Recording - October 2016 - 50

B Y PA U L V N U K J R .

Peluso Microphone Lab P-84
Small-Diaphragm Condenser Mic
A nod to a famed vintage pencil condenser with a sound all its own
Although Peluso Microphone Lab has
been building well-respected recreations
of famous mics of yesteryear since 2002,
it was only in our July 2016 issue that
we took our first close look at John
Peluso and his company. I enjoyed
reviewing the P-87 large-diaphragm FET
condenser microphone, based on the
classic Neumann U 87, and had a great
chat with John that was featured as an
adjunct to that review... check it out if
you haven't read it.
This month, we look at Peluso's newest
vintage-inspired FET microphones: the
small-diaphragm P-84. As I mentioned in
my previous review, John Peluso tends to
be pretty transparent as to which vintage
models he takes inspiration from; if you
guessed that the P-84 is John's take on
the venerable Neumann KM 84, you
would be correct.
The P-84 comes in a single package or,
better still, as a matched stereo pair.
Stepping up on a small soap box for one
minute: in my opinion, every studio needs
at least one set of matched small
diaphragm condensers, more than it might
need a matched pair of any other mic type,
including large-diaphragm condensers.
Small-diaphragm capsules are typically
faster in their transient response, often more
open and natural in tone, easier to position
for phase accuracy... with all of those
advantages, they'll often be your first
choice for stereo miking needs. Yes, a pair
of LDCs is nice for overheads, and a pair
of ribbons can be wonderful for Blumlein
stereo miking, but get a pair of pencils first!
In the case
The P-84 stereo kit arrives in a large
sturdy aluminum briefcase that's jampacked with goodies. You get the two
matched P-84 FET bodies with 20mm cardioid capsules in individual wooden
cases. There are also two omni capsules
in their own dainty wooden box, two
robust clamp-style elastic shock mounts,
two plastic hard mounts, and a stereo
mounting bar. A single P-84 comes with
all of the above, minus the stereo bar.
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RECORDING OCTOBER 2016

The P-84 is the same 0.86" diameter as a
KM 84/KM 184, but it is slightly longer at
4.88" vs. the KM's 4.21" length. It comes
finished in the same shiny brushed nickel as
the rest of the Peluso line. The P-84 is well
made, with clean and smooth machining
and a reassuringly solid weight.
Internally the P-84 is packed with components, featuring a classic FET circuit
with a miniature output transformer. As I
mentioned above, it comes with cardioid
and omni capsules, but there's a third
polar pattern available as an extra: a
hypercardioid for $253. I didn't receive
this capsule for review.
The P-84 has a frequency response of 20
Hz to 20 kHz, a sensitivity of 15 mV/Pa, a
200 Ω impedance, a 142 dB maximum SPL
level, and 14 dBA of self-noise. Its frequency
chart shows an exceptionally neutral and flat
tonal capture with no spikes or peaks.
However, the entire frequency slopes gently
upward, ending in a 1 to 2 dB rise in the 5
to 10 kHz range. This does have an effect
on the sound; it is not drastic, but the plot
confirms what I experienced in side-by-side
tests with my own vintage KM 84s.

Compared to the KM 84
Often, the KM 84 is still favored over
its modern replacement the KM 184
because of its almost ruler flat neutrality,
where the KM 184 adds a healthy "modern" 8 kHz boost and slightly more lowend rolloff. The KM 184 sounds open,
crisp, and modern, where the KM 84
sounds darker and smoother. It is this
neutral, smooth, full tone of the KM 84
that many engineers miss; it takes bright
sources like cymbals, tambourines, brass,
and acoustic guitars, and sits them comfortably in the mix without sizzling your
ear drums. It's this smooth sound that the
Pelsuo P-84 shoots for.
I compared it side by side with my
1980s-vintage KM 84 mics on a healthy
number of sources. These included
acoustic guitar, cajon, kick drum, snare,
drum overheads, electric guitar amp,
shaker, tambourine, and hi-hat.
Usually in reviews such as this, where
a modern company takes on a classic
(such as we saw when comparing the
Peluso P-87 to a vintage U 87), there are
caveats. One must consider the age of

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - October 2016