the t.bone SC 1100

There's a little trick I do from time to time to compare different products. It's good fun and you can learn a lot. What I do is set up blind A/B comparisons and compare two or more products to see which one's better. I don't limit this activity to audio products - I do it with wines, cheeses, coffees and teas... even fabrics. Sometimes the results are really astonishing. If you can't tell the brand name of the thing you're listening to/tasting/feeling... then you have to decide your preference on what your senses are telling you.

Most of the time I do this test on audio products, though. I've done pre-amps, mics, reverbs, keyboards, snare drums...

I've actually done blind A/B testing with some other T.Bone mics - the MB75 and the MB85 - and the reviews are up here on the Thomann website.

Anyway, I've just finished doing my blind A/B test on this mic (the T.Bone SC-1100) and another (how shall I put this?) er... "very well known" large diaphragm condenser mic. I won't mention it by name, but you know which one it is.

Well, the T.Bone mic won. Yes it did. Admittedly, I only tried the A/B test on vocals, but after all that's mostly what I'll be using this mic for. It beat the other, much more famous, mic; not by a huge amount - it was close - but it definitely came out on top. This mic has a warmer, smoother and less "middly" sound than "the other one". It also responds better to plosives (although that's not really an issue for either mic if you use a pop shield). The output of this mic did seem to be slightly lower than the other one, but again that's not an issue when you have a nice clean pre-amp and can turn up the input gain (you wouldn't have to turn it up by much anyway).

And the most astonishing thing - given that this mic WON the blind A/B test - is the price. A quick calculation brigs this mic in at 5.3% of the cost of the other one. A TWENTIETH of the price!

This is why I hate blind A/B testing. You learn a lot. Sometimes you learn too much!

I'll probably still use the other mic for outside clients in the studio. It's by no means a bad mic! And that's the mic that clients expect to see when they come in to record a vocal session, so that's the one I'll use - especially given thatI've spent SO much money on it! But for recording my own vocals, and other instruments, I'm using the T.Bone SC-1100. It's a better sounding mic.

In fact I'm placing an order for another one right now. :-)

Finding myself a little more time for music again I felt the need for one more large diaphragm condenser. In the past (pre mortgages and babies) I had a few great £300-£500 mics from the likes of Rode and Se, but as now a hobbyist on a budget couldn?t really justify buying a £300+ mic this time around.

t.bone mics have been on my radar for a while after seeing and hearing people using them. I?d been surprised by recordings made by even the inexpensive SC 400 model. t.bones seem to be a bit of a secret weapon for home studio fans on a tight budget that still want quality. 10 years ago a ?£50? condenser mic would have been a joke. Things seem to have changed. So I decided to get a t.bone but one closer in spec and features to my old multi-pattern Rode NT2 or NT2000 and so the SC1100 seemed to be in that ballpark but much, much less money.

With the SC1100 you get a lot for the modest outlay. The SC1100 comes in a great case and has a very professional-looking, sturdy shock mount included. The mic itself feels nice and solid in the hand and in terms of feel is much like my SE2200A but lacking the more crafted feel of a good Rode. But don?t get me wrong - it looks and feels well built enough.

The mic was purchased for three main purposes: Vocals, spoken word recording, and instruments - primarily acoustic guitar. I no longer own any fancy mic preamps so tested the t.bone through my Focusrite Octopre MKII, which generally gives a very transparent result, which you can then ?warm up? with plugins should you wish.

On both my own deep, gruff ?anti-vocals? and on quality female vocals the SC1100 is pretty remarkable. This is a very good mic with a rich, pretty involving sound with no flat spots or spikes I could discern. It?s fairly sensitive so benefits from a little thought about where you are recording and, if recording in a typical untreated domestic environment, really benefits from a ?Relexion? style mic shield and the old ?duvet behind the vocalist? trick. Take these extra steps and many home recordists will be pretty amazed at how high end a result they can achieve with this inexpensive mic.

On acoustic guitar again it worked as expected with plenty of detail on fingerpicked and strummed parts. I generally use a pair of smaller condensers on guitar but will experiment with the SC1100 here too. Spoken word too presented no surprises, and again warm and clear, so if you podcast no reason why the SC1100 couldn?t do a job for you.

