JZ Microphones V16-BB
As 2016 draws to a close, we’ve been reflecting on the year in hi-tech music-making gear, asking you to vote for the best new hardware and software products to have been released over the past 12 months.
Now it’s time to bring you the results of our polls. We drew up the shortlists, but the rankings and overall winners in each category have been decided exclusively by your votes.
Over the next six slides we’ll be revealing what you’ve decided are the six best new microphones of 2016, counting down to your number one. We’ll start with the guitarist-friendly V16-BB from JZ Microphones...
We said: “We like what JZ Mics has done here - it has achieved its intended result and delivered a microphone that translates the sound of a guitar amp's speaker very well.
“Moreover, it's a mic that is suited to a variety of the other tasks that you may wish to use a cardioid dynamic for - especially as its side entry design means that it could slot right in where space is a little tight for the likes of an SM57 to be successfully positioned. If you add one of these to your mic locker you will always find a use for it.”
Violet Design The Atomic
We said: “The Atomic is a well-made mic at a relatively low price. It has a distinct characteristic, which makes it a little limited, but it would definitely see regular action within a larger collection where a darker mic is often called upon to balance the prevalent mids/highs from other mics.
“By avoiding an 'all-rounder' design, Violet has created a unique mic that can add weight to a recording.”
Read Violet Design The Atomic review
BUY: Violet Design The Atomic currently available from:
UK: Thomann
Aston Microphones Spirit
We said: “The Spirit is at its best on vocals and acoustic instruments, but with the switchable polar patterns and low noise characteristic, it also suits room mic and distant micing roles. The figure-8 makes it a good candidate for a clear 'side' in a mid-side pair arrangement. It will not disappoint.”
Read Aston Microphones Spirit review
BUY: Aston Microphones Spirit currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Gear4Music
Lewitt 640 TS
They say: Designed and engineered in Austria, the LCT 640 TS will revolutionise the way we think about the recording process. Since the signal of the front and back diaphragm is provided by independent circuitries, any kind of polar pattern can be realized dynamically - even after the recording.”
Blue Microphones Raspberry
We said: “This diminutive microphone is designed to bring studio-quality audio to podcasts, on-location interviews, live streams, voic-overs, audio for YouTube and music in general. Compatible with with any recording app, Raspberry comes with both USB and Lightning cables for plug-and-play operation with iPhone, iPad, Mac and PC.”
Winner: Aston Microphones Origin
We said: “When we received the Origin for review we had no idea of the price it commanded and we assumed, mostly due to its unique appearance, that this was a more 'boutique' offering. We only found out the £199 price tag after it had been in the studio for a number of days and had been deployed alongside a range of mics.
“The Origin delivers a natural and detailed sound across a wide variety of sources and comes at a price that is hard to ignore.”
Read Aston Microphones Origin review
BUY: Aston Microphones Origin currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann | Gear4Music
