Recording - January 2013 - 41

Frequency response and polar plots courtesy Lauten Audio.

that boost extends from 4 kHz up to just over 12 kHz. In omni mode it’s a touch tamer and dips between 3 kHz to 8 kHz before rising, which really does give Forward-omni a wonderful airy dimensionality. Neutral is just that, and is the overall smoothest of the three, although it is still not as tonally even as Lauten’s Clarion mic. Again looking at the frequency plot, it would be easy to dismiss Neutral as simply grabbing the boosted frequencies from the forward setting and bringing them down by a few dB, but if you look closely you will see that much of the subtle frequency-based activity actually moves and shifts to adjacent frequencies as well. Of all the settings this one most reminded me of the classic vintage FET sound. Gentle is similar to Neutral, but tames the high end even further. I would not go so far as to call it “darker” as it is not muffled or cloudy in any way; rather, the word “buttery” comes to mind. In use I spent a few months with a pair of Atlantis mics, and came to appreciate its versatility quickly. It is very convenient to leave one mic set up and to audition sounds quickly with the flip of a few switches rather than swapping mics and fiddling with matching placements, etc.! Starting again with Forward mode, on drum overheads I loved the detail and width of the kit and cymbal spread when set to Forward-omni. This surprised me as I am not typically an omni guy, and I usually do not like bright modern FETs as overheads either. Overall, while the Atlantis in Forward mode is bright and detailed, it is not harsh or spitty and did not hurt my ears or my tweeters, unlike so many modern voiced FETs. Another favored use of Forward mode was on acoustic guitar with a figure-8 setting. It had just enough low end to keep the guitar’s presence without being boomy, and the upper mids and highs of the strings had a nice grab and bite to the strumming in a folk setting. I also liked Forward mode for male pop and rock vocals that needed to cut through a dense mix. Neutral mode I found nicely suited to baby grand piano (the same Yamaha piano where I fell in love with the Clarion when I reviewed it), where it was smooth, but lively. Neutral was also my top choice for female vocal work; again, think smooth yet still lively. The same can be said for drum overheads and room-mic duties. It also is nice for adding depth and dimension to guitar amps when placed 3 to 6 feet back and paired with a close-miked SM57. While I mentioned liking the openness of the drums and cymbals in Forward mode, the Neutral setting gelled the whole kit together better and quickly became my favorite, as it sat more easily and naturally in the mix. This setting is also a killer as a front-of-kick mic.

As for Gentle mode, it is the most nuanced and source-specific of the three, and is the setting I reached for the least, but when it worked it worked very well indeed. It was well suited to intimate vocals like male crooning and soft folk singing, as well as for taming things like shrill sopranos, and tambourine. Although I did not have any brass work this time around, I would guess it to be a great trumpet setting. The Gentle setting was not to my taste most of the time on drum overheads or acoustic guitar unless I was going for a really smooth vibe, but it did sound nice on an older blues guitar amp for thick chunky rhythm work. This is the setting of the three that leans the most toward a “vintage” sort of sound. Conclusions In side-by-side comparisons with a Shure KSM44, Brauner Phantom, Milab DC-96B, and Lauten’s own Clarion, the Atlantis would occasionally exhibit a similar top end to one

or low mids of another, but overall it truly did not sound like any of the above. It was very much its own mic... or perhaps I should say it was very much three of its own mics! At $1499 street this is a serious investment for most project studios in today’s economy, but that’s OK because of how much you get for your money. The Atlantis FC-387 is one serious mic (or three, depending on how you look at it) that covers a lot of serious sonic ground; given that, I’d say it is seriously worthy of your attention. Serious enough for you? Price: $1599 ($1499 street) More from: Lauten Audio, www.lautenaudio.com Paul Vnuk Jr. (vnuk@recordingmag.com) is a recording engineer, producer, performing musician, sound designer, and photographer, living and working in Milwaukee.
RECORDING January 2013

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Recording - January 2013

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