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Shure SM81-LC Cardioid Condenser Instrument Microphone for Guitar, Piano, and Cymbals, includes Swivel Adapter, Attenuator-Switch Lock, Windscreen, Carrying Case, No Cable Included (SM81-LC)

£169.5£339.00Clearance
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The gentle boost in the high frequencies helps to ever so slightly accentuate the upper harmonics of the ukulele's sound. A boost like this makes for a bright, clearer ukulele sound. The legendary SM81 is an industry-standard, flat-response cardioid condenser microphone, featuring a wide frequency response and low self-noise.

Overall the Shure SM81 captures shimmering high frequencies with clarity, and this makes it perfect for recording the nuances of hi-hats and cymbals. It also has very low noise and it offers superb value for money. So, we acoustic guitarists end up using mics that are primarily marketed at drummers. The difference here is that Shure's SM81 is, first and foremost, aimed at acoustic guitarists, albeit with a friendly, open invitation for pianists, drummers and string players too. Alternatively, you could experiment with aiming at the soundhole but with your mic placed below or above it to avoid the boom from all that air moving directly into the mic. These frequency banks have vastly different frequency ranges, which you can switch manually or let the Automatic Frequency Management technology do it for you.Compact, sturdy, and reliable, this microphone is one of the best hi-hat mics that you can find in the low-to-mid price range on the market. When it comes to hi-hats, you’ll need a microphone that can accurately capture high-frequency tones without “bleeding” over to your other microphones. The Audio-Technica ATM450 has a brightened response that highlights presence, slightly adding to upper midrange and brilliance. The peak is at 6.5 kHz, which can remind some discerning ears of an SM57 albeit with a less aggressive and smoother sound.

Its frequency response is 20 Hz to 20 kHz and you’ll find a modest presence peak around 12kHz, but otherwise the frequency response is rather flat. This makes for a mic with a relatively neutral character suitable for a variety of instruments. The SM57, along with its non-identical twin the SM58, is one of the best-selling mics of all time. Quite simply it's a legendary bit of kit. While the SM58, with its ball-style grille and built-in pop filter, was originally designed as a dynamic mic for live divas and crooners, the SM57 did away with these vocalist-friendly features to live out life as an instrument mic. Nady’s CM-88 is almost a decade old, yet it remains a staple hi-hat mic for drummers on a cash-strapped budget. The SM.81 was one of the most ubiquitous multi-engine aircraft of the Regia Aereonautica in the second half of the 1930s. It was a pleasant and reliable aircraft to fly, even if it was too slow and not as manoeuvrable as the SM.79. The aircraft made a good impression in pre-war exercises, flying in three-aircraft formations. Several complex manoeuvres were performed, but the reality, in spite of the propaganda of the regime, was that the Regia lagged behind in training and tactics, in spite of a small core of very experienced aircrew. The ATM450 features an integral 80 Hz hi-pass filter that provides easy switching from a flat frequency response to a low-end roll-off. This mic also comes with a switchable 10 dB pad that lowers its sensitivity, providing higher SPL capabilities for flexible use in a wide range of situations.Even if this aircraft was used for many tasks and by many units, the modest speed of the S.81 soon led to it being replaced by the SM.79 for many applications. One of the later SM.81 models developed had two Isotta Fraschini Asso inline liquid cooled engines with 626kW (840hp). But its performance was quite disappointing, including 330km/h (210mph) maximum speed, so the modifications were not successful.

Neumann has built something really special for stereo recording with the KM 184. Its phase integrity and tolerance are its best selling points, meaning you’re less likely to run into phase issues when mixing.

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Pinpointing the exact position of each microphone, using the right gear to achieve optimal synergy, and finding the right tone takes a lot of work.

Ideally, you want to place the hi-hat mic close to the hi-hats so it can capture a tight and focused sound. Nady’s CM-88 is among the handful of decent microphones that pretty much anyone can afford, so let’s see how it’s different from other budget mics. Talking about distortions, I’ve not yet finished. Unlike large diaphragm mics, SDCs aren’t that well suited for reproducing the low-end, and this often results to so-called low-end distortions. This is a huge problem and it affect almost every second SDC, to a degree. This is where another quirk comes into play – manufacturers simply introduce low cut filters meant to deaden the low end altogether, instead of fixing it. There are of course many valid reasons to use the low cut filters, but using it primarily to mask the distortions of a poorly designed mic is a bit unethical. It’s a sleek, lightweight microphone that can tolerate high noise levels and sound pressure, albeit its frequency range may not be the best. There are various types of ukuleles that differ in size and pitch, though the soprano ukulele is the most common.In North Africa and Italy, SM.81s were used more and more as night bombers, no longer assigned to anti-ship and day-light bombing after the first year of war. 145 Group delivered as of the end of January 1941: 11,600 men and 1,140tonnes (1,260tons) of various materials, in 3,200 flying hours. Several examples survived the war and went on to serve the Aeronautica Militare Italiana, but by 1950 they had all been retired. Since hi-hat cymbals produce razor-sharp sounds at super-high frequencies, AT2021 can effortlessly tolerate up to 145 decibels, making it deserving of the top slot in today’s list. Some engineers claim that the Neumann KM184 is the best pencil-style condenser microphone, and to be honest, it is hard to disagree. This mic is just sensational. Summary Once commonplace, ribbon mics are now less popular than condensers and dynamics, which dominate both studio and stage. Nevertheless, ribbon mics are highly regarded for capturing extremely natural-sounding recordings, with plenty of buttery warmth and top-end sparkle.

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