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Sound:
I have ordered several mics from ZZounds that sounded great for most of my needs. However, I was having problems with recording a (plucked) soprano ukulele. Because the soundboard is small, the signal is low, resulting in excessive finger noise. Also, certain frequency ranges would boom out (at about 170 hz), resulting in occasional ugliness. Getting too close to the mic would also overwhelm the diagphragm sometimes, creating a rattling sound.
I got the best results with the small condenser CAD 1200, so I went looking for a similar mic, and chose the Golden Age FC-4. I'm very happy with the results for this application. It has a more natural sound, and slightly stronger signal. When it warms up, it has a nice fat middle range. But mostly, the response was an improvement, it captures the character of a plucked string very nicely. There is enough warmth to give some legato to my notes, yet where it really shines is in the high end - not harsh.
There is a switch with a high-pass filter, and the first test I recorded with the switch as it comes, in the higher position (I'm guessing filter on). It sounded good, but I caught just a whiff of the aforementioned 170 hz "ugliness". But when I tried the switch in the down position, the high end came alive (without sounding harsh) and guess what - no more ugliness - just a balanced, natural, even tone over the whole range of the instrument.
So this mic solved my toughest problem, which I couldn't fix with my AKC C-1000s, Radio Shack PZM's, CAD GXL 1200, or two large condenser mics. I'm very happy to have come across this Golden Age mic.
Feature:
Comes in a nice wooden box, includes shock mount. However I would have liked for the mic thread to include the little adapter for European mount instead of just the 5/8" thread - those little guys are hard to find.
Ease of Use:
Quite easy to use and seems idiot proof. However, it needs to warm up 5 minutes or so for best tone.
Quality:
Everthing is fine, the body is heavyweight and solid, the connections are flawless and gold-plated. Small and handy. When cranking up the pre-amp, I do hear a little bit of noise if I go too hot, however, by playing with levels I can eliminate that and get a stronger signal than with my other mics.
Value:
Well, it sounds good, is solid, fits the application, for the price of a dinner out. Can't beat the value.
Manufacturer Support:
Just got it, haven't needed service.
The Wow Factor:
ZZounds, this is a strange category. Some Freudian types might see this mic as having a phallic connotation, but there are times when a mic is just a mic. This is a utilitarian object, if you want sex appeal get one of the bigger ones.
Overall:
I will probably use this mic until they haul me away.
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Overall:
I mostly use these to record drums and certain acoustic instruments. These are not only phenomenal for their price range, personally I think they're better than my shure pg81's! They have such a natural - non shrill sound. Almost ribbon like. The build of these mics is also very good, however I broke the shock mount to mine, but with a simple email, Golden Age sent me a replacement immediately. As long as I'm dealing with a company with that kind of integrity I won't hesitate to buy Golden Age products in the future.
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