Three of the most important choices we need to make when choosing new gear for our studios are the transducers, being devices that change sound energy into electric energy (microphones) and gear that changes electrical energy back into sound energy (studio monitors and headphones). You can't mix what you can't hear and you can't record what isn't captured in the first place.
Over the years we have published countless reviews in which we share our opinions on some of the best studio transducers available today. Below you can explore our reviews of top studio headphones, monitors and microphones you can buy today for your recording studios:
Studio Microphones
Austrian Audio were born out of AKG but how much of that classic studio microphone DNA has found its way into their OC series microphones? In this extended on test article we try the Austrian Audio OC 818 and 18 condenser microphones on a variety of sources. We find a lot of Austrian-built microphone for surprisingly little money.
As you can imagine we at Production Expert get a chance to test a vast amount of the latest software and hardware but once in a while a brand approaches us that we have no experience of. This was the case with JZ Microphones (pronounced Jay Zed, not Jay Zee). This is how I got on using the JZ Microphones Black Hole BH-1S and the BH2 in a tracking session.
You get to keep just one microphone, which one would you choose? Julian Rodgers makes his choice.
You get to keep just one microphone, which one would you choose? James Ivey makes his choice.
You get to keep just one microphone, which one would you choose? Russ Hughes makes his choice.
Warm Audio is a gear manufacturer that strives to emulate the sound quality of vintage high-end gear, but with a much smaller price tag. I wanted to see how some of their microphones compared to their vintage counterparts.
I’ve said it before and I’ll happily say it again, “I love microphones”. I have done ever since I was a kid and realised you get what you pay for. But what happens when a manufacturer of super high end microphones comes up with a product that is gunning for some of the biggest and most well respected names in the business at a price point that is one of the most hotly contested in the industry? Can the team at Soyuz Microphones create one of their hand-built masterpieces and still sell it for between £1000 and £1500 UK Pounds? Let’s find out by testing the new Soyuz SU-023 or Bomblet microphone.
I'm not sure exactly when it was that vintage became cool, or maybe it has always been cool and I'm just late to the party, but as soon as it did, people started to copy it. In the fashion world stressed jeans started to appear. These are just a brand new pair that have been battered and teased to look like old warn in jeans for the sake of style. In our world of music and all things high tech the goal is that vintage sound or tone but without the vintage headaches of poor reliability and instability and often massive investment.
This post does not go into technical differences between ribbon and condenser microphones as that would be a boring article to write... and read. instead, we've produced a shootout between both ribbon and condenser microphones that on the face of it look the same, are both from the same microphone brand and are similarly priced: The SE Electronics SE X1 R ribbon and SE X1 S condenser.
In this video review for Production Expert, Technical Editor James Ivey takes a look at the new Slate Digital ML-2 small-diaphragm cardioid condenser microphone with a 'Dynamic mode' switch and the latest VMC Classic Instrument Microphone bundle for the Slate Digital Virtual Mix Rack (VMR).
In this video review for Production Expert, Technical Editor James Ivey takes a look at the new Delta II and Sigma II handmade ribbon microphones by British microphone manufacturer Sontronics.
In this video review for Production Expert, Pro Tools Expert Technical Editor James Ivey takes a look at the new LCT540 Subzero (540S in the UK and Europe) 1-inch condenser capsule microphone by Lewitt. In this review James shows you some of the key features of the 540S then lets you hear how it sounds on drum overheads and nylon and steel string acoustic guitars in a short demo track.
In this video review for Production Expert, Technical Editor James Ivey takes a look and listen to the Series Black range of condenser microphones by Lauten Audio.
In this video review for Production Expert, Pro Tools Expert Technical Editor, James Ivey takes a look at the new Hammer Audio HA-872 condenser microphone.
In this video review for Pro Tools Expert, Technical Editor James Ivey looks at the final microphone in the Audio Technica 50 series the 5040. The AT504 is once again a quad rectangular diaphragm microphone but this has no transformer in its output stage thus giving it a very very high output.
In this video review for Production Expert, Pro Tools Expert Technical Editor James Ivey takes a look at the new Classic Tubes 3 collection for the Slate Digital Virtual Microphone System.
In this video for Pro Tools Expert, Technical Editor James Ivey shows us around the new AT2035 Studio bundle from Audio Technica and Audient. This package features everything you need to get working on your next hit song. Just add creativity.
In this video review for Pro Tools Expert, Technical Editor James Ivey takes a look at the new Vanguard Audio Labs V44S Stereo Condenser Microphone.
n this video review for Pro Tools Expert, Technical Editor James Ivey takes a look at the new Audio Technica 5045 single rectangular diaphragm condenser microphone.
