Today at PS dot com: 70’s month nears its close with a quick look at some promising but lesser-known mics of the 70s. If you are using any of these pieces in the studio these days, drop us a line and weigh in. above: the Shure SM53, a high-end dynamic cardiod that seems to maybe have been Shure’s answer to the RE15? I’ve been trying to pick one these up on eBay, no luck yet… anyone?
And speaking of the RE15… after watching the prices slowly rise on eBay for the past year, I finally picked up one of these.. expect some audio clips/shoot-out here soon. I always ignored these in the past, i figured, I have an RE20, what’s the point… but I finally had to know. I recently worked with a contractor/tech from a major live-sound company who had 1/2 the stage mic’d with these things, swears by ’em… anyway, I am super-curious. They are apparently very hi-fi with very accurate off-axis response. More to come…
While on the subject of dynamic mics… above, the Turner Model 10 circa 1972. Those of you who’ve been following PS for a while will know that I am a big fan of obscure Turner models, especially the flagship models like the 510… I recently bought my second 510 for Gold Coast Recorders and I have to sadly report that it is not as awesome as the example I have had for years… Anyway, the Model 10 seems to have been a replacement for the 500/510 series… there is a super-rare Model 11 (likely the ‘selected’ hi-fi version of the Model 10) on eBay right now for really cheap… might be a good purchase for anyone looking for more interesting dynmics mics…
Above, the AKG D190 and D124! Finally some info on the D124… these turn up in my old 70s AKG catalogs (most of which you can download here on PS dot com), and I actually use this as the console talkback mic at GCR, but I had not realized that it was the replacement for the D-24. The D-124 is an amazing little piece of engineering, very nice smooth sound and incredibly small in size. D-190s are much more common, I tend to see these on CRList quite often.
Above: Shure SM5 circa 1969. I love the similar SM7, use it regularly, it seems to have become somewhat of a standard-bearer vocal mic these days… artists actually ask for it in the studio the same way some will ask for an 87 or 47 or 58…. The SM5 is much less common, no longer made, and consequently extremely expensive. Are any of y’all using SM5s for music or vocal recording these days? Thoughts?
Above: Sony ‘Superscope’ branded C-77, C-37, and C-55 circa 1969. A C-37 or C-37 Fet is very high on my wish-list… Never used any of these models.. anyone?
Above: the Electrovoice RE55 is introduced (1969). Interesting to see that the RE55 was the successor to the 655. I have a pair of 655 at GCR, very very old pair circa 1950, and wow they sound great. Fairly high self-noise for a dynamic, but for drum overheads it’s never a problem. Anyone using the RE55? Seem pretty uncommon…
Above: The AKG 412 circa 1972. Seems to be the final evolution of the C12 prior to introduction of the still-standard 414. Anyone using a 412? Is it significantly different than a circa 70s 414?
13 replies on “A Few Interesting Mics of the 70s”
I see a Turner dynamic with a 4 pin male xlr connection…. Any idea what this is about?
i honestly can’t recall, but i THINK that the pins are Gnd, + (lo), – (Lo), and HiZ. That way u can use the mic for either hi or low Z purposes.
Rather then make adapter cables, i usually simply REPLACE the XLR4/M piece in the mic body with a switchcraft XLR3/M piece. drops right in. and just tape off the Hi-z line inside the cavity.
Short answer is it’s most likely turning a battery on. The original Neumann u87 has the same configuration. This was an era when batteries were commonly used in microphones and the fourth pin would push in when the female xlr connector is inserted, turning the battery on for the capacitor in the diaphragm.
Nice.
Pardon my ignorance, what designates the Hi-z line?
the hi-Z signal… high level, high impedance output of the mic, suitable for direct connection to a FET or tube grid or similar hi-impedance input.
I’ve gotten a couple of mics on ebay, one is the classic Electro-Voice 635A and a Shure SM61. Both of ’em are in perfect working condition. I use the 635A as a computer mic for Skype. I’m a satisfied customer.
AKG’s C412 was indeed the forerunner of the “modern-day” C414, introduced as a FET version of the Nuvistor-driven C12B (hence the prefix 4 which, in AKG’s nomenclature of the time, denoted a FET microphone). It carried the same legendary “brass” CK12 capsule as its predecessors (C12, C12A, C12B), a 3-polar pattern switch (omni/cardioid/bi-directional) instead of the continuously variable 9 polar patterns of the earlier valve series, and a -10dB (-20dB on same rare cases) pad switch that was placed after the FET element. There was no HP filter whatsoever. However, the BBC (at that time a major client of AKG microphones) complained strongly about the restriction of just 3 polar patterns (plus some problems with an easily-distorting FET amplifier) and put significant pressure on AKG’s R&D team to remedy the situation. Thus the C414 was born. The first models (C414C with Din-standard connector, or C414E with XLR-standard connector) shared the same AKG-custom stand mount (shared equally by C12A, C12B, C412 & early C414) and the same “brass” CK12 capsule. However, they sported a redesigned amplifier (which placed the attenuator pad between capsule & FET element, thus avoiding the overload issues of C412’s design) and a 4-polar pattern switch. Next version was the classic-of-classics C414EB which greatly benefited from the addition of a 3-position pad switch (0/-10/-20dB) a 3-position HPF switch (flat/75Hz/ 150Hz) and the loss of the AKG-custom mount in favour of a direct XLR output connection.
So, in a nutshell, C412’s are outperformed by early C414’s in every way, however collectability (due to scarcity), plus the magnificent “brass” CK12 capsule guarantee that asking prices for this mic remain sky-rocketed…
Anyone Know Anything About The Primo UD-863 Microphone? Like When They Were Made, Were They A Studio Mic? Were They Good Mics? Please Let Me Know….Thank You
Hi Yani — I have a Primo UD-863, it sounds pretty good! Have you gotten any information about it? If so please post, thanks.
There was a mic used on TV back in the 70’s. It was white in color and I remember seeing them on The Sonny and Cher Show and on the Donny and Marie Show and I am sure many others. Does anyone know what mic that is?
I have three SM53 mics and I absolutely love them. I’ve used them mostly for percussion instruments like Bongos and Toms but have used them for other things too. They are just a great little mic, good in live applications too. Good side and rear rejection.
Hey Chris saw your article on the Shure sm-53 mic. I’m sure you found one by now but if not I have one. markredgrave61@gmail.com or )EDITED)
I am all set Mark, but thanks