The Soyuz 1973 is, in one word, beautiful.
Maybe it’s wrong to feel that way about a microphone, but that’s something you pay for in the micro-world of boutique studio mics. They are constructed with more in mind than the raw necessity that characterizes so many live production mics getting tossed around during load in and load out or fist pumped and lasso swung by performers night after night. An enterprising producer could design the whole aesthetic of their studio around a thoughtfully crafted microphone, and the 1973 is no exception. It doesn’t look like a microphone; with its brushed stainless or matte black steel chassis supporting a sturdy yet delicately interlinked grille over a pleasantly textured filter fabric, it looks like a vintage Rolex Explorer or Omega Speedmaster, and it carries the simple elegance of a late ‘40s Cadillac.
The 1973 should grab the attention of churches with blossoming creative departments looking to capture serious audio.
And Soyuz claims the 1973 sounds the way an old Cadillac drives—smooth, responsive, and comfy, thanks to their 023 Bomblet Capsule. But Soyuz is actually trying to do what Ford did: offer an alternative to the Cadillac by tweaking manufacturing methods a little bit to make something more affordable. They’re calling it “the people’s mic.” That’s an actual quote from their website. That doesn’t mean they compromised their methods; no, the mic is still completely hand-made in-house by Soyuz, just like every other offering in their repertoire.
...a thrifty producer could design a whole studio tracking set-up around just one or two of these paired with trusty studio monitors and a copy of Logic Pro.
Soyuz accomplishes this Fordian feat by nixing the transformer traditionally found in FET condenser microphones. What did they do instead? Well, they’re not saying, so it’s probably some kind of soul spell they invoked in their basement because it sounds pretty good, nearly indistinguishable from the real deal, at least by those tracks in the link. So, they clearly stole the soul of an actual FET mic and cast it into this handsome chassis that will fit just about anywhere, making it ideal for the bedroom producer or the small studio trying to maximize space.
Maybe it’ll be a different story when we actually get our hands on a unit to plug and play, but so far, this is an attractive microphone.
The 1973 should grab the attention of churches with blossoming creative departments looking to capture serious audio. The $799 price tag is reachable for most budgets in churches of that size, and, once again, a thrifty producer could design a whole studio tracking set-up around just one or two of these paired with trusty studio monitors and a copy of Logic Pro. It can even be used in a small video studio, which Soyuz proves by recording a promo for the mic with the 1973 itself, and it’s an option for elevating podcast audio beyond handheld Shure SM58s or SM7s. It appears to be a silver bullet.
We’re excited to get our hands on one and take it for a test drive to see what it can really do. Be on the lookout for updates in the near future.
