Recording - October 2015 - 59

to record... and the MIDI Input is active in all
Modes, so you can plug in a synthesizer or
controller and play virtual instruments as you
record your audio. A singer or acoustic guitarist, an electric guitarist or bassist, and a
keyboardist can capture a take at the same
time. There are a lot of bus-powered interfaces that can't handle that!
The DGT 650 is Core Audio compliant
and works on Mac OS X 10.6+ and iOS
without driver installation. There's a downloadable ASIO driver for Windows, as
well as a PC program called DGT Control
Center that lets you remotely control the
mic (a Mac version is reportedly on the
way). The DGT 650 is bus-powered from
a Mac or PC; for use with iOS devices, the
DGT 650 has a built-in rechargeable battery, which will supply over 3 hours of
record time. There's a USB Micro-B port on
the side of the mic that's used to run or
recharge the mic; any suitable cable and
USB charger will do the job.

Lewitt Recorder
Lewitt rounds out the package
with an iOS app called Lewitt
Recorder. This is a basic but very
neatly-designed stereo recording
app that may well be appealing even to
folks who don't own a DGT 650.
Up to 32-bit/96 kHz audio recording is
supported (the DGT 650 is a 24-bit device
that supports 44.1, 48, or 96 kHz sample
rates). Recordings can be tagged with keywords or photos, and quickly recalled from
a browser. The edit window allows for
recordings to be cut, cropped, looped in
playback, overdubbed or overwritten, and
includes a waveform display with multiple
markers and draggable handles for fades.

Forthcoming features include reverb, compression, and the ability to play back an
audio track and record new audio while
listening to it and playing along.
The app can be tried for free, but only the
Pro version's recordings can be exported or
shared via iTunes, email, or SoundCloud.
This can be permanently activated with a
$4.99 in-app purchase; alternatively, the
app activates it for 3 days every time you
plug in the DGT 650.
In use
I have a reasonable selection of mics
and interfaces, but sometimes I'd prefer a
simpler way to do audio work on the road.
The DGT 650 won me over in a hurry.
Setup was trivially simple, and would be
even for a total beginner. The breakout box
recorded my keyboard submixer or my guitars clearly and easily while the MIDI input
fed my DAW. The mic itself was a treat: it
offered wide stereo recording with a good
sense of imaging or mono recording with
smooth off-axis rejection, very little noise,
and great resistance to floor rumble and handling. The windscreen works well on wind
and breath noise, but a pop filter wouldn't
be out of place for vocal recording.
One night I was stuck miles from my studio with my weekly internet radio show
fast approaching. I didn't have my DAW,
my studio computers, or my mics... I just
had my laptop and the DGT 650, which
I'd been testing earlier that day. I sat
down in a booth at a coffee shop, fired up
the DGT 650, and did my show. Listeners
in the show's chat room complimented me
on the quality of my voiceovers, and
asked what mic I was using. Several suggested that I keep doing my shows with
the DGT 650, as it sounded so much better than my usual mics!
There's something wonderful about a
genuinely complete and comprehensive
recording setup, including a high-quality
mic, that you can pick up with one hand,

fold up neatly, and tuck into a messenger
bag with your laptop or iPad. Rather than
being a solution looking for a problem,
the DGT 650 is an elegant solution to
recording problems you might not even
know you have yet. It's by no means the
cheapest USB miking solution out there,
but it just might be the best.
Price: $579
More from: Lewitt, www.lewitt-audio.com
RECORDING October 2015

http://www.placidaudio.com http://www.placidaudio.com http://www.lewitt-audio.com

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