ProAudio Review - March 2008 - (Page 37)

not only looks fantastic, it sounds fantastic as well. I had incredible results using the mic to capture acoustic guitar, mandolin, dobro, electric guitar and percussion. In each instance, the microphone sounded rich and full with a warm, smooth, welldefined bottom end. On vocals, the microphone is brilliant. The wraparound pop filter (identical to the filter on the VM1) works extremely well and it simplifies the mic’s placement. In the VM1 mode, the extremely transparent mic delivers clarity and detail that rivals any microphone I've encountered. In the tweaked/vintage mode, the mic’s smooth and warm sound is gigantic. In almost every instance I found that when recording instruments and backing vocals, I preferred the sound of the VMA in the VM1 mode and when recording lead vocals I preferred the sound of the mic in the tweaked/vintage mode. The only exception was there were a couple of instances where I preferred the sound of a female vocal in the VM1 position. The VMA is completely revolutionary in how it uses a single set of tube electronics to achieve two totally different sounds. I really don’t have any complaints about the VMA. At $9,719 it is expensive. However, when compared to the price of a vintage C12 or 451, it’s a bargain and it truly can be considered two distinct microphones in one. Using the VMA has been a complete delight. The two different sounds are completely distinctive from each other. While doing a shootout between several different microphones, we treated the two modes of the VMA as two separate microphones. When I explained the mic’s two independent modes to the artist and producer, they listened back and couldn’t believe that the two VMA modes were the same mic. There is sonically as much difference between the VM1 and the tweaked/vintage modes as there was between the VM1 and the C12 that was included in the shootout. A microphone with a $9,719 price tag better sound good. And, believe it or not, the VMA is worth every penny, in my opinion. There are a lot of pretty good microphones out there today but there aren’t very many outstanding mics. The Brauner VMA is the latter; In almost every instance I found that when recording instruments and backing vocals, I preferred the sound of the VMA in the VM1 mode and when recording lead vocals I preferred the sound of the mic in the tweaked/vintage mode. its sounds are simply stunning. | SUMMARY The VMA is on the short list of the finest microphones ever made. Its true German craftsmanship coupled with an outstanding sonic character should give it top consideration to anyone with deep pockets who simply must have the best. Russ Long, a Nashville-based producer/engineer, owns The Carport recording studio. He is a regular contributor to Pro Audio Review. | REVIEW SETUP Apple Macintosh 2 GHz Dual Processor G5 w/2 GB RAM; Digidesign ProTools 7.4; Lynx Aurora Converters; Lucid Gen-X-96 Clock; PMC AML-1 monitors www.proaudioreview.com March 2008 | ProAudio Review | 37 http://www.equitech.com http://www.proaudioreview.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ProAudio Review - March 2008

ProAudio Review - March 2008 Contents Publisher's Page Studio News and New Products Sennheiser MKH 8040 Microphone Digidesign Mbox 2 Micro Studio Spotlight Upsampler X/Audio Live News and New Products Touring Gear From the Road Broadcast News and New Products ION Audio Tape2PC Cassette Archiving System Brauner VMA Large-Diaphragm Microphone Audio Ltd. RMS 2040 Series Post News and New Products First Look NAB Showcase Buyers Guide Single Slice

ProAudio Review - March 2008

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