Pro Audio Review - June 2008 - (Page 26) STUDIO | REVIEW by John Gatski Cascade X-15 Stereo Ribbon Microphone The X-15 stereo ribbon sounds good, has smooth character and is quite a deal at $399. Ribbon element microphones are all the rage these days with a range of products from companies such as Royer and AEA to the more economical models from sE Electronics and Cascade Microphones brands. Case in point is the Cascade X-15 stereo ribbon, selling for $399! | FEATURES The X-15 stereo ribbon microphone contains separate factory-matched 2.5 micron ribbon elements, offset at 90 degrees in a Blumlein arrangement. Typical of ribbons, its coverage comes via a Figure 8 pattern. According to Cascade, the ribbon’s aluminum membranes produce a ”balanced” sound from sources on either side of the ribbon. The X-15 comes with a nice shock mount, a splitter box with two separate kHz, +/-3 dB with just a hint of rise from 2 kHz to about 10 kHz. (The provided measurement plot shows a roll-off after 10 kHz). The maximum SPL is rated at 165 dB maximum SPL at 1% distortion, and self-noise is said to 17 dB. | IN USE Stereo microphones are suited for many applications including acoustic guitar, electric guitar amps, drum overheads, brass, piano. When adding ambiance, I used it on a variety of acoustic and electric guitars/amps from dark sounding dreadnoughts to small body finger pickers to Telecaster and Gibson hollow body jazz guitar. I first mounted the X-15 on an adjustable arm stand and recorded a Guild D-55 dreadnaught. I had to play around with the positioning to find the sweet spot, finally settling on about a foot from the guitar and positioning it so the upper element paralleled the upper frets and the other paralleled the body. APPLICATIONS Recording, project studio KEY FEATURES Two separate aluminum ribbons, set at 90 degrees, Figure 8 pattern, suspension shock mount, splitter box, 12 ft. mic-to-splitter box cable, carrying case PRICE $399 CONTACT Cascade Microphones | ☎ 360-8671799 ➲ www.cascademicrophones.com XLR outputs, a 12 ft. connector cable and an aluminum case. The microphone is also available with Lundahl transformers that are installed in the Cascade Microphone shop in Olympia, WA for an additional $300. The factory specs claim a 30 Hz to 18 I recorded the audio 24-bit 96 kHz via a TASCAM HD-P2 connected to a Benchmark ADC1. The sound of the Guild is big with a lot of midrange/low treble and a tight bass for a dreadnaught. Ribbon microphones lack the upper treble that my stereo pair high-end con- With most of the stringed instruments that I used the sound was pretty consistent. With its mostly flat response to 10 kHz, the mic just does not have any hyped character. 26 | ProAudio Review | June 2008 Subscribe to the Digital Edition of Pro Audio Review http://www.myparmag.com www.proaudioreview.com http://www.cascademicrophones.com http://www.proaudioreview.com http://www.myparmag.com
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