Smokin' Condensers

Mar 1, 2004 12:00 PM, By Myles Boisen

Microphone Specifications click here to see microphone specifications

Small-diaphragm condensers — the bread-and-butter mics of the studio — are frequently used in situations that call for bright or accurate high-end pickup, fast transient response, and relatively uncolored fidelity. As such, they are often used singly to record hand percussion, plucked stringed instruments such as acoustic guitar, and bowed stringed instruments. They are used in pairs on drum kits (as overhead mics), piano, mallet percussion, and chamber or string ensembles. In addition, small-diaphragm mics are perfect for medium-distance spot miking of large ensembles and of operatic vocalists (as seen on the Three Tenors broadcasts). However, small-diaphragm mics are rarely used for close-miking vocalists, because they tend to be sensitive to popping and lack the enhanced warmth of large-diaphragm models.

In the classical recording world, highly accurate small-diaphragm mics — especially those with a relatively flat frequency response — are standard equipment for concert-hall recordings of symphonies, choirs, and chamber groups. Matched stereo pairs or specially designed surround configurations, in which all the mics are tested and have identical responses within close tolerances, are preferred by audio purists for that kind of work.

For this article, I compared an international collection of cardioid condensers priced from $480 to $1,100 each. All are end-address microphones with straight, cylindrical bodies — often referred to as pencil condensers — and diaphragms measuring approximately half an inch in diameter. Each mic is a solid-state, transformerless, externally biased “true” condenser using 48V phantom power. With the exception of the AKG C 480 B/CK 61, which is 6.75 inches long, all of the mics are 4 to 6 inches in length.

FIG. 1: The T.H.E. microphone system lets you combine a KA-04 preamp with a number of large- and small-diaphragm capsules. This set includes cardoid, hypercardoid, diffuse-field omni, and free-field omni small-diaphragm capsules.

Many of the mics featured here are part of modular systems, made up of a preamp body and an array of removable and interchangeable capsules (see Fig. 1). Generally, modular mics represent the top of a manufacturer's product line, in terms of both electronic sophistication and price. Most manufacturers of modular systems offer omnidirectional, hypercardioid, and other unidirectional pickup-pattern capsules. Some also make specialized modular capsules such as binaural spheres, large diaphragms, and pressure-zone plates. For this article, I tested the microphones with the recommended standard cardioid capsule only.

This article is not meant to be an all-inclusive roundup of pencil condensers in this price range. To narrow the list of transducers to a manageable size, I've left out mics that appeared in Brian Knave's March 2000 article on small-diaphragm condensers, “To Tell the Truth” — which featured eight small-diaphragm condenser mics priced under $600 — as well as mics recently reviewed in EM (the text of articles mentioned here is available online at www.emusician.com).

THE MATCH GAME

The term matched pair means different things to different people, microphone manufacturers included (see the sidebar “Match, Anyone?”). Unfortunately, there is no industry standard for microphone matching, but the companies in this review represent a range of common approaches and procedures for mic pairing.

Of the seven manufacturers, three — Audio-Technica, Neumann, and Pearl — sent consecutively or closely numbered mic pairs without documentation of any matching program. AKG sent two mics, made months apart, that have divergent numbering, but the company included documentation of the mics' closely matched frequency response. Only Schoeps and the two smallest companies here, Josephson and T.H.E., have in-house programs for assembling and rigorously testing matched pairs.

SETTING THE COURSE

All of the listening tests were conducted at my studio, Guerrilla Recording, in Oakland, California. For the tests using live musicians, I recorded two mic pairs in each pass through two stereo FMR RNP8380 mic preamps to a 1-inch, analog, 16-track tape machine. The musicians played to recorded guide tracks so that the multiple performance passes would be of approximately equal intensity and would sync up easily for comparison.

For auditioning, fader levels were calibrated using meters and by ear to establish equivalent listening levels and to compensate for slight variations in gain between mics. The players' observations about their tracks were solicited in separate listening sessions after all the recording was complete; I've included an assortment of their comments to round out my own impressions in the following discussion of the individual mics.

With the help of drummer and EM contributing author Karen Stackpole, I recorded an Ayotte travel kit in my live drum room. That setup let me hear how the mics reacted to both fast and slow rock drumming in a room with plenty of ambience. For these tests, mic pairs on stereo bars were set in XY configuration with an angle of about 90 degrees between them, on boom stands placed at eye level about seven feet in front of the kit. Stackpole's listening evaluation took place a few weeks after the session and was done as a blind test with no visual indication of which mic pair she was listening to at any given time.

