| altsounds | October 24, 2008 11:31 PM |
M-Audio Pulsar II - Small-diaphragm Condensor Microphone
3 Attachment(s)
The M-Audio Pulsar II Small-diaphragm microphone comes in a lovely wooden box that demonstrates something M-Audio do well -and that's package their equipment. The included case of the M-Audio Pulsar II Small-diaphragm microphone, with it's velvety interior, was enough to make me fall in love with them before I had even plugged them in or tested out how they sounded. There are also lots of cool accessories included in the box such as stand mounts, foam shields, a stereo bar and drawstring carry cases. The ONLY thing not included are shock-mounts which would have made the M-Audio Pulsar II Small-diaphragm microphone package delivery perfect!
The M-Audio Pulsar II Small-diaphragm microphone is an updated and re-designed version of the original M-Audio Pulsar microphone. M-Audio sent me over a pair of Pulsar II Small-diaphragm microphone to put through a heavy amount of tests and real life sessions.
M-Audio are doing like many other manufacturers, and are getting a lot of their microphones manufactured in China for the very obvious cost saving reasons. As a company, when you outsource your manufacturing abroad the most important thing to add to your worry list is quality control. Based on my experience thus far with M-Audio it appears that they are taking this VERY seriously and are also doing a great job ensuring the quality is in every single piece of equipment they manufacture.
In Session
Up until writing this review I have used the M-Audio Pulsar II Small-diaphragm microphones in probably 50 sessions! I can't help selecting them from the microphone cabinet when it comes to drum recording. I did try this microphone recording acoustic guitar, violin, piano and even vocals and it worked excellently on all however, in many instances I already owned microphones that worked better whilst recording a specific instrument and after a test or two I ended up just going back to my regular choices.
As drum overheads and/or room mics however these microphones have been pulled out for EVERY session I have conducted since receiving them. The choice of mic position is as important as any factor when micing but even if I was a novice and just "chucked" the pair of these mics into the drum room it would come out soundsing excellent, transparent and crisp. These mics even inspired me to experiment even more than usual with drum overhead microphone placement.
The lack of sound character is what makes the M-Audio Pulsar II Small-diaphragm microphones the perfect choice for use as drum overheads and/or room mics. It literally just picks up the room, as is, helping to capture the actual realism of what happened during a take and during a session. In a mix you can just push these bad boys up without much processing being needed at all to make them sound good.
Design & Build
The M-Audio Pulsar II is a stereotypical, cardoid, stick-like microphone that is approximately 3/4" in diameter. Inside the casing is a six micron, gold-sputtered Mylar Diaphragm. The microphones body itself is made of brass and each microphone weighs approximately 115h each. According to M-Audio there is an internal shock-mount system that helps to isolate the capsule and the body from each others vibrations.
Looking at the M-Audio Pulsar II Small-diaphragm microphone frequency-response plot included it demonstrates a nigh on flat response (-3db) from 20Hz-20kHz with a small addition of presence around 7kHz. The pre-amp is a balanced XLR output that uses 48V phantom power but I have read that these microphones can actually function on as little as 30V phantom power. Present on the microphone body is a 10db slider that activates a pad that allows levels up to 144db [normally 134db]. A second slider is also present thst provides a low-cut filter.
Cosmetically this microphone really looks the part and is a mixture of the trademarked M-Audio black and various shiny metal parts that make the microphone "pop" when you look at it in a room. This mic is blatantly aimed at recording instruments BUT could quite comfortably be used for a transparent vocal although it is likely that most studios will have much better hoices for this task. M-Audio recommend using it for acoustic instruments such as guitar, strings, piano, woodwing and brass etc. They also recommend them being used as drum overheads or room mics [this is where I found that the M-Audio Pulsar II Small-diaphragm microphones performed out best].
Conclusion
Every person looking to record will always need a good stereo pair of microphones if only for their amazing robustness and multi-functioning ability. The M-Audio Pulsar II Small-diaphragm microphone is as versatile a mic as you could ever buy and sounds great. As always though, if your budget is bigger there are better mics out there HOWEVER for 98% of the people you can be comfortable in spending your hard earned cash on a matched pair of M-Audio Pulsar II Small-diaphragm microphones and be VERY happy for MANY years. If only everything in life could offer so much for so little money.
