Some “new” mics…

I’ve written a lot recently about our new PA at Kensington, the d&b T-Series rig, as well as lots and lots about our Digidesign D-Show Profile console. The final piece of the mixing puzzle is the mic selection.  Good mics + good console + good speakers + good mix = audio awesomeness.  If the first three parts of the equation are the best they can be, the mix part comes together MUCH easier.

I’m really excited about a couple of “new” additions to our mic collection that are making a big difference in the quality of my mixes.  There’s some mix samples at the bottom of the post.

The first is an ultra-vintage original AKG D12E.  We’ve been looking for one of these for a long time because they are quite rare and hard to find in great shape.

On the recommendation of our music director, an accomplished drummer in his own right, this is a unique mic for live kick.  The D12E is the original mic that the D112 was based off of.  It’s funny, though, because if you ask me, the two mics couldn’t be more different.  The AKG D12E has a dynamic transducer with its special handmade “Bass Chamber”. The Bass Chamber boosts the lower frequencies in the 60 to 120 Hz range. Its unique sound established the D12E as the world’s standard microphone for bass drum and bass instrument pick-up. the D12E’s frequency response extends down to 40 Hz, and the slight peak in the 60 to 120 Hz range enables the microphone to do full justice to the mellow, intimate quality of the trombone, tuba, or flügelhorn.

It is the complete opposite of an Audix D6 or Shure Beta52 – feels really organic, uncolored, and natural.  As soon as you hear it, you can recognize the sound from many classic records over the years.

The second addition to our collection is a pair of AKG C414-ULS mics.  Again, we’ve been looking for a special pair for many months and a set that was in immaculate condition literally dropped into our laps.

If you’re familiar at all with the history of the 414, there have been several incarnations over the years of this classic.  My favorite by far has been the ULS series because it is the most neutral of the bunch.  The TL & TL-II utilize a different capsule based on the classic C12V.  While the TL series are great mics in their own right, the ULS has a very uncolored and natural sound that is awesome for overheads and electric guitar.  On our d&b rig, the entire kit takes on a 3-dimensional quality that is simply missing with the Rode NT4, Shure KSM32, KSM44, or KSM141, or SM81s.

Another plus towards the older ULS over the current 414 incarnations is that these mics still have hard switches for pattern control, roll-off, and pad.  The new mic’s have an electronic button that remembers the position when the mic is provided phantom power.  This is annoying because it means when you’re setting up the mics, you must have the console on and phantom applied to the channel in order to be able to set the mic’s options while setting up rather than making a special trip to the stage during soundcheck.

If you’re willing to take your time finding a matched pair in great shape, I think they are well worth the marginal investment.  It’s awesome that you can easily save $1,000 over the current versions of the 414 by finding a solid used set of 414-ULS, plus they sound better and are more versatile to boot.  Definitely check them out!

Now for the mix samples…

The first is a board mix of the kit mics isolated during soundcheck.  Kick is the D12E, snare is a SM57, hat a Neumann KM184, Audix D2 & D4 on toms, and the 414-ULS for overheads.  The 414′s are high passed around 140 hz so they are capturing a large chunk of the overall kit sound.  Because of this, the tom mics especially are thinned out just a bit so they will work well with the overheads.  Check out that kick tone!

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The second sample is the same kit mics in context of a full band worship tune.

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