I performed the acoustic guitar tracks myself in the relatively dead and unflattering acoustics of a large vocal booth. For this test, I split up the mic pairs, using one as a close mic about a foot from the instrument's 12th fret, and the other as a distant room mic. Leaving the vocal booth's double doors open, I positioned the distant mics about eight feet away, again at eye level, on a boom stand pointing at the guitar from an adjacent carpeted area of the studio. Stylistically these performances ran the gamut from chunky low-end chords to full strumming to intricate moving lines.

For the string-duo recordings, I employed cellist Marika Hughes and violinist Carla Kihlstedt of the group Two Foot Yard (you can read more about this group's style in my November 2003 article “Tracking in the Unplugged World”). Opting for a naturally roomy, medium-distance recording, I placed the duo in the live room about six feet apart. The mic pairs were split in this case, with one mic a couple of feet in front of the cello bridge, and the other above the violin, pointing down at the bridge from a distance of four feet. On an original composition covering a range of dynamics and techniques, this miking arrangement was intended to capture a natural timbre from both instruments. The setup gave these tracks a healthy blend of room sound, and it resulted in off-axis bleed of each instrument into the other intrument's mic.

To get a slightly more scientific take on the timbre of these mics, I set up a controlled loudspeaker test. In this test, the mics were set up one by one at exactly the same position in a shockmount 2 feet in front of a full-range powered monitor. Each mic then recorded a variety of complex music mixes to a digital 8-track recorder. Test conditions were as close to laboratory measurement standards as I could arrange in my studio, and playback and recording levels were carefully calibrated using standard test tones and the best gear at my disposal.

The loudspeaker test had three phases: an initial test that confirmed stereo matching of five of the pairs to my satisfaction; a second test that compared all seven models with each other under identical conditions; and a final retest of two stereo pairs — the Neumanns and the T.H.E.s — aided by the able ears of Karen Stackpole. Evaluations of the seven-mic test over Tannoy PBM-8 monitors and Grado SR-125 headphones were also performed under blind-test listening conditions.

Along the way, I also evaluated these mics for self-noise, output gain, and susceptibility to low-end rumble. In these categories, all the mics performed similarly and as expected for transducers designed for critical recording uses.

AKG C 480 B/CK 61-ULS

Although the Austrian AKG C 480 B/CK 61-ULS modular system ($1,047 each) is one of the most expensive mics tested for this article, its packaging is far from fancy. Each mic comes packed in light foam inside a noncorrugated cardboard box. A zippered mic pouch with the AKG logo, a foam windscreen, a plastic SA 40 swivelmount, and a manual accompany the mic.

AKG included an individual frequency-response chart with each capsule. The charts show that this pair of CK 61-ULS cardioid capsules (serial numbers 36610 and 36759) have a 1 dB difference from each other from 80 Hz to 11 kHz. Below 80 Hz one of the capsules rolls off gently. Both capsules have presence peaks of about 2 dB at 5 kHz and 10 kHz.

The C 480 B preamp body offers a range of switchable options that are rarely seen on mics of this type. The low-cut switch has three positions: flat (marked “lin” for linear), 70 Hz cutoff, and 150 Hz cutoff. The highpass filter has a 12 dB-per-octave slope. A gain switch also features three settings: +6 dB (a boost designed for use with the lower-output CK 69-ULS shotgun capsule), 0 dB, and a -10 dB pad position. Optional capsules for this modular mic system include the CK 62 omni, the CK 63 hypercardioid, and the CK 69-ULS supercardioid shotgun.

Because the right-side mic of the C 480 B/CK 61-ULS pair began malfunctioning during the drum test, I made a separate evaluation of it against the right-side mics of all the other pairs. It struck me as nice and bright whether heard on its own or mixed in with the guide track. In general, the C 480 B/CK 61-ULSs also delivered a good, sharp attack on all the drums, but lacked some fundamental lower-midrange tone on the kick and snare.

Cellist Hughes and I agreed that this mic excelled on arco (bowed) cello and gave the duo recording a high-end sheen that could be perceived as either bright or thin. In fact, our string listening session ended with a long discussion on the merits of the characteristically crisp AKG sound contrasted with the smoother tonality of the Neumann KM 184 pair in this test. The musicians seemed torn between the two, concluding that the C 480 B/CK 61-ULS was more open in the high end, with a pop sound and more condenser-like shimmer than the KM 184. But in terms of fidelity, the C 480 B/CK 61-ULS didn't quite capture a balanced violin tone; as Kihlstedt put it, it was “not bad, but not special.”

