Gauge ECM-87...ROCKS! :-D

[Mark Kaufman]

Maple Grove. God help me.

[ggalen]

Mar 10, 2009, 12:50pm, lyle wrote:Maple Grove. God help me. ;DLOL! Well, strings are pretty cheap there...I buy a bunch at a time to limit my exposure to the scene.

[chriscarter]

I just got a confusing message so I wanted to clarify my opinion here. It is very typical for budget condenser mics to be made from OEM Chinese parts and then branded by the manufacturer. A LOT of these mics share the exact same body. In fact, a lot of the time you will find multiple mics from the same 'brand' using the exact same body. It's also common for many of these mics to have almost identical insides. That does NOT mean they sound the same. A good example would be the Apex 460 and the Aventone CV12 which are nearly identical in build, but sound very different. Additionally, having dealt with Chinese manufacturers before, quality control varies GREATLY. When I say GREATLY, I mean GREATLY. You can get two supposedly identical mics that sound wildly different and different companies employ different practices for selecting/rejecting microphones (I won't mention any names, but....). Sometimes one mic is just manufactured better than the other, sometimes the components follow the same schematic, but the parts are of different quality. So it's possible to have two microphones that appear to be exactly the same inside, yet sound very different.I'm very happy with the Gauge mic that I have and have used it a number of times on acoustic guitar with stellar results. Navigating the whole 'which mic is the same as the other mic' with Chinese built OEM microphones can be tricky. That said, I've found Rob and Chandler (ie. Gauge Microphones) to be INCREDIBLY forthcoming about their mics. So if anyone is concerned about what makes the ECM different from another mic, an e-mail is the best way to find out.I've never used any Nady mic (nor do I have any intentions to do so) so I can't honestly say if they sound the same or not. That said, I don't f*cking care. The ECM serves a purpose in my studio that wasn't adequately filled by any other mic in my locker to my liking, so for me it's a "win". If the Nady sounds like the Gauge, then I guess Nady has a great mic and have figured out some kind of voodoo to make it remarkably cheaper (you see my skepticism here....). But if the Nady doesn't sound like the Guage, that wouldn't suprise me one bit. At the end of the day, what matters is what something SOUNDS like, not what it LOOKS like.

[robchiarelli]

Very interesting thread about the Gauge ECM 87 microphone. My name is Rob Chiarelli (Gauge, CEO) and I thought I would take a moment to shed some light:The information about the ECM87 and its components is only partially correct. As someone has already pointed out, most imported mics do originate from the same supplier in China. Same supplier? Yes.Same circuit board? Yes.Same sound? No. My partner Chandler Bridges and I have been sitting behind consoles in the world's top recording studios for the last 20-years working on multi-platinum records for artists like: Will Smith, Christina Aguilera, Janet Jackson, Beyonce, Train, Pink, Madonna, Ray Charles, LeAnn Rimes, Ricky Martin, Mary Mary, Diana Ross, En Vogue, Yolanda Adams, 3LW, K-Ci & Jo Jo, The Corrs, American Idol, Bette Midler, Julio Eglesias, Coolio, Ice Cube, Keiko Matsui, Greald Albright, Everette Harp, Spyra Gyra, Chuckii Booker, Gladys Knight, Teddy Pendergrass and many, many more...Obviously, these artists trust and respect our ears and we both feel very fortunate and grateful for that. In May 2008, I was doing a session with producer Derek Bramble (David Bowie, Tina Turner, etc.). He insisted on recording vocals with this strange microphone from China. Of course, I had the reaction that top engineers like many of you would have. “Oh, it's Chinese…. It's probably a cheap knock off that sounds like crap.” When I heard how amazing the mic sounded on the lead vocal and how unbelievably great it sounded in the track during the final mix, I was an instant fan. I had to have one.Chandler contacted a few different manufacturers and began trying different combinations of capsules, capacitors, switches and transformers, etc. Then, we ordered a batch and had them shipped to us. What we discovered after we received our first shipment and listened to the mic’s, is they were inconsistent in sound quality. No surprises there.Same mic, same factory, not always great sound. So, we contacted the manufacturer and reached an agreement that included a higher QC standard in the capsule, the caps & the screen. Among other things, you will notice that each ECM87 has a stamp on the capsule assembly which is NOT present on any other mic.We also requested the right to “ear check” each and every microphone so we would not be in possession of a shipment of worthless junk. Our supplier agreed to accept the return of any mic that we would be uncomfortable using on a multi-platinum act and Gauge Precision Instruments was born. Since then, we have invited many other platinum engineers to participate in our meticulous, 90-minute long, totally blind ear tests. The results were always the same. On average, (93% of the time), our colleagues chose the ECM-87 over more popular "industry standards" that cost many times the price. Why? The presence peak is clear and crisp, the midrange is pleasing and the bottom end is warm and full. Our ears and our experience told us that, not an oscilloscope. Finally, a consistently good sounding microphone that doesn't cost a lot of money. Does the ECM87 sound amazing on everything? No. Just like all other microphones, it works better on some things than others. The ECM87 sounds great on vocals and acoustic guitar. It sounds terrible on bagpipes, harmonica & accordion. Now, you may think this is a load of crap and that we're just salesmen, but we put samples on our website for you to judge for yourself. We don't pretend to be something we're not, and frankly, we started Gauge Precision Instruments out of passion, not greed. As someone pointed out, Chandler and I have both been blessed with incredible careers, far beyond what we ever could have hoped for. Together, we have well over 100 gold and platinum records to our credit and our names appear on over 150 million record sales. So, making a few extra bucks selling microphones is not what we live for. Putting smiles on the faces of engineers, musicians and songwriters seemed like it might be fun. Little did we know that we'd open ourselves up to comparisons by competitors who wouldn't take the time to learn the true facts. Anyway, we're not about to risk our good names by putting them on anything that doesn't deliver great value. We don't have a huge company that sits between us and the manufacturer. We don't have a staff of dozens of people. We don't have rent to pay on a warehouse full of inventory. And we don't have much overhead. We sit around and listen to microphones because we are freaks. It's as simple as that. We dig it. So, if you want an ECM87 that is warm, tell us. We will pick one out for you. If you like a mic that has a touch of mid boost, we can do that as well. Just ask.Of course, these days, it is perfectly understandable when people choose to buy cheaper microphones. Some folks prefer to spend their money for beer… and who can argue with that? I like beer, no problem.Some people like to pay more for a "brand name" so they can tell their friends. Great!Then there are people who make their choices based on sound quality and value. Our careers speak for themselves and our philosophy is simple:We think musicians would rather buy a microphone from guys with 50,000 hours of experience making hit records and who take the time to pick each mic by hand, rather than getting microphones that were designed by a techie who measures sound quality with an oscilloscope.Thanks for listening,Rob ChiarelliCEOGauge Precision Instruments, Inc.

