18 Mics
You Should Meet
Condensers continued...
RØDE M3
list $199
The M3 seems tailor-made for
acoustics with warm midrange and
plenty of bass response. This mic
would be ideal for mixes where
the guitar needs to shine through
and would be a true companion
for ensemble work. It has a lot of
features for the price, including a
battery power option, three pad
settings (0, -10dB, -20dB) and a
switchable high-pass filter.
Audio-Technica
ATM450 Side Address
list $369
The ATM450 is a side address
condenser, making it handy to
have around when you need dif-
ferent placement options – luckily,
this one captures acoustic guitars
beautifully. It’s incredibly rich and
big sounding, and with low noise,
you can hear every detail. This
is a reasonably priced mic that
performs like a far more expensive
model. It includes an 80Hz high-
pass filter and a -10dB pad.
Unique Designs
The following mics are unique in size, application or design, and showcase the level of
innovation currently taking place in the microphone industry. Skeptics among us wrote
some of these off as gimmicky, but we were all surprised by how well they performed.
Audix i- 5
list $179
Actually a dynamic mic designed
to compete with offerings like the
Shure SM57, this mic did surpris-
ingly well at capturing acoustic
sounds. The highs are clear and
the midrange is very well defined.
The i- 5 actually competes with
some of the lower-end condens-
ers, in terms of sound quality,
and if you’re looking for versatile
instrument mic for the studio, this
could be a value-packed buy.
