| altsounds | June 9, 2008 10:55 AM |
SE Electronics SE2200A Condenser Microphone
4 Attachment(s)
A few weeks ago we received an sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone at our studio. Now, this microphone is primarily marketed as a Vocal microphone however, they do also state that it can be used as an instrument microphone. The problem I have is I am rather stuck on my AKG C 414 B-XL II Large-Diaphragm Condensor Microphone for vocals in about 95% of cases. Whenever I have used that microphone (regardless of sex) the results have been excellent and easily at par with multi-thousand dollar microphones.
In The Box
The sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone comes nicely packaged in it's very own sleek looking flightcase that excites you from the moment you set eyes on it (Figure 1).
Popping the flight case top I am even more excited by the design and form of both the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone itself and it's accompanying shockmount (Figure 2). The shockmount is over-sized in comparison to others I have come into contact with and something about this fact makes the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone look more expensive than it actually is. I am suitably impressed with the spare elastics provided for the shockmount. The threaded mounting ring that secures the mic to the cradle holds the mic very firmly in place and it even has a felt damping ring. The arm to allow different angles to be used keeps the microphone snugly secure allowing this microphone in theory to be used in ay angle (even upside down)!
Staying on the shockmount for a moment the only downside to the design of this is the ease in which the elastics can come free and if and when they do you cannot put it back together alone as you need one person to hold the first loop in place as you fix up the second loop. Also, this needs to be done twice to successfully replace the shockmount elastics!! Luckily though chances are if your recording vocals that there will be the producer and a vocalist making this not such a big deal.
The sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone itself looks great. The design is simplistic yet sexy. Features built into the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone are a -10db pad and a low cut filter that removes the low end from being captured via the microphone. I can't for the life of me come up with a scenario when either of these features might be needed but I'm sure someone out there can and has otherwise what would be the point of spending the money on adding this circuitry to the microphone in the first place?
Based on initial impression I am thoroughly happy with this product and it's associated presentation. Anyone that has purchased this microphone will be suitably impressed with all aspects of it's appearence and to the untrained eye (i.e. your friends) this appears to be a VERY expensive microphone which can only be good for your reputation and ego as the hot shot music producer!!
To give a true and honest opinion of a piece of gear we are reviewing we use it in real recording sessions conducted at Screamadelica Studios in Cardiff Bay. We also try and test it over multiple different genres, with multiple different artists and in multiple different scenarios too. Doing so ensures that each piece of equipment we review is given a hard but fair test drive allowing us to give honest and concise gear reviews with physical audio as examples and proof to back up our comments and statements.
Figure 1. sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone Aluminium Flight Casing
Manufacturers Description, Spec and Recommended Retail Price
Test Drives
Song Test 1 [Acoustic]:
Mark J Maguire - "Carry Me Back Home" (Click to Listen)
So, as my session began I decided to start the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone out by using it to mic up an acoustic guitar. The first session this was going to be used on was the final track on Mark J Maguire's debut and as yet untitled album. The track "Carry Me Back Home" is an acoustic number making it perfect to really put the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone through it's paces. Featuring on acoustic guitar on this track was Kevin Barnes. I mic'ed up the acoustic guitar using the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone to capture the sound coming out of the acoustic guitars soundhole and one sE Electronics SE4 at the top of the guitar neck to pick up the nice slide sounds that you hear when playing an acoustic guitar etc.
I was suprised to see that the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone worked extremely well on acoustic guitar offering a very warm AND bright sound without either being too overpowering. With little to no EQ'ing needed the guitar was quickly tracked and I was already looking forward to using it for a different instrument or a vocal. Luckily for me, the track we were recording was to feature both a male and a female vocal which would allow me to test out both vocal types and styles. My only problem with regards to the acoustic guitar was just how much room noise the mic picked up which can only be put down to it's sensitivity. This is great if you want to include all of the character as we did in this case (pick knocking against the scratch plate etc) but if you want to avoid this then the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone might not be the perfect choice in this scenario.
After tracking the bass and lead guitars we were on to the main vocals. We setup the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone within an sE Electronics Reflexion Filter (more details about the sE Electronics Reflexion Filter will be available in our up and coming review of it so I won't go into the detail of it's brilliance here). After a couple of vocal checks I realized that this microphone was going to be as robust as I needed and I could already hear that it would suit Mark's voice perfectly. We then tracked my backing vocals and yet again the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone really did my voice justice picking up all the tonal qualities with enough depth to provide a full vocal sound but enough presence to cut through the mix. As the session progressed the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone was quickly becoming my new best friend. In fact, the microphone worked so well on our voices that we decided to do a "This Whole World" by the Beach Boys influenced 5 part harmony intro to the track which truly shows the capabilities of this microphone as it is not clouded with any sounds other than the direct vocal sources on this part of the song.
