Behringer C2

Hobby recording for about 5 years. Currently using SPS-25 (same as Edirol UA-25) and Cakewalk Sonar on PC, and Zoom H4n for portable.

I bought these because I wanted a cheap pair of mics that I wouldn't have to worry about for live recording at rowdy clubs with an H4n, and that were more portable than my large MXLs. Since the acoustics are usually not too great for recording with just 2 mics in a club, anyway, I wasn't TOO concerned about sound quality, but I got these because of the good reviews, and I'm actually very surprised and impressed with how well these work for that application. A bit thin on bass, but otherwise fairly flat and very natural sounding, and a little EQing makes them sound great. With the mics up high, drums especially sound better than any other mics I've tried for this application. In X/Y pattern, they are very directional, which is big plus in a noisy room. At home, I still like my MXLs for acoustic guitar and SM-57 for electric, but these are better than either (or the built-in H4n mics) for live recording, and I'm giving it a 10 for the incredible value.

I play guitar, a bit of piano and saxophone. I use either 4-track tapes or USB audio interface to record. I use Sehnneiser earphones and B&W + Celestion speakers for monitoring. I have recorded bands, jazz duets, signers, etc.

This cardioid condenser mic is suitable for guitar amps, saxophone, drum overheads, even piano! But these microphones can't be used live. Maybe for guitar amps, but that's it! These are very flat. They are sensible to proximity effect. I don't recommend you to use them on vocals.

These microphones are the best bang for the buck that you can find under 100$. They even have a 10 dB pad or a pass-high. If you are on a small budget for recording instruments, buy them.

I didn't have any problem with them... and it's the first Behringer product that have a bit of quality!

The C2 is a very inexpensive microphone, fantastically priced in fact, but to be honest from my experience there is not much that might give it away as cheap. They look quite good (although nothing special), have proved durable enough to survive in a bedroom that doubles as a project studio, come with a decent set of accesories (wind shields, clips, double-mounting bar and a carry case), and most importantly turn in a decent sound on a selection of applications. The matched pair that I own are indeed very well matched, and prove useful for stereo applications. I use these microphones for several applications - vocals, acoustic guitars and drum overheads. You get what I would hesitate to call a great sound, but am happy to call a good sound: neutral, balanced and clear, but a little thin and brittle. The best application for these mics is as a stereo pair tracking acoustic guitar, which it shines on. Don't fool yourself into thinking that this microphone will perform anywhere near as well as top models, but it is definitely worth more than it costs - personally I would value it at around the ??150 mark, and even then it would be impressive against its competition, if only for the accuracy of its sound.

I've been involved in music over 17 years, from FOH, board op, to loudspeaker design, construction, room tuning, x-over design, amateur recording, and lately live performance, teaching, and production.

I play tnr sax about 2-3x/mo with a popular local funk band, we carry our own gear unless the venue provides... and we usually keep a FOH guy on payroll. Our settup is that of a working band. That which survives, stays. Mackie, Peavey, QSC, Crown, Sennheiser, Shure, hold up well. We have a behringer x-over that refuses to die. Generally most of our behringer stuff goes kaput in the heat...

IF we record, I mix down in a modest scratched-together room at home. It's pink-noise tuned, 4-track cassette to a PC. nothing fancy. I've recorded students for indivual projects, and I've recorded the band live just for fun.

6.5

The C-2 is a small diaphram condenser, and it sounds like it. For a limited bandwidth instrument in a crowded mix, like a woodwind, certain percussion toys...ok, but a 57 or larger diaphram mic would give better flexibility in the mix. Close proximity micing, it sounds thin. In studio situation, they sound really, really thin. They are indeed matched nicely, and therefor avoid phasing problems that occur when you try to add dissimilar eq settings to compensate.

Used as medium field area mics, which get mixed in with the board feed, they work well. They have a very good accuracy (typical condenser) and put in a nice image. They grab the amp sounds well, bass + guitar and the drum kit. We'll then mix in the board feed for keys, vox, etc. Very usable in this way. They handle the SPLs well and don't break up.

