Ever recorded a whole mix with bright condenser microphones? —and then battling treble and transients, and trying to “warm up” sounds for a week afterwards? You’re not alone!
The modern solid-state
condenser’s older sibling—the tube condenser—is often associated with a
smoother treble and more mid-range warmth. The number one benchmark for tube
condensers have for years been the original Neumann U 47 Tube. When used up
front in the mix on, lets say vocals; it tends to create a warm and pleasant
nearness of the voice. When used further back in the mix on drums or layered
textures it creates a less intrusive sound that fits better into the background
of the mix.
In this
post I’ll have a look at four tube condensers with contrasting sound. None of
them will break the bank—at least not compared to a vintage Neumann!
AKG Perception 820
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AKG Perception
820
€ 545 currently at thomann.de, which is below originally intended marked price. |
A few years
back AKG released the Perception series to provide a low-cost alternative to
some of their pricier models. With AKG’s high build-quality and this
microphone’s sensible price it has the chance to be a modern classic in the
lower price-range. Sound on Sound’s Paul White compared it to a Røde K2, but
with a “more assertivepresence lift.” The microphone comes complete with a shockmount and a powersupply
with selectable polar patterns and switches. This would be a great all-rounder
especially for vocals, acoustic guitars and percussion. If you are considering
buying one of these there are some interesting media you can check out. The
first one is Sound on Sound’s audio-files where you can compare the same
sources recorded with both the Perception 820 and the classic AKG C12VR. The
other one is the attached promo video for the Perception range. You can hear
the sources in isolation and the finished track is out on iTunes together withthe rest of the album.
the t.bone SCT 2000
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€ 279 or approx. £ 234,00 -conversion rate at the time of writing.
|
A
brand-name that makes you think of American food? ‘the t.bone’ is German online
retailer Thomann’s own range of products. This microphone also comes with a
shockmount and power supply, plus a wooden box to keep it in, and a suitcase
for the whole set. Ingo Vauk wrotein a review in Sound on Sound that the SCT 2000 had a clear and transparent top
end and a soft mid-range “— a useful set
of attributes when it came to recording a male vocal that was a little edgy in
high mid-range. The sound I originally captured with a Neumann KM84 was nice
enough, but needed some mid-range taken out with the EQ. When I replaced it for
the SCT2000 I got the sound without the EQ, giving a more natural result.” He also mentions how double-tracking
and stacking up textures worked well with this microphone.
I think
we’re on the track of a poor boys’ U 47 Tube substitute here. If the characteristics
Ingo Vauk describes holds true for drums it would be a very exciting microphone
to use for overheads.
Pearlman TM 1
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| $ 1600 at vintageking.com |
If a U 47
is what you are looking for, this is currently one of the best value-for-money
options you have. The Pearlman TM1 is designed and hand-made by Dave Pearlman. Like the microphones mentioned
above this one also ships with shockmount, case, power supply and all you need
to get started. If you are just starting up your own home-studio, this mic probably
still costs a nice little sum of money. But if the classic U 47 sound is what
you are looking for, this is really the price-point where the action gets
started. Here is a little more information from Tape Op Magazine and here is an interview with Dave Pearlman about the microphone.
Cathedral Pipes Regensburg Dom
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| $ 1800 at www.cathedralpipes.com |
The New Kid
on the Block! This blog post was originally going to be limited to three
microphones, but I just couldn’t leave this one out! If you forgive me for
getting off topic for a moment, this is probably one of the funkiest looking
microphones on the marked right now.
Cathedral
Pipes is quite a new brand but definitely one to be reckoned with. It is the
brainchild of musician and electrical engineer Chuck Dickinson who design and manufacture these
microphones in the US. The
Regensburg Dom is similarly priced to the Pearlman TM 1 and is a more modern
(brighter and more bite) interpretation of the classics U 47 and U 67. The
Regensburg Dom also ships with shock mount, power supply, cable and case. If
you are considering buying one, Cathedral Pipes have put some vocal samples on
their webpage along with some impressive endorsements. In fact, if you are into
classic condenser and ribbon microphones, Cathedral Pipes is a manufacturer
well worth a closer look!
Here is what Tape Op Magazine wrote about the Regensburg Dom and here is an interview with Chuck Dickinson explaining the microphone range.
Epilogue
The AKG
combines a classic tube-sound with a more modern presence boost. The t.bone is
as classic tube sound as you’ll get on a low budget. The Peralman is a modern version
of the well-proven U 47 formula at a very attractive price. Finally, the
Cathedral Pipes is a mix of two historic microphones and will give you classic
valve sound with modern style presence.
Pre-amps
When the SE Electronics 2200 Tube came out some years ago I had the chance to do a speech
test through a Focusrite ISA One on it shortly after. I knew how everyone were
raving on about the solid-state version of that microphone, but I never managed
to fall for it. There was nothing wrong with it and I usually recorded through a
Toft Audio ATB console which I quite liked, but there was never any love at first
sight for me. The tube-version through the Focusrite however was a totally
different story—I got the creamy Neve-ness combined with the mid-range warmth
of the tube microphone. That combination was love at first sight!
If you are
a project-studio owner and you have a few decent microphones but are lacking
creaminess or warmth, maybe a really nice pre-amp would get you just as far as
a new microphone. A good pre-amp can also add some really nice life to D.I.
recordings of bass and guitar. If I plan to use a software
amp-simulator I always try to record with a little extra gain through valves.
You don’t need the most expensive pre-amp for D.I. recordings, but it could turn out to be the
factor that takes a digital recording from flat to lifelike. For a high-quality
classic valve-sound the Universal Audio 610 Solo comes well within the maximum budget of the most pricy mics above, and so does the Focusrite Isa One if you rather want to go down
the solid state Neve-route. Both manufacturers offer mono, stereo and multitrack options for these pre-amps.
Another way
entirely for a smooth classic sound, which I won’t be covering here, is a
high-quality ribbon microphone. I have shared some thoughts on this in an earlier blog post.
A great couple
of resource if you are interested in the sound of Neumann/ Telefunken U 47 are www.u47clones.com and www.u47lovers.com.
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| Member of the original U47 clientele. |
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| Original U47 Tube. (Photo Credits) |
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