In this video review for Pro Tools Expert, Technical Editor James Ivey takes a look at the new AT5047 quad diaphragm condenser microphone from Audio technica.
In this video for Pro Tools Expert, Technical Editor James Ivey reviews the Audio-Technica 4080 and 4081 ribbon microphones. With music the music of singer songwriter Joel Tavares and his song Rain Down, James records a pair of AT4081 Ribbon mics in a Blumlein configuration to capture an open sounding stereo image of the acoustic guitar. James uses the AT4080 to record Joel's vocals. The 4080 is much more of a traditional dark sounding Ribbon mic and works perfectly as a vocal mic for this track.
In this 2nd part of this review, Technical Editor, James Ivey continues his look at the amazing Zylia recording system. Back in the studio 2 days after the recording session James shows what you can do with the recordings inside the Zylia Studio software. He goes on to show how the Zylia Studio software can export not only a stereo file but also the instrument stems with minimal bleed from the other instruments.
In this video review for Pro Tools Expert, Technical Editor James Ivey takes a look at the new Zylia multi diaphragm microphone and software recording solution with the help of the Elite String Quartet.
In this review for Pro Tools Expert, Technical Editor James Ivey takes a look at 2 microphones from SE Electronics. With the help of singer-songwriter, Joel Tavares, James tests the SE 2200A Mk2 cardioid large diaphragm condenser mic and the SE Voodoo VR2 Ribbon microphone.
I have been lucky enough to have loan of the Soyuz SU-019 since just after the NAMM show back in January 2017. Many of you will have heard me use it as it is the mic I have been using to record my voice for the Pro Tools Expert podcast ever since. The SU-019 is a large diaphragm FET condenser microphone. The FET or Field Effect Transistor is placed in the mics internal circuit to produce a richer tone. read on to see what I think about it...
Pro Tools Expert Post Production Specialist Alan Sallabank reviews the RØDE smartLav+ Lavalier microphone system, and sees if such a reasonable budget solution can deliver a professional result.
In this video review for Pro Tools Expert, Technical Editor and self-confessed microphone addict, James Ivey takes an up-close look at the new Mercury Valve Condenser microphone from British manufacturer Sontronics.
In this video, Pro Tools Expert Technical Editor James Ivey takes a look at the new Warm Audio WA-87 large diaphragm condenser microphone.
In this video review for Production Expert, Pro Tools Expert Technical Editor James Ivey takes a look at 3 new microphones from Audio-Technica.During a drum recording session James tries the new AE2300 Dynamic mic on Snare drum, the ATM230 on Floor Toms and the ATM350D on Rack Toms.
In this video review for Pro Tools Expert, Technical Editor James Ivey takes a look at the Slate Virtual Microphone System (VMS).
In this video for Pro Tools Expert, Technical Editor James Ivey takes a look at the new V13 multi pattern valve condenser microphone from Vanguard Audio Labs. This is not only a beautiful looking mic but it also has the sound characteristics of some of the worlds most famous and expensive mics making it one that you really should thing about when buying a modern microphone.
In this video James Ivey from Pro Tools Expert takes a close up look at a new product from Sweden, the ISOVOX. For this review James moves the studio to his kitchen so you can really hear how the ISOVOX works to remove unwanted room reflections from the recording process.
Production Expert is proud to present a world exclusive. The first review of the new Townsend Labs Sphere Microphone system. Technical Editor James Ivey shows you around the Sphere L22 large dual diaphragm microphone and the Sphere and Sphere 180 software in a practical demonstration recording voice, drums and acoustic guitar. He talks about how to get the best out of the L22 mic and the Sphere software to get the sound of some of those classic money can't buy vintage microphones.
In this video review of the SE Electronics ProMic Laser Pro Tools Expert team member Dan Cooper shares his past methods for recording his voice in video production. Dan demonstrates how both the Shure SM7B (recorded via a Cloudlifter) and AKG C414 sound in comparison to the ProMic Laser when connected to his Canon 80D DSLR.
In this video James from Production Expert takes a close look at the new Halo portable vocal booth from Aston Microphones.
In this video review James takes a look at the new Origin from UK company Aston Microphones. He puts this new take on microphone design to work on a track using acoustic guitars, percussion and vocals. The Origin is available in stores for around £199 UK Pounds. This could become the new go to mic for Singer-songwrites and home recordists it really is that good. Take a listen and hear for yourselves. One thing to note is that at the time of recording the Rycote shock mount was offered as part of a deal. Sadly this deal ended at the end of December. A shock mount is available for the Origin but as an additional cost.
