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mooseherman « Rare, expensive, wonderful mic »
Published on 09/27/10 at 12:52This is a tube based condenser microphone made by Sony. I was surprised initially to see this microphone in the studio where I work, as I didn't really know Sony had any kind of reputation for making microphones. However, I soon discovered that it is in fact a fine piece of equipment.
I wouldn't take this microphone out of the studio at all. If you can even find one nowadays, it's going to be really fragile, and definitely really expensive to fix. Depending on the injury it might even be impossible to fix. It also doesn't really have much use out in "the field" if you will, as it's warmth and response render it better for relatively close-mic'd situations. It comes with it's own power supply, as most tube mics do. The power supply has a bass roll-off option on it.
OVERALL OPINION
I love the warmth and tone of this microphone. I assume that the tube based technology is the primary reason for its phenomenal sound. The microphone has aged really well, too, as it tends to give a sound and response that really doesn't come around so much any more.
I really enjoyed using it on a guitar amp, as it provided a round, fat tone that didn't lose any clarity or feel too bright (even though I was using my Strat, which is the brightest sounding guitar I've ever heard). This worked better for cleaner guitars, not heavily distorted ones (more Elvis Presley than Metallica). I have likewise enjoyed it's use on acoustic guitars when I need a similarly warm response.
I also really like its use on vocals. I've had good sessions with female singers, especially with the bass rolled off (depending on the singers range). I haven't used it on any male vocalists other than myself but I really liked it there, too. I would say that if you are older (ahem...richer) and you really want a great microphone, this mic would definitely be worth it. I've used a couple other tube mics and while they were all great in their own way, this one had an elusive flavor to it that was unique (probably due to its being made by a Japanese company rather than a German or American company). I highly recommend using this mic.
I wouldn't take this microphone out of the studio at all. If you can even find one nowadays, it's going to be really fragile, and definitely really expensive to fix. Depending on the injury it might even be impossible to fix. It also doesn't really have much use out in "the field" if you will, as it's warmth and response render it better for relatively close-mic'd situations. It comes with it's own power supply, as most tube mics do. The power supply has a bass roll-off option on it.
OVERALL OPINION
I love the warmth and tone of this microphone. I assume that the tube based technology is the primary reason for its phenomenal sound. The microphone has aged really well, too, as it tends to give a sound and response that really doesn't come around so much any more.
I really enjoyed using it on a guitar amp, as it provided a round, fat tone that didn't lose any clarity or feel too bright (even though I was using my Strat, which is the brightest sounding guitar I've ever heard). This worked better for cleaner guitars, not heavily distorted ones (more Elvis Presley than Metallica). I have likewise enjoyed it's use on acoustic guitars when I need a similarly warm response.
I also really like its use on vocals. I've had good sessions with female singers, especially with the bass rolled off (depending on the singers range). I haven't used it on any male vocalists other than myself but I really liked it there, too. I would say that if you are older (ahem...richer) and you really want a great microphone, this mic would definitely be worth it. I've used a couple other tube mics and while they were all great in their own way, this one had an elusive flavor to it that was unique (probably due to its being made by a Japanese company rather than a German or American company). I highly recommend using this mic.