So, while they work well here, I wouldn't really use them elsewhere. I also suspect that close micing of drums, amps, etc would kill it quickly. They look solid, but one's already dveloped a loose conxn; I don't think they're gonna hold up well. But for the $$, I have no regrets. Will add solder and use for occasional live recording.

I've been playing clarinet and saxophone for decades, and singing for even longer. I have used a variety of mics over the years, primarily for live performance. My recording experience is limited. I've been recorded and have done some recording of my efforts as a rehearsal aid but never with a serious eye toward a finished product.

The Berhinger C-2's come as a matched set of two small condenser mics. I purchased a set when I was asked to play solo clarinet and sax in a large convention center. The center provided a sound system and sound man but he had no experience with clarinet, and I know how hard it is to mic clarinet. I had read a commentary by a clarinetist who had tried and liked the C-2 and at $50 for the pair it seemed like a good risk.

I am delighted with their preformance. I mic the clarinet by placing a mic about 6-8" from each hand, so one mic is always near the point at which the sound is produced. The mics are sufficiently directional to avoid picking up background noise, but don't require the attention to distance that my old SM-57s needed. I could relax and move around a little bit. I was able to get a full rich clarinet sound and decided to use these at the convention center and was completely successful. When I switch to Saxophone, I can compensate for the louder volume of the sax by moving back a bit. That wasn't necessary at the convention center - the sound man took care of that. But in performances since then, without a sound man my hot spot monitor provides me the information I need to play in balance. It's very intuitive for an old hand.

This week I used these mics for vocal work. the soloist used a Shure SM-58 and the back-up singers used the C-2s on stands. Worked Like a charm.

I own about 10 microphones currently and have had about another 5 in the past that I've sold over time. I was wanting to do some live room recordings of my band which was the main reason I purchased the C-2's initially. Initially, I used the C-2 to record via a 2 channel mixer to a mini disc because the sound was far superior that way than via a mini-disc microphone. I now use them to record as overheads and/or electric guitar amplifiers into my Korg Digital 8 Track (Korg D888). I've been recording for years and have had some of my recordings played on the radio both here in Australia and overseas.

Over the last year I've used these microphones for many different applications including live stereo recording, acoustic guitar recordings, electric guitar recordings and also overheads on a drum kit.

I liked these mics so much that I purchased a second set about a week later because the audio quality when placed in the correct spot was spot on.

They are great for certain applications and not as good for some others but for $89.00 AUD they are up there with the Rode Mics which cost a lot more.

Let me explain what I mean by certain applications. They are phenominal stereo recording mics with a great range of frequency and they are very directional which is handy for live work. They do lack a certain fullness when you place them right in front of a guitar amplifier compared with a large diaphram mic but that is expected. I would use these over dynamic mics any day of the week for recording electric guitar but they are not as good as the Behringer B-1 for recording at optimum quality. That said, I like it more than the NX7 which is the same as my old Sure Beta 57a. They are lots warmer than dynamic mics and in the right correct placement in a room or in/over an instrument they are fantastic.

I have used top end Rhode mics, Sure, JTS etc and for the money these do a great job and I have spred the word to my friends who now also use them.

Our next live CD will no doubt have a few of these mics in the mix - actually I am sure of it.

Been making music for 20 years.

Taught myself the basics, took some classes, read a lot of books and magazines but learned by being in bands and building my own studio over the past 9 years.

GREAT SOUNDING EQUIPMENT AND PERFORMANCES > various inexpensive preamps and mics used the right way > motu828mkII > cubase SL > RNC > cubase > Alesis M1 mk2's > ears

Condenser, cardioid, small diaphragm


Do not waste your money on the C2's.

I do not use expensive mic's in my home studio but I still get great results that have impressed a lot of people by knowing what I'm doing. Im always looking for a bargain and you probably are too if you are reading this, so take into consideration that these are not boutique mics and i am not rich, ha. I bought a matched pair (mainly for stereo pairing acoustic guitar) and they are the noisiest things in the world. Other than that, with the right placement they are fine and offer the flexability of -10db and low cut, which is nice. Generically speaking they just sound cheap and thin on cymbals, but you can certainly get a good sound on a tight budget if you cut out the noise floor. I have not found a good applications for these mics and will probably try to sell them.

