In Broadcast - August 2014 - 44

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | ISSUE 34 - AUGUST 2014

N E W S

InSOUND

What's New In Microphones
The choice of microphones contribute strongly to the success of an audio or video production...

By David Kirk
Contributing Editor

television viewer's imagination
might ﬁll in the gaps or make
allowance for bad visual content
or poor lighting but human hearing
is much less forgiving, particularly
when aggravated by the mid-rangeand-nothing-else loudspeakers
integrated into most television
receivers.
Among the most tedious examples
of bad TV sound are music
programmes in which performers
can be seen playing their respective
instruments without actually being
audible. This is even an issue in live
performances, typically the backstage harpsichord which is drowned
out by louder instruments positioned
front-of-stage
So, forget the theoretical purity
of stereo-paired co-axial cardioid
capacitor or electret mikes
positioned to capture 'reality' in
the vicinity of the conductor. If you
have the patience and the resources,
add in as many close-up spot
microphones as you can for any
instruments you really want to hear.
And be ready to include some kind
or reverberation during editing if you
are close-miking vocalists.
Until just a few years ago, decent
microphones were expensive, fragile,
prone to electrical interference and,
in the case of top-of-the-range
capacitors, needed to be protected
against moisture forming on or near
the diaphragm, which caused hiss;
perhaps an appropriate reason for
continuing to call them 'condensers'.
Moisture is usually only an issue if kit
is transported carried into a warm
studio from a cold or inherently
damp environment, such as London
between September and May. In
pre-Dolby days, let alone pre-digital,
microphone hiss didn't matter quite
so much as it was often masked
by the background noise from
analogue tape.
Microphones
today start at
fantastically
low prices and

many offer extremely good value
for money. So what's new in this
market? We have a lot of brands to
cover in a relatively small space so
I have concentrated on the leading
makes. Prices vary according to
region so are best checked online.
AKG has just added ﬁve new
condenser microphones to its
Project Studio range, bringing
the total number in this series
to nine. Latest additions are the
P420, P170, P820 Tube, P220 and
the relatively low cost P120. Also
new is the Tetrad 2.4 GHz wireless
microphone system which transmits
up to four channels of 24 bit 48 kHz
audio to its base-station mixer. The
audio feed is encrypted to prevent
unauthorised reception. The Terad
is claimed to be the only 2.4 GHz
system on the market that offers an
in-built mixer.
Audio-Technica's ATND971 is
a cardioid condenser boundary
network microphone which delivers
audio and control data together
over standard Internet protocol. An
integrated switch allows the user to
control such things as video camera
pan/tilt and room lighting presets.
The network can support up to 512
bidirectional audio channels.
Beyer's MC 837 is a directional
shotgun microphone designed
for on-camera outdoor use.
Low frequency roll-off reduces
frequencies below 90 Hz. A ﬁxed
high pass ﬁlter further reduces noise
below 40 Hz. The microphone can
be operated with a phantom power
supply of 11 to 52 volts.
CAD Audio's GXL-U UHD
receiver features two channels of
UHF wireless with XLR and quarterinch jack connectors as discrete
outputs plus an XLR mix output of
the two channels. The receiver also
includes RF and AF indicator lights
and volume controls. The GXL-U
is also offered with a choice of
handheld or bodypack transmitters.
All bodypack systems are supplied
with a guitar cable and condenser

AKG's Tetrad 2.4 GHz wireless microphone system

headworn microphone.
Citronic's CCU1 USB is a
condenser microphone with a single
22mm gold-sputtered diaphragm
housed in an alloy body and plated
steel mesh. Powered by USB with
integral FET preamp and digital to
analogue converter, it outputs digital
audio via USB type B connector.
DPA Microphones new 'd:screet'
(that really is its name, not a typo)
omnidirectional miniature necklace
microphone incorporates the
company's 4061 capsule in a soft
rubber necklace. It is available
in black, white and brown and in
lengths of 18.3 or 20.9 inches. Also
available are heavy-duty versions
for use in rigorous production
situations, such as incorporated
into a combat suit for a ﬁght scene
or under a horse saddle. Features
include a stainless steel housing and
a thicker .08-inch cable.
IK Multimedia's iRig Mic is
claimed to be the ﬁrst handheld
condenser microphone for Apple
iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. It has
a unidirectional electret capsule
and a three-level gain switch for
selection between soft speaking,
normal and loud playing. It comes
with a VocaLive real-time effects
processor suite for the singer and
vocalist, AmpliTube for guitar players
and songwriters and iRig Recorder
for quick audio recording and
processing. iRig Mic also works with
other vocal and audio processing
apps for the iOS platform.
Lauten Audio's FC387 is a
multi-pattern large diaphragm FET
studio condenser microphone. It
has three switchable frequency
response settings plus a threeposition attenuation and gain switch.
The +10dB gain switch, boosts
the microphone's output. A
-10dB pad gives the option
of recording very loud
sources. Polar patterns
are cardioid, omni and
ﬁgure-of-eight.
Line 6 claims its V7540V digital wireless
microphone "delivers
stunning performance
and unmatched sound
quality resulting in what
may be the best sounding
wireless microphone
ever built". It uses an
Earthworks WL40V
hyper-cardioid capsule.
M - A u d i o 's Vo c a l
Studio Pro is a package
consisting of microphone,
PC/Mac interface,
headphones, Avid Pro
Tools Express and Ignite-byAIR music creation software.

MXL's LSM-3 is a handheld
dynamic stage microphone with a
cardioid polar pattern to provide
feedback rejection. Frequency
range is 40 Hz to 14 kHz.
Neumann's TLM 107 is a large
diaphragm condenser microphone
with ﬁve polar patterns (omni, widecardioid, cardioid, hypercardioid and
ﬁgure-of-eight). Features include
40 or 100 Hz switchable bass-cut
and -6 dB or -12 dB switchable pad.
Maximum SPL is 141 dB (153 dB
with -12 dB pad). Dimensions are
64 mm diameter by 145 mm.
Peavey's PVM 44 dynamic
cardioid microphone and the
PVM 50 super cardioid dynamic
microphone have been developed
for use in live vocal reinforcement
and instrument recording. Both
models include a microphone clip
and hardshell case.

Pearl's
Priority has
a 2 to 3 dB
presence boost
at 5kHz

Pearl's Priority is a condenser
microphone with a rectangular
membrane and ﬁxed cardioid pickup pattern. It is designed for use
with any acoustic instrument or for
vocals. The microphone has a 2
to 3 dB peak around 5 kHz which
corresponds to the presence
increase that is often sought, in
particular for vocals.
Rode's M5 features
a half-inch cardioid
electret condenser
capsule intended for
studio recording and
live performance. It is
available in acoustically
matched pairs. The M5
is ﬁnished with a matt
black ceramic coating
and is supplied with
WS5 windshields and
RM5 stand mounts.
Sanken's CSR-2
shotgun microphone
uses three electret
elements to achieve
16 dB of rear sound
rejection. Operating
SE X1 USB condenser
microphone is for ﬁeld
and studio use
CONTINUED ON PAGE 46

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