Alesis Microphones

True, the good old SMs are used every day, even in top-dollar studios, to record certain things, such as drums or miked guitar amps. However, they are used not in spite of their sonic deficiencies, but because of them. The limited frequency range of these mikes gives them a special sound that some people find more pleasing for certain applications than the more "transparent" sound of a studio condenser. Personally, I suspect that the main reason for using these mikes is nostalgia - thousands of hit records have been recorded with them, so they're a component in that "vintage" sound. Guitarists tend to like them because they will break up a little when recording a loud guitar amp, adding a bit (more) distortion to the sound (personally, I don't like distortion, and would never dream of using a dynamic mike to record a guitar amp, but mine is a very heretical view).

When it comes to vocals or acoustic instruments, there's no question that a good studio condenser mike is the right choice. Not only do quality mikes capture more high and low detail, but they give you much more flexibility in mike placement. When miking an acoustic guitar, I find that a dynamic mike needs to be placed an inch or two from the guitar, otherwise the signal is too weak, and gets overwhelmed by background noise. Since there's no one place on the guitar that will give you the full tonal range, I used to use two - one near the neck and one near the lower bout just below the bridge. Yes, until recently I couldn't afford a proper recording mike, so I became pretty darn good at getting the best guitar sound possible with SM57s.

Now, for this setup to work, the guitarist has to sit as still as a statue throughout the recording, and the results, while adequate, still fall far short of what you can get with a good studio condenser. Said condenser can be placed a couple of feet away from the guitar, and will pick up the full range of the guitar sound, with very little background noise. I'm not technical enough to know whether that's because studio mikes are more sensitive or what, exactly, but I can tell you that good mikes seem to have a magical ability to pick up the sounds you want, while rejecting the sounds you don't want.

GT Electronics, a subsidiary of Alesis, has a new line of studio condenser mikes, and these puppies sound great! You'll have to look elsewhere for a technical A/B comparison of these mikes with other studio standbys like AKG, Neumann and so on, as we don't have those other mikes lying around to compare (and after years of rock and roll, perhaps we don't have the ears for it, anyway). But these Alesis microphones are definitely in a class with the industry-standard AKG 414 (at comparable, or slightly lower, prices).

Alesis has 4 models of microphone: the AM51 and AM52 are solid-state (Class A FET) mikes, and the AM61 and AM62 are tube mikes. All are the same size (7.5" long x 3.5" diameter) and shape. The transistor models use standard 48v phantom power, but the tube models require their own little preamp, which is included. They all come with a mike stand adapter and a hardshell case.

Both transistor models have identical specs, and so do both tube models. The only difference is that the AM52 and AM62 offer a choice of 4 polar patterns, while the AM51 and AM61 offer a cardioid pattern only. The polar pattern refers to the directional characteristics of a mike. For recording a single instrument, you'll choose a unidirectional cardioid (heart-shaped) or super-cardioid pattern. For recording two instruments at once, you can use a figure-8 pattern. To record several instruments, or to pick up room ambience, you can use an omnidirectional pattern.

The difference in specs between the transistor mikes and the tube mikes is small. The transistor mikes can handle slightly higher sound pressure levels, and have a tiny bit less harmonic distortion. My ear didn't detect any noticeable difference between transistor and tube, although I didn't scientifically A/B them.

I tested them on vocals, acoustic guitar, a miked electric guitar amp, fiddle, and harmonica. In every case, they delivered a beautifully transparent sound, rich in detail and free of noise. Mike placement is a breeze - stick one of these babies anywhere near your instrument, and start jamming! Of course, mike placement does make a huge difference, so if you're searching for the perfect sound, spend some time experimenting with different placements. Studio pros generally try to shape the sound by choosing an appropriate mike and placement, rather than by fiddling with the EQ after the fact.

These mikes are amazingly sensitive. I tried recording a guitar amp with one of the Alesis mikes a foot from the cabinet, and the other ten feet away, to capture some ambient sound. To my surprise, the guitar came through loud and clear on the "ambient" track, with almost no noise, and little of the ambience I was going for. I finally got the desired result by placing the mike farther away, in a corner, with the pattern set on omnidirectional.