CAD Trion 7000

The CAD Trion 7000 is a dual element ribbon mic and I have been using it for almost 2 years now. This microphone can be used for brass and woodwind instruments as well as vocals and bass or acoustic guitars. This ribbon microphone has a figure 8 polar pattern making it great for almost any recording environment.

OVERALL OPINION

When I recorded with the Trion 700 I notice how warm and clean the sound was. For the price that this microphone cost I did not expect to get such warmth and natural depth in my recordings. This microphone should be used in a studio and a studio only. Using it live will sound horrible because it is not made for that.
The main things that I have recorded with it are acoustic guitar, brass instruments, bass guitar and many styles of vocals. Every time I record with it I love how it sounds and it does not take much EQ’ing after the recording to get the audio to sound good. This microphone does most of the work for you automatically. This ribbon microphone is great, being that it is a figure 8 polar pattern microphone that it does a great job of not picking up sounds from the rear or the sides of the microphone. Everything it picks up will need to be directly in front of the microphone and within good proximity.
If getting a warm and full sound is a recording goal of yours then you must try this microphone out. The quality is amazing and at this price you will have nothing to lose. I am very happy that I chose to purchase this microphone and in fact, when I purchased it brand new years ago the price was a lot more than it is now and I still do not regret it. I have used other CAD microphones and all of them have been pretty good too!

The CAD Trion 7000 is a dual element ribbon microphone, meaning it's got two ribbon components. The mic is only designed for use in the studio, and is one with a figure eight pick up pattern as is the case with most ribbon microphones. The mic has a frequency response ranging from 20 Hz to just 10 kHz, which account for it being such a dark sounding mic, which again is much like many ribbon mics out there. The mic has a unique shape and is actually pretty small in general.

OVERALL OPINION

The CAD Trion 7000 is a great way to get a ribbon microphone without having to spend much money at all. It's a very sensitive microphone on account of the dual diaphragms, so it's definitely best suited for acoustic instruments. I've used the Trion 7000 for acoustic guitar, piano, and even tried it for a quick vocal as well. My favorite application of these was on the acoustic piano, as it was definitely a unique sound. It was your traditional, bright piano sound, but the result was it's own thing and was definitely cool. The vocal came in pretty well, but it was the same kind of thing where it had it's own vibe going on. I'd describe the Trion 7000 as being darker than your average ribbon, but not by too much. I don't think that the quality of the CAD Trion 7000 is ideal for a professional studio, but if you're looking for a different colored ribbon sound, it will certainly work in some situations. Having said this, I do believe that the mic is best suited in home studios as a ribbon mic on hand to get some contrasting sound. Obviously if you can afford it there are plenty of better ribbon mics out there, but for this price you aren't going to find many better than this one. The CAD Trion 7000 is definitely one of your best bets for a super cheap ribbon mic...