Recording - January 2015 - 37

The DM-1B is a fantastic bass cabinet mic
and here its full-spectrum condenser nature
really shines. It captures the subsonic lows
beautifully while grabbing the mid honk of
the strings, but never sounds overhyped.
Having said that, this is not a multipurpose condenser, and when trying it on
other sources it just sounds (to put it bluntly) weird. Only here does it become
apparent that there is some sonic tailoring going on for kick and bass sources.
On things like vocals or guitar, its top end
is slightly harsh and spitty and its
midrange slightly pinched. All in all,
that's OK... this isn't a vocal or guitar mic,
it's a kick or bass mic, and at those tasks
the DM-1B does a great job.
Thwack thwack!
Moving to the snare, the DM-1S is a
small sized pencil condenser, 31/2" long
by 7/8" wide, with a 30 Hz to 20 kHz
response, an 8mV/Pa - 42 dB ±1 dB sensitivity, a <200 ohm impedance, a max
SPL of 135 dB, and a Self-noise of 14.0
dBA. It has a 24mm capsule and a
recessed -10 dB pad switch.
The DM-1S is the most sonically carved
of the three mics and the most focused for
its intended use. It has a very subdued
low end in terms of proximity effect and
boom. Its mids and highs are open and
quite real, and it captures the crack and
harmonics of the snare well, both over
and under the drum.
For most rock players, I found it essential to engage the pad to avoid clipping.
With the pad disengaged, it makes a

nice intimate mic for delicate stick and
especially brush work, well suited to jazz
and nuanced playing.
This is one of the most source-specific mics
I have ever used. Beyond snare applications, I found only a few uses for it, such as
on the head of a doumbek, where it highlighted the crack and finger work nicely.
Thud thud!
The tom-focused DM-1T is similar in
every way to the DM-1S from looks to
specs; you will need to look at its
engraved model number to tell it apart. It
differs tonally in that it opens the "faucet"
a bit more on the low mids and lows, and
also highlights the upper mids. This shaping makes it well suited to the hit, thud,
and sustain of most toms.
It's still not a full-range pencil condenser
like the Sontronics STC-1 (see the sidebar),
but unlike the DM-1S it does have broader uses. The DM-1T works well on percussion such as congas, bongos, tabla,
bodhrán, and the like.
The trio in use
Taken as a set, the DM series mics work
together well. Unlike many dynamic drum
mics, the Sontronics condensers tilt heavily
toward openness and realism vs. focus
and vibe. This is a strength if you have an
impeccably-tuned drum kit and the music
style is suited to realism and openness. The
downside is that as cardioid condensers,
all three mics pick up everything-resonance, ring, rattle, and the bleed of the the
other drums and the cymbals.

Overheads and more: the Sontronics STC-1
Although it's not a drum mic
per se, and an older model in
the Sontronics mic locker, the
company also sent me three of
its STC-1 pencil condensers. I
received the STC-1S matched
stereo kit ($449), in a wooden
"cigar box" case complete
with mic clips, windscreens,
and a stereo bar. The third
STC-1 ($199) came with clip,
windscreen, and an additional, interchangeable hypercardioid capsule ($69).
The STC-1 is a beautifullymade mic, available in an elegant matte black/brass color
scheme as well as an optional
chrome and black. It has a
great weight and impressive
build quality. It is 61/4" long by
7
/8" wide and offers a 3-position pad of 0, -10, or -20 dB,
and a 3-position lowcut filter
with off / 75 Hz / 150 Hz settings. It's a transformerless

On classic R&B, minimal rock, jazz,
and similar styles in a decent tracking
room, this is not much of a problem.
However, I did find it problematic in live
situations, as well as on louder styles of
music like punk, prog, and metal in the studio. Bleed-not only of the other drums,
but the other instruments as well-was an
issue, even when gating the signal, as the
ambience change was noticeable.
On toms, the supplied mic mounts work
great. They allow for a nice choice of
angles to help balance the initial hit with
the drum's tone. However, on the snare I
found the clip awkward to place; it was
necessary to use a regular mic stand or different clip mount, as the supplied mic clips
are too high for the snare drum and could
get in the way of the hi-hat and high tom.
Conclusion
These are well-built and useful mics that
work well together. They are a tad stylespecific, as mentioned, but really that's the
hallmark of using cardioid condenser mics
on a drum kit vs. dynamic mics. If you can
only afford one of the trio to begin with, go
for the DM-1B. It's great for huge natural
kick tones with a nice sound of its own, and
it's also killer on bass cabinet.
Prices: DM-1B, $399; DM-1S and DM1T, $175 each
More from: Sontronics, www.sontronics
.com. Dist. in North America by
Pro Audio Distribution,
www.proaudiodistribution.com.

class A design with a 25 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response, a
12mV/Pa - 36 dB ±2 dB sensitivity, a <200 ohm impedance, a
max SPL of 137 dB, and a self-noise of 16.0 dBA. It is fairly
smooth across the mids, with a slight 300 Hz dip and a healthy
18 kHz rise on the top.
I put the cardioids to use on overheads, both in XY and
spaced-pair configurations, and used the hypercardioid STC-1
for the hi-hat, before trying them on other sources as well. I
found it a very open, clear, and modern condenser that works
well on overheads as well as backing vocals, choirs, strings,
acoustic guitar, and percussion. It's a tad too sibilant for distorted electric guitar, but that was really the only source I would hesitate to use it on.
I was really impressed with this mic overall, especially when
one considers its price. I compared the cardioid STC-1 to a few
other pencil condensers in a similar price range; it was the most
open and bright, with a nice full low end that offered a very
dimensional sound. These were the brightest pencil condensers
in my little roundup, but they are not spitty or harsh at all. The
hypercardioid capsule was by nature both narrow in regard to
rejection and also more "narrow" in tone, but this made it a very
nice focused and mid-forward hi-hat mic.
I really liked the STC-1, especially as an XY pair using the
stereo bar on acoustic guitar, where it offered a nice natural
clarity. I don't say this often, but you would need to move up
quite a bit on the price ladder to find a pencil condenser nicer
than the STC-1 in this class.-PV
RECORDING January 2015

37


http://www.sontronics.com http://www.sontronics.com http://www.proaudiodistribution.com

Recording - January 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - January 2015

Contents
Recording - January 2015 - Cover1
Recording - January 2015 - Cover2
Recording - January 2015 - 1
Recording - January 2015 - 2
Recording - January 2015 - 3
Recording - January 2015 - 4
Recording - January 2015 - 5
Recording - January 2015 - Contents
Recording - January 2015 - 7
Recording - January 2015 - 8
Recording - January 2015 - 9
Recording - January 2015 - 10
Recording - January 2015 - 11
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Recording - January 2015 - Cover3
Recording - January 2015 - Cover4
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