Recording - October 2016 - 12

Aston Microphones (www.astonmics.com): Aston is a new mic
maker that burst onto the scene just last year with two mics almost
completely built in the UK: the single-pattern Origin ($249; reviewed
April 2016) and the multipattern Spirit ($399). Paul found the
Origin's powerful yet controllable proximity effect to be a great tool
for tonally shaping female vocals, acoustic guitar, and especially
drum overheads, and the mics' unusual design is not only visually
unique but practical and rugged. This makes them a solid choice for
studios trying to build up a mic locker on a budget.
Audio-Technica (www.audio-technica.com): Audio-Technica's
been around for many years; its AT4033 and AT4050 cardioid
condensers have been fixtures in studios worldwide for a long
time. The company continues to make technological strides with
groundbreaking mics like the AT4080 and AT4081 ribbon mics
($999 and $699; reviewed January 2011), which Scott Dorsey
called "the first really new kind of mic I have seen in a long time...
neutral and clean yet mellow, a good sound to have in your mic
locker," and the AT5040 ($2999, reviewed May 2013, photo 3),
a remarkable vocal mic with a segmented rectangular diaphragm
that Paul called "sonic purity, but in a really sweet-sounding way."
Audio-Technica's newest instrument mics are reviewed in this
issue, but we want to call out one other mic in particular: the
AT2020 ($99; reviewed June 2005), which Darwin Grosse
found to be a home run in the budget-mic realm with its smooth
sound and incredible SPL handling capability.

AKG (www.akg.com/pro): Despite being one of the grand old
masters of mic design, with the original C 12 from the 1950s
considered one of the top-pantheon vintage models, AKG has
never rested on its laurels. Famous designs have been modified
and refined over and over, to the point where collectors actually
look for particular generations of models like the C 414 sideaddress multipattern mic and the D 12 kick/bass mic depending
on the particular sound and features they desire. AKG is now
responsible for the Crown line of boundary mics as well.
AKG's most noteworthy modern designs are the cardioid C 214
($399; reviewed February 2009) and 4-pattern C 314 ($699;
reviewed November 2015). Darwin Grosse found the C 214 to be
a total workhorse, bringing clarity without shrillness to male and
female vocals, percussion, acoustic and resonator guitar, and more.
Paul enjoyed the C 314's "dusty" top end, smooth without being
shrill or muffled, on drum overheads, cajon, hand percussion, toms,
piano, and more, feeling that its weight and power were better suited to rock than to jazz or classical, which were the bailiwick of the
slightly more transparent and "out of the way" C 414 XLS.
Ashman Acoustics (www.ashmanacoustics.com): Ashman
Acoustics makes one mic: the SOM50 ($699.95/pair). A modern
take on the Neumann M50, the SOM50 is a small-diaphgram omni
mic with a spherical head. In his September 2013 review, Paul
Vnuk Jr. said that the SOM50 "does such a convincing job of capturing and blending the source and its surrounding space that it can
sound almost like you're not miking the instrument at all."
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RECORDING OCTOBER 2016

Audix (www.audixusa.com): While Audix has marketed some
pretty impressive condensers over the years, like the ADX51 and
SCX25A and a whole line of Micro mics for installed sound and
applications like choir miking, we have to give major props to
Audix's dynamic mics, which are among the very best out there.
The D4, once considered a great kick mic, has become a goldstandard floor tom mic, replaced at the kick by the D6 ($199; most
recently discussed in May 2015 as part of the DP4 drum mic
pack). Paul loves it for its massive low-end boom and ability to capture beater click as well, making it a full-range solution for kick and bass cabinet. The i5 ($99) is a
snappy, clear dynamic that excels on snare
drum, toms, guitar cabinet, and winds.
Avantone (www.avantone.com): Originally
known as Avant Electronics, Avantone makes a
range of mics inspired by classic designs. The CV12 is a 9-pattern tube condenser mic unapologetically
based on the classic AKG C12; it's established itself
as an affordable workhorse in many studios. Our
favorite Avantone mic, however, is the one that's not
an emulation. The BV-1 ($999; reviewed February
2010) is a lollipop-style multipattern tube condenser
mic that Paul found to be a true workhorse, sounding good on vocals, drums, acoustic guitar, mandolin, percussion, drum overheads, and voiceovers.
beyerdynamic (www.beyerdynamic.com): While
beyerdynamic is best known these days for its
exceptional studio headphones, it's made real historical impact in the microphone world as well. As
you'd expect from the company name, beyerdynamic has a number of classic dynamic mic designs to
its credit, perhaps most notably the M 88 TG hypercardioid for vocals and brass instruments. We'd be
remiss not to mention the M 160 and M 130, muchloved ribbon mics that are unusual for their polar pattern (hypercardioid rather than figure-8), making
them fantastic on normally "ribbon-unfriendly"
sources. Elsewhere in this issue, Paul reviews the TG
D71c ($239), a condenser boundary mic that's fantastic on kick and cajon.

http://www.astonmics.com http://www.audio-technica.com http://www.audixusa.com http://www.avantonepro.com http://www.akg.com/pro http://www.beyerdynamic.com http://www.ashmanacoustics.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - October 2016