AudioMedia - January 2009 - (Page 19)

AKG | C214 transparency. While the mic isn’t the most ‘sensitive’ large diaphragm on the market when confronted with plosives from a vocalist, a pop shield is still mandatory on any recording session. The capsule itself also has an integrated suspension system to help reduce transmitted mechanical noise from the stand that supports it. The low frequency roll-off switch located on the right side of the mic provides a relatively gentle dB per-octave slope at Hz, while the pad switch on the left allows for dB signal attenuation in high-SPL sound fields. To combat the confusion often experienced by first-time users of C- s, the ‘front’ of the C is signposted with the new AKG logo and silver grille, with the rear grille coloured black; you’d have to flip it around to see the logo for that allimportant video shot – á la Lenny Kravitz and his Neumann! The XLR connector is gold plated and the C comes complete with a foam windsock, a plastic spider-type shock mount, a camera style metal carry case, and an instruction booklet. C THE LIGHT the famed CK ‘brass ring’ capsule. However, the mic did sound good on low-end instruments like tuba, viola, bass clarinet, and a baritone voice, coping well with the dynamic range of the wind instruments and in particular the oft heard, aforementioned tuba. It showed once again that a mic is only as good as its marriage with the sound source – it’s really up to the user to choose which mic best suits which application. The C ’s ability to handle high SPL ( dB @ . THD with the pad switched in) would also make it very suitable for recording loud electric guitars, drum overheads, and (the often mentioned, but never tested) jet engines. range, that it would make either a good recording mic, a reliable in-house stage mic, or a trusty hire workhorse. ∫ I N F O R MAT I O N A AKG Acoustics GmbH, Lembockgasse 21-25, A-1230 Vienna, Austria For those of you wanting an AKG large diaphragm condenser, but without the price tag associated with a new Cvariant, the C is certainly worthy. It straddles the middle ground in the AKG range between the C B and the CB-XLII, and I would suggest that with its rugged construction, ability to handle high SPL, and a wide phantom power operating At The C Side T +43 1 56654 0 F +43 1 86654 8800 W www.akg.com E sales@akg.com A UK Distributor: Sound Technology Ltd., Letchworth Point, Letchworth Garden City, Herts SG6 1ND T +44 (0) 1462 480000 F +44 (0) 1462 480800 W www.soundtech.co.uk E info@soundtech.co.uk In a DC polarised capsule design, a voltage is applied across the diaphragm and a rear plate. This voltage is supplied either by phantom or battery power, and the capacitance between the plates is varied due to the air pressure on the diaphragm changing the distance between the diaphragm and the rear plate. With a bit of electronic wizardry this variation can be converted into a useful signal. An electret capsule meanwhile has a permanently charged rear plate and doesn’t require any external voltage applied to it. The varying air pressure still alters the capacitance between the diaphragm and the charged plate and again, with the addition of some circuitry, we have a useful audio signal. The distinction is that the power applied to electret type microphones (via phantom or a battery) is used only for the internal preamp electronics. During my time working with the C , I tested it on a wide variety of instruments and voices while recording an upcoming Australian TV series. The main songs and underscore of the show had light orchestral arrangements that included voice, strings, double bass, accordion, brass, woodwind, and a nylon-stringed guitar. I tried the C on most of these instruments and came to the conclusion that the character of the microphone definitely sat at the ‘bright’ end of the spectrum, and best suited instruments and voices that didn’t have lots of high frequency energy in their sound. Unfortunately, I couldn’t test a stereo pair of s on piano recordings or drum overheads – a very common application for C- s – since I only had one mic, but my suspicion is that they’d work pretty well in pairs. ‘Matched’ pairs of C s are due for release later in the year, according to AKG. www.schoeps.de/showroom/ At The Top End Unrivalled innovation Excerpt from a contribution to an Internet forum: The C offers lots of detail in the top end and even a sideways glace at the on-axis frequency response curve shows why. There’s a pronounced dB hump at around kHz, which would account for the slight harshness I heard when trying the C on a violin and a soprano voice. This top end boost is apparently one of the major differences between the current AKG capsule designs and H itting A H igh C “Wow, one of the best online presentations I've ever seen.” a practical comparison of recording techniques SCHOEPS GmbH Spitalstr. 20 D-76227 Karlsruhe www.schoeps.de mailbox@schoeps.de Tel. +49 721 943 200 AUDIO MEDIA JANUARY 2009 19 http://www.akg.com http://www.soundtech.co.uk http://www.schoeps.de/showroom/ http://www.schoeps.de/showroom/ http://www.schoeps.de

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AudioMedia - January 2009

AudioMedia - January 2009 Contents Recording News Post News Broadcast News Geo Focus: India What's Up UK? Special Report: Pimp My Ride AKG C214 Sony Acid Pro 7.0 Final Cut: Mirror's Edge Opportunities in the Reality World She's Got the Look The X-Factor Sadie LRX2 Source Elements Source-Connect 3.1 Buying a Recorder In Control Product Sampler: Trade Shows Video Guide AMSR News Digico SD8 The Last Picture Show File Server

AudioMedia - January 2009

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