If a microphone helps me learn about how other mics in my collection sound, then it is worth spending time with it for this reasons alone. The KEL Audio HM-2d not only accomplishes this feat, but does...
I always like having a lot of options in my mic closet. There are times that I lean heavily on my most expensive microphones, but I often find it far more helpful to have as many effective,...
The M 88 is an easy microphone to overlook. It lacks the instantly-recognizable visual profile of its closest competitors, the Electro-Voice RE20/PL20 and the Shure SM7, and it cannot rival the RE20...
I first heard about Class-T amplifiers not from recording engineers or audiophiles, but from friends seeking my vaguely "professional" wisdom. I could not offer any advice, as I hadn't even heard of...
For a recent mix, I wanted to blend a crushed-and hopefully slightly damaged-version of a vocal in with the original. Conventionally one might use a Spectrasonics 610 or MXR Mini-Limiter for this...
A doctor informed me that my ears had an unusual build-up of earwax. I have no idea if frequently wearing earplugs or even allergies might have contributed to this problem, and my doctor did not...
With its unusual design, the Ball mic from BLUE has generated a good deal of interest. Here are three different perspectives on the mic. ($200 street; www.bluemic.com) The BLUE Ball is a unique new...
While Electro-Voice has established a reputation for building reduced proximity-effect dynamic microphones, Shure's sole entry in the field has disappeared from production and also from public...
On the back of the Fugs' second album on ESP, they're pictured holding EV 664s in their hands. Hopefully the mics rested on stands, because their large bodies make them awkward to carry. The 664...
While trends in monitoring come and go, these speakers probably fall second to NS-10Ms as dinosaurs of the nearfield world. Any similarities between the two speakers ends there. The Matrix 805 reaches...
Once upon a time, notable bands like Wire and the Cure used chorus as a creative effect. By the mid-'80s, so many bands had so brutalized the effect that engineers and musicians everywhere shuddered...
New high-end studio reverbs tend to sell for over $1000, and $10 Pioneer models produce a lot of noise. Orban's mid-80s rack-mount unit presents a reasonable compromise. With 2 channels selling for...
