Roswell Pro Audio Cab Mic Guitar Microphone

Product Description

Guitar cabs represent a fairly unique application. They can be loud, so the mic needs a huge amount of headroom. The mic should have a soft top end, to eliminate harshness. The mic should work well on its own, so that artists need not manage comb filtering (phase cancellations) invariably created when two or more mics are put on the speaker. The Roswell Pro Audio Cab Mic features a low-distortion circuit and a large-diaphragm capsule with a unique tuning. Roswell implemented the circuit with fantastic components. The combination has beaten numerous popular mics on guitar cab, including dynamics, condensers, and ribbons.

HOW TO USE THE CAB MIC

Most guitarists will tell you to never aim a microphone at the center of the dust cap. It's true that that position is too bright and too harsh for common dynamic mics. But as Steve Albini pointed out many years ago, the center of the speaker is the location with the least smearing, the least filtering, the least distortion, the most clarity, and the most articulation. That's where he usually miked a cab. It's impossible to argue with his results (e.g. Nirvana).

The trick is to use a microphone that works well in that location. Albini seemed to prefer vintage RCA ribbon mics. Those sound great if you have a $4000 budget. The Cab Mic works beautifully in the same position, at a slightly lower cost. Start with the mic's grille centered on the dust cap of the speaker. Stand the mic with six inches of space between the mic grille and the speaker cloth. Crank up the amp's master volume to whatever that amp's sweet spot is; the mic can take whatever level you give it, and it won't overload the preamp. To increase bass content, move the mic closer. To decrease bass content, move the mic back. The Cab Mic has good proximity effect -- more linear and more predictable than a ribbon mic (read that as "less likely to get muddy").

COMPARING THE CAB MIC TO OTHER MINI K MICROPHONES

Most of the "Mini K" mics can be used on guitar cabs. They can work beautifully in that application -- e.g. the band Little Feat has used the Mini K67x on two cabs on stage for the past three years. The Cab Mic has lower sensitivity, lower output, and more headroom than all of those models. It also has a darker voicing than all of them.

In terms of the mic's internals, the Cab Mic uses a different capsule from the rest of the mics. The Cab Mic's circuit has a similar topology to the KD, because both of the main applications of these two models (guitar cab and kick drum) require very high SPL capability. The Cab Mic circuit is unique in its frequency response and distortion characteristics, and employs some very nice vintage European film capacitors not found in other models. Like every other Roswell microphone, the Cab Mic is specifically voiced, tuned, and optimized to delivery extremely high performance for its intended application.

COMPARING THE CAB MIC TO RIBBON MICS

As noted previously, the Cab Mic's voicing is similar to ribbon mics, primarily in its frequency response above 1 kHz. The Cab Mic's response rolls off gently above 3 kHz, which prevents guitar cabs from sounding harsh. The Cab Mic has a nominally Cardioid polar pattern, which gives it more-linear and more predictable proximity effect than any Figure-8 ribbon. (For the purists: the Cab Mic's polar pattern is slightly narrower than textbook Cardioid; this helps give the mic its punchy, articulate sound.) The Cab Mic is not fragile in the way that ribbon mics are. A puff of air on the capsule will not break the Cab Mic.

USING THE CAB MIC ON OTHER SOURCES

The Cab Mic's primary application is to record amplified guitar cabinets. It will work beautifully on trumpet and other brass instruments. It will work well as a drum room mic; its soft top end naturally attenuates cymbal wash, which is a desirable characteristic for drum room tracks that would be heavily compressed. This model is not intended for use on vocals, acoustic guitars, acoustic bass, or piano. Every other Roswell microphone will deliver superior results on those sources. This model's internal gain staging is optimized for high SPL sources, e.g. guitar cab, brass, drum room.