UT Twin87
Twin-Circuit Condensor Microphone
15
Owner’s Manual
Version 1.0 as of 11/15/2021
Additional Support
Visit www.unitedstudiotech.com for additional
support.
UT Twin87
Twin-Circuit Condensor Microphone
14
Owner’s Manual
Version 1.0 as of 11/15/2021
Additional Support
Visit www.unitedstudiotech.com for additional
support.
Chapter 3: Waxing Philosophical
3.1 Room Acoustics
Probably no factor in recording is as import-
ant as room acoustics. No matter how good
a microphone and other equipment may be;
recording in an untreated room is usually a
recipe for disappointment. Drums will sound
brash and cheap, vocals hollow and cavern-
ous. Reflections from untreated and paral
-
lel walls of ordinary homes and commercial
spaces create a comb filtering effect that can
wreak havoc on audio fidelity, and almost nev
-
er work in favor of the recordist. Fortunately,
these issues can be remedied sufficiently on
a home budget and do not require booking
time in a professional studio.
The first solution is to treat the room. There
are a number of affordable acoustic panel and
foam solutions on the market which do a sat-
isfactory job. It is not necessary to over-treat
a room; but the needs of every room are dif-
ferent. It is worth taking the time to research,
understand the problems of your room, and
decide how lively or deadened you want your
room to be. Typically, it is more than sufficient
to treat a room with just the minimal need-
ed to make the room sonically neutral. If you
can do this, then you will have a room that is
acceptable for tracking, editing, and mixing.
The second solution is more localized. If you
only plan to record voice, perhaps you don’t
need to treat the room. Any of various brands
of ‘vocal shield’ or portable vocal baffle will
sufficiently decouple the microphone from
its rear wall reflections and deliver an amaz
-
ing improvement to the sounds you are able
to capture. This one investment can often
make the difference between a recording
that sound professional and one that does
not; regardless of the quality of microphone,
preamp, or interface. The importance of tak-
ing a bit of time to isolate the mic from its
room reflections cannot be overstated.
One of the joys for those who get to some-
times work or record in a big studio is the
great microphone selection that professional
facilities often have available. These impres-
sive collections are usually amassed over a
long period of time, and often include fine
specimens of tube, solid state, transform-
er-coupled, transformerless, large diaphragm,
medium diaphragm, and small diaphragm
condensers, as well as dynamic and ribbon
microphones. They will usually have both vin-
tage specimens as well as new designs.
For all the expense and grandeur, what this
truly boils down to is merely a studio’s abili-
ty to pick the right microphone for the right
application; pulling from a palette of options
that range from very dark to very bright,
with many many shades in between. Micro-
phones with different pickup configurations
CHAPTER 3:
WAXING PHILOSOPHICAL
3.1
ROOM ACOUSTICS
3.2
MICROPHONE CHOICES AS AN ARTIST’S PALETTE
Chapter 3: Waxing Philosophical
3.2 Microphone Choices As An Artist’s Palette
and amounts of off-axis rejection,
and microphones with unique
textures that may complement a
given situation, such as smooth-
ness or warmth. Every voice has a
slightly different sibilance range,
and sometimes one can find a
mic whose presence peak does
not emphasize those sibilant fre-
quencies. Some microphones are
better for male vocals, some for
female. As a general rule, profes-
sional producers and engineers
tend to pair a microphone to an
artist that brings out qualities
lacking in the source, or de-em-
phasizes qualities the source
has too much of. For instance, a
brighter and thinner voice ben-
efits from a darker microphone
which has more girth and body.
A deep, powerful voice can call
for the opposite kind of selection
to help bring out top end and
articulation. A microphone with
some degree of neutrality usual-
ly guarantees that it will work on
the widest possible range of sit-
uations with good results. These
are not hard and fast rules, but
generally hold true.
Any great mic locker begins with
one mic, and the UT Twin87 is an
excellent first choice as well as a
welcome addition to a more es-
tablished studio’s collection. With
its big, fairly neutral sound and
slightly forward midrange pres-
ence; the UT Twin87 is the perfect
studio ‘workhorse’ microphone to
use in a variety of ways through-
out a session.
