Recording - November 2010 - 28

Telefunken Elektroakustik AR-51

Specifications and response For the spec-hungry, the AR51 has a 76 dB signal-to-noise ratio, 16 dBA equivalent noise, sensitivity of 14mV/Pa= –37dB (0dB = 1v/Pa) – 10dB, and 138 dB Max SPL. While Telefunken claims a 20–20,000 Hz frequency response for the AR-51, as is common with most modern microphones, it is what happens in between those limits that counts. Each mic is sent with an individual frequency plot, and while mine weren’t identical, they shared common trends. The mic’s frequency response rises by about 10 dB from 55 Hz to 100 Hz, then there’s a gradual rise from there to about 8 kHz, accentuated with the usual small peaks one expects from body and capsule resonances (roughly at 300 Hz, 500 Hz, and 4 kHz). The mic has a significant high-frequency bump from 8 kHz up to about 15 kHz, after which it drops off fairly quickly. To my ears, this produces an overall sound that tends to unify sources and let them sit in a mix, rather than pushing them forward as one might often hear in a modern rock track. How it sounds The AR-51 sounds clear with an airy width and depth. Its midrange exhibits a clarity and detail without being punchy or forceful, and its low end is controlled yet smooth. I spent a good three to four months getting to know this mic in the studio. Just like in a good relationship, sometimes I liked what it did, sometimes I didn’t, but eventually it was love... Okay, if this sounds a tad gushy for a mic, let me explain why. While many mics are considered source-specific, the AR-51 cannot be measured in terms like “good” or “bad”. Instead it becomes more a question of what kind of music you’re miking and where you want the miked source to sit in the mix. What I found was that certain sources in certain genres weren’t suited to the AR-51... but it worked way more often than it didn’t, and when it did work, oh boy... Voices For instance, while I found the AR-51 to have an extremely pleasant tone on the male alt-rock vocals I was cutting at the time, I found that for these groups of
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songs it lacked a bit too much of the midhigh push necessary for leaping out of a dense rock mix. On a singer-songwriter accompanied only by acoustic guitar and hand percussion, it had the opposite effect. Even though everything was tracked separately, the AR-51 nailed the illusion that the vocalist, the guitar and the percussion were together in the same space at the same time. It was a believable depth that simply gelled well with little to no postprocessing. Similarly the AR-51 is wonderful at seating backing vocals into a mix. This is a mic that is tailor-made for group backing vocals, whether it’s a duet in a figure8 pattern or a trio of vocalists in omni mode. Like a classic microphone, it imparts an illusion of space, even on mono tracks.

Hit me Drum overheads? This is may be why this mic was created, period! (Gush alert!) In a room with 20' ceilings, 1" thick hardwood floors and a well-tuned kit, the AR51 gave me the overhead drum sound I had been trying to capture for years. In omni mode, the sound was full and lush with a smooth, silky detail on the cymbals that was not strident, even with huge crashes and swells. Also, thanks to the mic’s rolled-off low end, I did not have to eq out as much of the mud as I have in the past with other overhead mics, including my beloved KM84s. The AR-51 is also well suited to shakers, tambourines, bells and the like, and as you can guess, its sense of depth makes it a very natural room and distance mic as well. About the only sources where it wasn’t stellar were a huge 8x10 bass cabinet and a 22" kick drum (miked a foot outside), where I would have liked more punch and deep boom. Conclusions My conclusion is simple: I love the AR51! It’s incredible on many sources, but for drum overheads alone this mic is worth having in your locker. Speaking of worth, the AR-51 streets at $1895, a serious price tag, but that’s for a serious mic that costs much, much less than one of Telefunken’s handmade new recreation ELA-Ms, to say nothing of a vintage model. Does it capture the sound of a real ELA-M 251? Does it sound “vintage”? I don’t know. Part of the problem is—we have a romantic expectation of tubes and vintage recordings and old gear that translates to modern tube mics trying too hard for that “tube sound”, with many tube mics trying to be like a thick fuzzy pillow over a source. The AR-51 is like ripping open the pillow and scattering the feathers in the air and letting them float gently around the source... imparting tube character in the air around the music rather than piling on and potentially obscuring it. If this is “vintage”, fine; all I know is, it’s beautiful. Price: $1895 street More from: Telefunken Elektroakustik, www.telefunken-elektroakustik.com. Paul Vnuk Jr. (vnuk@recordingmag.com) is a recording engineer, musician, producer, and sound designer, living and working in the Milwaukee area. His latest project is Continental Drift, a cinematic world-music sample library for Sony Creative Software. Learn more about Paul’s sonic exploits at www.majale.com.

Guitars—elektro and akustic Interestingly the AR-51 is one of the rare exceptions to my overall dislike of large-diaphragm condenser mics on an electric guitar cabinet. Here it is well suited for traditional blues, Americana and many classic rock styles, where air and presence win over “in your face”. Coupled with a KM84 it was one of my favorite combinations for capturing the reverb- and tremolo-drenched sounds of ’50s-style rockabilly, as well as Wes Montgomery-style traditional jazz. The only style it fell short on was for the focused grind of punk and metal, where the SM57 and/or R-121 still rule. On acoustic guitar it is a nice choice for strummed steel-stringed rhythm tracks as well as those of the aforementioned solo folksy nature. It was not, however, forward enough for finger-picking leads or nylon classical guitar, where I found my U47 clone and/or small-diaphragm KM 84s to be more to my liking.

http://www.telefunken-elektroakustik.com http://www.majale.com

Recording - November 2010

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