Recording - April 2017 - 53

It is slightly cleaner and quieter than
the SU-017, and can handle 20 dB
more SPL, which is impressive. In my
2015 review I called the SU-017 classic
and rich-sounding; the SU-019 is equally
classic-sounding but trades some of that
euphonic tube richness for clarity, focus,
and an immediate up-close sound. It also
still trends toward a clear roundness rather
than being overly modern and bright.
The SU-019 exhibits a very natural
off-axis rejection that rolls off quietly
rather than being a sharp cutoff. Its
proximity effect kicks in at just over an
inch, and then opens up quickly from
six inches outward.

In use

Like the SU-017, this mic is very tight-
it does not exaggerate room sounds and
focuses nicely. The SU-019 captures audio
with a nice mix-filling presence that highlights the source yet largely ignores the
space around the instrument or voice.
Think full, intimate, yet detailed.
This is a great mic to highlight in our
singer-songwriter issue, as it is wonderfully

suited to the traditional singer/acoustic
guitar paradigm. Used recently on such a
setup, the guitarist could not believe how
well it captured his Martin acoustic, as
well as the female vocalist. You can see
pics of the session on our Instagram,
Twitter, and Facebook pages. When I
sent a rough mix to them both with zero
EQ or compression, the guitarist could not
stop commenting on the guitar sound and
how he thought it could easily make the
final mix. I had similar results a few days
later, tracking a nice Taylor acoustic.
The SU-019 loves vocals, especially
the female voice. The one warning I
have is that you will need a nice pop
filter with this mic. When right up on the
capsule it is very prone to air blasts that
will temporarily overloud the capsule.
Once a pop filter is in place, you're
good to go. For spoken word, this is not
what I would call a radio-voice mic, but
rather a good clean classic voiceover
mic in the realm of a vintage U87-not
so much in sound, but application.
I was quite surprised at how much I liked
it on guitar amps, especially for jazz tones

and Ryan Adams-esque Americana. It
yields a great single miked cabinet sound.
Another place I liked it on was on toms,
especially floor tom. It offered a very clean
classic FET sound, and thanks to its small
compact bayonet head it was very easy
to place and position. It also made a nice
overhead mic on drums (I only had one,
darn it)-again, think clean, ultra-focused
1970s tight overheads. It's also a great
ukulele mic! About the only applications
where I did not find a use for the SU-019
were on kick drum and as a room mic, and
my kick results might have been better if I'd
had the optional screw-on 20 dB pad.

Wrapping up

Here is the part where I remind you that
handmade quality has a price, but the
good news is that the SU-019 comes in at
a little over half the price of the SU-017. If
you are in need of a quality flagship mic
for your studio, especially if vocalists and
acoustic guitars are in your wheelhouse,
this mic will be a long lasting investment.
Soyuz is on a roll and has fast-tracked itself
to the top of the microphone arms race.
http://www.kiqproductions.com
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