Categories: Microphones

Forgotten Microphone Shoot-out

In an earlier post, I mentioned that I keep some Turner 99 microphones in the mic locker. The Turner 99 is one of the few 1950’s dynamic mics that I feel compelled to use for studio recording. Since we had a drum kit setup for recording in a fairly live room, I thought this would be a good time to do a quick ‘obscure microphone shootout’ featuring the Turner 99 plus a couple of other oddities that ‘passed muster’ to the degree that they earned a place in the studio rather than in a large box in the back of my coat closet.

In order to make this a (potentially) useful endeavor, i set up an AKG 414 in omnidirectional mode along side said obscure mics. Four signals were simultaneously recorded, all at the same level relative to the snare drum. I used the same mic preamp (the very neutral 4-channel Sytek) for each mic. I added no processing whatsoever. If you give a listen to the AKG 414 track, you will hear pretty good representation of what you would have experienced had you been standing in front of the kit during the performance.

Here is the AKG 414. Click on the link below to hear the audio stream.

AKG_01

Here is a Turner 99:

Turner U99_01

Here is a Shure 535, which was a mid-level omnidirectional dynamic sold in the 1950s.

Shure 535_01

…And here is an AKG D124E, a rare high-end dynamic mic from the early 1970’s. I had always felt that this was a very robust, full-sounding microphone, but listening to it relative to the 414 it sounds pretty pathetic.

AKG_D124E_01

admin

Next Exclusive Bonus Content! »

Previous « das 70s rock

View Comments

John H says:

02/14/2022 at 6:10 pm

Hi I just recently acquired a Executone/Turner 99 at the Orlando Hamcation. I am a ham radio operator and enjoy collecting antique and vintage microphones and getting my finds on the air. I was very impressed how a 65-70 year old mic can sound better than a much newer product. I have not had a chance to wire my new find up and give it a test on the air. However after listening to your comparisons I am psyched. Thank you for your You Tube video.