One of the great mysteries of live sound production is that, given the importance of the lead vocal, why vocalists often shy away from investing in a high performance mic, often settling for something that costs less than what the drummer spent on a kick drum pedal. This is not to infer that there’s anything wrong with a dynamic mic — in fact, on certain vocalists, that may be exactly the right transducer to match a particular vocal style or timbre.
However, if you’re looking for extended bandwidth and fast transient response, a condenser mic is just the ticket. And with that in mind, we present this look at top of the line condenser models. All models listed require phantom powering. No frequency response data is given; simply stating that a mic has a 20 Hz to 20 kHz spec is fairly meaningless and many models include LF or upper mid presence boosts to add character or intelligibility, so a “flat” response is rarely desirable. Weight is included, as this is often a factor, particularly when using a handheld mic over extended periods with certain vocalists. And MSRP list pricing is listed; microphones are sometimes (not always) greatly discounted and “street” pricing can vary dramatically.
For a PDF of FRONT of HOUSE’s July 2012 Buyers Guide, CLICK HERE.
