AudioMedia - October 2008 - (Page 22)

GEFELL UM 930 Large Diaphragm Dual Capsule FET Studio Microphone A top price tag for a top mic; ALAN BRANCH demands the very best from the new UM 930. es, it’s the old, ‘what mic should I use/buy?’ question again… I took hold of the opportunity to try out the Gefell UM , a large diaphragm capsule FET studio mic, coming from a company whose history includes the birthplace of the condenser microphone, invented and named by Georg Neumann himself. After all, ask any professional engineer worth his salt and he’ll tell you how a well placed quality mic can bring a sound that’s not only pleasing to the ear but a pleasure to work with. Imagine sound as a sculptor would clay, shaping and moulding into something stunning for the song, rather than something quite nasty you’re trying to repair to make fit. Ask any of these engineers for a mic recommendation, and the most common answer would be, ‘the best you can afford’. That’s not to say that every recording has to be squeaky clean; it’s the dirt and roughness of a or a cheap mic that is often the magic in a track, but when you want a mic that will capture so well even your breath sounds good, then you need something with lots of reach and a super smooth, almost noiseless sound. The UM from Gefell incorporates a low self noise of dBA, a respectable SPL of dB, Y THE REVIEWER ALAN BRANCH is a freelance engineer/producer and ex-member of the On U Sound Crew. His long list of credits include Jamiroquai, Beverley Knight, M People, Simply Red, Depeche Mode, Shed 7, Sinead O’ Connor, Bjork, and Sade. www.alanbranch.com and offers five polar patterns – omni, wide cardioid, cardioid, hyper cardioid, and figure-of-eight, selected by gripping the three prominent rubber bands fitted into the ring above the etched pattern shapes; and includes a muting function and operation green LED when switching between patterns, operated by what Gefell call ‘maintenance-free reed relays’. The feel and operation of switching patterns immediately shows the quality of this German design, like the impression you get when you first pick up this weighty mic. It has a surprisingly heavy weight for its size, although it’s no small mic at x mm. The UM can be supplied with a variety of options. It comes as a standard studio condenser in Satin Nickel or a Dark Bronze, with a side integrated shock mount elastic suspension, or more traditional cradle type suspension, in either a wooden or aluminium case. It also comes as a twin version (UM Twin), an ingenious idea of a mic with two outputs via a five-pin XLR, having one capsule fixed cardioid, whilst the other has the five selectable patterns. This gives an instant comparison of polar patterns to the standard cardioid when recording, while recording NTG-3 THE EXTREME LOCATION MICROPHONE All The Performance. Half The Price. Like the current high-end shotgun mic of choice among professional sound recordists, the new Røde NTG-3 is almost entirely moisture resistant, and equipped to deliver impeccable results in the most extreme conditions. The difference is, it’s half the price. True Condenser (Externally RF biased) 50% less noise than most shotgun microphones Extremely low handling noise Weighs in at just 163g High level of immunity to RF interference £449 T SSP INC VA Full range of boompoles, pistol grips and windshields also available 100% designed and manufactured in Australia UK distribution by Source • Find a dealer at www.sourcedistribution.co.uk/rode • T: 020 8962 5080 22 AUDIO MEDIA OCTOBER 2008 http://www.alanbranch.com http://www.sourcedistribution.co.uk/rode http://www.sourcedistribution.co.uk/rode

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AudioMedia - October 2008

Audio Media - October 2008 Content Recording Post Broadcast Geofocus:�Portugal &�Spain What's Up UK IBC Report Microtech Geffel UM 930 Steinberg Cubase 4.5 ADK�Hamburg &�Vienna Final Cut: House of Fallen Lexicon PCM96 Review The Conch Awards Feature Sound Devices 788T Review Lexicon PCM96 Allen &�Heath Zed R16 Power: Fact & Fiction, PT.2 Product Sampler Plug-ins Video Guide AMSR Plasa Report Audio Technica IEM�M3 Rushes Live Mixing Techniques:�Bruce Johnston Drawmer 4x4 Kickbox

AudioMedia - October 2008

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