The Fetish Stiletto
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I recently posted something on Twitter that seemed to strike a chord, judging from how many retweets it seemed to generate. I said, “Sorry for the generalization but, microphones are to audio engineers what shoes are to women.” It’s an analogy that seems to work on several levels. Well, you can say I have a mic fetish but, I say, “What good engineer doesn’t?” I think I should start my own brand of esoteric, boutique mics called Fetish and the flagship model can be The Stiletto. (Shhh — don’t tell anyone. It’ll be our exclusive little mic.)
There are some mics you don’t necessarily reach for all the time and there are the work horses. You’ve got your Manolos of the mic world like the Neumann U 47 and then you have your 9 Wests like the SM57, MD421 and fat Heads.
So, in my search for the “black pump” of tube condensers, I happen to call Dae Bennett (Tony Bennett’s son), owner of bennett Studios (http://www.bennettstudios.com/news.html) in Englewood, New Jersey. I had heard some good things about the Audio-technica AT 4047 and, specifically, that it was used on all of the vocals on Tony’s “Duets” album. Now, I know it’s not a tube mic, but I was considering buying it but simply had to confirm that this mic was used on all of the vocals on that album. I had my doubts because I know that some of the vocalists on that recording like Sting and Stevie Wonder happen to use the Sony C800G a lot of the time. Dae confirmed that the AT 4047 was, in fact, used on all of the vocals except one. Turns out, what I heard was true — Bono always seems to use a Shure SM58 Beta in the studio.
Anyway, during our conversation, Dae mentioned the Apex 460 (http://www.apexelectronics.com/products.asp?cat=21&type=1&id=74). I hadn’t heard much about the mic so, when I learned that someone had modified a pair for him, I was intrigued and began researching the mic. I was amazed at the differences of opinion this mic caused.
I wish I had known about RecordingHacks.com (http://www.recordinghacks.com) at that point. It probably would have saved me a lot of surfing time. Matthew McGlynn does an amazing job with his Microphone Database (http://recordinghacks.com/microphones). It has tremendously useful links to the manufacturers’ web sites, spec sheets, owner’s manuals, etc.
At a certain point, I found Dan Richard’s side-by-side comparison (http://www.studioreviews.com/m16-460.htm) of the R-F-T Telefunken M16 and the Apex 460 on StudioReviews.com (http://www.studioreviews.com). Turns out that, apart from three resistors, the mics are identical. Of course, the $1,400 price tag for the M16 seemed a little steep as compared with the $229 cost of the 460. Telefunken re-released the mic as the M16 Mark II with the same price tag but allegedly upgraded components.
So, further research revealed that the Apex 460 was just a rebranded Alctron HST-11A (http://www.alctron-audio.com/encpShow.asp?id=70) which is a Chinese-made multi-pattern tube condenser that seemed to appear under many names including Nady and Carvin, among others. There seemed to be a number of modifications that some folks were doing like transformer swaps, changing the capsules, capacitors and tubes. There were some guys like Dave Thomas, whose company, Advanced Audio (http://www.aamicrophones.com), offered highly modified versions of the HST-11A and branded them with their own names like the CM12 (http://www.aamicrophones.com/tube_mics/cm_12.htm). In some cases, third party “mic moders” were using the Peluso CEK-12(http://www.pelusomicrophonelab.com/capsnmnts.html) as an upgrade from the stock capsule. Further, I discovered that Peluso themselves offered a similar mic known as the P12 (http://www.pelusomicrophonelab.com/P12.html).
All of these mics were essentially based on the legendary AKG C 12. Not being in a position to justify the cost of a vintage C 12, I found the Apex 460 at Full Compass Systems (http://www.fullcompass.com/product/314911.html) for only $181 at the time and ordered several. I compared the stock 460 to a pair of 460s I had modified by one of Dae Bennett’s friends. The moded mics were ever so slightly darker but, apart from that, all of the mics, even the stock models, sounded quite nice.
I always wanted to compare the moded 460s to an AKG C 12 so I called Chris Dunn at DreamHire (http://www.dreamhire.com) and he personally dropped one off at the studio – not because I’m such an important client but, rather, most likely because I’m literally down the street from them since they’ve moved to Astoria (woohoo!).
These shootouts almost always reinforce what I’ve come to realize: the great Neumann and AKG mics of yesteryear were absolute marvels and achieved an enormously high standard even 50 years ago — a standard that is still strived for today. At the same time, there are plenty of new mics today that technically out-perform the vintage offerings. Thing is, almost none of those mics sound like they did the day they were made and many of them have been so heavily modified and repaired that, for all intents, they’re practically new mics.
