Recording - January 2013 - 40

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

Lauten Atlantis FC-387
Flexible electronics make this mic a multiple-application contender
Behind the Atlantis’ double-mesh grille lives Lauten’s super-sized 38 mm capsule with a dual 31.25 mm edge-terminated diaphragm, the same one found in the Oceanus. It has a transformer-coupled output, similar to the one found in the Clarion, and it has a special DC-DC converter used to keep phantom power at a stable level, even if your mic pre’s 48V supply fluctuates. On the mic’s body are a trio of 3-position switches: one for pattern choice, one for choice of a –10 dB pad or a +10 dB boost (a feature first introduced on the Clarion), and a Character switch we’ll address in a few moments. Atlantis traits The Atlantis is a multi-patterned FET microphone with the usual choice of cardioid, omni or figure-8 patterns. It is listed as having a 120 dB minimum dynamic range, a <200 ohms impedance, a max SPL of 130 dB, and a 16mV/Pa or –36 ±2 dB (0 dB=1V/Pa @1 kHz) sensitivity. Sonically it is a common 20 Hz to 20 kHz design, but before we dive into frequency graphs and charts, now is the time to unveil the function of the Character switch. Hearing multiple voices The Atlantis was developed with the input of noted producer/engineer Fabrice “Fab” Dupont. His credits include work with Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Les Nubians & others; he was also a featured speaker at the recent PreSonuSphere 2012 conference as described in our December 2012 issue. As the story goes, as Lauten sent Fab various versions and revisions of the microphone, Fab eventually decided he liked them all! So Lauten’s designers decided that the logical thing to do was to incorporate them all into one microphone at the same time. Now this may not seem like a new concept, as many mics have offered changeable capsules or eq-based roll-off and/or frequency extension switches in the past, but in reality this is neither. The Character switch on the Atlantis is not a simple eq curve that dulls down or boosts the frequencies; instead it switches the microphone between 3 distinct circuit paths. These voicings are labeled: F (Forward), N (Neutral), and G (Gentle), and we will look at each of them in detail, after we talk about the similarities between all three in the lows and mids. Each voicing has a very strong low end centering around 80 Hz in cardioid and omni modes and closer to 50 Hz in figure-8. The mid section remains fairly consistent throughout each, with omni mode dipping slightly around 400 Hz, while both cardioid and omni have a nice, slight bump around 1.5 kHz. Also common to all three is a very fast off-axis rejection and a less pronounced proximity effect than I am used to from many mics. Forward-Neutral-Gentle Forward, as its name implies, is the brightest and most upper-mid present of the bunch. This could best be described as the modernFET/modern-pop sound. It is crisp, dimensional and open. Looking at the frequency plot you will see that in cardioid and figure-8 mode

Here at Recording we have been covering the Lauten microphone line since 2007 when we reviewed their first product, the Horizon LT-321 tube microphone, in our August 2007 issue. Since then we’ve also reviewed the Torch ST-221 small-diaphragm pencil tube condensers (October 2009) and the Clarion large-diaphragm multipattern FET condenser mic (May 2011). In each instance what has impressed me the most about Brian Loudenslager and Dr. Charles Chen’s designs is that each of these mics exhibits its own unique sound that is not a clone of one of the vintage greats. Each Lauten model we have seen has offered impeccable and unique sound in a robust and well-built package. This month we look at Lauten’s new Atlantis FC-387, a solidstate mic that excels in versatility. Atlantis found! The Atlantis comes with a robust shock mount and a nice felt-lined cherrywood box. Unlike other Lauten models it does away with the aluminum hard shell brief case. The Atlantis keeps with Lauten’s tradition of housing the components in a heavy milled brass body with a light champagne-style finish and the characteristic Lauten crest inlay. While Lauten’s older Clarion model is roughly the size of a beer or soda can, when I saw Mr. Loudenslager at AES this year I joked that the Atlantis is a full on 40-ounce! It measures just shy of 91/2" in length with a 25/8" diameter, and at 36 oz. it is one of the heavier FET mics I have used. A heavy-duty mic stand is a must!
40
RECORDING January 2013



