Audio-Technica microphones are workhorses. I have never been disappointed with any A-T mics. In fact, most of the time when I use an A-T mic for the first time, I am surprised at how well they perform. Such has been the case with the new ATM510 that I've been using for the past few weeks. It has yet to let me down.
Now let's be honest. When your church needs a handheld vocal mic, you are typically going to get the same old suggestion of an SM58. Sure, it's a solid workhorse—of course it'll work. But why not try something new that has been designed in this century for live vocals? A-T is not reinventing the wheel here, but they are making it run a whole lot smoother.
The ATM510 is a cardioid dynamic handheld mic. One of the modern design elements is an internal shock-mounting system. This helps reduce handling noise and can help with that vocalist with a fidgety grip, or for the worship leader that kicks his mic stand from time to time. The multi-stage grille has been designed to help reduce plosives and sibilance. This is a great feature because the less popping, the more natural voice you hear. And the less of those s's and p's and easier it will be to EQ and compress your vocal. Everyone will be much happier—your vocalist, your audience, and you.
PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS
The look and feel of the 510 is a fresh approach, as well. The mic is quite light compared to other vocal mics in my bag. The cool grey tone of the mic body extends till near the end of the mic, where some type of rubber is used to finish off the unit. This holds the microphone on the stand very well. It would be hard for the mic to slip off accidentally. The clip is also designed in such a way to reduce shock.
As I often like to do with a new mic, I A/B'd it with some of my other favorite vocal mics. I tested how the mic sounded both at close proximity (my “eat the mic” test) and a few inches off the grille. When testing the mic a few inches off the grille, I found it open and natural. The 510 gave me a bit more body than the other mics in my collection. I was happy with what I was hearing. At close proximity I found it to handle the plosives quite well—as advertised—certainly better than some of its competitors. The vocal sounded forward and natural. Quite nice I'd say.
I also tested the off-axis rejection and compared it with the other mics. Here I found that the mic was not much different than other similar mics. Both off-axis and gain-before-feedback tests were within normal expectations, but the 510 did not beat out any mics in this test.
One of my first uses of the 510 was with a male vocal who has a nice low aggressive quality to his voice. The 510 faired very well for this application. I found the mic to be very natural sounding. There was no need to over EQ; the vocal sat very well in the mix. The mic also held up to well to all of the dynamics that this vocalist could throw at it. I found that the plosive nature of this type of a performance was not an issue for the mic. It held up to its claims in this case.
Next, I had the chance to use the 510 on a female vocal that I mix at church from time to time that typically can sound a bit thin because she tends to sing a bit on the quiet side. I found the 510 to excel here, as the mic seemed to provide a bit more body to her voice that held up quite well in the vocal mix. The detail and articulation were there, but there wasn't any unwanted smearing on the top end. The thin quality that I typically struggle with went away.
PARTING THOUGHTS
I received good compliments from the vocalists that used this mic. I did not use this mic on any IEM situations, but most of vocalist said they were really happy with how the mic sounded through their stage monitors.
In summary, the Audio-Technica ATM510 is a great sounding vocal mic that has some fabulous design elements to make it excel on stage. If you are restocking your mic locker I would highly suggest that you take one of these out for a spin before you simply decide to go with what might be considered the standard. Give it a shot—you won't be disappointed.
