Recording - November 2019 - 36

REVIEW

Luke Audio AL-Y56
Tube Microphone System
Swappable capsules, and a classy tube body
offer a trio of classic tones.
REVIEW BY PAUL VNUK JR.

T

he Luke Audio AL-Y56 Platinum (PT) Microphone System comprises a
bottle-style tube condenser microphone body and three interchangeable capsules that together offer a trio of classic tonal options. Capsules are hot-swappable for fast creative decision making in the studio.
The Gold (AU) edition of the AL-Y56 system swaps handmade capsule
diaphragms for imported ones, thus allowing for a lower price point.

Luke Audio is a microphone manufacturer founded by namesake Allen Luke.
Allen builds his microphones by hand at
his company headquarters in Nashville.
Luke Audio launched in 2015 with
four models in its line: AL-X712, ALX747, AL-X751, and AL-X767. Each
was designed to be a modern emulation
of a well-known vintage classic (alluded
to by the last two digits).
Four years in, the company has
ceased production of these earlier models and has adopted a new approach,
offering three voicing options in a single microphone body with three interchangeable capsules.

The Body

The AL-Y56 is a handcrafted microphone
that incorporates an Electro-Harmonix
6072a vacuum tube, a polystyrene input
coupling capacitor, ELNA, WIMA, and
Nichicon capacitors, 1% resistors from PRP
and Ohmite, and an ERSE polypropylene
output capacitor pushing a custom-wound
11.5:1 output transformer.
The body measures 5 5/8" with a 2"
diameter. It's dressed in white enamel
over a brass body with smoky chrome
end caps. The AL-Y56 is cardioid-only
with no controls or switches on the mic
body. A -10dB pad can be engaged
with a toggle switch located on the internal circuit board.
36 RECORDING November 2019

The Kit

The AL-Y56 system comes in a large briefcase that includes the mic body, three capsules (packed in foam-lined wooden boxes), an external power supply (in matching
black and white, with the brightest of blue
jewel lights), a matte-black, vintage-style
shock mount, cables, and pop filter.

The Capsules: Platinum (PT)
Option

The AL-Y56 is a bayonet, bottle, lollipop-style microphone. Lollipop capsules
attach to a small spring-loaded socket
on top of the mic body. Being hot-swappable, there's no need to power down
the mic when changing capsules.
The included capsules are the triumvirate of classic capsule design, each one
offering distinct tonal characteristics.
Each 1-micron platinum capsule is sputtered, skinned, tuned and tensioned in
a clean room at Luke HQ. All three are
fixed cardioid, with a frequency range
of 20Hz-20kHz, and an output impedance of <100 Ohms.

A1

The A1 is an edge-terminated, dual-backplate, CK12-style capsule. This
design, used in the AKG C12 as well as
Telefunken ELAM series mics, is known
for its open, airy clarity, and is often
referred to as being bright sounding. It

has a Sensitivity of -33dB, a max SPL of
136dB, and a S/N ratio of 76dB.

A2

The A2 capsule is a center-terminated, dual-backplate K67-style design.
This design was used in Neumann U
67, and solid state U 87 mics, among
others. It's known for an even richness
that seats nicely and naturally in a mix. It
has a Sensitivity of -36dB, a Max SPL of
140dB, and a S/N ratio of 73dB.

A3

The A3 is a take on the center-terminated, single-backplate K47-style capsule
used in the famed Neumann U 47, best
known for its upper midrange presence
and ability to punch a source forward in
a mix. It has a sensitivity of -36dB, a max
SPL of 138dB, and a S/N ratio of 73dB.

In Use

My first use of the AL-Y56 was in a
vocal session with three singers (two female, one male) that I work with regularly.