At both positions in the guitar test, the C 480 B/CK 61-ULS had a mellow tone quite similar to that of the Neumann and Schoeps mics. These three mics were also similar in that their sound was not always as incisive and bright as I would have liked for a sparkly pop mix. All three had a good, solid midrange tone, but in the close-mic position the C 480 B/CK 61-ULS missed some of the low-end tone and chunkiness on my chordal playing.

In loudspeaker tests, the C 480 B/CK 61-ULS delivered a full sound that was similar to the Neumann KM 184 through headphones. Heard on monitors, its midrange was flat — it was close to the still-flatter midrange of the Schoeps, but noticeably crisper. At times the C 480 B/CK 61-ULS brought out some harshness in cymbal sounds.

AUDIO-TECHNICA AT4051A

The Japanese-made AT4051a ($595 each) arrives in a classy padded plastic case that snaps closed with a metal button latch. A foam windscreen and durable AT8405 swivelmount with a solid metal base are included in the roomy case. Rectangles cut into the case's dense foam can be removed to make room for additional modular capsules, namely the AT4049a-EL (omnidirectional) and AT4053a-EL (hypercardioid).

A single-sheet manual sent with each mic details specifications and important user information. According to the manufacturer's chart, the frequency response of the AT4051a cardioid capsule featured in these tests is basically flat below 1 kHz, with a mild bass boost around 50 Hz. Its high-frequency response begins gently rising at 2 kHz and peaks at two “humps” centered at 7 and 15 kHz. The preamp body (an AT4900a-48) has a low-cut switch that engages an 80 Hz, 12 dB-per-octave filter. The serial numbers — A02373 and A02374 — on the mics sent for review are identical for the preamp and capsule.

Audio-Technica's small diaphragm elicited a unanimously positive opinion from the participants in the string listening session. The mic was repeatedly described as “smooth.” Kihlstedt and I both commented on the pleasant softness of the violin's upper register through the AT4051a. Hughes, who tended to find the other mics suited either for arco or for pizzicato playing, praised the AT4051a's handling of both bowed and plucked lines. She also remarked that it conveyed a “human quality” that was rich in depth and clarity without being too defined. For Kihlstedt and Hughes, who do a wide range of professional work in studios and in symphonies, the AT4051a seemed to strike just the right balance to work well with a variety of musical and production styles.

The AT4051a really impressed me when used as a close-mic on acoustic guitar. It seemed to have all the body of the warmer Neumann and Schoeps models, with the added benefit of a perfectly defined high-end sparkle. At a distance, it took on a smoother and more neutral character not unlike the Schoeps, but retained its characteristic warmth and presence.

On the loudspeaker tests, the AT4051a conveyed a solid and impressive midrange that subtly brought the snare drum, vocals, and other lead instruments to the foreground. The mic's overall airiness and listenability were as pleasing as the Josephson's and the T.H.E.'s. And the AT4051a stood out from the pack in terms of its rich mids and upper bass, big sound, and overall smoothness. Scheduling problems prevented the Audio-Technica AT4051a pair from arriving at my studio in time for inclusion in the stereo drum test.

JOSEPHSON ENGINEERING SERIES FOUR C42

The only American-made microphone in this article comes from the small shop of designer David Josephson in Santa Cruz, California. Against the advertising budgets of the industry's Goliaths, this David doesn't have much of a chance. But a quick glance at Josephson's tech-savvy Web site testifies to the deep theoretical knowledge of precision recording and measurement mics that enables Josephson to stand tall alongside any of the international audio giants. In fact, Josephson has made capsules for a number of better-known mic companies — years ago Groove Tubes and Manley became the first to incorporate his designs into their product lines.

The nonmodular Series Four C42 ($480 each; matched pair with black chrome finish in case, $1,060) is in the entry-level Josephson line. The matched stereo pair I received (serial numbers 2623 and 2624) arrived in what must be the smallest Pelican case made. This hard black-plastic enclosure is 6 inches wide, 2 inches high, and 4.5 inches deep — and, yes, it holds both mics. It locks closed with a sturdy latch and even has an air-pressure valve.

