Gefell M 1030 Large Diaphragm FET Condenser Microphone

To being with, let’s acknowledge who Microtech Gefell is: in short, the original Neumann. As a practical matter this means everything they make is worth owning for the process of recorded sound. So, what’s left to talk about is only nuance and personal preference, not any deal-breaking issues.

In the research that led to the purchase of this mic, I read much about how the M1030 was nothing more than an M930 in a larger body; that everything about the 2 models except size was identical, from capsules to electronics. Since I already owned an M930 and loved it, I didn’t really need another mic that sounded just like it. So, I went through several other microphones in my search for different sounds to compliment the mic selection in my VO studio.

Eventually I was offered an incentive on the M1030 (something that rarely happens) and decided that I could justify it as a replacement for the M930 rather than an addition to it. While both mics were in my possession I A/B’d them in several VO sessions. Whatever the truth may be about them being technically identical, I discovered that the 2 mics are not nearly as similar-sounding as we are led to believe. To my ears anyway, the M1030 always sounded bigger and more 3D than its smaller sibling, but even better was the degree of “reach” demonstrated by the bigger mic. It seems to actually reach down your throat and pull the vocal out of you, while you had to work the M930 a bit harder to sound authoritative.

Could this all be just a psychological response to the size of the 2 mics? Certainly, so let’s just address what the M1030 is, instead of any comparison to the M930. The Gefell M1030 fits squarely in the category of a “modern” and technically excellent microphone; perhaps even the gold-standard for it. It’s not thick like a “vintage” mic, but no one would describe it as lacking either. Instead, it is a mic for contemporary recording tools and processes; adding little if any artificial frequency hyping or harmonic distortion. In every situation, the mic exhibited a high degree of detail and accuracy. Proximity effect is noticeable but not drastic, and the mic never gets overly boomy in the process of closing the distance between source and capsule.

You can tune the sound even further by some judicious mic placement: up/down, on-axis/off-axis, high/low, they all produce slightly different characteristics in the tone. Being a cardioid-only mic with no on-board switches ensures a couple of things: a clean signal-path from capsule to pre-amp, and that it will be used primarily for vocal duties. Not a bad thing, but “primarily” doesn’t mean exclusively. Creativity in the studio often means defying the legacy constructs of the recording process, and I’m certain that this mic will see a wider-range of duties than I’m giving it credit for. A couple that I can see myself are piano and string instruments. Discuss.

I really like the feature of the green “go” light on the address-side of the head basket that indicates the presence of Phantom power. Such a simple thing, but very reassuring. Not sure why more mic makers don’t do this. It has the added benefit of insuring that you’ll never speak into the wrong side of a cardioid mic.

But does the feature-set and sound of the M1030 justify the additional money over the M930? As someone who has owned them both, my answer is "yes". While this mic exceeded my expectations by a fairly wide margin, and is as near-perfect for VO applications as any mic I’ve had the pleasure of speaking into (including the venerable U87), someone who lusts after the creamy goodness of the vintage tube sound may find it on the sterile side. What no one will accuse it of is being cheap by any measure. It is a substantial, well-crafted, and state-of-the-art instrument. Just plug it in and point it in the general direction of some sound; it may reproduce that sound differently than you expected, but it will never reproduce it badly.