What is it?

Competitively priced dynamic microphone designed for podcast and other vocal use.

What’s great?

Great looking microphone with a good weighty feel and well-voiced capsule suitable for many vocal uses.

What’s not?
The microphone has none of the USB compatibility of many of its competitors and will require an audio interface to reach its full potential.

The bottom line:
If you are looking for that ‘radio sound’, an intimate, tight vocal with warmth and depth at a budget price, this is a good, well featured option. There’s many rivals but if you’re a fan of the Audio-Technica sound, this is good value.

The verdict

I was heading into some production rehearsals when the microphone arrived for review. Opening the box for the first time I was surprised by the size and weight of the AT2040. It is not as large as a Shure SM7, but again it is a substantial size. It has a weight to it that inspires confidence. The construction is great and again speaks of the quality engineering we have come to expect from Audio-Technica.

The microphone itself ‘takes cues’ from AT’s higher-priced broadcast microphone the BP40, which in turn could be accused of taking cues from the Electrovoice RE20, certainly in terms of looks. However, the AT2040 is a good-looking, more modest microphone that will look the part in any situation. It is larger than I had expected at 145mm long and 52mm wide. It is finished in a satin black and comes with pivoting stand mount. It also comes with thread adaptors to mount to most popular mic stands and a nice padded bag.

The capsule is dynamic with a hyper-cardioid pick-up pattern. The side rejection is excellent with a very tight pickup. This microphones design, to quote AT “keeps the sound focused on your voice and helps to minimize unwanted room noise, ensuring professional quality broadcasts”.

So, what is it like in practice? Fresh out of the box it was put into use to record track idents’ for some playback material. Straight into an interface, no equalisation, no processing, it produced that solid radio-friendly sound. The vocal was clear with a nice depth and weight to the sound. “Sound’s proper” was my colleague’s opinion, and I would agree. It did what you hoped and did it well. This is a microphone that will suit many spoken word tasks comfortably.

The integrated shock mount appeared to work well, with little handling noise. The capsule is protected from wind noise by a multistage foam mesh windscreen that includes a nonwoven filter to allow close-up use without annoying pops.

The microphones frequency range is stated as being between 80- 16,000Hz and it has an impedance of 600 ohms. The AT2040 comes with a standard XLR connection.

So where does it sit against the competition?

Microphones in this price range tend to fall into two camps. They are either equipped with some kind of internal circuitry allowing direct connection to computers via USB, or, like the AT2040, have a standard XLR analogue output and will require some kind of audio interface like the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2  to connect to your laptop and DAW. This will guide some people’s choices. If you have an interface or podcast mixer then this microphone is a great choice, a solidly performing microphone that should give you many, many, years of service. If however you want a plug and go solution this may not be the microphone for you.

The AT 2040 is available now at £89/99€/$99.

The post Audio-Technica AT2040 Review – best $99 podcast mic? appeared first on Audio Media International.

Avid Eucon 2021.6: what is it?

The latest software update of this well-established protocol. Offering increased user control of Eucon enabled controllers operating over an ever-widening arrange of DAW’s and other software.

What’s great?

EuCon 2021.6 introduces several significant new capabilities, including one of the most requested by users, ‘custom knobs’, along with a general tidy up and bug fixes.

What’s not?
EuCon, although able to talk across multiple platforms and a wide variety of software programmes is still predominantly tied to Avid hardware.

The bottom line:
If you own the product, it’s a no brainer, if you are thinking of investing in a controller then  Avid is demonstrating a continued investment into this proven, reliable and popular protocol.

The verdict

I must admit to being a ‘knobs’ person. I have an analogue background, I predate digital, but I have, like most of us moved into the digital age. This move, however, did leave me searching for a way to interface with my software in a tactile, practical way. This resulted in an investment in numerous ‘hardware controllers’. These boxes of faders and knobs all offered varying degrees of control over my DAW. Some worked better than others, none really did what I wanted, all have been retired to a shelf in the warehouse. The problem was not that they didn’t work, just not flexibly enough, or with fine enough control. Many failed to keep up with the development of software, and the needs of users leading to fast redundancy.

