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A few weeks ago, I tried the Shure PG27USB and was very impressed. Not only did it sound great, but the 27USB marked the first time I felt comfortable creating content on a USB mic.

Of course, I was curious to try out the big brother to the 27USB – the PG42USB. Would it sound better, worse or just the same?

The PG42USB comes standard with a solid, Shure-branded flight case and a custom shock mount. Nice touch. As well, you’ll find a generous (almost 10′) length USB cable.

What sets the 42USB apart from the rest is the sound. Just the right amount of ‘air’ in the highs, mid-range articulation and a smooth low-end come together, making the 42USB a great choice for voice over and vocals.

The audience has been asking for an unprocessed demo, …and here it is! Have a look, listen and let me know what you think.

Street Price at Post Time: $249

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Every once in a while, a piece of gear really surprises me. Most everything that makes it to the virtual airwaves of NewMediaGear is good stuff, but there are stand-outs.

USB mics. I have mixed feelings about them. A USB port can only supply a small amount of current, which generally results in a compromised large condenser microphone. A real time headphone amplifier only draws more power away from the exciter.

When I noticed the Shure PG27USB model (there is also a PG47USB available), I had to try it out.

In flat black, with white trim, the PG27USB looks very professional. Except for the low profile level controls and headphone jack on the side and back, it looks identical to the PG27, which is the XLR version. In the box, you’ll find a leatherette pouch, base mount (for attachment to a stand or boom) along with a generously long 3 meter USB cable and manual. No drivers are needed for connection to Windows XP (or above) and Mac OS X.

A quick trip around the capsule reveals the small volume, mic gain and monitor pots. As well, a 3.5mm headphone jack and 20db pad are very discrete as you look at the side address 27USB. Everything is very tight. Fit and finish is classic Shure.

I fired up Sound Forge, checked that “Shure Digital” was my input and output device and that’s it. What really caught me by surprise was the mic sound and clarity of the headphone amp. This mic is ultra-crisp, tight and smooth all at the same time. It reminded me of my 416, and that’s quite an achievement. Soon, I was working in both Sound Forge and Audition, voicing tracks and listening to the playback – all through the PG27USB. The monitor is a ‘mix’ that allows you to sample the mic, your computers audio output, or a mix of both. There is plenty of mic gain and adjustment. Most surprising, is the sheer quality usability of the headphone amp. I sometimes forgot I was working completely in USB.

By far, the PG27USB is the most ‘usable’ USB mic I have ever tried. Everything comes together with great sound, zero latency monitoring and (did I mention) great sound. Have a listen for yourself and let me know what you think?

Shure PG27USB Street Price at Post Time: $199 USD

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Mark Jensen & Laura

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In a sea of inexpensive large diaphragm condenser microphones, you need to stand out. In the $150-$250USD range, there are many makes and models to consider.

Besides visual flash – bright colors or chrome trim, some microphones simply succeed on their reputation. Rode is in a unique position to offer an affordable studio microphone with better-than-average quality.

At first glance, the NT1-A looks like a thousand others. No glitz factor. However, a few key things stand out. The NT1-A has the traditional extra heft and solid feel. Once shipped with a clamp-on universal shock mount, the NT1-A CRS adds a re-designed, custom shock mount, with a mount of its own to hold the (included) blast filter. The new shock filter is a vast improvement on “the clamp”. The blast filter is an added bonus.

The CRS (Complete Recording Solution) simply means that you get the updated shock mount plus blast filter. In addition, you get an instructional DVD and 20′ of good quality mic cable.

Most important is how the mic sounds. This is where consistency counts. The NT1-A is not shocking or surprising in any way, although it does have a sonic character. Many describe it as ‘bright’. I had a hard time deciding.

All in all, this cast is made possible because I bought an (older run) NT-1A and decided I couldn’t do without it over the years. …never regretted the purchase

Street Price at Post Time: $229

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Have you ever heard a sound and knew you liked it …without knowing why? Not so much a song or artist, but a style.

For me, that happened long ago. At the beginning of my on-air career, I worked at an AM/FM combo. We were a medium market, but our signal easily penetrated a large market (Toronto). The cool guys and gals at the station worked album rock on FM. Let’s just say that I worked the AM side. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

We monitored the station in real time. There was no talk show delay (mainly because there were no talk shows. we were all music, all the time except for CBS News at the top hour). There wasn’t a computer in site. ITC 3D cart players to the left and right. A Gates console, read-board and clock to the front. We monitored audio with Electro-Voice monitors and headphones when the mic was latched on. The on-air talent heard the same signal everyone else did. That meant mono, lo-fi along with lightning crashes and other static. Of course, we logged transmitter and antenna specs every hour by hand. If we heard static on the monitors, it was our job to remotely reset the transmitter. After all, everyone had a restricted broadcast permit ; )

Our format was “contemporary hit radio” or CHR. When I was hired, we were in the middle of a compression war with a competing station. My music director wanted a sound “louder” than anyone else on the AM dial, and he may have succeeded, at least in our market. As you could imagine, the music (compared to todays standards) didn’t sound all that great, but we had plenty of listeners.

I remember putting on the phones and switching the huge Gates mic channel on with a big thunk and succession of relay pops. Even I sounded good! It was magic. That super-compressed, low-bandwidth audio sounded great. As I started podcasting and netcasting, I kept searching for that sound. Well, maybe not that exact sound. Add some dynamic range, drop the lightning crashes and give me bit more high-end in the frequency department. Otherwise – I still like to push the processor a little harder than most. If you’re a classical music buff, you are probably cringing right now. Sorry.

