The house recording revolution has come. From low cost and reasonably priced audio interfaces and software program to the rocketing abundance of USB microphones in the Zoom era, there isn’t a purpose why you may’t make chart-topping singles in your bed room. (See: Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell.) It’s simple to get audio high quality that is ok, however now high-end corporations are aiming to assist common musicians get true studio high quality at house.

The newest Sphere DLX and Sphere LX modeling mics from Universal Audio ask a easy query: What for those who may have just about each well-known microphone obtainable at your fingertips in a single, sub-$1,400 machine?

Plug in these stereo mics to any audio interface, open up the software program, and also you achieve entry to tens of 1000’s of {dollars} of modeled microphone sounds, and even the power to alter them post-record. It’s been a recreation changer in my small venture recording studio, and one that may make next-generation indie rockers sound cleaner and extra dialed-in than ever. You may even use a mannequin of the Eilishes’ own Neumann, although you is perhaps disenchanted to appreciate that expertise is the principle purpose they sound so good.

On the Mic

The Sphere is available in two sizes and costs, the cheaper LX and dearer DLX, each of which come inside well-engineered gentle circumstances. (You can stack them, however they are not going to outlive a success with a baseball bat.) You get two mounts within the DLX case, a daily one and a shock one, and only a non-shock mount within the LX case. The bigger DLX will look instantly acquainted to those that have tried the Townsend Labs Sphere L22, one other modeling mic that got here out a number of years in the past, and for good purpose. UA bought Townsend Labs, utilizing its tech to recreate the outdated mannequin and create the smaller LX collection for extra budget-conscious people.

Universal Audio has made every part from mic preamps and compressors to microphones over the previous 24 years. Like every part the corporate makes, these mics feel and look like they’re designed for skilled use, with stable metallic enclosures and a stunning match and end. The predominant distinction between the 2 is the dimensions. The smaller and extra reasonably priced Sphere LX simulates lots of the similar mics as its greater brother, but it surely lacks 18 mic fashions included on the bigger mic. You get 20 mic fashions on the smaller LX and 38 on the DLX.

Both are stereo microphones that document by way of the back and front of a customized 1-inch stereo capsule. On their very own, they’re extremely transparent-sounding mics; that is partially what permits the mic’s plug-in software program to research and emulate basic microphone polar patterns, tone, and many others. Both are powered by 48-V phantom power, with white LEDs that gentle up the capsule when the mic is plugged in and energy is on–a cool impact that I haven’t seen on different mics of this type. It makes you are feeling just like the capsule is looking to your mouth.

The solely draw back to the mics being stereo is that these do take up two channels of your audio interface. If you might have a smaller interface, you’ll have to trace vocals and every other devices at totally different occasions. Not an enormous deal, however price noting for these with solely two mic channels.

Recording Sphere

The mics are mainly Photoshop for mic selection and placement. You can decide what mannequin of mic you want. Anyone who has hung round an expert recording studio will instantly acknowledge many, if not just about all, of the microphone fashions included contained in the Sphere’s plug-in controller. Everything from basic Neumann fashions just like the U47 and U67, to extra fashionable mics just like the Shure SM7B and Sony C800G, can be found. There is even a collection of ribbon microphones, which may be tremendous useful on horns or for a classic sound.

You can decide mics after recording too. You set up the plug-in, set it up on a stereo channel of your digital audio workstation, and select which mic you wish to use and the way. You can at all times change it later, supplied the audio was recorded by the Sphere mic to start with. The plug-in works with each main piece of audio recording software program, from Garageband to skilled requirements like Pro Tools, which makes it just about foolproof.

Not solely are you able to alter the particular mic, you may even alter the polar sample, which is the “lens” of a mic that controls the course from which the mic data, whether or not that is tightly in entrance or an omnidirectional recording. You may even use mics in methods the unique mannequin wouldn’t enable; I favored utilizing a mannequin of a classic RCA ribbon mic in a tighter configuration than the classic mic would enable in actual life. I get a lot much less bleed from surrounding devices. You may also alter the space from the mic, the place typically you may get too many pops from “p” sounds or sibilance from “s” sounds.