2006 Winter NAMM: One for the Record Books

Feb 8, 2006 5:30 PM, By Mike Levine

           

OF MICS AND NAMM

There was no shortage of new mics on display this year. Although no major trends were in evidence, there were quite a few new models with interchangeable capsules.

Audix announced the Fireball V ($199), an improved version of its Fireball harmonica mic. The Fireball V features a volume control ring that sits just under the mic's ball, making it possible for the player to easily adjust it while playing. The company also showed the T-50-k High Performance Transformer, a heavy-duty cable that lets you adapt low impedance XLR mic signals for high impedance 1/4-inch sources.

CAD e70

CAD introduced the e70 ($249), a dual-capsule, pencil-condenser mic. It includes interchangeable omni and cardioid capsules, a dual rolloff switch, and a two-position pad. The mic should be available in April.

Groove Tubes GT 50

Groove Tubes announced four new mics: the GT 30 ($399) and GT 50 ($399) feature FET circuitry, and the GT 40 ($699) and GT 60 ($699) are tube mics. The GT 30 and GT 40 are mid-sized mics that allow the user to change capsules using the optional C2 (hyper-cardioid) and C3 (omni) capsules. The GT 50 and GT 60 are large-diaphragm condensers with fixed cardioid patterns.

M-Audio Sputnik

M-Audio unveiled (or perhaps I should say "launched") a large-diaphragm tube condenser called Sputnik ($699), which wins my "best product name of the show" award. The lollipop-shaped mic offers cardioid, omni, and figure-8 patterns, and is designed to capture a variety of sources including vocals. The Sputnik will come in a custom briefcase with a power supply, a dedicated cable, and a shockmount. M-Audio expects it to ship in March.

At the Mojave Audio booth, the word was that the MA-200 ($995), tube condenser mic designed by David Royer, will go into mass production soon, and the production units will start shipping in April. The fixed cardioid large-diaphragm mic features a 3-micron capsule, a Jensen transformer, internally switchable power-supply voltage, and a military grade JAN 5840 tube. It's recommended for such applications as vocals, acoustic instruments, piano, drum overhead or drum room, orchestral recording, and more.

Røde was showing a number of new products, all of which will be released later in the year. The NT45 series capsules will provide polar-pattern and sonic options for owners of the company's NT4 and NT5 mics. Four new capsules will be introduced, including two cardioid models, one with a rising presence response, and one with a "flatter" response. Omni and hypercardioid capsules will also be offered. Also on display were the Podcaster and Procaster mics, both USB electret condensers. Also on display was the stereo NT4000, another electret condenser.

SE Electronics RFC

Among the new mics shown by SE Electronics was the MS1 ($TBA) mic, a stereo tube-condenser mic with adjustable patterns. It has dual capsules, and the top one rotates 180 degrees. On the power supply there are two 9-position polar pattern selector knobs. According to SE, the MS1 will be available sometime in the second quarter of this year. The company also showed off its new RFC Reflection Filter Control ($299) a stand-mounted screen that goes behind a vocal mic and is designed to greatly minimize room reflections. The RFC is due to ship in late March.

When Shure debuts a new mic, it's always noteworthy. The company's latest mic offering is the KSM9 ($TBA), a handheld condenser mic. The company has already released a wireless version, but doesn't expect the wired version to be out until this spring.

Sontronics is a mic manufacturer that's had products available in Europe in the past, but not in the U.S. Now that's changing, as the company's mic line (which includes everything from pencil condensers to large-diaphragm vocal mics to tube mics) will be distributed in the U.S. by Omnisonic. One model in particular that caught the eye of some of the EM editors was a new ribbon mic called the Sigma.