Pros:
The M-Audio Pulsar II Small-diaphragm microphone is an updated and re-designed version of the original M-Audio Pulsar microphone. M-Audio sent me over a pair of Pulsar II Small-diaphragm microphone to put through a heavy amount of tests and real life sessions.
M-Audio are doing like many other manufacturers, and are getting a lot of their microphones manufactured in China for the very obvious cost saving reasons. As a company, when you outsource your manufacturing abroad the most important thing to add to your worry list is quality control. Based on my experience thus far with M-Audio it appears that they are taking this VERY seriously and are also doing a great job ensuring the quality is in every single piece of equipment they manufacture.
In Session
Up until writing this review I have used the M-Audio Pulsar II Small-diaphragm microphones in probably 50 sessions! I can't help selecting them from the microphone cabinet when it comes to drum recording. I did try this microphone recording acoustic guitar, violin, piano and even vocals and it worked excellently on all however, in many instances I already owned microphones that worked better whilst recording a specific instrument and after a test or two I ended up just going back to my regular choices.
As drum overheads and/or room mics however these microphones have been pulled out for EVERY session I have conducted since receiving them. The choice of mic position is as important as any factor when micing but even if I was a novice and just "chucked" the pair of these mics into the drum room it would come out soundsing excellent, transparent and crisp. These mics even inspired me to experiment even more than usual with drum overhead microphone placement.
The lack of sound character is what makes the M-Audio Pulsar II Small-diaphragm microphones the perfect choice for use as drum overheads and/or room mics. It literally just picks up the room, as is, helping to capture the actual realism of what happened during a take and during a session. In a mix you can just push these bad boys up without much processing being needed at all to make them sound good.
Design & Build
The M-Audio Pulsar II is a stereotypical, cardoid, stick-like microphone that is approximately 3/4" in diameter. Inside the casing is a six micron, gold-sputtered Mylar Diaphragm. The microphones body itself is made of brass and each microphone weighs approximately 115h each. According to M-Audio there is an internal shock-mount system that helps to isolate the capsule and the body from each others vibrations.
Looking at the M-Audio Pulsar II Small-diaphragm microphone frequency-response plot included it demonstrates a nigh on flat response (-3db) from 20Hz-20kHz with a small addition of presence around 7kHz. The pre-amp is a balanced XLR output that uses 48V phantom power but I have read that these microphones can actually function on as little as 30V phantom power. Present on the microphone body is a 10db slider that activates a pad that allows levels up to 144db [normally 134db]. A second slider is also present thst provides a low-cut filter.
Cosmetically this microphone really looks the part and is a mixture of the trademarked M-Audio black and various shiny metal parts that make the microphone "pop" when you look at it in a room. This mic is blatantly aimed at recording instruments BUT could quite comfortably be used for a transparent vocal although it is likely that most studios will have much better hoices for this task. M-Audio recommend using it for acoustic instruments such as guitar, strings, piano, woodwing and brass etc. They also recommend them being used as drum overheads or room mics [this is where I found that the M-Audio Pulsar II Small-diaphragm microphones performed out best].
Conclusion
Every person looking to record will always need a good stereo pair of microphones if only for their amazing robustness and multi-functioning ability. The M-Audio Pulsar II Small-diaphragm microphone is as versatile a mic as you could ever buy and sounds great. As always though, if your budget is bigger there are better mics out there HOWEVER for 98% of the people you can be comfortable in spending your hard earned cash on a matched pair of M-Audio Pulsar II Small-diaphragm microphones and be VERY happy for MANY years. If only everything in life could offer so much for so little money.
Pros:
- Great Specifications, very versatile, transparent sound for a price that won't break the bank.
- You could buy just this mic and use it for almost everything and get excellent results.
- Lovely packaging and great looking.
- Low-cut and Pad switches included
- No external shockmounts included
- COST: £129 each; £259 matched pair.
- TEL: M-Audio +44 (0)1753 659590
- EMAIL: info@m-audio.co.uk
- WEB: M-AUDIO
- SAMPLES OF THE MIC IN ACTION: MySpace.com - Screamadelica - Recording Studio Cardiff - 29 - Male - Cardiff, UK - www.myspace.com/screamadelicastudio