Lauten Audio Tom Mic — A Combine Actual-World Evaluation

You must give the parents at Lauten Audio credit score for having a humorousness with regards to designating mannequin numbers for his or her merchandise. When the corporate launched its snare drum microphone in 2023, relatively than assigning it some kind of cryptic mannequin quantity, they merely referred to as it “Snare Mic.”

Persevering with in that custom, the brand new tom microphone (launched final 12 months) is just referred to as Tom Mic. No query relating to the meant use! The main target of this overview will probably be Tom Mic, however for the reason that of us at Lauten have been type sufficient to ship a Snare Mic, together with two Tom Mics, I’ll have some feedback on that one as nicely. You may as well learn Barry Rudolph’s full overview of Snare Mic within the March 2024 situation of Combine.

Tom Mic was designed to be used on rack and ground toms within the studio and onstage, with consideration paid to attaining highdefinition sound and a excessive diploma of off-axis rejection (reportedly as much as 28 dB). It’s a side-address, pressure-gradient FET condenser microphone with a 32mm supercardioid, center-terminated capsule, and requires 48VDC phantom energy.

Tom Mic is a hefty little factor, constructed solely from metallic, with a stable brass head body that ought to stand as much as sturdy whacks from a drumstick (I assumed it’d be too impolite to do a smash take a look at). As is the case with the entire firm’s merchandise, Tom Mic was designed by Lauten Audio in California. It ships in a cardboard field with an adjustable arduous mount and a zippered pouch.

The entrance of the Tom Mic is indicated by the Lauten Audio badge and two three-position switches: a high-pass filter and a low-pass filter. Change settings for the HPF are Off, 140 Hz, and 80 Hz; settings for the LPF are Off, 5 kHz and 12 kHz.

The arduous mount could be rotated or eliminated (although there’s no want to take action) by loosening a spherical thumbscrew that secures it to the underside of the mic, and the pivot is secured with a big ratchet-style lever that I discovered simple to seize and tighten from any angle. These options mix to make the Tom Mic simple to put, even in tight quarters. When set in place, the emblem and switches are hid from the viewers and face the drummer, which can annoy some engineers.

PLACEMENT MADE EASY

The fast-start information presents a couple of options for placement, together with body-over-the-rim with the capsule roughly 4 inches away from and pointing towards the middle of the drum head; in a “protected zone” with the mic head peeking over the rim pointing towards the middle of the pinnacle roughly 2 inches away; and beneath the drum pointing straight up, roughly 3 inches from the underside head.

Most of my recordings have been made with the primary two placements. I don’t care a lot for miking toms from the underside, and Tom Mic strengthened that opinion, yielding much less resonance and extra midrange honk with a subdued assault. Your mileage could range.

I used the Tom Mic (and Snare Mic) on a number of totally different drum kits with equal success on stage and within the studio. The primary equipment was a mid-Nineteen Nineties Pearl BLX with birch shells, which I’ve owned since they have been new and have recorded lots of of instances. The next feedback apply with the filters set flat; we’ll get to the filters later.

Tom Mic produced a heat spherical tone with a slight trace of a scooped midrange. In comparison with a (Sennheiser) MD421, the Tom Mic is a tad softer within the high with out being uninteresting, extra rounded within the low finish and has much less growl within the midrange. Basically, the 421 was extra ahead within the midrange and emphasised the assault a bit extra.

Opposite to what I anticipate from condenser mics on toms, the Tom Mic jogged my memory extra of a dynamic mic, particularly with regard to at least one important side: bleed. Whereas I like utilizing condenser mics on toms, I discover that (particularly on stage) the sensitivity generally is a double-edged sword: You get loads of element and constancy, however together with that comes a ton of leakage from cymbals and no matter else occurs to be close by. Not so with Tom Mic.

I didn’t have a scientific method to confirm Lauten Audio’s declare of 28 dB off-axis rejection, however I felt like Tom Mic captured much less bleed from cymbals than most condenser mics when positioned in the same place. If meters are any indication, then leakage was simply down greater than 20 dB. After I positioned Tom Mic on a ground tom in shut proximity to a trip cymbal, leakage from the trip was obvious solely when the drummer was bashing away on the cymbal; leakage from the hi-hat within the rack tom microphone was non-existent.

WHICH SWITCH?

Utilizing the Tom Mic’s HPF and LPF switches is the place issues get actually fascinating. First, the HPF. Set to the 80Hz place for a 13-inch rack tom, Tom Mic sounded lovely. The HPF cleaned up a few of the proximity impact (which is already well-controlled) and improved readability with out gutting the low finish. I felt that the 80 Hz filter was sufficiently subtle to be helpful in preserving the increase of a sloppy tom underneath management, and possibly lowering some kick drum leakage.

The 140 Hz setting for the HPF magnifies this property however can skinny the resonance from massive toms if wanted. The LPF actually opens up some prospects. As you’d anticipate, switching it to 12 kHz takes the sting off of the highest finish, however together with that comes an enchancment within the rejection of cymbals. Whereas this lack of high finish is apparent whenever you solo the Tom Mics, you gained’t miss it whenever you add the overheads, which can present loads of assault and air to enrich the elemental tones captured by the close-up Tom Mics.

Switching the LPF to the 5 kHz setting places you firmly in “Ringo tea towels on the toms” territory with out the trouble of attempting to put towels over or underneath the edges, or messing with EQ. In whole, the 2 switches present 9 totally different voicings, and kudos to Lauten for making these settings clearly audible and never some delicate wishy-washy gimmick. Altering the switches produced some low-level “tick” noises, however not the pronounced “pops” that some condenser mics emit when a rolloff swap is engaged.

It’s value noting that though Tom Mic doesn’t characteristic a pad swap, the output degree is extra in step with that of a dynamic microphone and shouldn’t current an issue for many mic preamps.

ADDING SOME SNARE

I additionally had the chance to attempt Snare Mic, a FET condenser mannequin with a 32mm cardioid capsule, requiring 48VDC phantom energy. Building of Snare Mic is much like that of Tom Mic, however Snare Mic is a standard end-address package deal.

Lauten Audio suggests putting Snare Mic in a considerably unorthodox place whereby the mic seems over the rim, however is parallel to the highest head—versus the normal “level it on the heart of the drumhead” place. Certainly, this placement by some means appears to seize extra of the underside head and opens up the highest finish whereas offering loads of meat (low-mids). I’d be joyful utilizing this in lieu of including a microphone for the snare backside.

The fast-start information for Snare Mic exhibits a swap “preset” referred to as Bleed Decimator, with the HPF set to 140 Hz and the LPF set to five kHz. If you happen to solo the Snare Mic whereas utilizing these settings, it sounds sort of uninteresting, however add within the overheads and also you’ll by no means know the distinction—apart from the truth that leakage is considerably diminished.

I actually loved my time utilizing Tom Mic and Snare Mic. I discovered them each to be versatile and able to producing skilled outcomes with minimal fussing. The filter choices are actually helpful, and listening to the outcomes of utilizing the LPF to cut back bleed whereas permitting the overheads to produce the highest finish for snare and toms was a little bit of an ear-opener.

Building is first-rate, and the mic our bodies are compact sufficient to remain out of the way in which. Moderately than attempt to imitate a sound that’s already been performed, each mics provide a singular voice with loads of choices for fine-tuning timbre in several functions. They’re a bit dearer than a few of the regular suspects out there for snare and tom, however nicely well worth the value distinction. I like to recommend you take a look at Tom Mic and Snare Mic. You gained’t be disillusioned!