The one I didn’t buy was the Euphonix Artist. This was always a pricey unit, but had I made that commitment it would probably still be in use.

Euphonix were always an interesting company. Their digitally controlled analogue desks are still very well respected and were ahead of their time in many ways. Their controllers were a spin-off from their desk design and its communication software. The Artist series was very popular and was based on the Euphonix EuCon Protocol. When Avid snapped up Euphonix in 2010 it was this software that many saw as the jewel in the Euphonix crown. Over the following years, Eucon became integrated into more of Avid’s products, culminating in the Avid S range of control surfaces. Eucon is now an intrinsic part of the Avid workflow.

So, what is the secret of Eucon’s longevity? Eucon is an object-orientated protocol for connecting control surfaces to software applications. When first announced over 15 years ago it was already becoming evident that MIDI-based protocols did not have enough bandwidth, high enough control resolution or a variety of controls to provide a satisfactory user experience. Eucon’s developers recognised that audio engineers would be using a wide range of different applications on one or more computers from a single control surface. The object-orientated design was utilised to promote ease of adoption by software developers. This indeed has proved the case. Eucon is now supported in most of the major DAW’s and its adoption appears to be well established.

So, what is this latest update and why are Avid shouting about it?

The catchily named 2021.6 has the usual range of bug fixes but also several key new features. This update allows users to create custom knob maps for all of their favourite plugins, allowing you to map your most-used plugin parameters onto the control surface exactly as you want them. In addition, you can program different areas of your surfaces to have different knob maps. If you do not want to build knob layouts for each area, the system intelligently falls back to maps that you’ve built for other surface configurations or the default page.

As well as custom Inserts maps, both the EQ and DYN default Function maps can be rearranged, this ensures that similar controls are always in the same place no matter the plugin.

The new Meter Strip Designer, allows you to create a custom strip layout that works best for you for both Avid Control and Avid Control Desktop, independently. Drag in and rearrange the order of all the different information blocks, show the graphs separately, or combine them together, shrink the meter height and resize the window.

The further customisation of control surfaces will make this update a popular one, I believe, for Avid users. The further development and commitment by Avid should give confidence to prospective buyers that Eucon will be around for some time. This will also have the knock-on effect of further integration into third-party software developers.

So, is there a downside? Eucon hardware controllers are still primarily Avid devices. Users are still facing only a limited and quite pricey range of surfaces to chose between. Whether this will change in the future is unclear. However, as a practical and easy to use system its popularity is growing and Eucon’s power and flexibility puts it in a different league to comparable control protocols such as HUI and MCU.

Review: Avid VENUE S6L

The post Avid Eucon 2021.6 update review appeared first on Audio Media International.

What is it?
The Sony ECM-90 Electret Condenser Microphone is an ultra-compact, dual-diaphragm omnidirectional microphone. It has a flat, and wide, frequency response from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, a dual-diaphragm mechanism to help reduce cable noise and a splash-proof design built to withstand everyday use.

What’s great?
The sub-miniature design is discrete and tidy with remarkably low handling noise and excellent sound quality.

What’s not?
The price will put off some purchasers, but this is a high-quality microphone designed to give many years of service.

The verdict
Lavalier microphones are no longer looked down upon as a necessary evil, exhibiting poor quality sound only balanced by the convenience they offer. With advances in design and manufacturing techniques, we are now seeing a wider range of high-quality capsules available. With the ECM-90, Sony has updated their range and released a truly well designed high-quality sub-miniature microphone. With a mic head barely thicker than its cable, at 3.5mm wide by 20.5mm long, and with an optional, but still discrete, urethane windscreen, the ECM-90 is comparable to the size of other sub-miniature capsules on the market. An update to the long-standing and ever-popular ECM-77 and ECM-88 models, the ECM-90 introduces several key features.