In this video James, with a little help from singer Rose O'Connell and band The Talent try out the new d:facto II microphone system from DPA. What are the benefits in being able to take a studio quality condenser mic and convert it to be able to run with a professional wireless system. James uses the mic in the studio and then the ultimate test to prove just why it gets his Editors Choice award.
Studio Monitors
In this on test article Julian Rodgers auditions the ADAM S3V and finds that fits his way of working better than he could have anticipated.
Are you looking for quality, active studio monitors, but don’t want to pay for features you won’t need? You may need to look no further than the Studiospares SN6A Active Monitors.
In this, on test article, we try the Kali Audio IN8, an ultra-affordable, dual-concentric, 3-way monitor. A combination which is so unusual it may be unique. However, while it may not have any direct competition, is it any good? We find out.
The Kali LP6 monitors have been heralded as something of a new standard about exactly what we should expect in terms of performance and price when it comes to studio monitoring. Julian spends some time with them to consider exactly what you can expect for not a great deal of money when it comes to monitors.
Most of us working in home studios use 2-way nearfield monitoring. 3-way monitors in smaller home studio environments are often impractical for three reasons. First, is cost, second is the physical size of the monitors and third is the size of the room. Eve Audio have a unique solution to 3 way monitoring with their SC305 model, that addresses all these obstacles.
The HEDD Tower Mains are big main monitors and that part of the market is dominated by a handful of very respected and very established names. Can this very original infinite baffle design compete at the top end?
Why do we want great studio monitors? That is not an obvious question to answer. On one hand, we want some degree of gratification as we are working on our music. In other words, we want it to sound good. But we also want to make sure we are mixing our music properly so that it will sound great wherever it is listened to. I am going to suggest a third facet. The better our studio monitors are, the more we take them for granted. And that is a good thing! The main thing I want from my monitors is to not think about them. I mean like ever.
How much do you have to spend to get a pair of monitors which are good enough to use to make reliable mixing decisions? Considering how important monitoring is to every decision you make when mixing and that monitors are one of those categories of equipment where the people who can will spend tens of thousands on “professional monitoring”. Is it sensible to mix on monitors which cost this little?
Having enjoyed the HEDD Type 05 two way monitors Julian tries the bigger Type 20 3 way monitors and their accompanying Lineariser plug-in. See what he made of them in this, his latest on test article.
Julian checks out some monitors from HEDD and is pleasantly surprised by how much performance you can get for not a great deal of money. Monitors with a Dante option and a crafty method of adding digital phase correction without adding any hardware.
Any Monitor Speaker Can Sound Good In An An-echoic Chamber, But How Good Are Genelec’s “The Ones” 8331 and 8341 SAM monitors in a challenging environment? Has Genelec re-written the rule book for rear ported monitors? Check out my review to find out…
Unity Audio are a small British company that have made a successful transition from high-end audio gear distribution into high-end monitor manufacturer. They currently make a range of 4 near to medium field monitors with accompanying subs and accessories and they were kind enough to send me a pair of their Super Rocks to review.
We put ADAM Audio’s new low cost T Series Studio Monitors to test to find out if they are any good. Are the T7V and T5V monitors a cheap shot to enter the budget home studio market or are these the studio monitor bargain of the century?
The Result6 studio monitor is the result of many years of research and development and has culminated in the first product from PMC that sits in a surprisingly affordable price range. Simple in design yet not lacking high tech innovation, the Result6 features a 6.5" woofer powered by a 100W amp, and a 27mm, soft-dome tweeter powered by a 65W amp. Surrounding the twetter are D-Fins which widen the listening sweet spot and reduce any negative edge effects from the sides of the cabinet.
No monitors are perfectly flat, and no room is acoustically perfect. You “learn” to work in your environment and that’s that. You learn to compensate through trial and error and experience until your mixes sound good. Period. Well, not so much. You’ll have to read through to the end of my review of the Sonarworks Reference 4 software to see how my prejudices have been modified through the experience of using this system.
I love it when new boxes appear as if by magic on the doorstep. On this occasion, it was not the normal pile of printed cardboard boxes but a nice shiny flight case that I coaxed down to the studio. Within I found a pair of DB7 Linear Phase monitors by newcomers to the studio monitor market OS Acoustics based down in Christchurch, Dorset in the south-west of the UK.
