Recording - May 2012 - 20

B Y PA U L V N U K J R .

Kel Audio HM-7U & HM-3C condenser microphones
From instruments to vocals, these mics offer great sonic choices
Kel’s instrument-focused HM-3C, and at Kel’s flagship, the HM-7U, that—although billed as a “rich and clear vocal mic”—is well suited to instrumental tasks as well. The Kel design Like the Song Sparrow, the HM-7U and HM-3C are both housed in lightweight, durable aluminum bodies, and both mics share the Kel look with a matte black color scheme, large knurled rings around the base and head basket, white lettering and silver head grilles. There are some subtle differences, of course, and I will describe those below. As with the Song Sparrow, the “less-ismore” design philosophy shows not only in the clean and simple outward appearance, but also inside—there is as little circuitry in the signal path as possible, and what there is is of the highest quality. Each model comes as part of a basic kit with an aluminum flight case and a shock mount, plus the HM-7U also comes with a standard hard mount as well. ence the classic Neumann in my comparisons, it was not Kel’s intention to make a clone, and as you’ll see from my tests, it has a wonderful character all its own. [Editor’s Note: We asked Kelly Dueck of Kel Audio for clarification on what a “small supercardioid” pattern was, and he provided us with the following explanation. “The HM-7U’s polar pattern is “supercardioidish”. Its deepest null is at about 135 degrees, as opposed to 180 degrees for a pure cardioid, but its rear lobe isn’t as pronounced, nor is the front lobe as narrow, as you would find on what I consider a “proper” supercardioid mic, something along the lines of a Schoeps MK41”.] The specs as per Kel Audio include a 20 Hz–20 kHz frequency response, –38 ±2 dB sensitivity, output impedance of 55 ohms ±30, an 80 dB signal-to-noise ratio and a 132 dB max. SPL level. The manufacturer’s frequency plot shows the HM-7U to be flat across the midrange, with a low-end bump of 5 dB between 30 to 50 Hz, a small upper-mid peak between 3 kHz and 5 kHz, and then a 5 dB peak around 10 kHz which tapers off thereafter. Physically the HM-7U is just over 7" tall, with about a 2" diameter. Like the Song Sparrow it features a double-layered mesh grill to aid in the reduction of plosives and breath sounds. It has a switchable 6 dB pad

HM-7U
The HM-7U is a large-diaphragm condenser with a transformerless, dual FET circuit. It houses a 1.1" K47-type capsule with what Kel calls a “small supercardioid” polar pattern. It’s worth noting that the legendary Neumann U 47 also featured a supercardioid pattern, and since many modern U 47 copies use a standard cardioid capsule in their designs, this is a nice touch. Please note that while I referKel Audio is a Canadian company whose proprietary in-house designs coupled with overseas manufacturing allow them to create a line of microphones that are affordable while exhibiting a sound that is all their own. Back in our February 2012 issue on vocal recording we took a look a Kel’s vocal-centric Song Sparrow microphone and were quite impressed by its open, airy, yet smooth sonic character. In this month’s issue our topic is instrument miking, and so we are looking at
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RECORDING MAY 2012



Recording - May 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - May 2012

Recording - May 2012
Fade In
Contents
Talkback
Fast Forward
Lynne Arriale’s Solo—A Piano Solo Recording Of Note
Kel Audio HM-7U amd HM-3C Microphones
Fanny Franklin’s Get Wet—A Conversation With Producer/Engineer Jason Gutierrez
AKG Perception 120 USB Microphone
Miking Instruments: The Lost Art
Earthworks SR20 Microphone
SXSW 2012
Radial Engineering MC3 Passive Monitor Switcher
Readers’ Tapes
Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 5: Introduction To Microphones—Part Two (Directionality).
Miking A Symphony Orchestra For A Commercial
Audio-Technica AT4050ST Stereo Microphone
Alclair Reference In-Ear Monitors
RME Fireface UCX
Advertiser Index
Fade Out
Recording - May 2012 - Recording - May 2012
Recording - May 2012 - Cover2
Recording - May 2012 - 1
Recording - May 2012 - 2
Recording - May 2012 - 3
Recording - May 2012 - Fade In
Recording - May 2012 - 5
Recording - May 2012 - Contents
Recording - May 2012 - 7
Recording - May 2012 - Talkback
Recording - May 2012 - 9
Recording - May 2012 - Fast Forward
Recording - May 2012 - 11
Recording - May 2012 - Lynne Arriale’s Solo—A Piano Solo Recording Of Note
Recording - May 2012 - 13
Recording - May 2012 - 14
Recording - May 2012 - 15
Recording - May 2012 - 16
Recording - May 2012 - 17
Recording - May 2012 - 18
Recording - May 2012 - 19
Recording - May 2012 - 20
Recording - May 2012 - 21
Recording - May 2012 - Kel Audio HM-7U amd HM-3C Microphones
Recording - May 2012 - 23
Recording - May 2012 - Fanny Franklin’s Get Wet—A Conversation With Producer/Engineer Jason Gutierrez
Recording - May 2012 - 25
Recording - May 2012 - 26
Recording - May 2012 - 27
Recording - May 2012 - 28
Recording - May 2012 - 29
Recording - May 2012 - 30
Recording - May 2012 - 31
Recording - May 2012 - 32
Recording - May 2012 - 33
Recording - May 2012 - AKG Perception 120 USB Microphone
Recording - May 2012 - 35
Recording - May 2012 - Miking Instruments: The Lost Art
Recording - May 2012 - 37
Recording - May 2012 - Earthworks SR20 Microphone
Recording - May 2012 - 39
Recording - May 2012 - SXSW 2012
Recording - May 2012 - 41
Recording - May 2012 - Radial Engineering MC3 Passive Monitor Switcher
Recording - May 2012 - 43
Recording - May 2012 - Readers’ Tapes
Recording - May 2012 - 45
Recording - May 2012 - Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 5: Introduction To Microphones—Part Two (Directionality).
Recording - May 2012 - 47
Recording - May 2012 - 48
Recording - May 2012 - 49
Recording - May 2012 - 50
Recording - May 2012 - 51
Recording - May 2012 - 52
Recording - May 2012 - 53
Recording - May 2012 - 54
Recording - May 2012 - 55
Recording - May 2012 - Miking A Symphony Orchestra For A Commercial
Recording - May 2012 - 57
Recording - May 2012 - Audio-Technica AT4050ST Stereo Microphone
Recording - May 2012 - 59
Recording - May 2012 - Alclair Reference In-Ear Monitors
Recording - May 2012 - 61
Recording - May 2012 - RME Fireface UCX
Recording - May 2012 - 63
Recording - May 2012 - 64
Recording - May 2012 - Advertiser Index
Recording - May 2012 - 66
Recording - May 2012 - 67
Recording - May 2012 - 68
Recording - May 2012 - 69
Recording - May 2012 - 70
Recording - May 2012 - 71
Recording - May 2012 - Fade Out
Recording - May 2012 - Cover3
Recording - May 2012 - Cover4
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