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Hebden
Sound 3000 |
| The
Hebden Sound 3000 microphones are a new addition to the Reelsound
mobile but they are already becoming firm favourites. These are
hand made British microphones out of the old Calrec stable and
as such have a pretty good pedigree. The mics are produced in
the Sheffield Factory in a modular design and the phantom-power
preamplifier, HS3000, and capsules can be purchased separately,
as individual microphones or as stereo pairs. When purchased together,
the model number HS3000 of the preamplifier together with the
model number of the capsule, e.g. HS10 for Omni, give the complete
microphone model number HS3010. We received a
lovely flight case containing a matched pair of the preamps (mic
bodies),
a pair of omni capsules (3010) and a pair of cardioid capsules
(3020) along with a pair of really effective
Beyer shock mounts.. |
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Recording |
When the mics arrived I took them out the next day to record
The Trinity Brass Band, a first section Brass Band based in
Wigan Lancs. The venue was a performing arts space in a local
college and my initial reaction was that the venue would be
pretty good as it had the size and height needed for a decent
brass recording. As with all my mobile recordings I set up the
trusty Soundfield first of all and positioned it about 15 foot
back from the band to give me an idea of the general stereo
sound of the room. I then set up a pair of Rode NT5s in ORTF
on a single stand about 8 foot in front of the band to give
me some closer detail and I set up the Hebdens in exactly the
same configuration with their cardioid capsules immediately
at the side of the Rodes to compare them.
Initial reactions where that the Hebden Sound 3020 microphones
were smooth, quiet and accurate and gave a nice warmth that
was just missing slightly in the Rodes. All well and good but
the Hebden Sound mics are about 3 times the price of the Rodes
and with a little tweaking of EQ I could get them sounding pretty
similar. However when I changed to the omni capsules (3010)
the results where instantly very impressive. I have shied away
from using small diaphragm Omnis for stereo recording because
previous experience made me think that it wasn’t flexible
enough. Getting a good result with Spaced
Omnis depends totally on mic placement which isn't always
easy to do in some locations. However the sound of the pair
of Hebdens was instantly very compelling and after a little
experimentation I had a great stereo sound for the band. The
Hebden Sound 3010s are perfect for this kind of recording and
produce a beautiful natural sounding stereo picture with very
accurate balance across the frequencies. They also have a good
output and the two mics were perfectly matched.
Next up was the ideal test for the mics when I went to York
Minster to record a piece in the Chapter House with a small
group of young choristers from the Minster Choir School. The
Hebden Sound 3010s were in their element here and again the
sound was instantly very good. Using spaced omnis really depends
on the room sound on the location and if you have a really nice
sounding ambience then the Hebden Sound microphones can give
you a result that is hard to beat with any mic set up.
The
more I use them the more I like them and now they go out on
every mobile recording session and have become firm favourites
particularly for choral work where I think they can give an
exceptional detailed stereo picture with an impressive smooth
low end. It has been a bit of a revelation for me using a pair
of high quality spaced omnis and I even did the unthinkable
when the Soundfield was being serviced by going over to Birmingham
to record The Gentlemen Songsters Male Voice Choir with the
Hebden Sound 3010s as my main pair of mics. JR
About six months ago I went with
JR and the Reelsound mobile to record a choir in a church in
Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire and it was the first time that
I had come across the Hebden 3000 mics. The mobile had just
bought a pair of mics with both cardioid and omni capsules and
this was the first time they had been taken out to a choir recording.
Along with the Soundfield, the Hebdens were set up with the
omni capsules and placed as a spaced pair about 7 feet apart
and 10-12 feet in front of the choir. Finally a pair of Rode
NT5s were set up in ORTF around 15 feet directly in front of
the choir.
We monitored all the mics on headphones at the rear of the church
through headphones (not my favourite listening position) but
the differences between the mics was instantly apparent..
The Soundfield provided a stable, full-bodied stereo representation
of the choir and the room and I personally would be happy to
work with this alone in post –production. The Rode NT5s
were entirely as expectected.ie; flattering at the top end but
with limited mid-range integrity and I know from experience
in the studio that they sound great on their own but the sound
quality doesn't carry through to the final mix and mastering
process.
However the Hebden 3010 Omni spaced pair were definitely the
stars of the show for me. The clarity, depth and detail was
quite astonishing. Several times I removed my headphones and
wandered up to the mic position to compare and I felt that they
truly captured what was going on in the room and I was very
keen to get them into the studio at Fairview on a typical session
there.
In the studio we had a drum session to try out a number of different
mics and the omni Hebdens were instantly very compelling as
drum overheads.
To relegate these mics to the task of drum overheads may seem
demeaning given their cost and quality but put them in the right
place and they can bring even the most dead room to life. I
place them over the left and right hand shoulder of the the
drummer pointing down at the kit. In this position they give
not only a satisfying stereo spread of the metalwork but also
provide that all-important “smack” to the snare
and toms which details the hit of the stick on the drum skin.
I have always preferred the sound of a pair of Neumann KM84s
as the drum O/H mics of choice but the Hebdens with their omni
capsules open up the room sound in a very positive way, whilst
maintaining a controlled output which never becomes “boxy”
or small-sounding.
I am now trying to use them on different instuments and recently
used them to record the lovely old Collard & Collard piano
at Fairview. Placed as a spaced pair of omnis 4 feet apart and
about 4 feet at the back of the piano the sound is completely
open and sits in other music tracks very well. Again it’s
down to the mid-range integrity which carries it through to
the final mix when it has to battle against all the other overdubs.
I really like these microphones and am hoping to get a pair
for the studio use in the near future. JS
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