[sgs4u]

Mar 19, 2009, 2:20pm, robchiarelli wrote:Rob ChiarelliCEOGauge Precision Instruments, Inc.Dude, your seminars rocked at the Rally. But are you here to sell product? Cause we usually make a big deal about not allowing that. Unless things have changed. We don't get many WORLD CLASS record producers hanging out much. So welcome to our forum. Steve

[robchiarelli]

Thanks for the nice compliment. No, we are not selling anything here... I just had to respond to some mis-information out there about our microphones. There are a lot of great musicians who have supported us and they deserve to know the truth. Just to prove I'm not selling anything, e-mail your address to me (rob@gauge-usa.com) and I'll send you a free mic. Let me know what you think of it. Cheers! Rob

[sgs4u]

Mar 19, 2009, 3:32pm, robchiarelli wrote:Thanks for the nice compliment. No, we are not selling anything here... I just had to respond to some mis-information out there about our microphones. There are a lot of great musicians who have supported us and they deserve to know the truth. Just to prove I'm not selling anything, e-mail your address to me (rob@gauge-usa.com) and I'll send you a free mic. Let me know what you think of it. Cheers! RobAre you frikkin kidding me? Email's already on the way!

[ciskokidd]

Mar 19, 2009, 3:32pm, robchiarelli wrote:Thanks for the nice compliment. No, we are not selling anything here... I just had to respond to some mis-information out there about our microphones. There are a lot of great musicians who have supported us and they deserve to know the truth. Just to prove I'm not selling anything, e-mail your address to me (rob@gauge-usa.com) and I'll send you a free mic. Let me know what you think of it. Cheers! RobI bought one of these mics at the Rally after I listened to the taste test with the U-87. Did it sound as good as the U-87? Emm - no, there was definitely a warmer and rounder sound that the U-87 has.What sold me is that it measured up quite nicely when you compared the cost of the two mics. I got mine for under 100 bucks with shock mount and pop screen. I've used it on vocals and acoustic guitar and it sounds great to my ears. The point is I never expected a u-87 when I bought it, but for 100 bones it sits nicely with my other mics with no guilt at all.BTW - I need to complain more so I can get free stuff! Best,Cisko

[ernstinen]

Mar 19, 2009, 3:32pm, robchiarelli wrote:Thanks for the nice compliment. No, we are not selling anything here... I just had to respond to some mis-information out there about our microphones. There are a lot of great musicians who have supported us and they deserve to know the truth. Just to prove I'm not selling anything, e-mail your address to me (rob@gauge-usa.com) and I'll send you a free mic. Let me know what you think of it. Cheers! RobWow, Rob! Email is on the way!As you may have read, I've been pretty supportive of the sound 'I' got out of your mic, so I hope the offer still stands!Thanks in advance,Ern

[t4mh]

WOW!!! I'm a believer! Next time I need a new mic I'll check out the Gauge stuff for sure. Cool...Keith