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July 2008 \ Features \ Product Spotlight \ 18 Mics You Should Meet

18 Mics You Should Meet Gayla Drake Paul

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A perfectly recorded acoustic guitar is a wonderful sound; lush, rich, detailed, shimmering, balanced, alive and soulful. Finding a microphone up to the task of capturing each of these nuances is at the very least daunting and at the worst nightmarish. And while it’s a frequent cliché to say that a system is only as strong as its weakest link, in the recording world, it’s perfectly true. A mic is the first link in your signal chain and it’s critical. There are more options on the market now than ever before – and at more price points – eliminating any excuse to not start your signal with a fantastic mic. What follows is an introduction to 18 mics to consider for your acoustic setup. With price points between $100 and $1500, these mics should fit any budget.

The Method: We chose a Gallagher GA-70 Custom acoustic guitar for testing, and played the same little section of music with a fl atpick in order to give each mic a fair shake. We recorded the mics in a 4’ x 8’ room with acoustically deadened walls, fl oor and ceiling. For the mic pre, we used an Aphex 230 with no effects – set completely fl at – and adjusted only the volume as needed to set the peaks at -6dB. We recorded one channel only, from one position – directly in front of the treble side of the upper bout of the guitar, which is one of the sweetest spots for many acoustics.

Ribbons
Ribbon mics derive their name from their diaphragm, which is made of a thin ribbon of aluminum, duraluminum or nanofi lm mounted between two magnets. They can add warmth to a recording, but until recently great sounding models cost a pretty penny. Typically bi-directional, one side may sound slightly different than the other (asymmetrical) or exactly the same (symmetrical). Lower-end ribbon mics tend to lack brightness and sizzle – some are just plain muddy – but newer, affordable ribbons offer life and luster previously only available to high-end studios. Note that ribbons are delicate and require special care, so if you’re not inclined to baby your gear, you may want to skip ahead to the condensers.

Apex 205 list $179 This is a very warm sounding mic, but it lacks some definition – it would be great combined with a small diaphragm mic to capture details. There’s a lot of boom in the low-end, making it the perfect enhancement for a guitar with less bass. If you’ve got enough bass already, minimal tweaking to the low-mids will help dial out the boom and keep the richness. Track 1 Flash is Required to hear this track	Cascade Fat Head (Lollipop-style) list $159 With a hand-tuned ribbon element and a true figure 8 pattern, this mic sounds similar to the Apex 205, but with a little less boominess and a little more brightness. We’ve had success using this mic to capture kick drums, so it can definitely handle aggressive playing while smoothing out some of the uncomfortable peaks and pops. If you’ve got a few extra bucks, consider upgrading to the Lundahl transformer ($300). Track 1 Flash is Required to hear this track	sE Electronics RT1 Ribbon Tube list $1499 Launched in early 2006 as a prototype, the RT1 is the world’s first ribbon mic with a tube (an ECC83A to be exact). This mic combines the best characteristics of a ribbon mic with the punch and definition of a tube condenser. The front side has an atmospheric and airy sound, while retaining great clarity; the back side is less hot, giving the low-end a darker sound. Track 1 Flash is Required to hear this track Track 2 Flash is Required to hear this track	Crowley and Tripp Naked Eye list $849 Featuring True Dual Voicing, the Naked Eye has two distinct personalities. The front side is lively and crisp, yet smooth; you can hear each string perfectly, almost like you’re sitting inside the soundhole. The back side is hotter and adds a lot more shimmer to the highs; if anything, the back is like the front turned up to 11. As a bonus, what you gain in the highs is not lost in the lows. For an extra $446, upgrade to the Roswellite ribbon to handle higher SPLs. Track 1 Flash is Required to hear this track Track 2 Flash is Required to hear this track

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