So that’s it. At a pivotal point in my life, I was exposed to compression and leveling to make an AM signal sound as it was never intended. Today, I appreciate what the audiophile crowd hears, both the ‘transparent’ and ‘psycho-acoustic’ crowd. The change in sound design that created Home Theater (or was it the other way around) with dramatic dynamics and exaggerated bass. My best friends are severe audiophiles, and the conversations between us are always a blast.

Many people search for sonic accuracy. What goes into a mic or amp is exactly what should be heard. That’s impossible (with the exception of test tones), but the pursuit isn’t. Just as artists experiment with instruments, I experiment with processing. When a customer requests a voice-over ‘dry’ – I can deliver. I can also make the spot sound like it’s for a tractor-pull convention or anywhere in between. These days, my personal taste is somewhere in the middle – as exposure to both extremes has conditioned me.

My breed is definitely outnumbered – big time. As a voice talent, I do just as instructed.

However, when given free reign on the show, I do like to punch it a little. Old habits.

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MarkJensen

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Our video demo of the new little Neumann TLM 102 drew quite a response – and for good reason. All of the elements for a great mic just came together. Quality, legendary precision and a sound that could only be described as smooth & sweet. All, for under $700USD?

Like many, I can’t help but compare that already famous ‘102′ sound to another Neumann, albeit more costly. The U87 is arguably the most popular contemporary Neumann. However, I found a sweet spot myself for the TLM 49. The 49 is an excellent large diaphragm condenser inspired by the decades old M 49 and M 50. Optimized for speech, the TLM 49 appears in much of my work.

Ok – before I get confused myself, we’ll concentrate on the TLM 49. Many people asked for comparisons to the 102. I’ll apply a little phantom power and let you decide just how the TLM 49 looks and sounds…

Street Price at Post Time: $1599

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Funny how things happen. I had this show ready to post on December 24th. Basically, our Macs are used for video and PC’s for audio. Laura and I recorded this show (and many others) on my trusty Dell XPS laptop, but didn’t post at the studio. It was time to shut down Studio1A for the Holidays, so I’d normalize, tag and post at home. As a precaution – I uploaded the raw WAV file to our off-site server. Always good to backup.

Surprise! I booted up later that evening and ‘POOF’. Well, the laptop didn’t really make any noise, but that’s part of the problem. My M1710 started displaying strange screen patterns – even at POST. It was toast. Of course, that has nothing to do with our show, except for timing …and the sad departure of a good ole’ Core 2 Duo audio partner.

Laura and I had fun talking about some of the stand-out gear of the year. I realized later that a lot of very cool field gear never made it into the categories. This really is a core, popular list of the gear that gets mentioned most in emails and on the channels.

In with the new. A very Happy 2010 from the people at Studio1A!

My personal picks for this, and the other categories are based on my own studio, clients and preferences. A few things I always keep in mind (besides performance) is ambient noise and how the mics will be used. A large diaphragm condenser is great if your studio is well isolated. Otherwise, a dynamic may be the only practical choice.

Surprisingly, the two mics listed below are very forgiving (compared to some) of room noise considering one is a condenser and the other is an electret (form of condenser).

Final processors for radio and television are prohibitively expensive and complex. Amazingly – in the last 5 years or so, much of this high-end processing power is now available to home studio owners. Typical functionality in a final processor may be multi-band compression, leveling, limiting and a myriad of other functions depending on the make and model.

Having said all that, the choices for a home studio final processor are still slim. I almost started to include others, but found only one that is currently under $1000USD and performs quite well. No doubt, prices will lower on other brands and soon there will be more competition. As it stands now, my personal pick is the Finalizer Express from TC Electronics.

Final Processing that Should Cost More! The TC Electronics Finalizer Express.

MIXERS/CONSOLES

First – a mixer and console. What’s the difference? Using my own definition, an audio mixer is designed for music recording. That means you can tailor the channel(s) with a trimmer, EQ or even pan.

A radio, or broadcast console doesn’t allow you EQ or pan audio on the fly. The reason? In a commercial setting, the dynamics and spectral sound is the job of an engineer; not the talent. The on-air personality should be able to adjust levels, assign outputs and select bus assignments, but that’s about it.

In the context of a small, but professional studio, I selected my favorite budget mixer and a few excellent consoles. There is a huge difference between a budget mixer and an on-air console – both in price and functionality.

The 10 Channel Yamaha MG102C-CA. Yamaha Quality on a Budget.

The Standard in Broadcast Consoles. The AudioArts (by Wheatstone) AIR 1 is a True Broadcast Console.

A New Era. The Henry SixMix Brings Back Memories of a Miniature Gates Console.

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In the spirit of the Holidays, we look at a microphone that brings to mind the past, with technology from the future. …or at least present

Bob Heil demands great sound from his microphones, but he also likes them to be eye catching. I caught a glimpse of the Heritage microphone and had to try it out.

If you have tried a Heil PR (professional) series PR-20, you’ll have a good idea of the Heritage sound. That’s because Bob didn’t settle for a cheap element in a beautiful enclosure. The Heritage is an excellent microphone to show off on video, due to its brightly polished chrome housing that shines like the bumper of a ‘57 Chevy.

I could type more and tell you about its nice cardioid pattern, solid mount, integrated blast filter and shock mount – not to mention the humbucking coil for RF rejection, but let’s have a look and listen in!

Street Price at Post Time: $169

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