View Single Post
  #10  
Old 08-12-2017, 01:11 PM
Brent Hahn Brent Hahn is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 3,066
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankHudson View Post
Not trying to be argumentative, real question:

How does it work then? Or do you mean to say something like "It's a mystery that is not understood."
Well, it's more of a mystery to me than it probably is to a lot of other other people. But let me offer up one example:

The AKG 414. Over the years there have been at least half a dozen different varieties. Different capsules, some with transformers and some without, I don't know what all else. If you were to look at the frequency-response plots of them, they all look pretty much the same. But they don't sound the same at all. In fact, even within one model type, the 414EB, there were two variations, one with a brass capsule and the other with a teflon capsule. The brass-capsule 414 sounds very bright and airy, while the teflon is a lot darker.

Now here's where it gets weird. You can record a vocal with a modern 414 that sounds just as bright as the old brass-capsule 414, and then record the same thing with the darker, older teflon EB. Then bring them up in the same mix, maybe a loudish rock band. The "dark" vocal will punch right through, while the "bright" vocal will be subjectively harder to hear. Why is that? Because the old teflon mic has a transformer in it while the new one does not. To me, it falls into the category of "a mystery that is not understood." But I nevertheless know it to be true.
Reply With Quote