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ADK
A51 |
Designed
in America and built in China the ADK A51 is part of a range of
large diaphragm condenser microphones that were obviously designed
to look and hopefully sound like the legendary Neumann
U87 but at a fraction of the cost. The mic is a transformerless
switchable 4-polar pattern condenser microphone with dual 1.06-inch
three micron diaphragms and comes in a custom aluminium case complete
with a very well designed shock mount and foam pop shield. The
ADK A51 TL model has 4 pick up patterns, omni, figure 8, cardioid
and Hypercardioid while the SL is a standard cardioid but comes
with a low roll off switch and 10db pad.
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Recording |
I bought two ADK microphones. an SL and a TL multi-pattern
which I figured would give me a number of flexible options including
a Mid/Side
setup for the mobile using the SL cardioid
as the mid and the TL in Figure of 8. I have used them on just
about everything from a small choir to a classical piano and
rock guitars and they work well and are pretty quiet. They tend
towards a bright sound which works well on some things but can
sound a bit peaky on guitars but as always there is always something
that they will do well. There is a lot of negative stuff on
the internet about cheap Chinese condenser microphones and they
are often compared unfavourably to the Neumanns that they are
copying. I have to say that the ADK A51 isn't as good as the
Neumann
U87 but why would it be at a fifth of the price? If you
are starting out in recording you are faced with a daunting
array of mics to choose from and you probably won't be making
records with these mics but they are good value for money and
with a little experience you can make some great recordings
.JR.
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