Recording - January 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - January 2013

Recording - January 2013
Fade In.
Table of Contents
Talkback.
2012 AES Convention Report.
Universal Audio Apollo.
ADAM Audio F5 and F7 Monitors.
Earthworks ZDT 1022 Mic Preamp.
Trident HG3 Close Field Monitoring System.
AKG K702 65th Anniversary Edition Headphones.
Grace Design m903 Reference Headphone Amplifier.
Monitors & Monitoring.
Lauten Atlantis FC-387 Condenser Microphone.
Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 13: Monitors Part 2.
PreSonus BlueTube DP V2.
Getting Into Your Head.
Shure SE215 Sound Isolating Earphones.
Readers’ Tapes.
iOS Music Tools: Last-Minute Audio Gifts!
Sennheiser HD800 Headphones.
Advertiser Index.
2012 Annual Index.
Fade Out.
Recording - January 2013 - Recording - January 2013
Recording - January 2013 - Cover2
Recording - January 2013 - 1
Recording - January 2013 - 2
Recording - January 2013 - 3
Recording - January 2013 - Fade In.
Recording - January 2013 - 5
Recording - January 2013 - Table of Contents
Recording - January 2013 - 7
Recording - January 2013 - Talkback.
Recording - January 2013 - 9
Recording - January 2013 - 2012 AES Convention Report.
Recording - January 2013 - 11
Recording - January 2013 - 12
Recording - January 2013 - 13
Recording - January 2013 - 14
Recording - January 2013 - 15
Recording - January 2013 - 16
Recording - January 2013 - 17
Recording - January 2013 - 18
Recording - January 2013 - 19
Recording - January 2013 - Universal Audio Apollo.
Recording - January 2013 - 21
Recording - January 2013 - 22
Recording - January 2013 - 23
Recording - January 2013 - ADAM Audio F5 and F7 Monitors.
Recording - January 2013 - 25
Recording - January 2013 - Earthworks ZDT 1022 Mic Preamp.
Recording - January 2013 - 27
Recording - January 2013 - Trident HG3 Close Field Monitoring System.
Recording - January 2013 - 29
Recording - January 2013 - AKG K702 65th Anniversary Edition Headphones.
Recording - January 2013 - 31
Recording - January 2013 - 32
Recording - January 2013 - 33
Recording - January 2013 - Grace Design m903 Reference Headphone Amplifier.
Recording - January 2013 - 35
Recording - January 2013 - Monitors & Monitoring.
Recording - January 2013 - 37
Recording - January 2013 - 38
Recording - January 2013 - 39
Recording - January 2013 - Lauten Atlantis FC-387 Condenser Microphone.
Recording - January 2013 - 41
Recording - January 2013 - Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 13: Monitors Part 2.
Recording - January 2013 - 43
Recording - January 2013 - PreSonus BlueTube DP V2.
Recording - January 2013 - 45
Recording - January 2013 - Getting Into Your Head.
Recording - January 2013 - 47
Recording - January 2013 - 48
Recording - January 2013 - 49
Recording - January 2013 - Shure SE215 Sound Isolating Earphones.
Recording - January 2013 - 51
Recording - January 2013 - 52
Recording - January 2013 - 53
Recording - January 2013 - 54
Recording - January 2013 - 55
Recording - January 2013 - Readers’ Tapes.
Recording - January 2013 - 57
Recording - January 2013 - iOS Music Tools: Last-Minute Audio Gifts!
Recording - January 2013 - 59
Recording - January 2013 - 60
Recording - January 2013 - 61
Recording - January 2013 - Sennheiser HD800 Headphones.
Recording - January 2013 - Advertiser Index.
Recording - January 2013 - 64
Recording - January 2013 - 65
Recording - January 2013 - 66
Recording - January 2013 - 67
Recording - January 2013 - 68
Recording - January 2013 - 69
Recording - January 2013 - 2012 Annual Index.
Recording - January 2013 - 71
Recording - January 2013 - Fade Out.
Recording - January 2013 - Cover3
Recording - January 2013 - Cover4
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