The dual-diaphragm design offers a manufacturer quoted 20Hz- 20Khz frequency response with a typical dynamic range of 99dB. The capsule can withstand a maximum input sound pressure level of 125dB and typically provides a signal to noise ratio of 68dB. However, the design also claims to vastly reduce cable handling noise, the subject of my first investigation.

Lavaliers succeed or fail in their ability to capture speech, clearly, and with as few artefacts as possible. As anyone who uses them will know, they can vary greatly, some having a poor frequency response, peculiarities of polar pick-up and excessive handling noise. The latter of these is a particularly annoying trait, often requiring very careful positioning.

For the ECM-90, Sony has adopted their popular wireframe clip from previous models. This is easy to use and secures to the microphone at the base of the body, below the removable windshield. The microphone is omnidirectional, so placement direction is less crucial. To test handling noise I took the microphone, along with some headphones, into our Hemi-anechoic chamber. With the microphone attached to clothing in various typical positions, I proceeded to charge about the comparatively silent space muttering loudly to myself. The vocal quality was clear and full and uninterrupted by undue handling noise. The noise cancellation offered by the capsule was effective and I was only aware of the very low noise floor of my monitoring system.

In a practical test the following day the ECM-90 was used in conjunction with Sony’s DWX Generation 3 digital wireless system. The sound was clear and full and the combination of the capsules wide frequency range and low handling noise produced a very high-quality broadcast sound. The test was probably unfairly taken alongside some existing sub-miniature microphones on an older analogue wireless system. The Sony stood out so much it was rejected from the broadcast as the quality was so noticeably better, we would have needed three! This was not just down to the wireless system, in all aspects, the ECM-90 outperformed expectations.

We are seeing sub-miniature capsules appear in an ever-increasing number of situations, as discrete vocal or instruments microphones for broadcast as well as live concert and theatrical performance. A test with the ECM-90 with a medium-sized sound reinforcement system found it also very capable in this field, both for vocals and on a small variety of musical instruments available to test. I would be very confident to try this microphone in a wide range of situations.

The ECM-90 is available in two cable versions, with either a Hirose 4 pin or Lemo 3 pin connector. 

The bottom line:
If you are in the market for a new sub-miniature microphone, or lavalier system, especially if you are already a Sony user, then this is a great choice. Combined with the new DWX digital wireless systems, Sony has brought their microphone technology right up to date.

ECM-90 Subminiature Lavalier Microphone: List Price £403.17

Lemo Version

Hirose Version

The post Sony ECM-90 Electret Condenser Microphone review appeared first on Audio Media International.

Sound Engineer and lecturer, Jon Burton, casts an expert eye over Waves Abbey Road RS124 Compressor…

What is it?
The latest collaboration between software designers Waves and Abbey Road Studios is another emulation of a hardware unit inextricably linked with the legendary studios and, of course, their most famous client. The RS124 valve compressor, they boldly announce, has been “central to a vast array of legendary recordings, having been used on every Beatles track ever recorded at Abbey Road Studios”. 

What’s great?
A thoughtful emulation of not just one, but several, of these rare and iconic compressors, that provides a distinctive and classy sound with a few modern twists.

What’s not?
This will not be to everyone’s taste but will find many converts to its unique sound.

The bottom line:
Another ‘character’ compressor with a top-notch pedigree. If you like your plug-ins to have a personality and a bit of history, then this will be well worth trying. 

The verdict:
We are all fairly used to the concept now of emulations of classic gear but Waves new collaboration, with Abbey Road studios, offers a plug-in version of a compressor that most of us have heard, but only a very small number have ever used. This is a recreation of the EMI  RS124 valve compressor, heralded for being “central to a vast array of legendary recordings” and having been used “on every Beatles track ever recorded at Abbey Road Studios”. 