Although I no longer have my Rode NT2 and NT2000 I?m doing to come out and say it: The t.bone results seem as least as good, perhaps better. In fact, while the Rode NT2000 was wonderful in the right conditions it?s oversensitivity to reflection, plosives and sibilance made it less user friendly than the t.bone which seems to handle these things very well with the addition of pop filter.

The fact a SC1100 is so inexpensive, yet I?m preferring it to something three times the price, tells you that what was good mic buying advice a decade ago doesn?t necessarily hold sway today. Cheaper mics have moved on. They?ve moved on a lot. If I need another mic in the future I expect the t.bone range will be my first port call.

Flat, clean, very low self noise and take EQ like a champ!

I sold my Rode NT2A after trying this microphone. The rode had an ugly mid freq. and it often sounded harsh. In my humble opinion the t.bone sounds better, and for that price I feel more comfortable using it in different recording situations!

Highly recommended microphone!

Cheers

UPDATE: After having this mic for a while, I have purchased Neumann TLM 49 as well as The Slate Digital ML1 and ML2 VMS system! Now I can say this with absolute confidence, the t.bone SC-1100 is the mic that sounds the best to my ears. My chain is SC-1100 to RME UCX built in Pre, to Cubase (Insert in the input channel is KT-76 and EQP-KT) then I insert a KT-2A into the track! Man, I am happy!!! I can scream, whisper and do whatever while everything sounds fat, silky smooth and musical!!! Thank you thomann!

P.S> I am an international performer and very picky about how I sound.

TLDR; big capsule, multi-polar pattern - 3 unique sounds, very low noise, excellent all-rounder, cheap!!!!
This is probably the best bargain in all of microphones I have seen in a while. Of course, the sound is great, but 100$+ LDCs don't differ super much in sound quality. No, the difference comes in practicality. This guy has 3 polar patterns and really low noise. This makes it very universal. You choose cardioid for vocals or a tacky, punchy sound. Omni for capturing room reverb, figure 8 for dialogues or off-line stereo sound! You only really get these on very expensive mics (cheaper mics have more compromises), but this one is an exception. It's about the cheapest multi-pattern condenser out there that doesn't suck (it isn't as noisy and is sturdier than the C3, B-2 or SC600). The only thing I dislike are the looks, though it's still miles ahead of Behringer's offerings. You can spray paint the body and / or change out the grill though - that really adds some class!

I was recommended one of these by a vocalist friend who knows his mics pretty well, I was a little sceptical at first but I was nicely surprised.

It has a flattering mid to top-end and nice warmth to it when used with vocals, and I was also impressed by how it sounded on acoustic guitar.

It doesn't have the really rich, deep low end of the expensive mics but given it's low price it performs very well indeed and is perfectly capable of some nice recordings, it's a case of knowing what it works well with and what it doesn't. I compared it with my SE Z3300a and ended up selling the SE mic, not only was this cheaper but it just had a warmer sound to it.

Additionally, this mic benefits from 3 polar patterns and a low cut, which increases the range of applications of the mic, e.g as part of a mid-side setup

It comes with a nice, if slightly awkwardly shaped (long rectangle) flight case and a very sturdy shock mount, you will need a decent stand to hold it when extended as it's reasonably heavy.

Great value for money, a good choice if on a budget and need a versatile and decent sounding mic.

I have been using it several times in figure 8 as the side-mic in MS arrays, on different acoustic instruments and in different constellations, in both small chambers and in large halls. Until now it always worked nicely and sounded good in combination with other mics, almost like an universal tool, I like it, and I will continue using it for MS arrays. It is really heavy and bulky, somehow impressing if you appreciate such a masculine design, not so convenient to carry around when you have other things to carry, definitively not good for backpacking, but I take it with me to recording sessions when I can. It survived falling down on a floor when its stand was tilting over, probably its solid shock mount saved its life. As a vocal mic it works ok for me as well. But for that I do prefer the Rode Nt-1, after comparing, since I own them both.

I could not imagine in my wildest dreams this this mic would be so good. Forget the fact that it is under EUR 150, this is a masterpiece.

Warm like a blanket in winter; even my relatively empty vocals sound warm, earthy and rounded. I normally add this post-mix but no need now. I have basic acoustic treatment in the room and a low ceiling. The room still has some personality to it. So if the mic does this in my set up, what would it do in a "Studio".

I've honestly never heard anything so good.

I've only used for single vocal as yet. Not tried the other settings or a guitar so can't comment.

Look no further.