Category Archives for "Microphones"
September 28, 2020
- in Gear , Microphones , Microphones , New Music Gear Monday by Bobby Owsinski
New Music Gear Monday: Telefunken TF11 FET Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone
There are certain microphones that stand iconic in the pantheon of great gear. Some are so good that even competitors try to emulate them. One of those is the AKG C12, which has been a favorite of engineers everywhere for decades. Telefunken makes some wonderful microphones itself, with a long history of excellent originals and […]
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April 1, 2019
- in Gear , Microphones , Microphones , New Music Gear Monday , Production by Bobby Owsinski
New Music Gear Monday: Lauten Audio LS-308 Noise Rejection Condenser Microphone
A question that I’ve been getting over and over through the years from engineers who are just starting out is, “How can I get more isolation between my tracks?” Now that’s normally not much of a problem for older engineers who’ve learned to make leakage work for them, but today’s modern recording requires another order […]
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February 25, 2019
- in Gear , Hardware , Microphones , Microphones , New Music Gear Monday , Recording by Bobby Owsinski
New Music Gear Monday: Royer Labs dBooster
Anyone who’s ever used a ribbon mic is aware of a surprising limitation – the output is low. Likewise for good sounding dynamic mics like the Shure SM7B or RE-20, and even the SM57. This isn’t a problem when the program material has a moderately high SPL level, but if that’s not the case you […]
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January 8, 2019
- in Gear , Microphones , Video by Bobby Owsinski
A Look At The Abbey Road Microphone Collection
Grammy-winning engineer Sylvia Massy is on a quest to write the ultimate book on microphones, and it’s taken her all around the world to find both historical artifacts on microphone design and the designers themselves. One stop was to the famed Abbey Road Studios for a look at their totally unique collection of mics. In […]
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January 7, 2019
- in Gear , Microphones , Microphones , New Music Gear Monday by Bobby Owsinski
New Music Gear Monday: Warm Audio WA-251 Tube Condenser Microphone
If you’re like me, you’re probably thinking that the last thing the audio world needs is another vintage mic clone. There are already so many good ones available at some great prices. That said, Warm Audio has a way with vintage gear copies that seems to capture the essence of the product that many boutique […]
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November 14, 2018
- in Gear , Microphones by Bobby Owsinski
How To Build Your Own Subkick Mic
The subkick microphone phenomenon has been with us for a while now and it seems like you won’t find a tracking session without one anymore. It all started due to the burning desire to get more bottom end from the kick drum without having to crank up the low-end EQ. That being said, the trend is […]
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October 29, 2018
- in Gear , Microphones , Microphones , New Music Gear Monday by Bobby Owsinski
New Music Gear Monday: AEA KU5A Directional Ribbon Microphone
Most engineers love ribbon microphones for their natural sound and the ability to take EQ. Many wouldn’t use anything else in many recording situations like miking brass, percussion or electric guitar amps. Since modern ribbon mics are no longer as fragile as they once were, they’ve found their way into even more applications than ever, […]
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June 25, 2018
- in Gear , Microphones , Microphones , New Music Gear Monday by Bobby Owsinski
New Music Gear Monday: Slate Digital VMS ML-2 Modeling Microphone
Modeling technology has become pervasive in the audio world and has reached the point where it sounds so good that hardly anyone even blinks an eye anymore at a product that contains it. One of the last bastions for modeling has been microphones though, since that always seemed like hallowed ground by the pros. Those […]
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June 18, 2018
- in Gear , Hardware , Microphones , Microphones , New Music Gear Monday , Recording , Software , Video by Bobby Owsinski
New Music Gear Monday: Your Heaven Audio CloseUp Miking System
Acoustic stringed instrument players have always suffered from amplification problems in a live environment. Place a microphone on the instrument and you’ll get at least some change in tonal quality and usually a lot of leakage, regardless of the quality of the microphone that you use. Resort to a pickup and the instrument no longer […]
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June 6, 2018
- in Book Excerpt , Gear , Microphones , Recording by Bobby Owsinski
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A Look At The Decca Tree Stereo Recording Technique
Even if you never intend to record an ensemble larger than a standard rock, pop, or jazz rhythm section, a good grasp on the many techniques for stereo recording is essential and will come in handy sooner or later. One basic stereo technique is the spaced-pair, which is two identical mics placed several feet apart and […]
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April 25, 2018
- in Book Excerpt , Gear , Microphones by Bobby Owsinski
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David Bock Talks Differences Between Vintage And Modern Microphones
After maintenance stints at such prestigious facilities as the Hit Factory in New York City and Ocean Way in Hollywood, Bock Audio Designs (formerly Soundelux) founder and managing director David Bock went from repairing vintage microphones to manufacturing them. David now utilizes his expertise to produce updated versions of the studio classics 251, U 47, […]
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April 18, 2018
- in Gear , Microphones by Bobby Owsinski
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- 2 comments
5 Condenser Microphone Fallacies That Will Make You Think Differently About Them
Condenser microphones are fraught with fallacies that often lead to misuse and poor results thanks to unreasonable expectations. This excerpt from the 4th edition of my Recording Engineer’s Handbook looks at 5 popular misconceptions about condenser microphones, along with why the real reason might not be what you think. 1. A large-diaphragm condenser has more low […]
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April 12, 2018
- in Gear , MI/Audio Business , Microphones by Bobby Owsinski
A Look At How Royer Microphones Are Made
Ribbon microphones had fallen way out of favor with most recording engineers until Royer Labs rekindled the love for these excellent microphones. Indeed, the company is responsible more for the new generation of ribbons than any other manufacturer. There’s a reason why Royer mics are just about standard on any recording session, and that’s because of […]
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March 15, 2018
- in Gear , Microphones , Production , Recording by Bobby Owsinski
Excellent Pictures That Illustrate The 4 Eras Of Audio Recording
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words and these 4 pictures tell you all you need to know about how audio recording has evolved over the years. There are really 4 eras to audio recording – the acoustic era, the electronic era, the magnetic era, and the digital era. Let’s look at some great […]
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February 12, 2018
- in Gear , Microphones , Microphones , New Music Gear Monday by Bobby Owsinski
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New Music Gear Monday: Neumann U 67 Microphone Reissue
To many of the more seasoned engineers who grew up using them, the Neumann U 67 was a desert island microphone. Able to record just about anything well, the 67 has been a long-time favorite for those that could get their hands on a good vintage one. The problem was that Neumann phased out the […]
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