Audio Technica Midnight Blues

Audio Technica's stylish new Midnight Blues range of microphones represent the company's latest foray into the budget dynamic mic market. Paul White gets the Blues... but is cheered up by the mics!

It seems that in recent years, virtually every major microphone manufacturer has attempted to launch a new range of dynamic mics with an image, because up until now, persuading musicians to buy anything other than a Shure SM58 must have been a marketing man's nightmare. There's a limit to what you can do with the physical design of a dynamic mic, and variations on the ball‑on‑a‑stick theme still seem to make the best ergonomic sense, so the manufacturers have resorted to using a different finish on the outside to attract our attention. That's not to say that the technology inside isn't worth looking at (or listening to), but half the battle is to get the prospective buyer to plug in the mic and give it a try in the first place. So far, we've had green stripes, blue stripes, little red flames, and even metallic paint jobs in a bid to attract our attention. Now Audio Technica have joined the fray with their Midnight Blues range of dynamic cardioids.

Appearance And Construction

Cosmetically, it's almost as though the designers of the Midnight Blues are trying to apologise for having to indulge in this kind of marketing tactic at all, as the blue in question is actually a bluish tint of very dark grey that wouldn't look out of place on a battleship. Anywhere other than in a brightly‑lit environment, your subconscious will almost certainly dismiss the colour as being non‑reflective black, but it does look good just the same, and also feels very nice — somewhere between Teflon and silk!

The three classically‑shaped mics are each made in two parts, with a substantial die‑cast body and a tough basket assembly that can be unscrewed for cleaning. The basket is lined with foam which can be removed, so that you can cleanse it with mouthwash every few gigs if you wish. Sadly, on the first mic of the three that I chose to dismantle in this way (the MB3000L), the action of unscrewing the basket detached the thin leadout wires from the capsule, so I had to spend a couple of minutes with a soldering iron before I could proceed further.

All three mics have magnetically operated on/off switches, which operate very quietly, and may be locked into the 'on' position by turning a recessed plastic screw through 90 degrees.

The ball‑ended MB1000 is available in both high‑Z unbalanced (H) and low‑Z balanced (L) versions. Unless you have a very specific reason for not doing so, you should opt for the low‑Z version of the MB1000, as all professional (and the vast majority of semi‑professional) mixing desks are designed to operate with low‑impedance microphone sources.

Because these mics are intended for both stage and studio use, they come with shock‑mounted capsules to minimise handling noise, and though the mounting system isn't revolutionary, it does seem to have been well engineered. The capsule is situated on top of a narrow pillar, which is in turn seated in a resilient rubber socket. This arrangement allows a small amount of damped motion in both vertical and horizontal planes. Each of the three microphones appears to employ a different capsule, and the mounting systems also vary slightly from model to model. Despite their differences, each of the models has a similar cardioid response, and employs a Neodymium magnetic system, which is reputed to offer slightly improved sensitivity and transient response when compared to a conventional magnetic system, because it allows a lighter voice‑coil to be used.

Generally Speaking

Of the three mics, the MB1000L is the most conventional in appearance, with its near‑spherical basket. It is designed primarily for close vocal work, though its characteristics also make it suitable for a range of instrumental applications where the sensitivity of a capacitor model is not essential. The frequency response is characterised by a gentle bass roll‑off starting at around 300Hz, so as to compensate for the bass boost caused by the proximity effect when the mic is used close to the lips of the performer. For this reason, when this type of mic is used to record a source more than a few inches from the mic, the result could end up being a little light in bass.

The majority of vocal mics have a well‑defined presence peak to help cut through in live situations, but the MB1000L has a very gentle hump between 1 and 10kHz, peaking at around +3dB in the 2kHz to 4kHz range. This type of response profile usually results in a more natural overall sound with adequate brightness, but as the practical test demonstrates (see under 'Sound Test' below), you can't judge a mic by its frequency plot alone.

The MB2000L is also built to handle mainly close‑up vocals, and although there are noticeable differences in the frequency response curve between this and the previous model, the overall characteristic is pretty similar, at least on paper. And, like the MB1000L, the mic is also suitable for a number of instrumental applications, such as recording percussion, brass, electric guitar, and so on.

Audio Technica have made the effort to tailor each of these mics to a particular job, rather than hiding the same capsule away inside three slightly differently‑shaped baskets.

Finally, there is the MB3000, which has more conventional presence peak at around 5kHz and a secondary peak at 10kHz. Not surprisingly, this model is designed with live vocals in mind, although it can turn its hand to most routine jobs. This type of response curve is usually effective in helping a live vocal to be heard above a loud backing, but by the same token, it can sometimes make some voices sound just a touch hard. However, it would be unwise to pigeon‑hole any mic without first trying it in both environments. Though the overall frequency range is slightly wider than that of the other two mics, the sensitivity is a little lower.

Sound Test

The first mic out of the bag was the MB1000L, which turned out to be noticeably more sensitive than some of the other 'standard' dynamic mics in my mic locker. Having said that, it didn't sound at all as I expected from its response plot, and though it had a bright tone that would cut well in a live situation, I found it sounded very thin unless used very close to the mouth. If you're one of those vocalists who must eat the mic, then this model is the one for you, but move away by even as much as an inch and the sound starts to become thinner and slightly coloured. Because the LF roll‑off starts right up at 300Hz or so, I suppose this is deliberate, but I was still surprised how drastically the bass fell away just a few centimetres from the grille. Of the three mics, this is the one I felt least comfortable with, purely because it only works very close up, which precludes it from most studio applications. As with the other mics, the handling noise was well controlled, although in honesty, no better than any of the other quality dynamic mics on the market.

In purely subjective terms, the slim MB2000 fared somewhat better in the studio, because although it is still designed to project a bright, forward tone, I didn't get that unsettling impression of coloration when I moved back from the grille. The sound still thins out, but in a more benign way. When I checked the MB2000 side by side against a Sennheiser 421 (one of my favourite dynamic models), the sensitivity of the MB2000 was noticeably higher and the overall tonality brighter.

The biggest surprise came with the MB3000 (which is billed as a live mic), because I really liked the sound, especially on male vocals. The presence peak, which is sensibly not too pronounced, is nicely balanced by a rich low mid, which accentuates the huskiness of the male voice, especially when the mic is used fairly close up. Subjectively, the result might best be described as 'apparent honesty with a hint of flattery'. Also, because this mic has a slightly more extended low response than the other two, it is more suitable for instruments that project a lot of low‑frequency energy, such as toms, bass guitars and even lead guitar.

Conclusion

Audio Technica have made the effort to tailor each of these mics to a particular job, rather than hiding the same capsule away inside three slightly differently‑shaped baskets. All do their job well, and though I was critical of the MB1000L in the studio, it is perfectly balanced for the live singer who stays superglued to the grille for the duration of a gig.

The MB2000L is more useful as a studio all‑rounder, because it is slightly less critical of mic‑to‑mouth distance, but my personal favourite was still the MB3000, which had a full, confident, and detailed sound. Of course, what sounds great with one singer might sound awful with another, so I can't over‑estimate the importance of trying out any mic in a real situation with the singer for which it is intended. For judging mic honesty, I like to do a spoken word test, but I don't feel this is appropriate when you are trying to match the characteristics of a mic to a singer. In other words, don't just yell 'one two, one two' into a mic in your local music shop before choosing!

All in all, these are interesting mics, each superbly designed considering their cost, and given Audio Technica's excellent reputation in the capacitor mic market, I wouldn't be surprised if the Midnight Blues attracted a great deal of attention.