John Gatski is the Publisher & Executive Editor of Pro Audio Review.
In the 12 years of Pro Audio Review, the magazine has published an annual microphone issue in 11. And a lot has changed.
In January 1996, names such as Shure, AKG, Neumann, Sennheiser, B & K (now DPA), Crown, beyerdynamic, Schoeps, Microtech Gefell and Electro-Voice were predominant, coming out of the US or Europe. At the time, Audio-Technica and Sony were the major Japan mic players.
Small companies such as Audix (US and Asia), Oktava (Russia) and Nady (Japan) were just bubbling under, but there were very few notable Chinese brands.
Later, you had names such as Rode, Studio Projects, ADK and Marshall bringing in value/performance Chinese mics.
Today, the microphone landscape is truly global. You still have mics from the US, but the huge numbers of players from Asia — and to some degree from Europe, as Latvia seems to be a hot bed of mic tech these days — seem to have taken the limelight.
The Chinese mic technologies have come a long way, with some models rivaling the European products in reproduction. The made-in-China boom, of course, has forced prices down in the lower-to-mid market, to the point that you can now get a condenser for under $70. You can get a really good Chinese mic for $200. Move up a hundred dollars or so and you can have a great mic.
PAR endeavors to reflect what is in the current marketplace, so on the cover this month you see mics from European players Violet Design and Blue, sE’s premium California-designed, Chinese-manufactured sE2200A, and David Royer’s Mojave Audio MA-100 (built here in the US, offering an excellent small tube condenser).
Check out the reviews, and also PAR’s Microphones Buyers Guide on p. 66. I am sure that if you need a mic, PAR has information on the model you’re looking for.
PORTABLE RECORDER MANIA
An update on portable recorders with CompactFlash memory: they are coming out of the proverbial woodwork. The latest I have preliminary info on includes manufacturers TASCAM, Yamaha and Olympus.
Set for April availability, the Yamaha PockeTrak 2G ($449) is hardly bigger than a MacBook remote, but features a long-life nickel-hydrogen battery (up to 19 hours). It features 2 GB of built-in memory, USB 2.0 download capability and high-quality built in, adjustable mini mics, as well as external connections. It also includes a custom version of Steinberg’s Cubase for working with the recorded audio files on your computer.
The first version is said to be 44.1 kHz/24 bit, not 96 kHz like several other competitors. But I was told there will eventually be a 96 kHz capable version.
The Olympus LS-10 ($399), does sport 24 bit/96 kHz, as well as 2 GB internal Flash memory, SD card slot, built-in mics and, gulp, tiny speakers. It also has the 1/8- inch stereo mini-jack interface typical of these handheld-sized digital recorders. No digital I/O, however, like the M-Audio MicroTrack II (S/PDIF in, $499), or the slightly more expensive Sony PCM-D50 (S/PDIF optical I/O). However, it does have a USB port and Steinberg’s Cubase LE 4 included. It uses two AA batteries (12 hour operation).
The TASCAM DR-1, priced competitively at $399, includes built-in mics, 1 GB Flash card and long-life lithium battery. The separate mic capsules are said to be ideal for recording anything from broadcast to Podcast to high-quality music, though it is not 96 kHz capable (44.1 kHz, 24 bit).
I am glad to see this niche of personal recorders is getting even more competitive. Broadcasters, musicians, field recordists and others will have a wider array of products from which to choose. Stay tuned for PAR’s in-depth reviews on this new crop of recorders in an upcoming issue.
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