Recording - November 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - November 2019

No label
Fade In
Fast Forward
ESI M4U eX and M8U eX USB 3.0 MIDI interfaces
Dynaudio Core 7 High-end Professional Reference Monitor
Mirek Stiles at Abbey Road Studios
Radial Catapult RX4, TX4 4-Channel Cat 5 Audio Snake / Catapult MINI
Reviewed and Revisited: ErgoLab Stealth Executive Audio Engineer Chair
Steinberg SpectraLayers Pro 6
Small Rooms, Big Sound, Part 3: Acoustic Treatments
Luke Audio AL-Y56 Tube Microphone System
Fishman TriplePlay Connect MIDI Guitar Pickup System
My UK Studio Field Trip
AKG K371 and K275 over-ear, closed-back, foldable studio headphones
Arturia AudioFuse 8Pre 8-channel USB-C Audio Interface
Film Scoring with Jason Soudah
JUMPERZ Complete Custom Connectivity Solutions
Mackie ProFX16v3 Professional Effects Mixer with USB
BOSS WAZA Tube Amp Expander
Studio 101/Part 20: Furnishing the Studio
Sonarworks Reference 4 Sound Calibration Software
Fade Out
Recording - November 2019 - No label
Recording - November 2019 - Cover1
Recording - November 2019 - Cover2
Recording - November 2019 - 1
Recording - November 2019 - 2
Recording - November 2019 - 3
Recording - November 2019 - Fade In
Recording - November 2019 - 5
Recording - November 2019 - 6
Recording - November 2019 - 7
Recording - November 2019 - Fast Forward
Recording - November 2019 - 9
Recording - November 2019 - 10
Recording - November 2019 - 11
Recording - November 2019 - ESI M4U eX and M8U eX USB 3.0 MIDI interfaces
Recording - November 2019 - 13
Recording - November 2019 - Dynaudio Core 7 High-end Professional Reference Monitor
Recording - November 2019 - 15
Recording - November 2019 - Mirek Stiles at Abbey Road Studios
Recording - November 2019 - 17
Recording - November 2019 - 18
Recording - November 2019 - 19
Recording - November 2019 - 20
Recording - November 2019 - 21
Recording - November 2019 - Radial Catapult RX4, TX4 4-Channel Cat 5 Audio Snake / Catapult MINI
Recording - November 2019 - 23
Recording - November 2019 - Reviewed and Revisited: ErgoLab Stealth Executive Audio Engineer Chair
Recording - November 2019 - 25
Recording - November 2019 - Steinberg SpectraLayers Pro 6
Recording - November 2019 - 27
Recording - November 2019 - 28
Recording - November 2019 - 29
Recording - November 2019 - Small Rooms, Big Sound, Part 3: Acoustic Treatments
Recording - November 2019 - 31
Recording - November 2019 - 32
Recording - November 2019 - 33
Recording - November 2019 - 34
Recording - November 2019 - 35
Recording - November 2019 - Luke Audio AL-Y56 Tube Microphone System
Recording - November 2019 - 37
Recording - November 2019 - Fishman TriplePlay Connect MIDI Guitar Pickup System
Recording - November 2019 - 39
Recording - November 2019 - My UK Studio Field Trip
Recording - November 2019 - 41
Recording - November 2019 - AKG K371 and K275 over-ear, closed-back, foldable studio headphones
Recording - November 2019 - 43
Recording - November 2019 - Arturia AudioFuse 8Pre 8-channel USB-C Audio Interface
Recording - November 2019 - 45
Recording - November 2019 - Film Scoring with Jason Soudah
Recording - November 2019 - 47
Recording - November 2019 - 48
Recording - November 2019 - 49
Recording - November 2019 - JUMPERZ Complete Custom Connectivity Solutions
Recording - November 2019 - 51
Recording - November 2019 - Mackie ProFX16v3 Professional Effects Mixer with USB
Recording - November 2019 - 53
Recording - November 2019 - BOSS WAZA Tube Amp Expander
Recording - November 2019 - 55
Recording - November 2019 - 56
Recording - November 2019 - 57
Recording - November 2019 - 58
Recording - November 2019 - 59
Recording - November 2019 - 60
Recording - November 2019 - 61
Recording - November 2019 - 62
Recording - November 2019 - 63
Recording - November 2019 - Studio 101/Part 20: Furnishing the Studio
Recording - November 2019 - 65
Recording - November 2019 - 66
Recording - November 2019 - 67
Recording - November 2019 - 68
Recording - November 2019 - 69
Recording - November 2019 - Sonarworks Reference 4 Sound Calibration Software
Recording - November 2019 - 71
Recording - November 2019 - Fade Out
Recording - November 2019 - Cover3
Recording - November 2019 - Cover4
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