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Microphone Choices: What's That Parked Next to the La Salle?

"At The Harmonica Microphone Bench" with Fritz Hasenpusch

by Fritz Hasenpusch

As we assess the myriad of mics that have rolled down the audio interstate (and Autobahn) over the last hundred years, weighing their virtues of SOUND and WORKABILITY when put to the test of amplifying our savior, Saint Harmonica, we may occasionally catch a glimpse of just how broad this landscape is. Just a glance out the side window of our speeding Harpmobile will tell you that the terrain we're traveling through is vast and varied, the horizons distant beyond measure…

I recently had the opportunity to take a long look at the soundscape we're traveling through and get a navigational "fix" by way of the many attendant landmarks: The 117th convention of the Audio Engineering Society (known simply as the AES) was recently held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The AES shows differ from the more familiar NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) events in that they are less oriented toward the musical performer/consumer and more geared for those who manage the resulting audio being produced. People from all over the planet who deal with the many aspects of sound converge at AES conventions to learn, teach, share, buy, sell, and do the things that people do in a convention atmosphere. It all just happens to revolve around being heard, in one form or another. The designers and manufacturers of professional hardware and software of every aspect of the audio biz were represented: Recording systems, consoles, audio processors, amplification, speakers, wiring, sound reinforcement systems, broadcast equipment, and, of course, MICROPHONES. Microphones by manufacturers who deal with the highly specialized field of acoustic measurement, mics designed for recording (from budget models under $100 to the most refined and ethereal examples available with price tags comparable to that of luxury automobiles), and the vast array of workhorse mics from the broad field of sound reinforcement were represented by dozens of manufacturers exhibiting hundreds of models. You know what? In my two days of walking the convention floor I did not see one familiar La Salle Headlamp Factor microphone on display. Not a one. As a counterpoint, while attending an AES symposium on vintage microphones, thoughtful but troubling observations were made regarding the trend in interior design of using old mics-whether functioning or not-as décor accents. I felt like the father of an orphan…

My experience at the AES underscored my perceptions of the anachronistic nature of the harp mic when viewed in the context of "modern" audio technology. Fact is, if you're on this road it's because you choose to be on it. As we've examined, there are solid practical reasons for pointing the old Harpmobile down this particular stretch of audio pavement…

But what of those other roads in our landscape that are less traveled? Stretches where the La Salle Headlamp Factor has been traded in on newer-faster models? What could they offer us? And what of those brave non-traditionalists who choose to pilot these modern mavericks?

A look at non-bullet options, the "who" and the "why", next time on THE MIC BENCH.

For pictures and descriptions of most of the microphones listed visit http://www.harmonicamasterclass.com/vintage_collection.htm

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To contact Fritz for his Custom Mics or Repair email him at harpmicman@earthlink.net