The female vocals also came out beautifully and we also used this microphone for the shaker and tambourine. In fact, the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone captured everything you hear on this track with the bass and lead guitar being the only exceptions. I personally think the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone works excellently for acoustic tracks which is an excellent microphone quality as poor quality microhpones can't easily be hidden in acoustic songs.
Figure 2. sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone and Shockmount
Song Test 2 [Hard Rock]:
Sweet Decline - Turn To White (Click to Listen)
The next session I decided to test drive this microphone on was a Hard Rock track as I wanted to see how the microphone would cope with more aggressive vocals on top of a much harder backing track with drums etc just to see where it would sit in the mix etc.
The sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone coupled with a careful choice of plug-ins and the end result is a very rich and clean sounding main and backing vocal that both sits and stands out of the mix nicely and as I wanted. By no means did the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone get used as much during this session as it had done on the previous however, I was again very impressed with how well this was standing up against my regular vocal microphone choice of AKG C 414 B-XL II Large-Diaphragm Condensor Microphone and I was starting to wonder whether this might be giving it a run for it's money the next time I go into my mic closet?
The vocal source through this microphone is even clear enough to do the megaphone effect at the end of this song without having to lose quality or clarity. By that I mean that a megaphone effect in general messes up the quality of a vocal source. Couple that with a poor quality microphone and you just have a mid-ranged mega-mess! With the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone the megaphone effect sounded ace and I was uber happy with the outcome.
Song Test 3 [Hip-Hop]:
Silk & Siege - Bottle Poppin' (Click to Listen)
I had a Hip-Hop act come in to do a 15 track mix tape in one day so as I was getting really accustomed to using the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone in rock based tracks I thought I would give it a test run over this 15 song day. Now just for those not knowing what a mix tape is basically, these guys came to me with the music and all I did was produced the rapping to fit in nicely within the original music mix.
Both rappers (Silk & Siege) have very different voices. Silk sounding similar to Q-Tip in parts with Siege sounding like Kanye West in parts. The sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone worked excellent over this day and could be easily utilized for all forms of rap from agressive spitting to songs for the ladies. I would hazard a guess that it would also work great for R&B tracks too.
I just love the clarity that the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone offers especially when I tested it on Hip-Hop. Every word that is said on this mixtape is clearly defined and audible which is very impressive considering the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone's low price tag. The mic offers mid-range microphone quality for a budget price which has got to make all the budding home producers happy!
Figure 3. sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone Closeup
Song Test 4 [Metalcore]:
The Day Before Mortality - I'm Felling Chipper (Click to Listen)
The fourth and final track I chose to test drive the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone on was a Metalcore track that consisted of nice melodic/harmony vocals coupled with aggressive screaming. I had yet to try this microphone out on any screaming and as we work with quite a few metal bands, getting a good microphone that handles screaming well is a must for me.
The screaming results were good, but not great. When listening to the screaming on it's own you might question what I am talking about here as they do sound really good. It's only when you couple the screaming with the singing side-by-side that you realize the lack of clarity that the screams have in comparison to the melodic vocals. Now don't get me wrong it's not bad, in fact I am really happy with how all aspects of this track came out and in this particular track I do feel that the screaming clarity being lower over the melodic vocal parts helps the singing stand out more in the chorus making the contrast between melodic and agressive much deeper. That being said, there are better mics out there for screaming and I would advise only using this microphone for screaming if you don't have any other options in your microphone closet.
On the flipside of that however I really enjoy how the melodic vocals and harmonies sound and sit in this mix and will definitely be using this microphone again for any similar genre songs that come my way.
Figure 4. sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone Low Cut Filter Switch
In The Box
The sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone comes nicely packaged in it's very own sleek looking flightcase that excites you from the moment you set eyes on it (Figure 1).
Popping the flight case top I am even more excited by the design and form of both the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone itself and it's accompanying shockmount (Figure 2). The shockmount is over-sized in comparison to others I have come into contact with and something about this fact makes the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone look more expensive than it actually is. I am suitably impressed with the spare elastics provided for the shockmount. The threaded mounting ring that secures the mic to the cradle holds the mic very firmly in place and it even has a felt damping ring. The arm to allow different angles to be used keeps the microphone snugly secure allowing this microphone in theory to be used in ay angle (even upside down)!
Staying on the shockmount for a moment the only downside to the design of this is the ease in which the elastics can come free and if and when they do you cannot put it back together alone as you need one person to hold the first loop in place as you fix up the second loop. Also, this needs to be done twice to successfully replace the shockmount elastics!! Luckily though chances are if your recording vocals that there will be the producer and a vocalist making this not such a big deal.
The sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone itself looks great. The design is simplistic yet sexy. Features built into the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone are a -10db pad and a low cut filter that removes the low end from being captured via the microphone. I can't for the life of me come up with a scenario when either of these features might be needed but I'm sure someone out there can and has otherwise what would be the point of spending the money on adding this circuitry to the microphone in the first place?
Based on initial impression I am thoroughly happy with this product and it's associated presentation. Anyone that has purchased this microphone will be suitably impressed with all aspects of it's appearence and to the untrained eye (i.e. your friends) this appears to be a VERY expensive microphone which can only be good for your reputation and ego as the hot shot music producer!!
To give a true and honest opinion of a piece of gear we are reviewing we use it in real recording sessions conducted at Screamadelica Studios in Cardiff Bay. We also try and test it over multiple different genres, with multiple different artists and in multiple different scenarios too. Doing so ensures that each piece of equipment we review is given a hard but fair test drive allowing us to give honest and concise gear reviews with physical audio as examples and proof to back up our comments and statements.
Figure 1. sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone Aluminium Flight Casing
Manufacturers Description, Spec and Recommended Retail Price
Quote:
| The SE2200A is a Large diaphragm, Cardioid, Transformer-balanced Condenser microphone The SE2200A studio condenser has a 1 inch gold vacuum plated diaphragm and high grade electronics that ensure a respectable signal to noise ratio. The SE2200A has a low cut filter, 10dB pad to and also comes complete with a very rugged aluminium shock mount and flight case. The SE2200A is a versatile performer ideal for Vocal and Instrument recording Features:
£135.00 - United Kingdom $299.95 - United States |
Song Test 1 [Acoustic]:
Mark J Maguire - "Carry Me Back Home" (Click to Listen)
So, as my session began I decided to start the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone out by using it to mic up an acoustic guitar. The first session this was going to be used on was the final track on Mark J Maguire's debut and as yet untitled album. The track "Carry Me Back Home" is an acoustic number making it perfect to really put the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone through it's paces. Featuring on acoustic guitar on this track was Kevin Barnes. I mic'ed up the acoustic guitar using the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone to capture the sound coming out of the acoustic guitars soundhole and one sE Electronics SE4 at the top of the guitar neck to pick up the nice slide sounds that you hear when playing an acoustic guitar etc.
I was suprised to see that the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone worked extremely well on acoustic guitar offering a very warm AND bright sound without either being too overpowering. With little to no EQ'ing needed the guitar was quickly tracked and I was already looking forward to using it for a different instrument or a vocal. Luckily for me, the track we were recording was to feature both a male and a female vocal which would allow me to test out both vocal types and styles. My only problem with regards to the acoustic guitar was just how much room noise the mic picked up which can only be put down to it's sensitivity. This is great if you want to include all of the character as we did in this case (pick knocking against the scratch plate etc) but if you want to avoid this then the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone might not be the perfect choice in this scenario.
After tracking the bass and lead guitars we were on to the main vocals. We setup the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone within an sE Electronics Reflexion Filter (more details about the sE Electronics Reflexion Filter will be available in our up and coming review of it so I won't go into the detail of it's brilliance here). After a couple of vocal checks I realized that this microphone was going to be as robust as I needed and I could already hear that it would suit Mark's voice perfectly. We then tracked my backing vocals and yet again the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone really did my voice justice picking up all the tonal qualities with enough depth to provide a full vocal sound but enough presence to cut through the mix. As the session progressed the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone was quickly becoming my new best friend. In fact, the microphone worked so well on our voices that we decided to do a "This Whole World" by the Beach Boys influenced 5 part harmony intro to the track which truly shows the capabilities of this microphone as it is not clouded with any sounds other than the direct vocal sources on this part of the song.
The female vocals also came out beautifully and we also used this microphone for the shaker and tambourine. In fact, the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone captured everything you hear on this track with the bass and lead guitar being the only exceptions. I personally think the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone works excellently for acoustic tracks which is an excellent microphone quality as poor quality microhpones can't easily be hidden in acoustic songs.
Figure 2. sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone and Shockmount
Song Test 2 [Hard Rock]:
Sweet Decline - Turn To White (Click to Listen)
The next session I decided to test drive this microphone on was a Hard Rock track as I wanted to see how the microphone would cope with more aggressive vocals on top of a much harder backing track with drums etc just to see where it would sit in the mix etc.
The sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone coupled with a careful choice of plug-ins and the end result is a very rich and clean sounding main and backing vocal that both sits and stands out of the mix nicely and as I wanted. By no means did the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone get used as much during this session as it had done on the previous however, I was again very impressed with how well this was standing up against my regular vocal microphone choice of AKG C 414 B-XL II Large-Diaphragm Condensor Microphone and I was starting to wonder whether this might be giving it a run for it's money the next time I go into my mic closet?
