M-Audio Luna

The Luna microphones from M-Audio is designed to combine classic vintage tone with modern clean sounding technology. The microphone is built in China to keep the price down, but apparently an all-American design!



The Luna is a fixed cardiod, large diaphragm condenser microphone powered by 48V phantom power. M-Audio have intentionally left out a low-cut filter and pad to further reduce the cost of the mic. I often prefer mics like this as there are less moving parts to break and with a good pre-amp I find the additional features unnecessary. The Luna ships with sturdy shock mount and hard case, however the case only accommodates the mic itself and not the shock mount.

The mic's visual appearance may not appeal to everyone, and even though you can’t hear what a mic looks like, it does have an impact on your artist, although I generally found this to be a positive one.

Put to the test

As a vocal mic the performed well, producing crisp recordings with both male and female vocals. Compared with a much more expensive mic there was little difference, other than the high end mic sounding a bit more open. As is the case with a lot of professional sound equipment, you can pay 10 times the price for only a 5-10% improvement in quality. Having said that though, a 5-10% improvement on every piece of gear in a studio is what can make the difference between a professional and a project studio.

With acoustic instruments the mic also worked well, particularly with acoustic guitar giving a rich, warm tone and clear top end.

The Luna is a great sounding and very solid mic, but may be a little pricey for the average project studio.

Specifications
Capsule	1.1” True Condenser
Sensitivity	16mV/Pa
Frequency Response	20-20 000 Hz
Equivalent Noise	14 dB-A
Polar Pattern	Cardioid
Max SPL	130 dB (SPL)

ar

Review by Jaime Lopes for Headroom Productions

Studio Projects B1

This microphone is built in China by 797 Audio in Beijing using high-quality components, including Wima capacitors, but designed in the USA by Brent Casey.



The B1 offers a fixed-cardioid pattern with switchable pad and roll-off features. The centre-terminated, large-diaphragm capacitor capsule (3µm gold evaporated Mylar) requires a standard 48V phantom power and has a transformerless output. Personally I find the additional features unnecessary, and seldom use them. The B1 comes with a shock mount and foam wind shield, not to be confused with a pop filter. The shockmount is a custom plastic moulding that clips to the bottom of the mic suspended within a metal ring using fabric-covered elastic belts.

I found the shock mount to be a little flimsy and the mic moves around inside it, although will not fall out accidentally. I’m not sure why a foam windshield is included as this cannot be used in place of a pop shield, and is only suitable for situations where there is wind. If you are planning to use the mic outdoors, then you will need the wind shield, but a proper pop shield must be used for recording vocals.

Put to the test

As a vocal mic the B1 produced smooth, soft recordings with male vocals and works very well for rap/hip hop vocals without any EQ.
With acoustic instruments the mic was quite brittle and needed a bit of work with EQ to get a good sound.

The B1 is has a lot of features, apart from multiple polar patterns, and would make a good all round “first mic” for a project/home studio.

Specifications
Capsule	1.3” Externally Polarized Condenser
Sensitivity	18mV/Pa
Frequency Response	20-20 000 Hz
Equivalent Noise	12 dB-A
Polar Pattern	Cardioid
Max SPL	137 dB (SPL)

Review by Jaime Lopes for Headroom Productions