Kel Audio has made a number of converts in the bluegrass world this past few years. Founder Kelly Dueck never set out to build a “bluegrass microphone,” but he has found them embraced by such stellar grassers as Mike Auldridge, Grasstowne, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses and Dixie Bee-Liners, all of whom use them on the road.
Today (2/15/10), Kel has introduced a new model, the Song Sparrow, a studio-grade condenser microphone tailored for modern vocal recording. Dueck tells us that it is exceptionally well-suited to recording female vocals, and also helps with “jangly” rhythm guitar tracks in more pop-oriented styles of music.
“The Song Sparrow is built with premium electronics and sticks with the Kel philosophy of using simple designs coupled with high quality parts, in order to keep the mic affordable. The mic features a one-inch side-terminated cardioid capsule with an open airy top end response. The circuitry is designed to offer high headroom and good transient response for maximum vocal clarity and presence and avoids the use of inexpensive tubes or transformers which can add edgy distortion.”
Kelly also suggests that the Song Sparrow works well to record piano, drum overheads, vocal groups and most stringed instruments.
It will ship in early April and carry a retail price of $349. Pre-orders are being accepted now, with a pre-release discount of $50.
The following Specifications were provided by the manufacturer:
- Element: 1″ Side-terminated condenser capsule
- Polar Pattern: “Cardioid”
- Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz
- Sensitivity: -38+/-2dB (0dB=1V/Pa at 1kHz)
- Output Impedance: 55 Ohms +/-30% (at 1kHz)
- Equivalent Noise Level: <14dB A
- S/N Ratio: 80dB
- Max. Input SPL: 132dB(at 1kHz=1% T.H.D)
- Body Dimensions: 48x178mm
More details, including graphs, sound samples and manual, can be found on the Kel Audio web site.
