Recording - May 2017 - 42

LEWITT

"distilled essence" of the LCT line. This is
very accurate; what you get in the LCT 440
PURE is the LEWITT sound minus the digitally
controlled bells and whistles. In fact, the
LCT 440 PURE features no bells and
whistles at all.
It is a fixed cardioid pattern microphone
with no switching, pads, clip history, or
onboard filters. At $269, it is also a much
more affordable way to get the LEWITT
sound in your studio. Note that it is not the
most affordable way-at the 2017 NAMM
show, LEWITT also released the less expensive
and even smaller LCT 240 PRO, which we
will review in a future issue.

LCT 440 PURE

No frills-just great sound
in a mic suitable for any
recording rig
REVIEW BY PAUL VNUK JR.

can't believe it's been five years since
we first met Austria-based LEWITT
Microphones. In that short time, LEWITT
has built quite the lineup, with a reputation
for sonically clean, technologically innovative,
and visually unique microphones. The various
lines of handheld, dynamic, and digital-interface
mics are headed up by the LCT line of studio
condenser mics.
In February of 2012 we looked at the company's
flagship LCT 640, which featured all of LEWITT's
digitally controlled goodness: 5-position pattern switching,
multiple pad levels, multiple highpass filter settings, and even
clip indication and clip history, all via three mic-mounted
digital buttons. In September 2016, we looked at the LCT
550, which is for all intents and purposes a cardioid version
of the LCT 640 that retains all of its other digital tricks while
boasting an even lower noise floor. We didn't review the LCT
450, which slims things down a bit farther by retaining the
clip history indicator but offering only one pad and one highpass
filter setting.
All of these mics fall in the workhorse category. They are
suited for standard rock instrumentation and are equally stellar in
classical and jazz settings, especially on piano and stringed
instruments like cello. They are also very nice vocal mics. This
is why LCT microphones are becoming quite popular in the
sample library creation crowd, especially the newer LCT 640
TS reviewed in our January 2017 issue. This mic offers the
ability to take a separate signal off of the rear capsule, making it
useful for stereo applications, Mid/Side work, and even pattern
adjustment in the mix, thanks to LEWITT's Polarizer plug-in.
The possible downside to all of this technology and innovation
is its price. The LCT 640 TS costs $899, the LCT 550 is $699,
and the LCT 450 is $499... and that's not even considering
the LCT 940 Authentica tube/solid-state hybrid mic, whose
blendable dual-architecture electronics brings its price well
above $1000. Is there no LCT for the budget-minded beginner?
Now there is.
This month we are looking at the latest model in the LCT
series, the new LCT 440 PURE. LEWITT bills this mic as the
42

RECORDING May 2017

Purity

The LCT 440 PURE is visually similar to
each of the abovementioned LCT models,
only shorter-measuring 5.43 x 2.04 x
1.42 inches. It is dressed in matte black
with a dual-layered gloss black headbasket. Inside, there's one of LEWITT's dayglowgreen-rimmed 1" cardioid capsules with a 3-micron
gold-sputtered diaphragm.
As mentioned earlier, it has no buttons or switches
of any sort. It also features a slimmed-down accessory
package; rather than coming in a briefcase like previous models,
it ships in a cardboard box with a vinyl pouch. It does, however,
still include a slightly smaller version of the excellent LEWITT
open-front shockmount, as well as a windscreen and a
magnetically-attached pop filter.
Some specs: the LCT 440 PURE has a sensitivity of 23.1
mV/Pa (-32.7 dBV), a signal-to-noise ratio of 87 dBA, an
equivalent noise level of 7 dBA, and a maximum SPL of 140
dB. Its frequency response is 20 Hz to 20 kHz, fairly flat and
neutral in the lows and mids with a boosted mid and high section
that rises gently at 1.250 Hz with a 3.5 dB peak at 4 kHz
and another 5 dB peak at 13 kHz. Although this response is
boosted in the midrange and highs, it's still significantly more
gentle than many of today's bright condenser mics, which can
peak out at 9 to 12 dB around 12 kHz.

In use

The first thing I did when I received my LCT 440 PURE, one
of the first production models to arrive in the country, was to
compare it to the previously-reviewed LCT 640 TS in cardioid
pattern. Sonically I could perceive little difference between
the two. The LCT 440 PURE lives up to its name and does its
big brothers proud, being ultra-clean and natural sounding.
It's very much in the "what your source sounds like is what
you get" camp.
As with my previous LCT reviews, I want to point out that
this is not a clinical or sterile sort of clean. The LCT 440 PURE
does have a sound to it that is forward, open, and clear, but

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