RECORDING June 2022 - 10

REVIEW
Fluid Audio Axis
A versatile, new large-diaphragm condenser
microphone that's easy on your wallet
REVIEWED BY CHRISTOPHER WRIGHT
he Axis Condenser is the first in a new line of studio microphones
from Fluid Audio. Featuring a high sensitivity, low noise floor and
high SPL handling, this large-diaphragm cardioid condenser is
designed for use on acoustic instruments, vocals and more. The Axis is
offered at a very attractive price point.
Speaker designer Kevin Zuccaro
founded Fluid Audio in 2011. We have
been covering Fluid Audio products
since November 2016, when we looked
at the inaugural coaxial FX8 studio
monitors. In January 2020, we checked
out its successor, the FX80. In addition to
traditional and coaxial speaker designs,
Fluid Audio has added headphones,
audio interfaces and now microphones
to its lineup.
On-Axis
The compact, lightweight Axis measures
7 " x 2 " with a stylish dark gray
textured finish on a solid brass body.
Inside it features discrete Class-A FET
electronics with a transformer-coupled
output with a low noise floor. The cardioid
capsule features a gold-sputtered
34 mm diaphragm. There are no pads,
filters or switches on the Axis.
The Axis ships in a solid, foam-lined
road case with a number of handy accessories.
These include a robust, open-front
shock mount that is well made
and quite visually striking compared to
the standard off-the-shelf shock mounts.
There is a vintage-style elastic-band pop
filter for plosives, a hand-soldered Scale
Technologies XLR cable with a 4-core
twining cable, and a zipper pouch.
Specs
The Axis offers a 20Hz-20kHz
frequency response with a 136dB max
SPL, a 12.4mV/Pa sensitivity, a 16dB
equivalent noise level and a 77dB
signal-to-noise ratio.
10 RECORDING June 2022
Tonally the Axis has a 2dB boost centered
on 30Hz. It is neutral from 40Hz to
500Hz with a flat 2dB shelf-style boost
from 275Hz to 2kHz. There is a 6dB
peak from 10-18kHz followed by a
sharp roll-off.
Balanced Sound and Sheen
Sonically the Axis is a nice balance
of accurate and clean while exhibiting
a noticeable upper mid-forward coloration.
This is coupled with an airy top-end
sheen that sounds especially good on
vocals. When you are right up on the
microphone, a slight proximity effect balances
well with the top end, offering a
clean, full, smooth sound.
Use
I love the detail and depth typically
found in a quality large-diaphragm condenser
microphone. On vocals, guitar
amps, acoustic guitar, shaker and congas,
the Axis is no exception.
I was fortunate enough to have a session
where the artist let me do a test run
with the Axis mic alongside a familiar
studio staple. The Axis captured her vocals
cleanly, with slight coloration, good
body and an airy top end. We both
determined that this microphone totally
held its own against my usual and much
more expensive condenser mic.
This led to my excitement to record
acoustic guitar next. I typically bump
the high frequencies a bit to accentuate
the crispness of the acoustic guitar,
However, thanks to the +6dB presence
boost, I didn't need to. This, coupled
with the mic's slight upper-mid boost,
gave the acoustic a balanced presence
and body as well.
The above attributes and the gentle
low-end bump make the Axis a great
percussion mic, and congas and shakers
sounded full and thumping. Based on
that, in my opinion, a stereo pair of Axis
microphones would be a good choice for
clean, crisp overhead capture. I would
not hesitate to try a couple as a spaced
pair for room miking, choir or piano.
Wrap-Up
The Fluid Audio Axis is one of those wellrounded
microphones that is THIS versatile
and sounds THIS good! I continually had to
wrap my head around its performance versus
its cost. Technology truly is advancing
at an uncanny rate. The Axis is a great tool
to have in your arsenal of microphones. If
you are doing any acoustic recording or
vocal tracks, try this mic out.
Christopher Wright is a freelance audio
engineer and musician living in Boulder,
CO. You can reach him at Coupe
Studios or workitbirdstudios.com
Frequency Range .........20Hz-20kHz
Sensitivity .......................12.4mV/Pa
Rated Impedance ....................100Ω
Rated Load Impedance ........1000Ω
Equivalent Noise .... 16dB A-weighted
Max Acoustic SPL ..........136dB SPL
Signal-To-Noise Ratio .............77 dB
Maximum Output .............. +11 dBu
Price: $249
More from: fluidaudio.com
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Fluid Audio History
http://www.workitbirdstudios.com http://fluidaudio.com
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