Describing his procedure for mic matching, Josephson says, “Every C42 microphone is tested for frequency response in our anechoic chamber. C42MP matched pairs are selected for best curve fit over the audio range before the production serial numbers are assigned. Regular production C42s match each other very closely anyway, but we are sensitive to users' needs for precise stereo imaging and have offered curve-matched pairs for the past 15 years.”

The mic pair ships with two shockmounts. These resemble a standard stage-mic swivelmount except that the mic is held in a thick sleeve attached to the base by what looks like a massive rubber band. No windscreen or documentation was included.

Stackpole picked this pair as her personal favorite for drum recording, summing it up as “tight and tonally well balanced, with good presence, sharp attack, and a sparkly high end.” She praised this mic's ability to focus and unify the sound of the kit so that none of its components were washed out or too prominent. To her, this pair sounded rich, but also brighter than the Schoeps and Neumann pairs.

I, too, thought the C42s did something unique to the drum kit, adding immediacy by sharpening the direct transients and separating foreground details from the reflected room ambience. Because of the C42s' superior resolution and high-end detail, I was actually able to discern a flutter echo generated by the kick beater in the drum room. At times the Josephsons might have been too sizzly around 7 kHz, but the sound was never too bright or thin. These drum tracks sounded crystal clear when mixed in with the guide track at varying levels.

Although Kihlstedt and I both thought the C42 was a bit too bright on the violin, it did, once again, enhance the dimensionality and realism of our live-room recording. The ambience on this track was somehow cleaner and more dimensional, resulting in better stereo imaging and startling fidelity. Hughes interpreted this difference as an increased amount of reverberation on the cello and thought that it complemented her arco playing. She also commented at length on the violin sound, in which she heard an enhanced sense of depth and clarity, as well as nuances of expression that the other mics didn't pick up.

With its winning balance of woody tone, crisp highs, and transient detail, the Josephson C42 helped my inexpensive guitar cut through the guide track mix at differing levels. But even though I had used the Josephson on commercial sessions with the same guitar and loved its tone, from this test position the close mic sounded boxy in the lower midrange. At a distance, it came across as lively and seemed physically closer than the other distance mics because of its inherent sparkle and finely etched resolution.

On headphone evaluation of the loudspeaker tests, the C42s sounded smooth and clear, with a lively quality similar to the T.H.E. They exhibited a big sound with good overall balance through studio monitors, delivering a bit more high end than the Audio-Technica AT4051a and comparably solid lows.

NEUMANN KM 184

The fixed-cardioid KM 184 ($950 each; SKM stereo set, $1,950) is one of the most widely known small-diaphragm condensers in the recording industry. I wanted to include this popular model from German manufacturer Neumann not only because of its considerable merits as a recording mic, but also because I hoped to provide a well-known point of reference for readers interpreting the results of my tests.

Although the KM 184 capsule is threaded, it is not removable, and the Neumann 180 series is not part of a modular system. Nonetheless, this mic is supported by a full range of accessories and top-of-the-line packaging. The SKM stereo microphone set sent for this article contains two mics (serial numbers 59282 and 59283). Neumann deems the specs and frequency-response curves of these units to be close to each other because of their consecutive numbering, but the company did not specially match them for critical stereo use.

A jewelry-grade wooden presentation box with a metal latch holds both mics. A pair of foam windscreens and interchangeable SG 21/17 swivel holders, which attach to a threaded metal base, are standard equipment for the set. Also included is a comprehensive manual, which shows the KM 184's frequency response as basically flat in the midrange, with a low-end rolloff starting at 200 Hz and sloping gently down to -12 dB at 20 Hz at a distance of one meter. A broad presence boost of about 2 dB extends from 7 kHz to above 10 kHz.

In her blind-test auditioning, Stackpole rated the KM 184 higher than the T.H.E. on cymbal presence, but she gave it a lower rating than the Schoeps for smoothness in the high register. In her assessment, the Neumann performs with “decent low end, good midrange, and good definition in the highs.”

In listening to the drum tracks, I also noted that the Neumanns — like the Schoeps pair — picked up lots of midrange and lows from the room, adding power and a desirable “bigness” to the drum sound. Whether soloed or mixed in with the guide track, the KM 184 pair conveyed a strong tonal balance, offered crisp highs that were never overbright, and accurately represented the kit and room ambience.

