Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.
You may have read that insightful quote before. For this article I’d paraphrase it this way:
Writing about music gear is like dancing about architecture.
Can you really communicate exactly what you hear using words?
There are countless sites on the Internet where you can read all you want about any piece of music gear ever made. Read forums or online reviews, and you’ll know the writer’s opinion (or dozens of writers’ opinions) about a source they heard on speakers they own in a room where they work. But what if you want to know what it truly sounds like in a room you know on speakers you are familiar with? What if you’d like to judge for yourself with your ears instead of someone else’s ears? Wouldn’t that be more informative?
That’s the reason we take the time to conduct these shootouts. You may not have access to 50 vocal mics, but we do. And we have the studio and the singers and the time to record them, allowing you to play the sound clips and hear them in your own studio or home. For us (and our customers), these sound clips are incredibly informative. Instead of collecting the gear, setting it up, and calibrating everything, you can just read the article and listen to the sound samples. So easy. And you’ll be better informed before you make your purchase. We love doing them, and from the feedback we receive, you love listening to them.
Here’s a roundup of the mic shootouts we’ve done in the past two years. And we’re just getting started. As long as there is new gear coming out that we (and you) want to hear, we’ll keep taking it into the studio and listening. And inviting you to listen with us.
Vocal Mic Shootout
We listened to 50 vocal mics on both male and female voice. You can too.
Learn MoreChoosing the Best Microphone For Acoustic Guitar – 32 Mic Shootout
Listen to the ultimate acoustic guitar microphone shootout.
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Guitar Cabinet Mic Shootout
Hear 21 popular guitar cabinet mics with two different musical styles.
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Kick Drum Mic Shootout
We audition 11 of the best kick drum mics of all time. What you hear may surprise you.
Learn MoreBest Small-diaphragm Condenser Mics for Acoustic Guitar
If you haven’t heard them before, here’s your chance.
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How to Mic a Choir
We enlisted a choir to demonstrate six microphone pairs and different mic placements.
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Manley Mic Comparison — Silver, Gold, and Ref Cardioid
Manley’s microphone offerings, side by side. Can you hear a difference?
Learn MoreHow to Choose a Headset Mic – with Sound Samples
Learn about how to select a headset microphone.
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Handheld Vocal Mic Shootout
We took six vocal mics and two singers onstage to see how they compare.
Learn MoreDrum Mic Shootout with Mike Johnston
Mike Johnston demonstrates multiple miking techniques at a wide variety of price levels.
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Stay tuned. We’ve got lots more shootouts in the works. If you hear some mics you like, give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700.