In this video for Production Expert, Jess Orestano shows us the value of upgrading your microphone. She A/B tests her vocals and acoustic guitar using her existing AKG Perception P220 (£149) against a JZ BB29. (€1299) Read on to find out what she thinks.
When it comes to audio gear we so often hear the opinions of engineers, however it is also musicians who ultimately benefit from good sounding gear. With so many musicians self-producing to some extent the line between engineer and musician is more blurred than ever but in this article for Production Expert, Jess Orestano, a self-producing musician and student of audio engineering takes a look at JZ Microphones’ Signature BB29 Condenser Microphone with a view to upgrading her entry level condenser mic she’s had for years. If she is going to upgrade one piece of equipment in her minimal setup conventional wisdom suggests it should be the microphone.
The Story So Far
For the last 10 years I have been using an AKG Perception 220 (now P220) cardioid condenser mic. I use my home studio (i.e. a corner in my bedroom) for recording vocal and guitar demos, ready to take to the studio. The rest of my rig is as follows; Focusrite Scartlett 2i4 audio interface and I monitor with Sennheiser 380 HD pro headphones or KRK Rockit 5 monitors. I’m happy with this equipment for the purposes of my studio.
Getting the best quality recording at the source is hugely important. Of course there are so many great plugins and outboard equipment available to help a mix, but in my opinion, if you can capture a great recording you’re more than half way to getting a good sounding track and it means much less work further down the line. I figured If I could get some good recordings at home, it would mean less time (and money) in the ‘proper’ studio.
That’s why I considered upgrading my microphone, if like me, you’ve been using older equipment for a long time, although the initial financial outlay for a new and better microphone might seem steep, it may well be worth it.
My Microphone History
My AKG has served me well over the years, but I felt like it was time to move on, and move up. Although I didn’t know at the time I bought it the P220 isn’t the best match for my voice, It’s bright but can sound harsh. particularly on my “esses” which it captures annoyingly well, and not in a good way. I’ve noticed the noise floor when I am recording softer vocals too. The self-noise specs look fine at 16dB (A) and of course the preamp plays a part, but I have still noticed it. That said it has been great on my acoustic guitar and I’m a big fan of a detailed, full bodied guitar tone and the P220 is good for this.
I have used a various different mics for vocals and guitar over the years including high end AKG mics, Neumann, sE, Coles and more but I had not heard of JZ before. Their BB29 mic boasts transformer coupled outputs and a ‘Golden Drop’ capsule. The Golden Drop capsule uses tiny drops of gold to coat the capsule as opposed to coating the whole capsule. Apparently the benefit of this is that it by using less gold it reduces the mass of the capsule, allowing it to be more responsive. I noticed when comparing my vocal recordings that they sounded a lot more upfront on the BB29 than the AKG as well as having that bright frequency response at the top that I feel works well on my vocal.
The BB29 has transformer coupled outputs and despite the precision of the recordings you can get, the noise level is just 9dB (A), so you get a really crystal clear recording. The P220 has a transformer too, however it is only a budget range mic (around £140 at the time of publication) so it can be assumed the transformers are not of the same quality.
Surprising Results
Something I did find surprising with the BB29 alongside the AKG, was the boost in the low end on my guitar recordings. I ran MAnalyzer on both mic tracks and was surprised by the low end response. This could be problematic depending on what it is you’re recording, as a boost at the top end and then bottom end wouldn’t be well suited to certain instruments or vocals. It would perhaps be good to have a HPF option on the mic. That said, my guitar has a balanced sound so the BB29 worked well in giving it both body and sparkle.
The BB29 has a bespoke shock mount that doesn’t come with the microphone as the mic itself can screw directly in to a mic stand. The shock mount is a little confusing, I had to look up how to use it, but it works well once you know and I find the minimal sleekness of it appealing. I found that although the shockmount stayed in place once tightened, if knocked it would fall forwards. On taking apart the shock mount, I found the washers were a very smooth plastic which doesn’t seem to have enough friction to keep the position fixed and might encourage overtightening.
Overall, I really liked the BB29 on my vocal, It’s bright and brought the vocals forward compared to my AKG P220 but its not harsh and my esses aren’t presented as forensically as before. It also sounded great on my guitar, but I would say it would definitely depend on the guitar you are using as to whether the BB29 would be a good option. As a vocal mic though, I am really pleased with it and my home recordings definitely have a more professional sound to them when using this mic.
Summary
So do I think that upgrading my mic is worth it? I think I do. I don’t need a bigger interface as I just track myself here. My monitors are modest but I usually take work to another studio for overdubs and mixing. However my guitar and vocal takes from home often make it all the way to the finished tracks and while there’s a lot which can be done to improve things during a mix, it’s not the same as getting it right at source.
The BB29 currently on sale at 50% off until 26th of March 2021 at €649.50