Both of the string players commented on the realism of the Neumann pair, declaring that “it sounds like us” and describing the sound as honest and familiar. The Neumanns tied the Audio-Technica pair in best representing what Kihlstedt and Hughes are used to hearing acoustically without being too clinical. We all enjoyed the Neumann's richness and open, roomy fidelity, but there was some disagreement in the control room about the mics' high-end character. Hughes thought the violin's upper end needed more pizzazz. I preferred the Schoeps's treatment of the violin's upper range, and for my taste, the cello's bow sound was too pronounced on the Neumann tracks.

As a close guitar mic, the KM 184 had a good, solid, middle-of-the-road tone, along the same lines as the AKG and Audio-Technica transducers but with enhanced realism and more satisfying complexity on the midrange. Listening to this close-mic track, I was reminded why the KM 184 is often a first-pick guitar mic for studio engineers working with all kinds of production styles. At a distance, it lost a bit of its characteristic warmth and tested more like the brighter mics without ever crossing over into undesirable thinness.

The KM 184 tested similarly to the AKG condenser on the loudspeaker mixes in terms of overall tonal balance and midrange detail. But on headphones and monitors it always sounded a bit warmer and more substantial. High-end pickup was smooth and pleasant, with no evidence of harshness on cymbals.

I decided to retest the KM 184 pair after hearing discrepancies in the stereo matching the first time around. After carefully matching the recording and playback levels of both microphones using a standard 1 kHz tone, I noticed that their channel meter readings did not behave identically with full-range mixes. When listening, I found one mic's treble response to be slightly brighter, with audible differences around 7 kHz (which is the upper range of hi-hat, acoustic guitar, and female vocals).

When I asked Stackpole to listen to the treble response of these mics, she detected no difference, cheerfully declaring their stereo matching to be “close enough for rock 'n' roll.” She's right about that, and in Neumann's defense I should reiterate that the company's policy is simply to provide pairs that are sequentially numbered and within specifications, but not matched by ear.

PEARL TL 66

Sweden's Pearl Mikrofonlaboratorium definitely takes the blue ribbon in the Cutest Packaging category. The company's modular TL 66 ($500 each) arrives in a sturdy cardboard tube with removable brown caps at both ends and old-world sepia-print paper wrapped around the exterior. Inside, the microphone is suspended lengthwise within a central foam ring. This doesn't seem like the best possible protection for a premium mic, especially since the mic body can slip up and down a bit within the ring, potentially banging the soft plastic end caps. But this novel package will evidently survive international shipping and is at least crushproof and weatherproof enough for location use.

Although a shockmount and windscreen are available as options, the Pearl TL 66 is the only mic I tested for this article that comes with no accessories. A photocopied sheet showing a universal frequency-response chart for the cardioid and omnidirectional (TL 66k) models was included with one of the mics; the sheet also had handwritten test results showing sensitivity and self-noise ratings for the mic model I received. According to the response chart, the TL 66 has a pronounced low-end rolloff beginning at about 300 Hz and high-end presence boosts at 5 and 10 kHz.

When she first brought up the unmarked faders for this pair of mics on her drums, Stackpole made a face and exclaimed, “Where did the lows go?” I had to agree that, in contrast to the other mics, the Pearls didn't do justice to the beefy tone of her kit's kick, toms, or snare. Stackpole ultimately summarized the TL 66 as delivering plenty of crisp attack but not much punch, and she singled it out as her least favorite mic of the pack. That assessment is valid, though I would add that this mic excels at clarity and could be used to add some zip to the sound of a thuddy, dull kit or a timid drummer.

I suspected that my string players would be favorably impressed by the exciting high-end clarity of the Pearl TL 66 sound. Initially they were pleased with the mic's handling of high harmonics, and I thought that the sound was very natural on restrained passages. But it became clear as the piece progressed toward its robust ending that this mic pair favored the high end too much, sounding harsh on passages that had vigorous bowing. Hughes also noted that her cello sounded muffled in the pizzicato passages, and that compared with the other mics' string tracks, the room sound on this track lacked depth.

When my guitar was mixed in with the guide track, the TL 66 helped it to cut through well and hold its own even at a lower level. For enhanced high-end zip in a bright pop mix, it is certainly the mic to beat. But alone outside the mix, the TL 66 underrepresented the bottom end of the guitar up close and sounded a bit small at a distance.

The Pearl's pickup of recorded mixes in the loudspeaker test was, as the frequency-response chart led me to expect, lean in the bass range and sometimes harsh or unpleasant in its handling of high-end information. Its distinctive frequency curve gives the Pearl an instantly recognizable sound that was always easy to pick out from the rest of the mics under blind testing conditions.