I don’t know if I would ever buy a vintage U 47 or C 12. i mean, it would be great to own a piece of history, yeah, but in almost every shootout, I’m reminded that the vintage models, as nice as they are, aren’t necessarily the winners and are sometimes, quite frankly, the losers. I think I’d rather invest a little less money in a contemporary mic like the Peluso 2247LE (http://www.pelusomicrophonelab.com/22 47 LE.html) and be content owning an extraordinary, modern microphone. People will always covet the historic Neumann, AKG and Telefunken mics and they’ll always be collectors items for some. I’ll always respect and revere them but I think I’ll stick to, umm… the black pumps.
background music for this episode is by Sarina Bridget Bach from her debut album, “All Except One.” Recorded by Slau at BeSharp, June 6, 1999.
Sarina Bridget Bach – piano, Patience Higgins – tenor sax, Jesse Andrus – tenor/soprano sax, Hugh Fraser – trombone, Steve Roane – bass, Richie DeRosa – drums
Additional excerpts from: Joel Weiskopf, Marty Mabin, Libby Richman and Carlo Barile, Vinny pedulla and Slau.
Tags: 460, Advanced Audio Microphones, AKG, Alctron, Apex Electronics, AT3035, AT4033/SE, AT4047, AT4050, Audio-Technica, Bennett Studios, C 12, C800G, Cascade Microphones, Chris Dunn, CM12, Dae Bennett, Dave Thomas, DreamHire, ELA M 250, ELA M 251, Fat Head, Matthew McGlynn, MD 421, microphones, Neumann, P12, Peluso Microphone Lab, Recording Hacks, Sennheiser, shootout, Shure, SM57, Sony, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Telefunken, Tony Bennett, U 47
July 19th, 2009 at 3:05 am
Slau, thanks for the plug. I’m always happy to see people getting good use out of the mic database.
Regarding the Telefunken USA M16 Mk II, the components are definitely different from what you’ll find in any HST-11A derivatives on the market. Telefunken USA (actually now called Telefunken Elektroakustik) worked with AMI/TAB-Funkenwerk to design a new amplifier circuit, modeled on the AKG C12. TAB-Funkenwerk supplied a great new made-in-Kansas output transformer — traditionally a weak point in Chinese mics. The tube in the Mk II is significantly nicer than what you’re likely to find in any stock budget mic, as well (but that’s admittedly an easy thing to swap on your own).
The capsule in the Mk II might be similar; Chinese copies of the Neumann K67 large-diaphragm capsule abound in imported mics. Some are better than others. And a little quality control goes a long way. I’d be more inclined to trust one from Telefunken Elektroakustik or David Royer (see his Mojave MA-200) than one from, say, Acme.
Good show!
July 19th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Hey Matt,
Thanks for the comment but, more impoartantly, thanks for your tireless work on the Microphone Database and Search Engine at Recording Hacks. It’s such as tremendously useful tool when doing research. I definitely plan on contributing in the future.
I have absolutely no doubt that the newer M16 Mark II earns its distinction from the original with upgraded parts and circuit. Having interviewed Tony Fishman, it was obvious that the subject was fairly uncomfortable. I imagine it’s something they really want to put behind them. OK, I’ll never mention it again
The many modifications avaialble sure do make the various re-branded versions of the HST-11A a nice potential for the budget-minded recordist. Frankly, I was surprised at how good the stock Apex 460 sounded. I know that some folks have complained about inconsistency from one piece to the next and I suppose one needs to be aware of that issue. Beyond that, however, it’s nice to know there are a few options that won’t run $9,000 and still perform on par.
Thanks again!
Slau
July 20th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
chinese mic…yeah, it definitely has become a comeback to insinuate crap
i’ll take one of those fetish stiletto’s
thx for the show!
July 20th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
LOL Thanks for the comment, dave. I suppose I should register the domain and trademark the name before someone else claims it.
Fortunately, Chinese manufacturing and parts have made a bunch of products much more affordable but, unfortunately, quality control is spotty. However, if one look around, it’s possible, with some care, to come up with something a little stock, a little modified but very cool.
Thanks again!
Slau
July 27th, 2009 at 1:34 am
Hey Slau, nice work – love the new text and podcast format!
The Apex 460 has been on my mind recently also. Its one of those mics that is so popular, no doubt owing to its low cost. People have asked me for years if I work on this mic but I’ve always declined because I could not address what I see as the fundamental challenge found in this mic – the mismatch of the stock K67-type capsule to a flat frequency response circuit.
