If you are in the market for a new studio microphone, check out the reviews, tutorials and articles that we have brought together in one place to help you select your next microphone acquisition. You will also be able to learn the differences between microphone types, compare models, find out what we think of each of these microphones and see if any of the following would meet your needs.
Large Diaphragm Condensor Microphones
We are rather spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a new large-diaphragm condenser mic. Many represent excellent value for money, others are undeniably expensive but quality costs.
Large diaphragm condenser microphones are considered to be excellent all-rounders. Great for the job of recording anything from vocals to drum overheads, guitar cabinets to pianos, dialogue to dobro. With a single good quality large diaphragm condenser, you often have all the microphone you need to record anything that comes your way.
Austrian Audio were born out of AKG but how much of that classic studio microphone DNA has found its way into their OC series microphones? In this extended on test article we try the Austrian Audio OC 818 and 18 condenser microphones on a variety of sources. We find a lot of Austrian-built microphone for surprisingly little money.
As you can imagine we at Production Expert get a chance to test a vast amount of the latest software and hardware but once in a while a brand approaches us that we have no experience of. This was the case with JZ Microphones (pronounced Jay Zed, not Jay Zee). This is how I got on using the JZ Microphones Black Hole BH-1S and the BH2 in a tracking session.
You get to keep just one microphone, which one would you choose? Julian Rodgers makes his choice.
You get to keep just one microphone, which one would you choose? James Ivey makes his choice.
You get to keep just one microphone, which one would you choose? Russ Hughes makes his choice.
Warm Audio is a gear manufacturer that strives to emulate the sound quality of vintage high-end gear, but with a much smaller price tag. I wanted to see how some of their microphones compared to their vintage counterparts.
I’ve said it before and I’ll happily say it again, “I love microphones”. I have done ever since I was a kid and realised you get what you pay for. But what happens when a manufacturer of super high end microphones comes up with a product that is gunning for some of the biggest and most well respected names in the business at a price point that is one of the most hotly contested in the industry? Can the team at Soyuz Microphones create one of their hand-built masterpieces and still sell it for between £1000 and £1500 UK Pounds? Let’s find out by testing the new Soyuz SU-023 or Bomblet microphone.
Small Diaphragm Condenser Microphones
Pencil microphones are an excellent mic choice when you need to record acoustic instruments in a studio environment. While large diaphragm mics often flatter the sound, small diaphragm mics tend to be more accurate. Due to their small capsule size they tend to have better off axis performance and are more tolerant of high SPLs but have higher self noise compared to large diaphragm condenser mics. This favourable off axis performance makes them very well suited to use in stereo pairs.
In this article we test 6 different pairs of 'Small Diaphragm Condenser Microphones' recording drum overheads. This is not to decide which pair are 'best' but to let you hear how changing mics can really make a difference.
Dynamic Microphones
Dynamic mics used to be the first choice for people who couldn’t afford expensive German and Austrian condensers. While this used to be true, cheap, good quality condensers have been available for decades and this argument belongs in the past.
Dynamic mics are now chosen for their sound, which is more mid focused and “slower”, meaning that fast transients aren’t captured with such forensic detail, making them a popular choice for sounds which can get spiky, like electric guitars and drums. They have a low output compared to condensers so while they don’t need phantom power like condensers do, they do need a preamp with a lot of gain if they are to be used on anything quiet.
In this video review for Production Expert, Pro Tools Expert Technical Editor James Ivey takes a look at 3 new microphones from Audio-Technica.During a drum recording session James tries the new AE2300 Dynamic mic on Snare drum, the ATM230 on Floor Toms and the ATM350D on Rack Toms.
For most of 2017, I was stuck in a situation that forced me to use one model of microphone for pretty much every source recording task. For most of the year I haven't had the chance to experiment much with microphone choice or placement, instead, I was struggling just to get half decent sounding recording because I was working in a room that was woefully unfit for studio purposes.
Ribbon Microphones
Ribbon mics have been around a long time and while they fell out of favour for a while, their rich character makes them ideal for digital recording, which can make bright sounds sound harsh. A great choice for anything loud and bright, these are popular on electric guitars, drums and brass but can be used on anything, though they have a low output like dynamic mics and most have a characteristically dark tone. If you already have a couple of mics and want something different a ribbon is a great choice. Watch our videos below to get a sense of how ribbon microphones sound.