Cosmetically, this mic had a problem that the other models didn't. After routine handling for just the tests described here, the black paint around the rim of both mics' XLR connectors began to chip away.

SCHOEPS U.S. STEREO SET

The deluxe entry comes from Schoeps, like Neumann a highly regarded German microphone manufacturer. The Schoeps CMC64 ST stereo set ($2,165 per mic pair; mics not available individually) is designed around the Collette modular series CMC 6 body and MK 4 cardioid capsule. According to product manager Scott Boland of Redding Audio (Schoeps's U.S. distributor), the U.S. Stereo Set is a special packaging of the standard Colette series created for the American market to simplify ordering modular mic parts and save users some money. The wooden case is a free bonus for U.S. customers only.

The pair I received was sequentially numbered (capsule number 81229 on body number 22813, and capsule number 81230 on body number 22814) and came with a pair of windscreens and two compact suspension shockmounts. Though these mounts are made of plastic, they really do the job, and on location recordings their small size and light weight are actually a plus.

All of these parts are nestled in dense, precision-cut foam inside a gorgeous hinged wooden case. Like the boxes used by Neumann, T.H.E., and a few other manufacturers, this top-quality latching wooden case looks as though it will protect its contents and last for decades. You might even wonder if it's too nice to take out on a rainy night or to the local dive for a live jam session!

Regarding Schoeps's program for matching mics, Boland said, “There are special testing procedures for matched pair capsules, which come in all U.S. Stereo Sets. Schoeps feels that their tolerances are extremely low, and even though there is not a desperate need for exact capsule matching, the company likes to offer it. A matched pair of capsules comes with a special certificate, included with the U.S. Stereo Set. They measure every capsule and match the frequency response and sensitivity. The CMC 6 bodies are discrete Class-A amplifiers that include some handmade and matched components, and we guarantee that the bodies will have sequential serial numbers in the U.S. sets.”

No documentation accompanied the Schoeps Stereo Set shipped to me. Apparently Redding Audio keeps the matching certificates for review units on file so that they don't get lost. According to a frequency chart on the manufacturer's Web site, the MK 4 capsule's response is ruler flat from 150 Hz to 20 kHz and only 2 dB down at 70 Hz. A complete range of single-pattern and specialty modular capsules is available for the CMC 6 body.

Drummer Stackpole characterized the Schoeps pair as having a smooth, somewhat dark sound, with a beefy low end and nice definition. She also praised this condenser for its openness and accurate portrayal of cymbals and hi-hat, blended with a solid representation of room tone. My take on this model is that it is probably too flat and dark for general use on rock drum overheads, where a condenser mic with a presence peak is often standard. But I did like the punchy low end of the MK 4 capsule and could imagine it being a real winner for applications in which a natural drum sound is more important than high-end sizzle. (Redding Audio's Boland points out that users who want a little more high end can opt for the CMC64V ST stereo set, which comes with the MK 4V capsules that have a rise of approximately 2.5 dB at 10 kHz.)

Warmth is a term that came up again and again as I listened to the Schoeps tracks with the string players. Like the Audio-Technica pair, the Schoeps mics elicited a unanimous positive response from my listeners; this mic pair sounded dramatically different from all the other presence-enhancing condensers, but everyone in the control room praised the Schoeps sound on analog tape. Violinist Kihlstedt noted that her instrument had a full-bodied “old school” sound with nice shimmer and presence, even though her mic sometimes “airbrushed the high end out a little too much.” Hughes also commented on the rich, vintage sound of the duo and her arco playing in particular, but added that she preferred the sharper tone of the AKG on plucked lines.

For me, the sweetness of the Schoeps track was a little bit of audio heaven. These silky tones actually soothed my ears at the end of a long day of testing.

As a close mic on acoustic guitar, the MK 4 capsule had an unmistakably round tone with significant retro or vintage appeal. In the close position, it exhibited a slightly boomy low end, but the highs were mellow, and the Schoeps sound was much like that of the AKGs, both on its own and mixed in with the guide track. I preferred the Schoeps to the other models as a distant guitar mic because of the way it kept its smooth, detailed tone from afar.

The Schoeps CMC 6/MK 4 was predictably the flattest-sounding and most unhyped mic in the loudspeaker test. As such it was easy to distinguish, even in blind tests. By not adding or detracting much from the sound source, the Schoeps set achieves a sought-after, though elusive, degree of accuracy.

