The microphone array used in the test

The Conservatory recently played host to an interesting microphone shootout. Director of Education, Mike Jones was in charge of the setup and procedures of the test, which took place over an entire day. Studio A was action central for the shootout with students playing a big part in the setup and execution. Signals were routed through the SSL 4000G+ console and then recorded to the Otari RADAR II hard disk recorder for later reference.

As for the setup in the room, the speaker was placed three feet back and the tweeter was placed dead center of the pack of microphones. A 1k tone was played through a Hafler TRM8 self-powered monitor and the level in the room was set to 90dB using a decibel meter. Once the level in the room was established, then each channel’s input was set to zero. Since the preamps on the SSL are detented and not linear, the level was generally set using the preamp level and then the fader was used to make fine adjustments.

Conservatory Students at the SSL 4000G+ console

The test was done by switching the microphones on one at a time, then listening to various pre-recorded program material. ZZ Top's She's just Killing Me from Rhythmeen and Beethoven's Works for Cello and Piano Sonata No. 1, second movement were two of the CDs used in the test. Microphones from Neumann, AKG, Røde, Avlex and Audio Technica were setup by students in a tight circular pattern for the test. Students got a chance to listen to the results and judge for themselves which microphones fared better than others. Although not a true test of how a microphone would react in a specific situation, it provided the students experience in how each microphone’s frequency response effects its performance. Later in the day, live musicians were brought in and select microphones were tested in a more real-world situation.

Student centering the speaker for the test