Recording - February 2012 - 54

B Y PA U L V N U K J R .

RØDE Limited Edition
RØDE marks the end of production of its Classic and Classic II microphone with a limited edition, releasing just 500 units dressed in a classy matte black finish. That was then 15 years ago, Australian microphone manufacturer RØDE released a large-diaphragm, multi-pattern tube mic boldly dubbed The Classic. This was followed three years later by the Classic II, which featured improved noise specs and boasted all Australian-made parts. Both models were designed around the GE Jan-6072 tube, which made its name in mics such as AKG’s C12. Those tubes were already scarce in 1996, when RØDE was lucky enough to procure a large (NOS) batch to meet production needs for the next decade and a half. Now that time has come to an end, and RØDE has chosen to end the run and retire the Classic line. This is now Just like the original silver model, the Limited Black Classic II comes as part of a complete package (also dressed in black) that includes an oversized aluminum flight case, a hard mic mount, a durable plastic shock mount, an ultra heavy-duty multi-core mic cable with oversized connectors, the external power supply, and a power cable. Adding to the pomp and circumstance, the kit also includes some limited one-off goodies that include: a custom velvet mic bag emblazoned with the Classic II logo, a black cleaning cloth, and a special leather-bound book that traces the history of the Classic line and also houses the product manual. Even more impressively, you also get a small cylindrical metal case which houses a second spare GE-Jan-6072 tube, and if you register your mic, RØDE will send you a special Titanium-etched warranty card with your name on it. If this kit sounds downright snobby... you bet it is! Does that make it a museum piece for permanent display behind glass? I don’t think so—let’s put it to work. The hardware The Classic II is a 9-patterned (omni through figure-8) tube-based condenser mic with a 1" dual-diaphragm capsule, custom spec, gold sputtered, edge terminated, with a Jensen output transformer. Its milled brass body is solid and beautifully put together. It weighs just over 3 lbs. and measures roughly 71/2" by 21/2" in diameter. The Classic II’s custom power supply is also built as solid as the mic, and its pots and knobs are all top notch. In addition to pattern switching, the PSU also offers a 3-position highpass filter, as well as a 3-position off/–10/–20 dB pad. The Classic II’s frequency plot in cardioid mode is flat across the lows and mids with only a slight dip around 300 Hz. It rises around 3 kHz,
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RECORDING FEBRUARY 2012

Black Classic II Tube Condenser Microphone
peaks by about 5 dB at 12 kHz and rolls off a few kHz beyond that. In omni mode we get an additional slight bump around 80 Hz and the 12 k peak is about 5 dB more pronounced. Sound There is no mistaking the Classic II’s bright open top end; it its not ragged or harsh, but it is bright. That brightness is balanced by a lowend evenness that gives it a nice weighted bottom end as well. To get my aural bearings on this mic, I did some quick comparisons with my Telefunken AR-51 which is a hybrid C12/Telefunken ELAM-inspired mic, and with my U 47-style Peluso 2247LE. The RØDE leans much more towards the AR’s open top end but offers a bit more sheen in its highs. Similarly, its low mids are close to that of the 2247LE, but a tad less forward. Actually I found it to be the closest to my solid-state Brauner Phantom, but with more body and less bite. Metaphorically, if the Brauner were a bright sunny day, the Classic II would be polarized designer sunglasses. It takes the edge off and makes everything aurally “look” more pleasing. In use Although the RØDE Classic II has been around for 12 years, this is my first time taking it for a spin, and over a few weeks I was able to put it through its paces on everything from a classical/cinematic male tenor, male rock vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, percussion, drum kit and room mic duty. Vocals: As a vocal mic it offers a great natural tone with a hint of sweetness. It can get a tad essy and spitty if the singer is too close, but a good pop screen and a bit more distance (6" to 12") will tame that nicely. A controlled singer can nicely play to this mic’s proximity effect and get a great intimate tone with ease. This mic is very well suited for jazz, classical, solo folk and any vocal style where pristine, open and real are your aural objectives. If you want to pepper your vocals with mojo, tone, and punch, this is probably not the best choice. Again it’s much more C12 then U 47. Acoustic guitar: Acoustic guitar (my favorite use) really shows off this mic’s big top end, and it does so without sacrificing the low mids. Here it really highlights how balanced this microphone is tonally.

A respected builder gives one of its highlight models a very classy send-off
Recording - February 2012

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