T.H.E. KA-04/KR-2C

CONTACT INFORMATION AKG Acoustics U.S. tel. (615) 620-3800 e-mail akgusa@harman.com Web www.akgusa.com Audio-Technica U.S., Inc. tel. (330) 686-2600 e-mail pro@atus.com Web www.audio-technica.com Josephson Engineering tel. (831) 420-0888 e-mail info@josephson.com Web www.josephson.com Neumann USA tel. (860) 434-5220 e-mail neumlit@neumannusa.com Web www.neumannusa.com Pearl/Independent Audio (distributor) tel. (207) 773-2424 e-mail info@independentaudio.com Web www.pearl.se or www.independentaudio.com Schoeps/Redding Audio (distributor) e-mail info@reddingaudio.com Web www.schoeps.de or www.reddingaudio.com Taylor Hohendahl Engineering, LLC (T.H.E.) tel. (860) 974-3491 e-mail info@theaudio.com Web www.theaudio.com

The cardioid version of T.H.E.'s relatively new modular microphone design mates a KA-04 preamp body with the KR-2C cardioid half-inch capsule (the KA-04/KR-2C combination is priced at $750). So far, every capsule made by T.H.E. in its Argentinean facility is designed to be used with the KA-04 body, including a broad selection of large-diaphragm, side-address, and measurement capsules. The roster of interchangeable small-diaphragm capsules includes the KR-1D (omnidirectional diffuse field), KR-1F (omnidirectional free field), KR-2W (wide or subcardioid), and KR-3H (hypercardioid).

For this article, T.H.E. submitted a stereo demonstration set with most of the aforementioned capsules and two KA-04 bodies. The components are housed in a charming American-made hinged cedar box. Custom mic sets in these latching cedar boxes are made to order by T.H.E.'s U.S. representative, H. Taylor Johnson (the T in T.H.E.).

T.H.E. provides a uniquely simple all-metal swivelmount, which holds the cylindrical mic preamp in a clamping sleeve. To insert or release the mic, two tabs at the top of the mount (neatly engraved with the T.H.E. logo) must be pressed together, widening the sleeve so that the mic body can be slipped in or out. This clever design is also used by Russian mic manufacturer Oktava for its popular MC012 microphone.

No windscreens or individual documentation accompanied these mics. According to the company's product brochure, all the small-diaphragm capsules are available as matched pairs for stereo recording, at no additional cost. Taylor Johnson informed me during the writing of this article that he matches these mics personally, by ear. Sometime in 2004 the company's matching duties will be split between identical T.H.E. testing facilities in the United States and Argentina. No serial numbers were visible on the demo capsules, but the preamps were engraved with individual ID markings (2NJ/2N2.)

Like the Josephson Series Four C42, the T.H.E. pair delivered a very clear, high-resolution rock drum sound without being overbright or harsh. Stackpole called it “tight and focused, direct and punchy but not a lot of room sound.” She described this pair as conveying a nice low end, but missing some of the fundamental tone of the cymbals and ambience, making the overall sound more defined but less roomy than the Schoeps and Neumann pairs.

This mic pair was on par with the Josephsons in its ability to convey a drum sound that is not only accurate, but also pleasing to the ear and more or less ready to mix without additional high-end EQ. Despite the relatively distant mic placement, these two pairs always sounded timbrally balanced and three-dimensional.

For her opening pizzicato lines, cellist Hughes instantly liked the sound of this mic. Kihlstedt described the T.H.E. timbre as “a more modern sound” with a narrowly focused EQ that she thought worked better for her violin than for the cello. Further into the audition, both classically trained string players decided that for their tastes, the timbre of these mics was a bit too clear and clinical, accentuating bow sound too much and lacking in the cello's low range. Because my preferences run toward warm string sounds, I agreed: this sound has more promise for pop studio work than for audiophile concert-hall recording.

At both positions this mic was my “bold and bright” favorite for guitar. Up close it represented the acoustic guitar more accurately than the other contenders, and it also invigorated the sound of my rather average axe with an exciting, top-dollar sheen. From a distance, it kept its sharp definition without washing out or sounding thin. Like the Josephson C42, the T.H.E. mic cut through the guide track well at varying levels with its woody tone, crisp highs, and transient detail.

