Recording - October 2015 - 29

and modern designs like the songwriter-friendly Nuvo N22 ($900).
Cloud Microphones offers another
modern take on the RCA model; the
44-A ($1900) combines an RCA-style
motor with active electronics.
Audio-Technica's AT4080 ($1000)
is a figure-8 active design using a ribbon material that provides more reliability under hard use than traditional ribbons, a claim shared by the
Shure KSM313 ($1300). And if you
want to give ribbons a try with a
lower initial investment, you could do
a lot worse than the affordable and
great-sounding Cascade Fat Head
($229 for the MkII version), a modern classic with plenty of followers.

In the end, there's really no substitute for putting your ears on these
mics yourself. Many cities have studios that will let you try out their mics
for the cost of a brief session, and
larger markets will have rental companies that will make it easy for you
to try before you buy. Make use of
these resources to train your ears,
and step by step, you will build a mic
locker that will do its job for you as
you get better at your craft.
Sven-Erik Seaholm (seaholm@
recordingmag.com) is an awardwinning producer and recording
artist from San Diego, CA.

Go crazy: unique mics
Sometimes it's worthwhile to have a
mic or two that doesn't fit the usual categories. You might want one just because
it is particularly good for one specific
application that you require more than
most folks. Or it may have a particular
character that no other mic can impart...
or it's just plain fun... or all of the above.
Perhaps the most interesting "unique" mic,
simply because it's unlike any other mic out
there yet does so many things so well, is the
Electro-Voice RE20 ($450). It's a largediaphragm dynamic mic that's designed to
have little or no proximity effect plus exceptional off-axis rejection. It does wonders on
everything from vocals to horns, floor toms to
kick drums, even guitar amps-a secret
weapon in your arsenal if there ever was one!
If you do a lot of harmonica recording,
consider Shure's 520DX "Green Bullet"
($120) or Audix's FireBall ($150). Do you
need to mike acoustic instruments unobtrusively but with great clear sound? DPA
Microphones makes the d:vote 4099 instrument mics ($620 and up) with a wide variety of attachments for violin, guitar, brass,
and much more. If you do a lot of broadcast
voice work, the dynamic Shure SM7B
($350) is the famed "voice of God" mic. You
can do cool room miking and distant pickup
with a boundary mic like the AKG PZM30 D
($400). And for the ultimate in unique tonality, Placid Audio's Copperphone ($260) can
give your vocals a retro feel that no plug-in
can match.
A parting thought
Although drooling over the sound and
specs of all these mics is fun and informative, it's good to remember that they
don't really do the work of making good
recordings for you. They simply make it
easier to get to where you need to be,
sooner. A practiced and experienced
engineer with a cheap but good mic will
obtain a better recording than a careless
and ignorant engineer who doesn't know
how to place a fantastic mic.
RECORDING October 2015

http://www.dpamicrophones.com http://www.dpamicrophones.com

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