APEX 210 Quick Review

[wbcsound]

Thought I'd take advantage of the current Live.com 30% cahback eBay promotion and pick up some gear on the cheap. First to arrive was an APEX 210 ribbon mic. The listing was $134.99 w/ free shipping and 2 whirlwind mic cables. After the cash back is received, the mic will have only set me back $94.49.

Last night I put the mic up on my Tech 21 Trademark 60 to record sample clips of some Danelectro stomp boxes for the November issue of FrugalGuitarist.com. I set it up about 2 feet away a touch of axis and at a slight angle. Results? I'm pretty impressed.

I was using the bright switch on the Trademark with the eq set flat and this mic added some serious warmth to the signal. On darker sources, I expect it will sound pretty muddy. The high end isn't the most detailed I've heard and if you're looking for an "airy" sound this isn't the mic for you. However on brighter souces or coupled with a cripser mic the APEX 210 is going to get used pretty frequently.

 

[dgatwood]

With a few fairly simple mods, the top end should open up dramatically (removing the dullness without ever sounding bright).

1. Make sure the ribbon is not slack. Even if it isn't slack enough to hit the sides of the gap, a slack ribbon can hurt high frequency response. I'm not sure I'd recommend adjusting this yourself unless the mic has an adjustment screw that shifts the end of the ribbon lengthwise (which I don't think any of the Chinese ribbons have). Thus, my advice would be to crack it, check the tension, and if it is loose, put it back together and return it for a new one (or contact APEX Electronics for repairs). About half of these mics, statistically speaking, come with slack ribbons....

2. Consider removing the inner layer of screen mesh. This will open up the highs significantly, but also makes the ribbon more fragile.

3. Substitute a Lundahl LL2912 instead of the cheap Chinese transformer. Depending on whether your Chinese transformer was wound correctly or badly, this may open up the top end significantly. It did on one of my two Nady RSM-2 mics. It will also reduce ringing and various other artifacts characteristic of the stock transformer.

 

[wbcsound]

Thanks for the tips! I wouldn't quite call it dull, perhaps smooth is a better word? Surely not transparent on the high end but I don't know if that's a bad thing just yet. I need to spend a bunch more time with it before I make any mods.

I liked the tones I got out of it and am looking forward to testing it further. I think with judicious use, the character the mic imparts will be perfect for adding warmth when needed.

I have a session to record some drums for a jazz group coming up and I think I'm going to try it out low and out front of the kit to catch the bass drum and a pair of AT2020s over head. The AT2020's are pretty crisp in my opinion, pairing them with the APEX 210 might be a perfect combo.

 

[wbcsound]

Haven't had a chance to test it out on drums yet, but the below clip features it on guitar and I'm pretty impressed with how it colors the tone. I also recorded some vocals with it and it's a good match for my voice (I'll have those clips next month with a full review in www.FrugalGuitarist.com)

This clip features an SX SST57 Stop Tail into the Danelectro FAB Overdrive into the clean channel of a Tech 21 Trademark 60 with the bright switch engaged. The amp was miced with an APEX 210 ribbon microphone from a few feet away. The bass guitar is the Brice HXB-406 direct. The guitar track was additionally treated with some reverb and the whole track was treated with compression.