Recording - May 2020 - 57

To describe it simply, it sounds effortless.
The response feels very far-reaching and
lively-the bottom end blossoms with a
subtle thickness without being too overstated. The low midrange sounds full, but
not boxy or bloated like some ribbons
can sound. The top end sounds beautifully
smooth and open, but again, with a slight
roundedness to it. It doesn't overtly sound
like a ribbon mic; it captures sound faithfully with only a subtle sonic fingerprint.
I recorded a range of guitar amps and
musical styles, and it brought something to
the table for each. For clean tones, there's
plenty of clarity and detail throughout the
spectrum; it faithfully captures the amp as
it sounds in the room. If anything, I found
myself rolling off the bottom end, as it tends
to get too big when placed in the context
of a full mix. The transient response does
an excellent job of capturing the punchiness for grittier tones. I found that the top
end offers enough clarity for those tones,
while still feeling ever so slightly warm.
The AL95 sounds great on acoustic
guitars too! The full-bodied and transparent response captured my acoustic exactly the way I'm used to hearing it. I found

I had to place the microphone slightly further up the neck than usual towards the
12th fret, but once in the sweet spot, it
sounds full, detailed, and exciting.
The list of suitable roles for the AL95 is rather endless. Drum overheads, strings, brass,
and grand piano all come to mind. The natural openness and low frequency extension
make it suitable for just about anything.
Both sides of the microphone seem to
match perfectly, which means the AL95
would be a great candidate to use for the
sides in a mid-side recording. The side-axis
rejection is very pronounced, which makes it
easy to position and reject bleed from nearby sources. The proximity effect is mild for the
most part, but gets to be very pronounced
when close up. It falls off quickly beyond two
inches; I wouldn't recommend singing that
close. In this particular model, there isn't a
ton of shielding to protect the ribbon from air
movement, and plosives become an issue
that close as well. That shouldn't be a problem though, as the microphone naturally has
plenty of low end, and I didn't find myself
needing or wanting to push for more.
Another benefit of the corrugated piston design is that it isn't quite as fragile

as some other ribbons; you still need to
be mindful of air movement, as that will
damage the ribbon, but this mic doesn't
require special precautions to store upright as most ribbons do. It should have
more longevity and durability overall in
comparison to most other ribbon designs.

Final Thoughts

The AL95 sounds nothing like a stereotypical ribbon microphone, and that's
what I love about it. It sits uniquely in between a bright condenser and a warm ribbon, while providing extended frequency
response and balanced character. It's one
of my new favorites for recording guitar
amps, and I didn't find myself reaching
for a dynamic mic to blend it with-it
sounds great on its own. The only nitpick
I have is the shock mount, which is a bit
of a loose fit and provides only minimal
absorption with an absorption ring. Don't
be fooled by its approachable price tag;
this is a high end, hand built ribbon mic
that's in a league of its own.
Price: $499
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Recording - May 2020

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