In this video review for Production Expert, Technical Editor James Ivey takes a look at the new Delta II and Sigma II handmade ribbon microphones by British microphone manufacturer Sontronics.
In this video for Pro Tools Expert, Technical Editor James Ivey reviews the Audio-Technica 4080 and 4081 ribbon microphones. With music the music of singer songwriter Joel Tavares and his song Rain Down, James records a pair of AT4081 Ribbon mics in a Blumlein configuration to capture an open sounding stereo image of the acoustic guitar. James uses the AT4080 to record Joel's vocals. The 4080 is much more of a traditional dark sounding Ribbon mic and works perfectly as a vocal mic for this track.
In this review for Pro Tools Expert, Technical Editor James Ivey takes a look at 2 microphones from SE Electronics. With the help of singer-songwriter, Joel Tavares, James tests the SE 2200A Mk2 cardioid large diaphragm condenser mic and the SE Voodoo VR2 Ribbon microphone.
In this article Grammy award winning engineer Dom Morley shares his approach to recording some vintage sounding string, brass and percussion parts on Amy Winehouse’s classic album Back To Black
This post does not go into technical differences between ribbon and condenser microphones as that would be a boring article to write... and read. instead, we've produced a shootout between both ribbon and condenser microphones that on the face of it look the same, are both from the same microphone brand and are similarly priced: The SE Electronics SE X1 R ribbon and SE X1 S condenser.
Microphone Modeling
Modelling has played a significant role in the recent evolution of digital audio production. In recent years several great attempts at producing realistic sounding mic models exploded onto the production scene. These systems come with calibrated microphones and software written specifically for these mics to sound and perform as close as possible to the original microphones they model. Why have a microphone locker full of expensive mics when you can have a single mic with several digital recreations instead? We love microphone modelling, check out our article below to find out why and to compare all the top systems on the market today.
Why spend a fortune on high-end and vintage microphones when you can emulate all manner of the things at a fraction of the cost using one of these ingenious modelling platforms? Let’s open the virtual locker…
Universal Audio have announced the release of two new mics based on the Townsend Labs Sphere system. We have the details:
If you want to know about microphone modelling systems then check out our in-depth article. It includes Slate, Townsend Labs, Antelope and more.
In this week’s Podcast Mike Thornton, Julian Rodgers and Emma Butt talk about the potential for the new announcement from Townsend Labs about their software fix for reflection filters. Could this be good news for post production?
Townsend Labs have announced the latest free update to Sphere, the software component of the Sphere L22 Modelling system which as well as introducing 4 new mic models introduces IsoSphere, a new way of combatting poor acoustics. If you have a Sphere L22 you’ll love this!
“Why do people who have spent upwards of $2000 on studio condenser microphones have to EQ them to get them sounding right?” It’s a good question and one overlooked source of colouration is off axis response. As well as offering models of some famously coloured mics, the Sphere L22 gives control over the off axis response allowing “impossibly” flat directional mics to be created. Find out more about this overlooked feature of the L22.
Townsend Labs won a TEC award for Best Recording Microphone at the 2020 NAMM show. Does the fact that a modelling mic beat the best of traditional mics represent a coming of age?
At the beginning of each year, we stick our heads above the parapet and make 5 predictions about what we anticipate happening in the worlds of recording, pro audio and post-production in a given year. In this article, we share our industry predictions for 2020.
We’ve never done a direct comparison of microphone modelling systems but Audio Test Kitchen, who specialise in microphone testing have covered so many of the current systems that the data is out there for all to see. We investigate the differences between modelling mics from Antelope, Townsend Labs and Slate.
Measurement Microphones
A useful mic to keep in your collection is a measurement mic. It won't be an everyday mic, but you'll be grateful for having one in your hand when you need one. Typical applications are for testing the response of how your monitoring and room interact with each other and for software room correction measurements. Inexpensive measurement microphones are available with many popular speaker calibration developers providing one as part of their product line. But do you really need a measurement mic? Our article below may have the answer.
In this article we throw the rule book out of the window. We set out to discover if it is at all possible to get a trustworthy speaker calibration profile without using a recommended measurement microphone. Is it absolutely necessary to buy a measurement microphone if you only intend to demo speaker calibration software?