HI 10 : Budget Mic, but Usable

Running a small recording studio I?m always on the lookout for new microphones to add to the locker. As with most studios the mic selection changes a lot; sometimes I?ve got in Gemini?s, high end AKG?s and other times I?ve got in budget mics like V67GS?s. I?m a firm believer that every microphone has a use; you just need to find its perfect application.

This small diaphragm condenser microphone is very pretty; it features a nice gold coloured capsule and soft touch metal body. On looks alone it?s worth its meagre price tag. The mic comes with a leather pouch, hard plastic clip and foam lined cardboard box.

I?ve experimented with this mic on a few applications. Firstly, on high hats it sounded rather harsh, the top-end was a little to brittle for my liking. Secondly, on acoustic guitar, it sounded quite dark. The low-mids seemed to drop quite a lot and the full bodied sound of the guitar was lost. Thirdly, on voice- don?t use this on voice. It?s only a SD condenser mic so it will naturally have less bass response but with the shrill high-end it makes for a terrible vocal mic.

It?s not all doom and gloom though, on percussion it stands out (a touch of EQ to roll of that shrill top-end) and it also fairs well on guitar cabs. It has its own sound and is a fairly noise-free mic.

At this price it?s worth taking a punt just to add some variety to your mic selection. You won?t be blown away but you might just find that retro sound you?ve been looking.