It is a well known acoustic concept that decoupling your speakers/monitors from the thing they are standing on (stands, desk or meter bridge) is the best way to get the very best out of said speakers. As much of the acoustic energy as possible is converted into sound waves and not into vibrations in your studio furniture. The DMSD 60 system does just that. These 8 little devices, four under each speaker, separate/decouple the speakers from what they are sitting on and should make the speakers sound better, but do they? Read on to find out...
Back in April 2016, I was invited to visit the Dynaudio factory in Denmark. This was to coincide with the announcement of their new range of professional studio monitors the LYD series. Later in September 2016 I finally received the opportunity to review the then, full range of LYD speaker in my home studio. Now in 2017, I am able to review the latest speaker in the LYD range the LYD48.
We don't do star rated reviews on Pro Tools Expert but if we did the IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Monitors would get 10 out of 10, two thumbs up and a lolly pop for being good. IK Multimedia sometimes gets a bad rap for their hardware products being too consumer or not "pro" enough, that may be true in some areas of their product range but don't paint the iLoud Micro Monitors with the same brush.
In this review Mike Thornton, Editor of Pro Tools Expert, takes a look at a new entrant in the room correction arena the Dirac Live solution which is available as software and as a 1U hardware unit embedded in a miniDSP unit. Mike explains how the Dirac Live system works, how he installed and used the miniDSP DDRC-88A to use on his 5.1 monitoring system and of course what he thought of it.
Studio Headphones
We test a pair of Beyerdynamics DT 990 Pro open-back headphones to see if they match the claims from the manufacturer that these studio-grade headphones sound transparent, spacious, bassy and powerful and whether the DT 990 Pro headphones hit the mark as reference headphones for mission-critical mixing and mastering workflows.
If you are in the market for a new set of studio headphones in the $150 to $300 price range, look no further. Lucky for us the cheaper $150 set out of these two Audio Technica studio headphones is the better choice. In this article, we share our thoughts on the M50x and M70x headphones by Audio Technica. We compare their differences in terms of designs, comfort, performance and price point and tell you why double the price doesn't always mean double the quality.
The NDH 20s are the first headphones Neumann have ever made. Do Neumann make headphones as well as they make microphones? Julian tries a pair and in this article shares his thoughts and experiences.
HEDD have announced a pair of headphones to complement their growing range of monitor speakers, which like their monitors feature the AMT driver for which they are best known. These open backed headphones feature a redesigned AMT driver which has been adapted to deliver full range performance rather than the HF only duties the AMT tweeters cater for in the monitors.
The new NDH20s from Neumann look like a lovely set of headphones, of all the stats the one which caught our eye was the high impedance. What difference does the impedance of a pair of headphones make?
In this review we take a close look… and of course listen to ADAM Audio’s first ever set of studio grade headphones the SP-5. Our verdict takes into consideration the high price tag, build quality, comfort and sonic performance in studio applications… In short, we like these very much… but how much and why?
We often talk about transducers being the part of the audio chain to spend the majority of our hard earned cash on. Normally this means our microphones and our speakers, but for many of us our headphones are just as, if not more important, than out speakers. We can spend many hours with them either on our heads or around our necks waiting to spring into action. In this article I'm going to look at some of the new and older headphones I have been using and let you know so of the features to look for when you are next shopping for studio headphones.
In this video for Pro Tools Expert, Technical Editor James Ivey shows us around the new AT2035 Studio bundle from Audio Technica and Audient. This package features everything you need to get working on your next hit song. Just add creativity.
Some of the most enjoyable reviews I get to do for Pro Tools Expert are those where I just get to listen. I get to listen to some amazing speakers and headphones and hopefully enjoy what I am listening to. These are however are some of the most difficult reviews as it is impossible for me to let you hear what I am hearing. So as a review I have to do my very best to describe what it is I enjoy about the sound, tonality, and usability of a product.
Alan Sallabank reviews the AKG Y50BT Bluetooth and APT-X HD wireless headphones, and explores how to use them with Pro Tools.
In this review Dan from Pro Tools Expert takes a close look at Sonarworks Headphone Calibration plug in and demonstrates it's performance using a set of KRK KNS 8400.
In this video James takes a look and listen to the new MO-Fi active headphones from Blue. James tells us about his experience and findings with these interesting looking and fantastic sounding headphones. See what happens when a microphone manufacturer turns there hand to another kind of audio transducer.
Asking me to try new headphones is like asking me to try a new beer, or a new bed, or to wear some new shoes - I’m already comfortable and I partly think that if it ain’t broke, then don’t mend it. However, only a fool closes their ears (no pun intended) to new ideas. So in this case, part curious and part altrusitic for the sake of the entire audio community (satire), I decided to give the KRK a spin.