It is interesting in the promotional video to hear Mirek Stiles, the head of Abbey Roads Studios Audio Products, talk with such passion and enthusiasm not just for the original units, but also this plug-in, that has been developed to capture their styles. 

Now you may wonder why I have dropped into the plural. Well, this is a unit that was purchased by EMI for their studios, but so heavily modified by them that the original makers, Altec, would probably not recognise the result, apart from the distinctive VU meter. The RS124 comes from a time when studios would test equipment and decide if it was up to their ‘house’ standard. The Altec’s were adapted, more controls added and eventually allowed into the workplace at their Abbey Road studio, where they soon found work in the various EMI studios for tracking, and also in the cutting rooms. 

Different versions, apparently dependant on their attack characteristics, were favoured in different applications and the plugin reflects the characteristics of the two most popular versions, offering ‘cutter’ or ‘studio’ models, switchable on the GUI. The two models provide distinctive flavours of the original Abbey Road RS124s. 

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With all plug-ins that emulate older gear, it helps to understand why they were popular, what they were predominantly used for. The two models offered by Waves reflect those different roles. ‘Cutter’ has slower attack and release times, these models would be found not just in the cutting rooms, sitting on the track, but in the studio for track bounces, where they would help smooth out transients. The ‘Studio’ version, with faster attack times, was a favourite of engineers like Geoff Emerick on track busses, but also instruments, especially the bass guitar. It is worth contextualising this as well, because we are talking about the mid-sixties, at the infancy of multitrack recording. Studios were not using as many channels as we do now, and any hardware was expected to perform to a very high standard and have multiple uses. It is a tribute to the RA124 that is still held in such high regard today, although until now you probably had to rent Abbey Road studios to get to use one!

A good deal of care has gone into the design of the plug-in. The interface has the usual high-quality ‘vintage’ look we expect from software designers these days. Any extras have either been incorporated into the front panel discretely or provided with the ‘expand’ switch. This opens below the plug-in and provides useful options not available in the original, such as a dry/compressed mix control and sidechain and linking options. These are all useful additions. The other major departures from the originals are the ‘super fuse’ and ‘auto-hold’ options available from the front panel. By clicking on what on the hardware version would be the fuse holder, the release and attack are matched giving a ‘supercharged’ compression. I must admit to having tried this almost immediately and was suitably impressed, it giving that instantly gratifying smashed-up sound on my drum bus. 

It was actually in ‘cutter’ mode that I gave the RA124 it’s first workout. Across some old mixes I was re-mastering it helped bring a bit of body, and punch, which was helpful. Using the mix control, I could dial in enough of the compressed sound to aid, rather than dominate, my mix. 

Moving to studio mode it worked great on bass, as I hoped, preserving the front-end attack but helping the track sit in the mix. I found that the fastest attack sounds were the most practical for the applications I tried, but with all these things experimentation is the key.

So, does it match the hype? Is this the ‘holy grail’ of compressors? I don’t believe there is such a thing as the ‘ultimate’ compressor and the hyperbole may put some off. ‘The most unique and important compressor in the history of recorded music and Waves have just nailed the sound’ claims Mirek Stiles. Maybe, it is certainly one that most of us have heard in use, but counterclaims can be made. However, the rhetoric shouldn’t detract from the fact that this is an important and distinctive unit. In the two ‘flavours’ offered by Waves, alongside the updated features, you get a workmanlike compressor with bags of character. I found it a joy to use, and on the right thing, in the right place, it sounded superb and achieved results I would struggle to accomplish with other single plug-ins. 

Will I buy it? Yes, I think I may well do. It has enough adaptability to fulfil several roles in a unique characterful way, and I think it has grown on me enough for me to miss it, and I can see it only becoming ever more useful.

Available now – RRP: $199 (currently subject to discount pricing at $39.99 that pricing may change on an ongoing basis due to sales and specials).

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The post REVIEW: Waves Abbey Road RS124 Compressor appeared first on Audio Media International.