Also, if you are thinking "well, its a behringer" then i will say to you that I have had an original B-2 for years and years, have knocked the thing around about a hundred and one times and it still sounds great and works great no fail. It is versatile and CHEAP and i was hoping for the same from the C2s but was disappointed. I recommend the B-2 to anyone doing acoustic guitars and vocals. I have recorded many one-vocal, one-guitar tracks in one take with a perfect mix using that mic. Good enough for a pro record I released. To date the only piece of behringer gear that has ever crapped out on me was a mixer and I have owned MANY behringer products.

If you wanna get a matched pair of small diaphragm condensers in this price range, be patient and wait for a pair of Oktava MK012's to go on sale. I got mine at a guitar center for $98 a couple years ago and they are WONDERFUL for recording steel string guitars (too boomy for classicals) and also work fantastically for budget overheads and Xy stage recording.

rating:

C2s get a 3 in their price range

oktavas would get an 8 considering rediculous proximity effect and wind distortion

original B-2 would get a 10 but is a different type of mic all together but a great buy

I've been home recording for 5 years now using a variety of media sources. Currently using a PC for main recording and a Fostex FD-8 for backup or extra tracks if a whole band is here.

Matched set of small condenser mics with a cardoid pattern. They come shipped with a stereo bar, hard plastic case amd mic adapters and wond screens.

So far I've used these on acoustic guitar only, but am considering buying another set (or two) for drum overheads and maybe even as a snare mic. Not sure if they can handle that kind of SPL but the specs say it can.

For the money, I do not see how it can be beat. I'm know there are more expensive (Neuman) mics out there that will out perform these, but lets face it, I record music as a hobby and I cannot afford to have everything top of the line. The price included custom microphone stand adapters, windscreens, stereo-bar and transport case. They also have Switchable low-frequency roll-off and -10 dB input attenuation switch.


I do not like crappy things I was very (VERY) hesitant to buy anything with the name Behringer on it, I gave them a shot because of the price.. I even bought them mail order from someplace I had never heard of.. Lentines Music, which is somewhere in Ohio. I bought them on a Thursday morning, they were here on Saturday morning.. I was impressed.

I was using a large condenser mic on my acoustic guitar, but a buddy told me the small ones work better in the X Y placement. I have a set of "unbranded" (made by Shure) small condenser mics that I tried but did not like the sound. I borrowed his Crowns and they worked well but they're not mine.

I tried the C2's and while I liked the sound of them better than the ones I had, I also found my acoustic guitar didn't record well,, so I bought an old Guild D35 and that fixed that problem.

If you're on a budget and need small condenser mics for acoustic instruments, how can you go wrong for $49+ shipping for TWO mics?

Here's the addy to them from where I got them:

http://www.lentine.com/88066.htm?parentid=606

They might be available elsewhere but Musician's Friend and Zzounds did not have them in stock when I got them, they still don't as of 4/13/06.


Here's the official specs..

Transducer Type: True condenser, 16mm (0.63 in.) single diaphragm

Operating Principle: Pressure gradient

Polar Pattern: Cardioid

Connection: Gold-plated balanced XLR connector

Open Circuit Sensitivity (at 1kHz): -41dBV (0dBV = 1V/Pa)

Frequency Response: 20Hz ? 20kHz

Level Attenuation: -10dB (switchable)

Low-Cut Filter: 6dB/oct. At 120Hz (switchable)

Max. SPL (1%THD @ 1kHz): 140dB (0dB); 150dB (-10dB)

Equivalent SPL (IEC 651): 19dB-A

Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 75dB

Nominal Impedance: 75 ohms

Load Impedance: >1k ohms

Supply Voltage: +48V

Supply Current: 3mA

Dimensions:
Shaft: Approx. 13/16 in. (20mm)
Length: Approx. 3-11/16 in. (94mm)

Weight: Approx. 0.21 lbs. (900g)