Andertons Music Company acts as a credit broker and not a lender and only offers credit products from Secure Trust Bank PLC trading as V12 Retail Finance. Overall, I’d classify the polar pattern to be very tight, and the off-axis rejection to be excellent. This microphone provides uncoloured rejection of sounds off-axis and yields more gain before feedback than conventional vocal microphones. I don't have a "GREAT" ear to hear all the differences and the knowledge to know which of them would be "the one" for my vocals. In the USA, for example, it costs the same as rivals such as the Neumann KMS 104 and 105 and the Shure KSM9, and is considerably more affordable than DPA's d:facto.

The SR314 has perfect clarity and smoothness making it easy for it to cut in a mix and sit on top without overpowering any other elements in the mix. The SR314, as with all Earthworks microphones, is designed to reproduce an exceptionally natural sound with high fidelity and reliability. It presents vocals with a natural, balanced response and maintains articulation without ever sounding strident. On-axis sound is remarkably clear and balanced, with only gentle proximity effect and no tendency to harshness or sibilance. Especially since you're not a quiet singer in a loud rock band, trying to scrape as much GBF from the mic.If you sing directly into it too close, it will pop on plosives, but with decent technique you can eliminate that. I was a bit worried about running into bleed issues with cymbals on stage, but it never created any issues for me.

An absolutely beautiful microphone, built like a literal tank and delivering a sound very naturally. An extended flat frequency response and a focus on fast clean impulse response set the Earthworks SR314 apart. This shouldn’t be an issue with any professional mixing console, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to make sure that the preamps in your desk can accommodate the current requirement. The pop screen extends down almost half of the microphone, which should also aid in keeping vocalists’ hands in the proper position. I would never use it without some EQ (a little cut around 170hz and a HPF), but it seems to be pretty great on accepting EQ.kHz and a slight cut at around 200 Hz brought the voice front-and-center of the mix, making it sound intimate without being harsh or sibilant. Over the years, I've tried half a dozen studio capacitor mics with no success at all, and had ended up using a ribbon mic on the basis that 'a bit too dull' was easier to work with at the mix than sibilant, thin and harsh. If your singer has good technique, popping won’t be an issue, but for some vocalists it could be a problem. The rejection of sources at 180 degrees is superb, and it still offers a reasonably wide sweet spot to allow the vocalist a good range of movement without drastic changes in sound quality. The SR314 ships with a nylon pouch and a microphone stand clip, and is warranted for a period of 10 years from the date of purchase—an impressive commitment from the folks at Earthworks.

There are slight peaks around 10kHz and 15kHz, a slight dip around 4kHz and 8kHz, and a gentle roll-off below 100 Hz. From broadcasts and podcasts, to voiceovers, stage performance and studio work, this mic will thrive in a tonne of different auditory situations.

Unscrewing the screen reveals a classic Earthworks-style design with a tapered thin head housing the small diaphragm. Finding a non-drunk or stoned UK sound man that does his job properly is hard enough - about one out of ten gigs I'd be anywhere close to being satisfied with the sound. One glance at the Earthworks SR314 makes clear that this is not another “me too” vocal mic for on-stage use.

If I'm doing a handheld in the studio, I'd probably just give them an SM7b - or whatever they felt most comfortable with. Along with all of her other ventures, she has firmly established herself as a trailblazer in popular culture. A highpass filter set around 150 Hz with a steep slope (18 dB/octave) helped reduce this thickness; that filter frequency was much higher than I’d normally use on this particular singer. There is no polar response data supplied for frequencies below 400 Hz, but I suspect that the pattern is wider at lower frequencies, making it more susceptible to feedback in the low end (that’s probably also the reason why the off-axis response is so uncolored).The pattern tightens up a bit around 6 kHz, and then becomes more omnidirectional at frequencies above roughly 8 kHz.