Earthworks SR314 Handheld Vocal Condenser Microphone - Stainless Steel

Product Information

It looks incredible, sounds excellent and is potentially as valuable in the studio as it is on stage, and if you are in the market for a high-end capacitor stage mic, you'd be foolish to omit it from your shortlist. The SR314’s tight cardioid polar pattern provides consistent frequency response to 90º off-axis, with extreme attenuation of off-axis sound sources beyond 90º and maximum rejection at 180º. The Earthworks brand has long been associated with the production of high-quality condenser microphones designed for use not only in the studio and on stage, but for measurement purposes, as well. When I mixed a recorded show where I'd used it for the lead vocal, spill from other instruments was both low in level and remarkably natural in timbre.

When you move the mic 90 degrees off-axis, the timbre changes, and you can hear the high-frequency response start to drop off. The pop screen extends down almost half of the microphone, which should also aid in keeping vocalists’ hands in the proper position. Cons: Sensitive to plosives; heavy weight requires a sturdy stand; cardioid pattern may not be tight enough for some applications.When a singer moves within about 4 inches, proximity effect starts to gently emphasize the low end; any closer than that and proximity effect is clearly noticeable. There is literally no reason not to use the 2028 live once you have it unless you can't use a phantom-power supply. I literally had a woman with a KMS 105 complaining it didn't work with her new Behringer portable PA speaker. It’s not often that you find a practical and attractive design in a microphone intended for live use. I didn’t get an opportunity to try it, but I suspect it would make a decent snare top mic in the studio as well, especially given its transient response, airy top end, and its ability to take levels up to 145dB.

After using the SR40V wired and wireless versions for so many years and then trying the 314 I was like…WOW! The SR314’s 145dB SPL handling and an extended 20Hz–30kHz frequency response further enhance the versatility of this incredible mic, making it as useful for high-fidelity capture of instruments as it is for vocals. Earthworks microphones have always embodied a very distinctive ethos, aiming to capture sound with the highest possible fidelity across the widest possible frequency range, and laying particular emphasis on the accurate representation of transients. The SR314 ships with a nylon pouch and a microphone stand clip, and is warranted for a period of 10 years from the date of purchase—an impressive commitment from the folks at Earthworks. Some say that capacitor stage mics are more prone to feedback than moving-coil models, but the SR314 remained blissfully immune.

I haven't done a big band on stage with it so I don't know how it holds up in terms of feedback with a drummer plus percussionist right behind you. I'm sure I'm not alone in finding that this can be a very unforgiving source, and one which is often poorly suited to the SM58 and other classic stage dynamic mics. I found that the SR314 provided the most natural-sounding response when a vocalist worked the microphone from around 8 to 10 inches away from the microphone grille. You can then choose which finance term you'd like to apply for, and change your deposit if you wish.

The naturally bright sound puts the vocalist comfortably forward in the mix, which should create less work for the FOH engineer. The SR314 is a cardioid condenser microphone with a pre-polarized capsule coupled to a transformerless preamp employing Class A electronics. We use a Zoom L20 Additionally, we never had this issue with the other vocal mics we use (shure beta 87A, shure sm58 beta, telefunken m80). It does sound good, and allows the performer a good degree of movement, so long as stage levels are on the quiet side of sensible.On-axis sound is remarkably clear and balanced, with only gentle proximity effect and no tendency to harshness or sibilance. and i stand correct that hiss is either coming from the source, mic, preamp, mis-use of processing or from level mis-match between gear in the analog domain (which may happen at the very last stage though): the amps then only make it louder.