The CAD Audio E70 is called dual-capsule because it comes with two interchangeable capsules. Either the omnidirectional or cardioid capsule screw on to the mic’s body and provide the two polar pickup patterns used for probably 90% of all studio recordings.
A condenser mic with an omnidirectional capsule has a flatter frequency response when near the sound source—it picks up the entire sound of an instrument or singer including the room’s ambience. A cardioid polar pattern has the advantage of rejecting sounds off-axis to its front pickup making it popular for live sound and in the recording studio.
I used the E70 to record an acoustic guitar in a very live room using the omnidirectional capsule. At about two feet away from the guitar, the omni pattern established the size of the space my guitar player was sitting in while playing his Martin—this is a very lifelike sound—bright and clear without any EQ. With the cardioid capsule, it was all the same with less of the room and more of the low frequencies of the instrument.
The E70 is an FET-based condenser mic with transformer-less output, switchable hi-pass filter, and a 10/20dB attenuator switch. The E70 will record up to 145dB SPL that comes from close drums and loud guitar cabinets. It requires 48-volt phantom powering and comes with a shock mount, stand clamp and windscreen.
Also great for recording choirs, orchestras, stringed instruments, and pianos, the E70 sells for $129 MAP.
Barry Rudolph is a recording engineer/mixer who has worked on over 30 gold and platinum records. He has recorded and/or mixed Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hall & Oates, Pat Benatar, Rod Stewart, the Corrs, and more. Barry has his own futuristic music mixing facility and loves teaching audio engineering at Musician’s Institute, Hollywood, CA. He is a lifetime Grammy-voting member of NARAS and a contributing editor for Mix Magazine. http://barryrudolph.com
