorded them in the past with a similar array but with Schoeps MS or Schoeps ORTF plus DPA 4061 omni's. If I get a bunch of duplicates of what I have already I can post one of each to get a rough idea of the different mic sounds. Hopefully NLT Monday. I have to run down the coast Saturday to get a steam train which runs on an occasional basis and will be running tomorrow afternoon.

Update on last night's recording: first set was the Norman/Boojum array - Straus Pakt. That is, an NOS CM3 array with the OM1's strapped on. The second set was NOS CM3 plus the OM1's at ~40cm and right angles to the stage. I would like to see the off axis plots on the OM1's.

I am off down the coast to Garibaldi, OR, to record the steam train this afternoon. Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad I will do it with the OM1's in a standard Williams array of ~40cm and also the DPA 4061's for comparisons's sake.

So far the OM1 sounds pretty good. I burned a quick mix of the first set from last night which I will be listening to today and tomorrow. I will work on the mix some tonight and some tomorrow. It is the as the regular mixes of the past: vocal compression plus compression on the OP buss. That will make the comparison more equal, and it's rock and roll.

OK, a pinhead's test of the OM1's vs the 4061's "just for fun." This is yesterday in Garibaldi, OR, of the local oil fired steam train. There is the approach of the train a long quiet section, then the whistle and the train leaving. It was a slow day for me and I needed an excuse to drive down the beautiful Oregon coast.

I should have the music later today or tomorrow.

Thanks for posting - but not easy to judge the difference based on this. Both had a strange modulating "space-monkey" sound as the train were leaving, sounded like an artifact, but it may actually have been some of the natural sound of the train. Looking forward to some music, good idea to compare with the 4061.

::
Mads

Friday night's pulls were of a bar band. The vocals and sax all went through the house amp/PA with SM58's. The guitars and bass were through their own amps and the drums were, of course, un-amped.

Set one, the Call Me By My Name tracks were with the Line Audio CM3's and OM1's in a NOS array. The OM1's were taped to the CM3's and the diaphragms were as aligned as I closely as I could guess. They were panned full left and full right in the mix. The vocals/sax feed was at center. The vocal tracks were run through the SAM AM-Muntion mixdown vox processor and the total output was run though the same SAM plug-in's mastering rock hard processor. The vox is at 0dB, the CM3's at about -3dB and the OM1's at about -5dB.

Set two, the Blackberry Wine track was the same except that the OM1's were 40cm apart and at right angles to the stage. I would like to see what the off-axis response is like in a chart. The mix was the same.

The matching older tracks were Schoeps CMC68 - CMC64 MS and DPA 4061. The DPA's were wider spaced, about 50cm. The difference in omni spacing was the limitation of the mic stand.

I had hoped to be able to record a bluegrass acoustic group this coming Friday but they are going amped in the same venue. Hopefully one of the other new owners is working on something to put up. I can try the OM1's at the local amateur bluegrass jam on Monday nights. I can hang a pair of 4061's for comparison's sake

OK:

Call Me By My Name, Schoeps/DPA, Line Audio. The same sequence for Blackberry Wine. These are not the best tests but they will give you an idea of what the OM1's are about. They are LAME MP3 V1 as V0 made one file too large to be uploaded. I think you can hear well enough the sound to get some idea. They fed an SD 788T at 24/44.1.

The OM1's definitely feel amazingly full sounding. The 4061's just seem thin in comparison. I'm really digging the OM1 recordings. Keeping in mind that I'm on my laptop right now and I can hear a huge difference. Knowing my laptop vs. my Adams, I'm pretty sure my opinion would stay the same, but it would just become more drastic a change.

I cannot speak about technical differences but it seems the Line Audio mics warm up a room. Whether it is accurate is important but knowing you can warm a dry room with them is nice to know.

I will do a straight up comparison of the OM1's against the 4061's tomorrow night with the amateur bluegrass jam at the local American Legion hall. It is a hellish place to record as the patrons go there to drink and try to talk over the music. It is the worst venue I know. Let's see how the OM1's do. So far, so good. Swedish boutique mics rock.

Boojum, the OM1 is not easy to locate on Line Audio's website. Where can they be found?

You have to write to JP at nohypeaudio.com directly.

My pair finally arrived. Will put them to some real tests at a wedding end of this month.

MP - Yes, No Hype Audio got an early batch. I asked J-P at No Hype to be included in this early batch when he got them. I am not sure that they are even on the Line Audio website. They were not when I last looked.

I'll post some further "unreal" tests tonight or tomorrow.

OK, here is a track of a silly song sung at the bluegrass jam at the local American Legion. Hardly "ready for prime time" but an example of how the OM1's do on a simple string and vocal track. I'll pull another out of the evening to post, also.