In the loudspeaker test over headphones, this mic was again similar to the Josephson and to the Audio-Technica with its clear timbre. But the T.H.E. had a different high-end emphasis that seemed a little too strong in the range of 2 to 4 kHz. When heard over studio monitors, the KR-2C capsule at times rivaled the full lows of the Neumann, but it always brought out an airier high end by comparison, and it occasionally exaggerated cymbal sounds in the mixes.

As I did with with the Neumann KM 184 and for similar reasons, I tested the T.H.E. pair a second time for stereo matching, again with Stackpole's assistance. In this trial, Stackpole and I both found that the two mics in the stereo demo set provided by T.H.E. did not sound identically matched. Specifically, one mic had a midrange bump around 750 Hz. One effect of this bump was to make the acoustic guitar in the mix sound slightly more honky and nasal. Applying a 1.5 dB cut to that mic's channel with mixing board EQ eliminated most, but not all, of the discrepancy to my ear. Stackpole characterized the difference as “very subtle.”

	Rich Man	Poor Man
If I Were a Rich Man I'd be happy to have any of these mic pairs residing permanently in the Guerrilla Recording vault, and I'm sure I could find uses for all of them. Keeping economic realities in mind, I've assembled a table of my Rich Man and Poor Man picks from this lineup, broken down by recommended usage of these mics.
Location stereo recording with a matched pair	Schoeps	Josephson
Pop studio use, stereo pair	AKG	Audio-Technica
Pop studio use, single mic	Neumann	T.H.E. or Josephson
String ensemble instruments	Schoeps or Neumann	Audio-Technica
Sampling/Foley/sound effects	AKG or T.H.E.	Pearl or Josephson
Flat response	Schoeps	Audio-Technica
All-purpose modular system and best range of accessories	Schoeps	T.H.E.

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

The first comment Hughes made after a brief listen to our string-duo tracks was, “They all sound so different!” That spontaneous response neatly sums up what may be the most complex and persistent issue I faced in preparing this article. Here are seven premium mics designed for critical recording, each carefully made and tested by some of the most respected names in the business. Each manufacturer does its job well and adheres to high technical standards.

And yet none of these mics, considered singly or in pairs, sounded the same in any of the tests I ran. As noted, some were similar in broad ranges of their tonality or in the way they picked up room sound and other nuances in stereo applications. As thorough as these tests may appear to be, they really just hint at how a given mic will perform over time in a specific recording environment. That is why I've done my best to keep my own comments broad and subjective.

When it comes to evaluating and choosing one favorite from a field of similar mics, stylistic factors may be just as important as the sonic qualities I've focused on here. For example, guitar or cello recorded by the relatively flat response of the Schoeps mics may be perfect for a mellow folk or classical recording. But for a salsa or modern-rock session, those same instruments and players may well sound best with a brighter mic such as the Pearl or T.H.E.

Likewise, factors such as recording format and media, preferred mic preamps, use of compression and reverb, and room acoustics can dramatically affect the suitability of a particular mic for your recording setup. And when you add in the all-important element of personal taste to this complex equation, terms like best or favorite become meaningless.

Nonetheless, being the opinionated reviewer that I am, I can't resist a purely personal assessment of these microphones. As far as basic timbre goes, I can confidently define the poles of this spectrum. On one end is the reliably bright Pearl TL 66, and at the other extreme, the always smooth Schoeps CMC 6/MK 4. I would rank the Neumann KM 184 next to the Schoeps for its consistent and ample low-end warmth. That leaves four other mics, each with its own flavor of presence boosting and bass-to-treble balance, in the middle of the spectrum.

My take on these entries is that the Josephson Series Four C42 and T.H.E. KA-04/KR-2C gravitated toward the bright and excited end of the spectrum. However, they almost always delivered pleasing tonality and impressive depth.

The AKG C 480 B/CK 61-ULS was less predictable and more difficult to categorize. More than once it demonstrated a basically flat response and closely resembled the mics at the warmer end of the spectrum. At other times, typically with distant placement, it had more bite and downplayed lower mids and bass.

The solidly centrist Audio-Technica AT4051a sounded consistently full and balanced in every test, never disturbing my sensibilities with too much treble or bass emphasis. This mic's dependable accuracy and relatively modest price makes it easy to recommend for almost any job around the studio.

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Myles Boisen is the senior mic wrangler, janitor, and group therapist at Guerrilla Recording and the Headless Buddha Mastering Lab in Oakland, California.