The vocal source through this microphone is even clear enough to do the megaphone effect at the end of this song without having to lose quality or clarity. By that I mean that a megaphone effect in general messes up the quality of a vocal source. Couple that with a poor quality microphone and you just have a mid-ranged mega-mess! With the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone the megaphone effect sounded ace and I was uber happy with the outcome.
Song Test 3 [Hip-Hop]:
Silk & Siege - Bottle Poppin' (Click to Listen)
I had a Hip-Hop act come in to do a 15 track mix tape in one day so as I was getting really accustomed to using the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone in rock based tracks I thought I would give it a test run over this 15 song day. Now just for those not knowing what a mix tape is basically, these guys came to me with the music and all I did was produced the rapping to fit in nicely within the original music mix.
Both rappers (Silk & Siege) have very different voices. Silk sounding similar to Q-Tip in parts with Siege sounding like Kanye West in parts. The sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone worked excellent over this day and could be easily utilized for all forms of rap from agressive spitting to songs for the ladies. I would hazard a guess that it would also work great for R&B tracks too.
I just love the clarity that the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone offers especially when I tested it on Hip-Hop. Every word that is said on this mixtape is clearly defined and audible which is very impressive considering the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone's low price tag. The mic offers mid-range microphone quality for a budget price which has got to make all the budding home producers happy!
Figure 3. sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone Closeup
Song Test 4 [Metalcore]:
The Day Before Mortality - I'm Felling Chipper (Click to Listen)
The fourth and final track I chose to test drive the sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone on was a Metalcore track that consisted of nice melodic/harmony vocals coupled with aggressive screaming. I had yet to try this microphone out on any screaming and as we work with quite a few metal bands, getting a good microphone that handles screaming well is a must for me.
The screaming results were good, but not great. When listening to the screaming on it's own you might question what I am talking about here as they do sound really good. It's only when you couple the screaming with the singing side-by-side that you realize the lack of clarity that the screams have in comparison to the melodic vocals. Now don't get me wrong it's not bad, in fact I am really happy with how all aspects of this track came out and in this particular track I do feel that the screaming clarity being lower over the melodic vocal parts helps the singing stand out more in the chorus making the contrast between melodic and agressive much deeper. That being said, there are better mics out there for screaming and I would advise only using this microphone for screaming if you don't have any other options in your microphone closet.
On the flipside of that however I really enjoy how the melodic vocals and harmonies sound and sit in this mix and will definitely be using this microphone again for any similar genre songs that come my way.
Figure 4. sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone Low Cut Filter Switch
Conclusion
The Positives:
The sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone is an excellent low priced microphone that could quite easily be sold at double it's current retail price. This microphone will be challenging most producers microphone closets and will definitely get picked up and actually used in sessions more-so than some other more costly microphones. The sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone is the perfect choice for project or home studios where budget is a major constraint and for a very low price you will be amazed at the quality that this baby can output. Ideal uses for this microphone are melodic and harmony based singing of all genres and Hip-Hop/R&B.
The Negatives:
The major downside to this microphone is the fact that it is only single pattern (Cardioid) leaving it lacking slightly in robustness. If the designers considered removing the 10db pad and low cut and using that monetary saving to offer a couple more patterns it would make this microphone unstoppable! Not the greatest microphone for screaming and more agressive sounding vocals as some definition and clarity is not picked up.
Verdict:
Build Quality: 8/10
Value for Money: 10/10
Ease of Use: 8/10
Versatility: 6/10
Sound uality / Results: 8/10
OVERALL: 8/10
=====================
Contact
Sonic Distribution
(01525) 840400
sonicdistribution.co.uk Online
The Positives:
The sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone is an excellent low priced microphone that could quite easily be sold at double it's current retail price. This microphone will be challenging most producers microphone closets and will definitely get picked up and actually used in sessions more-so than some other more costly microphones. The sE Electronics SE2200a Condensor Microphone is the perfect choice for project or home studios where budget is a major constraint and for a very low price you will be amazed at the quality that this baby can output. Ideal uses for this microphone are melodic and harmony based singing of all genres and Hip-Hop/R&B.
The Negatives:
The major downside to this microphone is the fact that it is only single pattern (Cardioid) leaving it lacking slightly in robustness. If the designers considered removing the 10db pad and low cut and using that monetary saving to offer a couple more patterns it would make this microphone unstoppable! Not the greatest microphone for screaming and more agressive sounding vocals as some definition and clarity is not picked up.
Verdict:
Build Quality: 8/10
Value for Money: 10/10
Ease of Use: 8/10
Versatility: 6/10
Sound uality / Results: 8/10
OVERALL: 8/10
=====================
Contact
Sonic Distribution
(01525) 840400
sonicdistribution.co.uk Online