Recording - October 2016 - 14

Blue (www.bluemic.com): Starting out as a repair service for
vintage mics in the 1990s, Blue quickly gained a name for itself
with a lineup of unusually-shaped mics. A few of the Blue models
have achieved classic status, such as the massive Bottle tube mic
with its many interchangeable Bottle Cap capsules, and the
Dragonfly with its rotating head and built-in shockmount. The
Bottle Rocket Stage One (solid state, reviewed February 2014)
and Stage Two (tube, reviewed March 2010) pair high-quality
electronics with a variety of Bottle Caps. Most recently, Paul
reviewed the Hummingbird ($299; August 2015, photo 4), a
pencil condenser with a rotating head that he found easy to
adjust and fit in tight places, sounding smooth and open on overheads, acoustic guitar, and cymbals.

Bock Audio/Soundelux (www.bockaudio.com): Before launching Bock Audio, David Bock designed mics under the Soundelux
brand, including the well-loved iFET7. In this issue, Paul reviews the U195, the newest mic under Bock's revitalized Soundelux badge,
and compares it to the Bock Audio 195 ($1200; reviewed November 2011), a solid-state LDC with a dual-voicing switch that tailors
the mic's timbre from "clean modern high-end FET to thick vintage faux tube."
Brauner (www.brauner-microphones.de/en): Brauner is a boutique line of mics made in Germany in small batches. While some Brauner
models can top $11,000, there are two that come in under $2000: the Phantom Classic ($1599) and Phanthera ($1999). Paul reviewed
them in December 2008 and warned users that these mics-the pristine Classic and vibey Phanthera-pick up everything they hear with
unparalleled detail and precision. In a great room with great instruments, they deliver great sound, but they're unforgiving of mediocrity.
CAD Audio (www.cadaudio.com): Many small studios got their start with the CAD Equitek mics, affordable US-made condenser
designs that deliver solid reliable sound. CAD is still making variants on these mics and is celebrating its 85th year in business this year,
most recently offering the A77 and A77R ($249 and $349), dynamic and ribbon versions of its 1931-vintage first model. Smart shoppers will gravitate toward the current version of the classic CAD mic, the supercardioid E100S ($499; reviewed May 2010), which Paul
called out for its smooth top end and excellent off-axis rejection.

Mic Guts 101
Many of our readers have enough mic experience to use this survey right away. For the true novices, here's a (very!) quick primer.
A microphone is a transducer that turns variations in air pressure (sound waves) into fluctuating electrical signals. How it does this
determines its sound and where/how it's useful. The vast majority of mics fall into three categories: dynamics, condensers, and ribbons.
A dynamic mic is essentially a speaker in reverse. Sound hits a diaphragm, which vibrates and makes a wire coil move in a magnetic field, which generates a signal. Dynamics don't need an external power source, they tend to be more rugged, and they're
known for having less treble extension (because higher-frequency sound waves have a harder time getting the coil to move). They're
commonly used live on stage, in broadcast studios as voiceover mics, and as instrument mics for guitar amps and drums.
"Condenser" is an old-fashioned British term for a capacitor. A condenser mic capsule is a capacitor: a backplate separated
from a thin diaphragm of metal or plastic that vibrates when hit by sound waves. Condensers require external power, either
from a battery or via their signal cables (phantom power). They come in all shapes and sizes, making practical use of the fact
that the size, shape, and mounting of the diaphragm has a huge effect on the mic's sound. Small-diaphragm condensers
(SDCs) tend to be a little noisier but have flatter frequency response and off-axis behavior, and are used for instrument miking.
Large-diaphragm condensers (LDCs) are quieter and have richly varied tonal response, and are used both on instruments and
vocals (the classic "studio vocal mic" is an LDC). Condenser mics have an onboard head amplifier to boost the tiny signal from
the capsule; these can be based on vacuum tubes or Field-Effect Transistors (FETs), each of which has its own sound.
A ribbon mic has a very thin ribbon of metal (or metal-imprinted plastic) floating in a magnetic field. Sound waves make the ribbon vibrate and create a signal. Ribbons are enjoying a huge renaissance these days, after being largely supplanted by condensers
(which are far less delicate). Ribbons are subject to damage by blasts of air and must be handled with care, but are beloved on
vocals and a wide variety of instruments. Most ribbons are passive designs, requiring a preamp with lots of gain; some newer ribbons are active, with a built-in phantom-powered amp that makes them much less finicky about preamps.
Each mic has a polar pattern: a particular response to sound coming in at an angle vs. sound directly hitting the axis of the capsule. An omnidirectional (omni) mic receives sound equally from all directions. The most common polar pattern, cardioid ("heart
shaped"), has a null (dead spot) directly behind the capsule to minimize leakage. A bidirectional (figure-8) mic picks up sound
equally from front and rear but not the sides; most ribbons are bidirectional. And there are patterns in between these: wide cardioid, subcardioid, supercardioid, hypercardioid. The mic's sound can change with angle (off-axis response) or distance (proximity
effect, where bass is boosted at close range) depending on its design. Generally, the more directional a mic is, the more pronounced its proximity effect.-MM
14

RECORDING OCTOBER 2016

http://www.bluemic.com http://www.bockaudio.com http://www.brauner-microphones.de/en http://www.cadaudio.com

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