Whenever I’m asked to review audio equipment for Church Production Magazine, I look forward to testing equipment that could potentially help ministries achieve a higher level of audio excellence. I also like equipment that performs exceptionally well for a great price, and appreciate equipment that serves multiple purposes. I believe that most budget-conscious ministries are looking for equipment that provides both excellent quality and the potential to last a “lifetime.” The Audio-Technica (A-T) AE5100 cardioid condenser microphone meets these criteria. Originally conceived for instruments such as acoustic guitar, strings, percussion and drum overheads, they are also finding use as choir mics as well.
The AE5100 comes standard with a foam windscreen, vinyl carrying pouch and an isolation mount. The microphone features a robust metal design that is grayish-silver in appearance and is 5.85 inches in length. The black metal grill on top is a dual layer design and presents firm resistance when pressure is applied. The jack portion of the microphone features a metal reinforced housing with gold-plated XLR pins (always a nice addition). All in all, the microphone is visibly well built and could easily endure the rigors of the road. Also featured on the surface of the mic are recessed switches for a 10-dB pad and low-frequency roll-off fixed at 80 Hz, which could only be turned on or off with a small screwdriver. The recessed switches are a nice feature if an engineer doesn’t want the microphone settings “messed” with. To attach the microphone to the isolation mount, you slide it into a rotating collar that locks the mic in place. There are two knobs on the clip, one for tightening the collar and one for adjusting the placement angle.
For those who like the technical speci- fications, the A-T AE5100 features a large-diaphragm capsule that is fixed in a cardioid polar pattern. The element is a condenser, which requires phantom power to operate. The frequency response is 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz with a slight bump in the 5,000 Hz range. The maximum input sound level is 148 dB SPL (sound pressure level) and the dynamic range is 137 dB, 1 kHz at maximum SPL. The noise level is 11 dB SPL and the signal to noise ratio is 83 dB 1 kHz at 1 Pa.
Now, on to testing. For several years, I’ve been the audio re-mix engineer for Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Illinois. Each week we record the service to 48 tracks and then I re-mix the audio for a weekly television and radio program. After years of doing this, it’s natural to become well acquainted with every aspect of the audio equipment and also the acoustical properties of the facility. For this reason, I’m rarely ever “surprised” by what I hear during the re-mix process. With that in mind, I first used a pair of AE5100s to record a nine-piece brass ensemble during a Sunday morning service. We always like to record this ensemble with two microphones, which enable us to capture a true stereo image.
The brass ensemble normally sets up in a semi-circle on the main platform in the sanctuary. We positioned the microphones approximately seven feet apart from each other with the use of two extended boom stands, using the isolation mounts that came with the AE5100s.
Once the mics were in their mounts, we set them at a 90-degree angle and raised them approximately nine feet in the air. We kept the mic switches at 0 dB (no pad) and no roll-off (flat). As I had mentioned earlier, I’m rarely ever “surprised” by what I hear during the re-mix, but I was amazed at the immediate difference I heard in the sound with these microphones. The AE5100s captured much more of the music rather than the room. I was impressed by the clear detail and the “in-yourface” characteristic of the sound. In this particular application, these mics clearly did an excellent job of rejecting the unwanted room noise such as from the HVAC system.
The following Sunday, we decided to try the mics on a thirty-piece symphonic wind ensemble. The setting was also in our church sanctuary and the mics were positioned in a nearly identical fashion. The results were very similar. The overall sound was clear and distinctive with a very high degree of noise rejection. In past recordings, I had grown accustomed to the sound being “muddier” with an overall bigger audio representation of the room. I liked the more up-front sound of the AE5100s and if a bigger room sound were desired, one could always add reverb.
My last test with the AE5100s was performed while recording a sixty-voice choir for a CD project. Once again, I used the A-T mics for the overall stereo image and positioned them using two boom stands about fifteen feet apart. The normal choir mics, which permanently hang in our choir loft, are very expensive German-built microphones. In this situation, the AE5100s still provided a clear, distinguishable sound with great noise rejection. When I added the AE5100s to the mix, the sound was well balanced and warm. I thought the stereo image provided by the AE5100s complimented the direct sound of the German-built mics very nicely. In conclusion, I was very impres sed with the AE5100 microphone. I think it’s amazing that the microphone was first introduced as a multi-instrument mic, yet it’s becoming increasingly popular as a choir mic. As I had mentioned earlier, I’m a big fan of equipment that can serve multiple purposes. The AE5100 could easily find a home in any church or recording studio (large or small). Many audio engineers, like myself, need microphones that are capable of being versatile and don’t require a second mortgage to purchase. It’s a wonderful thing for a microphone to faithfully record a choir and then be used during the week to accurately record acoustic instruments. The AE5100 is a great microphone for both recording and live sound reinforcement. It offers a wellbuilt design and with a street price of $249.95, most of us could even buy two. Now that’s good stewardship.
D. Scott Kramer is the owner/operator of Electric Station Studios in Germantown Hills, Illinois. He is also the former technical director of Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, IL. Grace is a 2,300 member church offering a weekly television and radio ministry.
