Calrec mics

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noisedude

noisedude

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Has anyone heard or ever used any mics made by Calrec? They are a long-standing company based down the road from me and there are a pair of SDCs in my university music school that people are swearing by. They're detachable capsule type things, like the Oktava MK012s I guess. People here are using them over Rode NT5s. They seem to be about 25-30 years old. Anyone got any info?
 
The body models are called CALREC CB20C ... I just lost my notebook with the models of the capsules in!
 
Okay this is a bit confusing so bear with me.

The company Calrec, created lots of microphones. They also created really well respected mixing desks and made a lot of desks for the BBC and for TV companies.

Their most famous microphone is probably the soundfield microphone which was part of the ambisonics system which is presently undergoing a revival with all the new multiple speaker formats because the microphone picked up spatial information on x,y, and z axis and so was able to hear all around. It was like a magic ball of hearing. The information the ambisonic system produces can be decoded into 5.1 but also into whatever weird speaker system people come up with in the future! :)

Anyway the history of the company is really complicated as they merged with another company but then split the mixing desk side of the buisness off and took the name back too. I think calrec are also still the people who do the ambisonic stuff, but most of the microphone buisness ended up in yet another 3rd company called Hebden sound. Hebden microphones are VERY much respected. They are like really high end oktava 012's.

Bizzarely the Hebden Sound company is not in Hebden Bridge but Sheffield or Wakefield or somewhere whereas Calrec *is* in Hebden Bridge.

Here are some links which might help you make more sense of it all!

http://www.bridgemics.co.uk/Hebdensound/uk/productspairs.php?series=main

http://www.calrec.com/

Hope that helps.

love

Freya
 
I have a few Calrec mics that I got VERY cheap. They are pretty sweet and I am so glad I got them for the bargain price I did!
 
I slapped my head when I was leafing through this month's SOS last night ... there's a little piece on some new Hebden SDCs at the very front of the mag!

Hopefully I'll have a chance to test these ancient Calrecs against the Rode NT5s in the next couple of weeks ... will let you know how they get on.
 
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