The K67 capsule was designed by Neumann with a built in high frequency response peak. This was then followed in the U 67 and U 87 microphones with complimentary HF de-emphasis achieved through negative feedback. This topology created an acoustic pre-emphasis / electronic de-emphasis system that offered the benefits of increased headroom, sibilance reduction and timbre control. But the Apex 460 uses a flat frequency response circuit – the 8kHz peak created by the stock K67-type capsule flies right through the two-stage circuit, whacks the transformer hard then delivers and actually exacerbates sibilance. This mis-match is not unique to the Apex 460. Many low cost mic use K67-type capsule driving the transformerless “Schoeps-type” circuit, which incidentally also has a flat frequency response.
In my opinion, the reason why many people complain about harsh or sibilant low cost mics is not because of the Chinese capsule used. But rather the mis-match of the K67-type to a flat response circuit is the real issue. If a K67-type capsule feeds a circuit with the proper HF de-emphasis it can sound just fine.
Another approach is to keep the circuit stock and change the capsule to a different type. I’ve found the flatter, more midrange-focused K47-type capsule is a better choice for the flat response Apex 460 circuit and actually produces a more “Neumann-esque” timbre balance as a result.
July 27th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Hey Michael,
Thanks for the comment and for your insight. One does hear “design flaw” often when learning more about this type of microphone. I guess, in the interest of mass production, some things are deemed “good enough.” It’s great that there are options for us to modify them and, especially, that there are folks like yourself that offer services at reasonable rates for those of us who would like a little peace of mind when attempting to step up to a slightly better product.
Cheers!
August 4th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
I pretty much agree with sentiments in this podcast. But I’m still looking for a good cheap workhorse mic. I’ve collected a few cheap chinese mics, but they’re all either too thin or harsh sounding for a workaday kinda thing. My go-to LDC is my AKG414. To me it sounds very balanced.
The ironic thing about this podcast is that I thought it was too sibilant–I could’ve sworn it was recorded with a “cheap chinese” mic
It failed the “car stereo” test. I listened to it initially on my drive home, on a stock 2006 Corolla car stereo. Not the greatest of systems, but adequate. Very sibilant on that system. So I listened again on the studio speakers and while it wasn’t bad, it was still way too sibilant for my taste. And it was only Slau’s speaking parts. The music clips sounded very balanced–aside from the mp3 artifacts.
The only reason I mention it is because the podcast talks a lot about cheap chinese mics, and so far, all the cheap chinese mics I’ve heard sound just like the speaking parts in this podcast.
August 4th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
Thanks for your comments, Score. Interestingly, many people think the c 414 is quite a bright mic and, depending on the particular verswion, some people either love it or hate it. That’s the thing about mics — they can be quite different sometimes. Most of the time, however, most people can’t tell the difference between cheap and expensive. I have yet to meet a person who is willing to put their reputation where their mouth is when it comes to identifying “cheap Chinese” mics.
Regarding the samples I use, some of them have been recorded using the modified Apex 460s (among many other mics). Thing is, when I record the voice-over for the podcast, I do add a bit of high shelf and froll off the bottom a bit. Some “cheap” mp3 players don’t sound all that great when palying mp3s which, of course, are already compromised. I’ve bumped up the compression to 192 to help make the podcast sound a bit better in teh last two or so episodes. As far as car stereos, well, sometimes folks do boost the treble a bit and, yeah, that might not be the greatest thing for some content. Perhaps I should back off on the top end to compensate for overly-equalized car stereos and mp3 players.
Again, thanks for the comments!
Slau
August 19th, 2009 at 12:17 am
Slau,
Could you tell me what mods you did to your 460′s and about how much it was? Did Mr. Joley do the mods for you?
August 19th, 2009 at 1:20 am
Hey Cory,
The 460 mod was done for me by the guy who did it for Dae Bennett’s mics. He chose to remain nameless as he doesn’t normally do that kind of stuff for people. There are, however, a bunch of people doing mods on that mic. Unfortunately, Michael Joly isn’t doing anything with that particular mic. See his earlier comment associated with this entry. You might want to check out http://www.recordinghacks.com and search the microphone database there for some folks that do mods on various mics.
Hope that helps!
Slau
November 10th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Is it ok to tweet this article?
November 10th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Gee, I never thought of it as an article, per se, but feel free to link to it in your tweet. Cheers!