The venue is a nosebleed: the players are around a table over by a wall. They are surrounded by a crowd trying, successfully, to talk over the music, eat their burgers and drink. There is usually a bass and banjo at these session but not last night.

The mics are ~40cm apart in the center of the players, over the table. The OM1's are 180 degrees apart, facing away from each other. It was that or point them straight down at the table and even while they are omnis are thought this the better choice. The 4061's are at the same distance alongside the OM1's.


OK - two more tracks of the "not quite yet ready for prime time players." These guys are true amateurs: they do it for fun. They have careers. The fiddler is a pro, and he doubles on guitar and mando. The others are just there for fun.

The photo is courtesy of No-Hype Audio. Thanks, J-P!

i think the om1s are winning these shootouts pretty handily. next time - cell phone pics! thx for posting that stuff.

I cannot say that one is a winner over the other. I do have to thank the fellow who runs Line Audio for putting such wonderful mics out there at such a good price. These teeny-weeny little mics are good. They can hold their own with the big names. And they do warm a cold room.

Cheers

PS - foobar has a plug-in for ABX comparisons. It is just wonderful for evaluating tracks like these. foobar2000.org It is free.

The OM1 sounds like pretty dark omnis - probably not as universally usable as the 4061 - The 180 degrees approach makes me wonder if the OM1 sounds different on and off axis...

It's difficult to judge much from these samples, but thanks for posting - would love to hear samples of acoustic instruments in a good room, if possible at some point

::
Mads

Hello there,
thanks boojum for opening a new thread for the OM1 - I'm sure it will be as fascinating as the one for CM3.
Here is my contribution to the sound samples - a small sample of a harpsichord in a medium hall. ab spaced at 50cm
BTW - no processing/ filtering what so ever

EDIT: added the CM3 track for comparison - spaced at 25cm with a total angle of around 90 degrees

Is it a good idea to gor for a pair of OM1 (I even not have a pair of cardio so don't know if I should start by the SM3).
Is the a price difference between the two?

Hi folks, this thread is young and already pretty long! I still have 2 OM-1's on hand then no more until... well until I can get more. So far all users love them!

I was going to ask about the sensitivity of the OM1's compared to the CM3's. I found the specs on the CM3 thread so figure I'd paste them here for future reference:

OM1:
Preliminary data:
Frequency response: 20-20000Hz +-1dB
Phantom power: 12 - 48V
Current consumption: 4 mA
Impedance: <100 Ohm
Sensitivity: 8mV/PA -42dB
S/N ratio (DIN/CCIR): 76dB(A)/66dB
Noise level: 18dB(A)
Max SPL: 133dB @0.5% THD ([email protected], 120dB @ 12V)
Size: 77mm x 20mm

Agreed, these are not the best samples. But they are what I could do in the short period of time in the area where I live. The 180 degree array works here because the mics are in the center of the performers who are in a circle around them. The mics are just above head height. One points at one half of the circle and the other points at the other half of the circle.

Thanks for clarifying
Have your experience this far told you whether these are uniform omnis, like the 4061 or if there's off-axis coloration?

::
Mads

Very nice samples - beautiful warm sound rendering, but not dull in any way. I wonder if these could be the the sdc omni answer to ribbons...

::
Mads

@ Scorpix: the OM-1 is about 10% more expensive than the CM3. If it ever sold as well as the CM3, the price differential would drop but it probably won't, so... produced quantities being smaller, unit price is a bit higher.

Thanks for these Oren... enlightening samples. I love the Kuhnau, btw - was that you playing?

My first post here so apologies in advance for any difficulties. Here's a two minute piano clip with the OM-1s.

Thanks,
The Old Foof

Welcome to the forum! Nice start

Warm and roomy tone to the recording. Looks like these mics could be quite usable for choir recordings. I might have to get a couple.

Yes - more warm sounds from OM1 - very nice - what was your setup..?

::
Mads

Mads, they seem to be uniform like the 4061's but that is my "seat-of-the-pants" estimate. The steam train recording was with the mics at ~40cm and parallel facing forward. I am very pleased with what I have recorded with them so far. They are warmer than the 4061's. I am not sure they are as detailed. I have to do some close listening to see. They have their own warm sound and would be flattering to many sources. Whoever is running Line Audio has a winner on his hands. These are good mics. They stand up well against the DPA's. They are flattering. If others feel this way the fellow at Line Audio better gear up for a production run. I have another Swedish mic, a Pearl, which I also like a lot. Svenska power. ;o)

I used the OM-1 tonight in the "Steve Remote knee mic" position, and it worked really well. That was on live mixing gig. First time using that mic position and I was surprised how good it was.

Guys please stop posting all these beautiful clips, I don't need another pair of omnis and all this temptation is killing me! Have mercy!

Love both tracks.