Mics are wonderful.
They are probably the most amazing and beloved devices in any studio, besides the instruments themselves. However, among all the mics floating around a typical professional studio, the large diaphragm condensers usually grab all the glory. They look formidable. They are sleek and seductive. You see them in studio photos and music videos with vocalists crooning soulfully into a large, expensive looking LDC’s, while those cute little pencil condensers are relegated to guard duty. Manufacturing and marketing efforts are geared toward LDC’s, while advertising and product lineups showcase scant few pencil condensers. This is a shame, since these little jewels can shine on so much more than acoustic guitars and hand percussion. I would venture to say that in studios that record drums, percussion, acoustic guitars, and other stringed instruments regularly, SDC’s are probably used even more than LDC’s, yet their larger siblings steal the show!
Just recently, I was recording a client’s male tenor vocals, and we were using one of my Neumann LDC’s. I decided for kicks I would throw one of my favorite pencil condensers next to it, and record his voice with both mics simultaneously. Both mics ran through each of the two channels of a Vintech 273 mic pre, and then through one each of the two channels of an Avalon AD 2044 compressor. On playback, we both agreed that the pencil condenser was just about as warm and lush as the Neumann on this take, and the midrange was less forward. The resulting track had a better aural balance. It was tighter yet more dimensional. In another case, a female vocalist who has an excellent, yet aggressively forward voice sounded great using an AKG C451. We discovered this quite by accident when we were recording her scratch vocal track to be used as a reference for the rest of the musical arrangement. Since perfection was not the priority here, I grabbed the only mic on a stand at the time; a C451 that had recently been used on an acoustic track. No one in the control room could believe the smooth, tight, and even LARGE sound coming from this tiny mic! On yet another occasion, I recorded vocals in another newly founded project studio that had nothing more than a pair of crown CM-700’s. Using one of them, I was again very pleased with the results. That was over ten years ago, and every time I hear that track, I am again impressed with what these little guys can do.
Small diaphragm condensers can be great tom mics as well. The only use that I have found to be dubious for most of them, such as SM-81’s and C451’s is on electric guitar amps. Just too much fuzzy grit. Otherwise, experiment with these unassuming little workhorses, you might be surprised at the result!
