AudioMedia - February 2009 - (Page 30)

Some mics are known as ‘all-rounders’, the Phanthera, meanwhile, is more of a specialist, says MICHAEL CARPENTER. he Phanthera is a phantom powered, fixed-cardioid, large diaphragm condenser that uses an FET amplifier and output transformer. The microphone has no pad or low frequency roll-off switches, housing instead attenuation switches inside the mic. This microphone is striking. It looks and feels extremely robust. The black grille against the stunning brushed silver of the body makes for a welcome change, offering a style that would distinguish itself in any microphone locker. The next impressive feature is the shockmount, which may be one of the best designed and most functional shockmounts I’ve ever worked with. Using a C-shaped elastic suspension system, the microphone fits snugly in its claw-like grasp and never feels like it’s in any danger of accidentally falling from a great height. And to add to its brilliant functionality, the shock mount swivels horizontally, making it ever so easy to position. T The first opportunity I had to use the Phanthera was side by side with a Mojave MAcondenser that my studio partner has been leaning on quite heavily lately. Recording an excellent female vocalist with a wide dynamic range and a bit of grit to her voice, we were struck initially by the level coming off the Phanthera. This is a loud microphone, and choosing the right preamp was critically important. We then noticed how similar the two mics sounded. I’ve always considered the Mojave to The S ound worked more effectively on quieter picked selections than on bigger strumming styles. The Phanthera is also ridiculously quiet (Equivalent Noise is dB) – I had to turn the preamp gain up significantly before noticing any hiss or noise at all from the mic itself. This would certainly make it appealing for voiceover work or a whisper-quiet singer. Next up, I tried it on a male voice. This particular male voice has one of the sweetest tones you can imagine. His voice always sounds clean and clear, so I was interested to discover how a clean and clear mic would sound on him. It all sounded fine, but didn’t sound ‘special’. It had a little too much air about it, and the consensus was that we needed a mic with a bit more grit for this singer. However, I will counter that by mentioning that I used it for my own vocal overdub several days later. My voice is relatively clear but hardly clean, and it tends to get quite built-up in the mid-range. Not on the Phanthera. This was one of the most pleasing results I’ve gotten recording my own vocal, confirming that, like many high quality tools, you need to match them with the right application. More on that in a second. To round out our tests, I put the Phanthera on our crusty studio upright piano. Here it really shone. We have a tendency to mic this poor old broken upright with low quality mics, and heavily stylise the sound with compression and EQ, as if to apologise for its beaten up tone. The Phanthera told the upright’s story beautifully, BRAUNER PHANTHERA Fixed Cardioid Microphone have a lovely airiness, and the Phanthera matched this easily. We decided that both mics sounded fantastic on this singer, with the Phanthera having a bit more of a clinical (in a good way) detail in the top end, and a slightly more substantial low-mid response – but certainly a good start. Next, we had a few days of drum tracking, and the Phanthera was employed as a mono room mic, about three metres in front of the kit at head height, facing downwards towards the drums. I was extremely surprised at how well this fared. Many large diaphragm condensers have failed miserably in this application, drowning in a virtual wave of high mid-range cymbal wash. The Phanthera handled the volume easily and remained honest and extremely detailed, capturing the cymbals effectively while maintaining a good sense of balance between cymbals, drums, and the room. As we began the overdub process, the mic was put into position for acoustic guitar recording. For acoustics, I’ve recently become used to an extremely reliable chain using either my ‘desert island’ mic, the Audio-Technica , or a Peluso LE, into a Universal Audio M mic preamp, then into the ubiquitous . Putting the Phanthera in front of the Gibson J acoustic was quite a shock. This mic is loud, and the UA struggled to cope with its output. Once the level was brought under control, I started to get a feel for the microphone. It’s extremely honest, and I found the mic struggled a little in this application. It got a little too strident in the high mids and exaggerated the top end of several acoustic guitars a little too much for my liking. I had to move the mic around to find its sweet spot, but I eventually got something worthwhile (that subsequently came up beautifully in the finished tracks), but it was a bit more work than I’m used to, and I didn’t find this to be one of its stronger applications. I will add, though, that it did appear to have an extremely wide dynamic range – again, it seemed extremely detailed and capturing every creak, and flattering the piano in a way many of our other LDCs don’t. In front of an AC guitar amp at moderate volume, the mic was excellent. Not all condensers can handle guitar amps, but placing this one several feet away, and with an external pad employed, the mic took the amp in its stride. The Phanthera is a versatile microphone, and getting to know it, and matching it to the right source through the right preamp, will get you results that will put you into another league of engineering and creative choices. Personally, I prefer a bit more ‘character’ in my microphones, but I know many engineers who are seeking absolute truth from theirs. The Phanthera is certainly one of the more honest and pleasing sounding microphones I’ve come across. At this price, the microphone will not necessarily be the choice for the project studio owner looking for an all-rounder, but for the engineer looking for a great, reference-quality microphone they can trust, the Phanthera may tick all of the boxes. ∫ I N F O R MAT I O N Conclusion £ GB£1,250 (exc.VAT) A Brauner Microphones, Romerstrassa 11, D-46499 Hamminkeln, Germany T +49 (0) 2852 509019 W www.brauner-microphones.de E info@brauner-microphones.com A Brauner Microphones (US HQ), Corona, California T +1 866 477 5872 W www.braunerusa.com E info@braunerusa.com THE REVIEWER MICHAEL CARPENTER is an experienced audio engineer and regular contributor to Audio Technology magazine. 30 AUDIO MEDIA FEBRUARY 2009 http://www.brauner-microphones.de http://www.braunerusa.com

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

AudioMedia - February 2009 Contents Recording News Post News Broadcast News GEO Focus: USA What's Up UK NAMM Review For the Record Project Profile: Hallelujah HHB CDR882 KORG MR-20005 Chandler Germanium Brauner Phanthera Final Cut: Lesbian Vampire Killers SE Electronics RNR1 The Royal Opera House Fairlight XYNERGI Limiting Loudness Product Sampler: Studio Consoles Video Guide AMSR News Stone Temple Pilots Fly Again Rode M2 Yamaha IM8 Series

AudioMedia - February 2009

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